Chapter 224 – Reaction to the Announcement
Shortly after Katie had left with Opal, Frank and Peter came up stairs.
"Did you still want me to make the casserole?" Frank asked.
"If you want." Gran said. "Devin, Chris and them are staying in town. Rosemary is gone, so do you think we will need it."
Trish walked over to the fridge with Frank and they started looking at what was actually left over, minus salads and sandwiches fixings.
"I think so." Trish said. "We can heat up the other stuff and then use the buffet warmers. There are about a half a dozen chicken breasts and maybe three or four servings of the pork roast. Then only a serving or two at most of the other leftovers which are mostly sides. We can set up fruit and veggies. But I think that another hot main entree to choose from would be good."
"I will trust you." Gran said. "What were you making again, Frank?"
"It is called pizza bubble up." Frank said. "It has refrigerator biscuits, then is topped with meat, cheese and pizza sauce."
"The kids will definitely eat it." Peter said. "It sounds really good, actually."
"Sounds good." Gran said. "I am going to sit here since I have been on my feet a lot this week."
"You do that." Trish said.
"Peter." Frank said. "Want to help me? It isn't hard. I can teach you and then maybe you can make it at home to help your Mom sometime."
"Sure." Peter said.
Abigail was momentarily shocked, since Peter rarely wanted to help in the kitchen at home, even when she asked him nicely. Gran put her hand on Abigail's arm and shook her head slightly. Abigail got the message. After she left the kitchen, Trish walked over to the library.
"Girls." Trish said. "Please pick up the games and put them away. Then can you please go downstairs and make sure that the sheets and towels get folded and put away."
"Yes, Mom." Maddie said.
"How long until supper?" Missy asked.
"About forty-five minutes." Trish said.
"Thank you." Missy said.
The girls picked up the library and put the games away. They then headed downstairs to fold the laundry. Trish went back to the dining room after the girls headed downstairs.
"The girls are headed downstairs to fold the laundry." Trish said.
"Thank you." Gran said.
… … … …
After they had gone on their walk, Jack and Elizabeth had settled downstairs. They decided to start working through the books that had been recommended by Father Mark. So they sat off to the side, each with a book and the Bible between them. Jack held the Ipad as they sat together and worked through the first lesson. They were actually able to do two lessons, and talk about them. They could have done a third, but chose to reflect on the two they had done. They were in a time crunch, but they also didn't want to race through things. They both knew that Father Mark was going to sit down and talk to them about what they got from the lessons.
Elizabeth had been surprised that even though it was a Catholic program, she didn't feel that it made her feel like less then because she wasn't Catholic. She had to ask Jack to clarify some things that they were talking about and he was easily able to do it. It was mostly what certain terms were or how they were used. Each time, Jack paused the Ipad and explained it, even if he had to look it up on his phone so she understood. Jack realized that there were things he thought he knew, but really didn't. Elizabeth was glad that they were taking the time to work through the books together that Father Mark suggested. She also saw the wisdom in the layout of the program and why Father Mark had suggested it. She knew that her and Jack were young, but also felt that they had such a strong connection that it would be able to overcome their age and the short time that they had known each other.
After they had worked through the two lessons, made notes in their books and read the Bible verses in a little more context, they prayed together. They were both feeling good about the lessons and both felt that they had made progress. Jack knew that they hadn't tackled the hard topics yet, but he felt that they had made a good start. He was glad that they were doing it together like they were. If they could get through two lessons at a time for most of them, then Jack knew that they would finish in no time. Jack also wasn't looking forward to the harder conversations, but he knew that they needed to happen. He just hoped that it drew him and Elizabeth closer and didn't drive a wedge between them.
Elizabeth was also glad that they had gotten through two lessons and were making headway. She also knew that they had several harder topics to cover. She just hoped that they could talk about them in a rational way. She knew that they didn't agree on some things, but Elizabeth also felt like they could work through them. She also realized that after today, she was having a harder time controlling her emotions and reactions around Jack. She was starting to understand why Jack had always tried to limit the contact between them. Even snuggled up next to each other on the couch with a room full of people, Elizabeth could feel her body react to Jack. She also knew that if she was in a different setting that it wouldn't be as easy to stop if they started kissing.
She thought back to earlier in the afternoon when they were kissing under the tree and how hard it had been to pull away from Jack in broad daylight where anyone could have seen them. In the moment when they were pressed up against the tree, all Elizabeth was thinking about was being with Jack and how much her body ached for Jack in that moment. As much as she loved kissing Jack, she knew that she was going to have to be more careful when they were together. She now understood how things got out of control so fast and how hard it was to slam on the breaks. Elizabeth took a deep breath and tried not to think any more about the kiss they had shared. She also realized why Jack was counting down the days.
After their lesson, they were snuggled into the couch and Jack decided to just check social media and see what was going on since the release of the picture and statement, then the press conference. He remembered Peter telling him it had been picked up by the AP and made national news, but Jack didn't realize that it had become international news and was one of the top trending topics on several platforms. He was not prepared for an onslaught of comments, both good and bad. He picked a couple at random and read through them.
When Elizabeth saw what he was doing, she asked him to read a few comments. She wasn't sure it was a good idea, but she really, kind of wanted to know. Overwhelmingly, the comments were positive and were wishing them well. There were ones of 'sorry you are off the market', 'wish you both the best'. There were also several comments about how it was wrong and what were they thinking.
"Hey." Jack said, after seeing Elizabeth's face. "Random people on social media have no bearing on how I feel about you."
"Thank you." Elizabeth said. "I just really wasn't ready for the push back."
"Hey." Jack said. "You are always going to have that. Some people just can't be happy unless they are complaining about something. I am sure that Devin has someone monitoring what is being said. I am sure that any comments that are inappropriate are flagged, reported and deleted. I also know that Devin will not allow personal attacks on us, those comments will also be flagged. They don't want to delete all the negative comments, otherwise people will wonder why it is only positive. As long as it isn't personal attacks or inappropriate, they will let it be. It is just the way it has to be. I usually just scroll past those. The positive comments far outweigh the negative ones."
"Okay." Elizabeth said. "I can see that. Thank you for explaining it to me. I am afraid to go on social media right now. I changed all my settings to private before I came here. Only known friends can see my posts. I haven't posted anything. Honestly, I haven't spent much time on there since coming up here with you. I was thinking of posting some of the pictures that I took in Canada now that we are home."
"Smart." Jack said. "Don't worry about it. I just wanted to see what the response was. If that is what you want, you are more than welcome to do that."
Jack looked at a couple more comments. He also quietly read one of the articles that had been written. A society writer from one of the New York City papers had written a longer article about how one of the most handsome, eligible young men appeared to be off the market for good. She had written how according to a statement released by his grandfather, the young and seemingly elusive, JP Thornton was involved with the completely unknown Elizabeth Thatcher. The article talked a little about the rumors regarding Charlie Kensington and how JP was accused of kidnapping Elizabeth. It also alluded to a cover-up by law enforcement allowing JP to go unpunished due to several alleged payments to law enforcement.
The article also apparently had a couple quotes from Lacy Pennybaker who vowed that her child would be recognized as the legitimate Thornton heir and that she would get all that was due to her. In the article Lacy described how JP had lured her to Florida for spring break and then forced her to do what he wanted after years of flirting and coming onto her while training their horses. She said that the only reason that she came forward was because she found that she was expecting and also didn't want him to do to another girl what he had done to her. All she wanted was what she rightly deserved and for her child to be financially taken care of. She said she knew that JP would never really be punished for his crimes since his grandfather had law enforcement in his pocket.
Jack was angry by the time that he was done reading. Instead of reacting like he normally would, he sent a copy of the article to Devin and Peter. He also included a message asking them to deal with it and he wasn't going to mention it to Elizabeth as she had already been upset by some of the comments on social media. Jack had to take several minutes to calm himself internally as in that moment all he wanted to do was throttle Lacy.
By the time that Jack had shut down the Ipad and turned his attention back to Elizabeth and the race on TV, it was getting close to supper time. Jack wondered if they should go up and help. He had seen the girls come down and head to the laundry room and then head up with folded towels a little while later. Before he could think much further, Trish called them to all come upstairs.
The group finished watching the race that was in progress and then headed up. When they got upstairs, they saw that there was plenty to do to help get ready for supper. Nathan settled Cody in the front room with his horses. The rest of the group helped get the table set and the heated up food set out for everyone. A couple bottles of wine were opened and placed in chilled sleeves on the table. Other drinks were also placed on the table. A stack of plates were set on the counter, silverware had been placed on the table.
Once the food was ready, everyone was called to the kitchen dining room area. James had come in while they were getting everything ready. After a quick prayer, the young adults helped the kids get their plates and then got them settled at the table while the other adults made their plates. Jack and Elizabeth were the last two to sit down. Over supper, John and James shared about the press conference and how the crowds outside the gates had mostly cleared. John shared that there were still a few reporters, but they didn't dare step foot off the road edge where they were parked. James let everyone know that between the sheriff's office and the state police, they would be making regular rounds around the property for the next week.
Jack and James also share about the horses and what had happened. There was a little talk about steps moving forward with the horses and how the siren had done its job. The rest of the meal was spent confirming plans for the next day and what was going to happen on the Fourth. Overall, it was nice relaxing supper and that was what everyone needed after the stressful day that it had been.
After supper, Jack, Doug, Frank and Nathan went out to make sure that the horses were brought in. Lee, Elizabeth and the twins cleaned up supper. Bill and Abigail took their family home with the promise to be there after Church the next day. It wasn't long after the Avery's left that Devin came. He packed up his stuff and thanked James and Margaret for letting him stay. He let them know that he was leaving back to the city after Church. He might be back for the show, but he wasn't certain. When he left, he took Peter to the hotel as well. Peter had promised to be back with Andrew the next day to take them to Church.
Once the horses had been taken care of and the kitchen was clean, Frank, Jack and the others headed downstairs. The guys wanted to watch the baseball game and catch other scores. The twins wanted to play on the Ipads before bed. Elizabeth decided to actually open her new books and read one. She brought the packages out to the sitting room.
"Which books did you order?" Nathan asked.
"Several, actually." Elizabeth said. "The Everything Guide to Catholicism by Richard Gribble. Why Do Catholics Do That by Kevin Orlin Johnson. Theology for Beginners by Frank Shead. Why We're Catholic by Trent Horn. And finally Reasons To Believe and The Lamb's Supper both by Scott Hahn."
"I read The Lamb's Supper." Nathan said. "It is a good read. He does a good job of explaining things. Did you know that Scott Hahn was actually a Presbyterian pastor before he converted to Catholicism. You should look up his story. It is pretty amazing. He became Catholic and then later his wife converted. They then had all their children baptized Catholic. He is an amazing speaker as well. I watched a few of his videos on YouTube. I think he is still a professor at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio."
"I think you are right." Frank said. "They host some amazing conferences in the summer, including some really great youth conferences."
"Maybe we can check one or two of those out next year." Jack said. "I bet I could talk Father Mark into taking the youth group out there and we could volunteer to chaperone."
"As much fun as that sounds." Elizabeth said. "I don't think that you should be making any more plans for next summer. You have already promised to put on a horse show, work on the new properties and spend time learning both of your grandfathers' businesses. Not to mention, you will be married."
"I agree with Elizabeth." Doug said. "I think you should hold off on making more plans. I agree that a conference sounds like fun, but let's see how the first year of school goes and the other things that she mentioned."
"You are both right." Jack said. "I just get so excited sometimes, I forget."
"We know." Lee and Doug both said.
The group dissolved into laughter at Jack's expense. Once they had calmed down they settled into watching TV and/or reading. It was overall a quiet night, which was what they all needed. After the baseball game was over about ten o'clock, they all decided to head to bed. The twins had gone to bed over an hour before.
Author's Note: This is what Frank made for supper.
Pizza Bubble Up Casserole
Ingredients
1 pound Italian sausage
15 ounce jar pizza sauce
12 ounce tube refrigerated Pillsbury Grands Jr. Biscuits
2 cups shredded mozzarella Cheese
sliced pepperoni
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Spray a 913-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cut each biscuit into eighths.
Brown and crumble the Italian sausage and drain any excess grease.
In a bowl, combine pizza sauce with cut-up biscuits and cooked sausage. Stir to combine.
Spread this mixture evenly into prepared baking dish.
Then top with shredded cheese and sliced pepperoni. Sprinkle with dried parsley (if using)
Bake uncovered for about 25-30 minutes or until biscuits are cooked through.