Chapter 29
Lisa had been very grateful that they had made the decision not to show any PDA when the family came home. She could see them almost examining them to see if there had been any changes. If she didn't know that it came from a place of love, she would have been incredibly annoyed by their behavior. As it was, she knew they meant well, so she let it go.
Jack knew what Lisa was talking about when she brought up the family watching them closely on their drive to Fairfield on Monday morning. He had noticed it, too. There wasn't anything they could really do without arousing suspicions, so he knew that they couldn't really say anything about it.
Having several days under her belt working part time at Fairfield, Lisa was really starting to feel more comfortable there. Every day, she gained more confidence that she could do her job full time and took over more responsibilities from Georgie. With Phoenix being almost healed, Lisa was trying to be ready for when Georgie needed to go back to Florida to train. They had discussed Georgie bringing Phoenix up to Hudson, but Lisa knew that the young woman was ready to get back to her life in Florida.
Lisa was sitting at her desk in the office at Fairfield, going over paperwork to transport a horse to a buyer in Toronto when there was a knock on the door. She looked up and saw a man in his fifties who was very good-looking and was wearing expensive clothes. She had no idea who he was, and Edwin and Georgie weren't around. Savannah, who worked in her office, was the only other person around, and she didn't know about Lisa's complete memory loss. She had passed off any memory issues as just the side effects of having a bad concussion, which wasn't entirely untrue. "Hello. Come in." Lisa got up from her desk to greet the gentleman. "How can I help you?"
"Lisa? Don't you recognize me?" asked the man.
Taking a deep breath in an attempt to hold off the panic, she replied, "Should I?"
"Yes, I have bought several horses from you over the years." The man looked confused as to why Lisa didn't know who he was.
"I'm sorry. I was in a bad car accident with my husband, and I got a pretty bad concussion. It still messes with some of my memory at times. It's mostly fine now, but brains are weird. Or at least that's what my doctor said." She desperately hoped that he accepted that answer.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," he apologized. "I see you also hurt your arm as well. It must have been a really bad accident. I understand about the concussions. I've never had one, but my brother played hockey for a lot of years and loved doing all sorts of adventurous things, and he had many. Most of the time, his memory would be fine, but sometimes, just a random piece of information would just be gone. Sometimes, it came back, and sometimes, it didn't."
"Exactly. I'm fine with most things. I know how to do my job, but blank on random things. The other day, my husband Jack was talking about something that had happened a few years ago, and I had no memory of it." Lisa knew that in order to sell the lie, she had to be honest. Jack had told her a story that she had no memory of. She just didn't mention that she had no memories from the last 17 years. "He has been amazing since the accident. He barely left my side while I was in the hospital and has taken great care of me since I got home."
The man bristled slightly at the mention of her husband. "You mentioned your husband the last time I was here. How long have you been married?"
Lisa suspected that this man was trying to get information because he had seemed a bit flirty when he first entered her office. "We've been married for over 10 years, but we've been together for over 17 years."
"Wow, that's a long time. I guess I wasn't aware until the last time I visited that you were married. I should have, though. You are wearing wedding rings."
Lisa held up her left hand to the man. She hadn't been wearing her wedding rings until she went back to work. It was all part of how she was selling that everything was just fine with her to protect her business. "Yes, I always wear them. They were my husband's grandmother's rings. They are family heirlooms and are very important to us."
"Well, they are very beautiful and have lots of meaning." The man didn't seem like he meant it, though.
Looking at the clock, Lisa saw that Jack would be there to pick her up at any moment to take her out to lunch. "Thank you. I agree. They are very beautiful."
Jack walked into her office just then. He took in the man talking to Lisa and walked up to greet her and introduce himself to the man. "Hi, Lis." He kissed her and then turned around to greet the man. "Hello. I'm her husband, Jack Bartlett."
The man looked surprised at who Lisa's husband was but saw her looking at him like he had hung the moon. "Hello, I'm Michael Winters. I have bought a few horses from your wife over the years. I was in the area for business and decided to stop by to see if she had another horse that I could buy."
"We're about to go out to lunch, but my stable manager Edwin is around somewhere, and he may be able to help you with that. Our great-granddaughter Georgie is also here and has been working for me in my place since the accident. I'll call them over to the office and have them help you." She turned to Jack, "I'm almost done here, and then we can go get some lunch."
Jack squeezed her shoulder. "That's fine. I'm not that hungry yet. Take your time."
Lisa was about to pull out her phone to call Georgie and Edwin when they walked past the office. Lisa went out to talk to them and let them know about the potential client. Edwin had dealt with the man before and wasn't overly excited to deal with him again. Lisa pulled them outside to find out what was up with Michael Winters. "You don't seem to like him. I don't remember him, but he does sort of give me smarmy vibes."
Edwin nodded. "Exactly. He's just kind of a creep. He doesn't necessarily do anything wrong, but he has made some of the women here uncomfortable in the past. He never does anything when you're around."
Georgie looked concerned. "I can handle myself with weird guys, but I'd rather not. Can we just get rid of him?"
"Yes, we can. I didn't know he had been inappropriate with my staff. Had I known, I would have never done business with him. I will be sending him on his way." Lisa was serious about how her staff was treated, and she wouldn't allow someone to treat them poorly just because they thought they had more power and money.
Michael and Jack were chatting when Lisa walked back into her office. She could tell that Jack couldn't stand this guy as she approached. "Mr. Winters," she began.
"Michael," the man interrupted.
"Mr. Winters," Lisa began again. "I was just talking to my stable manager, and I don't think we'll be doing any business with you anymore. He said that you have a history of making my women staff uncomfortable. I don't put up with that sort of behavior. Please leave my property at once."
The man looked shocked. "What? I would never. He was probably interested in the girl, and maybe she showed interest in me, and he got jealous."
"That is not what happened, and you know it. He said it happened with multiple women. Please leave." Lisa hated men like this. They thought they could throw money around and treat people under them however they wanted.
Mr. Winters stood there for a second, trying to come up with an excuse when Jack approached. "My wife asked you to leave. She was very polite about it, but I won't be if you don't get off her property."
After the man turned and left in a huff, Lisa let out a sigh of relief. "What a creep."
"I hope I didn't overstep there, but he was pissing me off." Jack put his arm around Lisa, and she leaned into him.
"It's fine. I was going to call security to come and escort him off the property if he didn't leave. I'm still going to call them and let them know in case he tries to come back. He will be on the list of people not allowed back here. It's not a long list, but there are a few people with whom I refuse to do business." Lisa was thankful that Jack was there. He'd had her back and was ready to defend her.
Jack stood and watched Lisa call security to let them know what was going on. He was extremely proud of her for standing up for not only herself but also her employees. Once she was off the phone, he held out a hand to help her up from the chair. "Are you ready to go to lunch?"
"Yes, I'm starving." Lisa took Jack's hand, and they went to his truck.
Lisa and Jack had made the decision to start going into town more since Lisa was working more as well. Jack, Lou, and Amy had helped her to learn who people in town were who would expect her to know them. There were many people she already knew because they had lived in Hudson for a long time, but there were some new people who she met through Jack and didn't remember or were new to the area.
Walking into the diner, Lou greeted the couple from behind the counter. Jack led Lisa over to a table, and they sat down. The dine was busy, but not overly so.
Lisa looked intently at the menu in the hopes that no one would pay attention to them. Jack looked at the menu only briefly. He decided what he was going to have very quickly.
Lou walked over to the table with glasses of water, placed them on the table, and pulled out her ordering pad. "What can I get you two?"
Jack looked up at Lou. "I'll take a burger and fries."
Lou looked at Lisa, who was still looking at the menu. "Lisa, do you know what you want to order?"
"I'll take the same as Jack." Lisa finally looked up at Lou.
After Lou walked away to put in their orders, Jack leaned in and asked Lisa, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm just a little nervous about being here," Lisa admitted.
"It will be fine. I'm right here. If you don't know someone, I'm here to help." Jack wanted to help Lisa relax, but he could also understand her anxiety about the whole situation.
Lisa looked up at the door when it opened. The person she saw walking through the door made her regret coming to Maggies. She rolled her eyes and said, "We should have just gone home for lunch today."
"Why? It's not that bad. We're fine."
Lisa laughed. "We were, but Val just walked in."
"Val's here?" Jack started to turn around.
Lisa grabbed his hand and said, "Don't get her attention. I don't want to deal with her right now."
Jack kept his eyes on his wife. "I never mind looking at you."
"You're ridiculous." She shook her head at her husband. He was always flirting with her.
"Maybe, but you're beautiful." Jack was never going to let an opportunity pass to let Lisa know how he felt about her. It was one of the things he had decided after the accident. He'd seen how fragile life is, and he never wanted to take his wife for granted.
"Jack Bartlett. I thought that was you," a voice said from across the diner.
The couple looked over just in time to see Val approaching.
As Val walked up to the table, she said, "Hi, Jack! How are you? Oh, Lisa. You're here too. Hi."
Lisa wanted to roll her eyes, but she kept it under control. Insead she just gave Jack a look that let him know she was less than pleased and then turned and said, "Hi Val. How are you?"
"Oh, I'm fine. I'm just in town for a couple of days to deal with some Briar Ridge business. What good luck that I ran into you, Jack. I was thinking about stopping by Heartland later today to say hello."
Jack stood up to greet his neighbor. "Hello, Val. It's good to see you."
Val gave Jack a hug and then pulled back.
Lisa was glaring at Val. She could see what Val was doing. She knew Val well enough and had heard enough stories about how she was interested in Jack.
Val looked over and saw the expression on Lisa's face. "Oh, Lisa. Are you back at work now?"
"Yes, I started working part-time and have been gradually working more and more. Georgie has been helping me out while her horse was injured, but he's getting better, so she'll have to make her way back to Florida soon. Thankfully, my cast will be off by then as well. I'm so tired of dealing with it."
"I'm sure the cast is annoying. I can't imagine leaving my business in the hands of an inexperienced girl in her 20s, but that's just me," said Val.
Lisa was not going to take any snide comments about Georgie. "She worked for me before and has been doing an excellent job. Edwin, my stable manager, and I have been helping her as well. It's not like she's running Fairfield on her own. Everything still goes through me and my stable manager. She just made it possible for me to stay home longer and recover. I would have been forced back to work much sooner."
"Yes, Georgie is doing a great job for Lisa. We are very proud of her for stepping up to help the family out in this way," Jack added. "As much as I love having Lisa home, I know she's ready to get back to work."
"Will you be going back to Fairfield once you're healed?" asked Val.
Lisa looked surprised at that question. "Why would I? I live at Heartland. I've lived there for several years now."
Hearing Lisa's response to Val, Jack tried not to get his hopes up that Lisa would stay, but it was difficult. She had been adamant about not committing to anything before she was ready. He reminded himself that she was probably just trying to get Val to leave her alone. Jack sat back down at the table and reached across to hold Lisa's hand. "She moved in many years ago, and I'm so thankful that she did. My life is so much better for it."
"You know, I really need to get going. I just came in here to get a coffee to go while I was in town. I have a meeting at Briar Ridge with investors this afternoon, and I need to prepare for it. It was so good to see you Jack…and Lisa." Val walked away and went to the counter to order her coffee.
Lisa felt a little smug that they had run Val off, but she hoped it didn't show on her face. "I really can't stand that woman."
Jack squeezed Lisa's hand. "I know you can't. She's not all bad, though."
"You keep saying that, but I have yet to see the good," said Lisa.
After Lou gave Val her coffee, she picked up Jack and Lisa's orders and delivered them to their table. She noticed that they were holding hands and looked at them in surprise.
Lisa pulled her hand back. "We had to sell it to Val.
Lou didn't look like she quite believed them, but still said, "Oh, I get it. She has always had a thing for Grandpa. It's best not to give her any hope."
"Yes, I hear he's the one who got away after her husband died." Lisa rolled her eyes.
"Why are you rolling your eyes?" asked Jack. "Apparently, I'm quite the catch."
It was then Lou's turn to roll her eyes. "Sure, Grandpa." She left Jack and Lisa to go take care of customers that had just walked into the diner.
"You don't have to worry about Val. I'm not interested in her, and I never have been. There's no need to be jealous." The whole Val thing drove him crazy. He didn't understand why he had to deal with any of it. She was his friend, and that was all she would ever be. Lisa didn't trust Val before the accident, and she still didn't even after losing her memory.
"I'm not jealous. I just don't like how Val acts around you. I don't like any women who don't respect someone's relationship. It's rude and…" Lisa stopped talking. She knew she was starting to sound jealous, and she didn't want to admit that to anyone. She hated that she gave Val that much power. Jack mostly seemed oblivious to Val's advances, so she didn't know why it bothered her so much.
"Okay, you're not jealous. You do seem protective of our relationship." Jack knew he was pushing it a little, but he couldn't resist saying something.
"I'm protective of all of my friends, but obviously, it's a little more complicated with you. She doesn't know what's going on, but it's obvious she doesn't respect our relationship. It's pretty rude of her, to be honest." Lisa had no patience for people who didn't respect someone's marriage. Even though her marriage with Jack was exceedingly complicated, she felt protective of it.
"Well, you have nothing to worry about. I am only interested in you," said Jack, trying to reassure his wife.
"I know you are. It just bothers me. I can't explain it." Lisa wished that she could explain it, but she just didn't have the words for how she felt.
"Let's eat our lunch before it gets cold." Jack picked up his burger and began eating, and Lisa followed suit.
After they finished their lunch, Jack was going to drive Lisa back to Fairfield so she could continue working. They had a couple of races coming up that her horses were entering. She needed to be on top of the details regarding that.
A little before they got to the turn-off to Fairfield, Jack turned off on a dirt road and parked the truck. Lisa was looking at him very confused. He reached over and grabbed her hand, and kissed it. "I just wanted to reiterate that I don't think about Val that way at all and that any connection beyond good friends is all in her head." He leaned across the truck and kissed Lisa. "We talked about mean something kisses before and I want you to know that was a mean something kiss.
Lisa unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over and kissed Jack. She heard him unbuckle his seat belt and then felt him deepen the kiss. It made Lisa wish that they weren't in the truck and were someplace more private. When they finally broke apart, they were out of breath. Jack leaned his forehead on hers as they caught their breath. Lisa reached up to stroke Jack's cheek. "Wow. That was pretty great…definitely a mean something kiss."
Jack gave Lisa another quick kiss and pulled back to full sit in his seat. He looked over at Lisa, who was still leaning over the center console, and couldn't resist leaning over to kiss her once again. He, too, wished that they were someplace other than the truck. He wanted to hold Lisa in his arms as he kissed her. Instead, he pulled back and sat straight in his seat. "As much as I would love to keep doing that, it's not very practical in a truck, and you need to get back to work."
Lisa moved to sit back in her seat as well. She pulled the visor down and looked in the mirror to find that her lips were a bit swollen and her face was flushed. "Um, I don't want to go back to Fairfield right away. I look like I've been making out."
He couldn't help but laugh at that. "Well, we were. It has been a while since we sat in a truck kissing like a couple of teenagers. I forgot how fun it is. My old truck had a bench seat, so we didn't have to deal with this whole center console nonsense. I can't hold you in my arms while I kiss you in this truck. I guess I found the thing that I don't like about this truck."
It was Lisa's turn to laugh. "You're ridiculous, but I like you."
"Oh, you like me? That's good to hear."
Lisa responded with, "Well, I don't make out with people I hate."
Both of them laughed at that. They sat and chatted as they waited for Lisa's lips to not be quite so swollen, and then Jack dropped her back off at work. He squeezed her hand before she got out of the truck. "I would very much like to kiss you right now, but it doesn't feel like the right time. Later, though, I am kissing you."
"Okay. You'll get no arguments from me." Lisa squeezed Jack's hand and then got out of the truck and went into the stables.
Jack sat and watched her walk away before he put the truck in gear and pulled away. He was so pleased with the progress that they had made in their relationship, but he knew that they still had a long way to go.
To Be Continued
Author's Note: I thought that I was going to be able to post this chapter much sooner, but then I didn't like my next couple of chapters and wanted to get those straightened out before I posted this one. The stats were broken on the website, too, so I was kind of waiting to see if they would come back. My last chapter sat at 0 views and 0 reviews for days, so I wanted to wait until it was fixed to post anything new.