Chapter 45

Lisa was thankful that she had been able to come home from work early and had some alone time with Jack before everyone was home. With summer break happening for Katie and Lyndy, she was becoming aware that they were going to have to make time to be alone.

After both Lisa and Jack had showered, they were relaxing on the couch. Lisa was just enjoying sitting next to Jack with his arm around her. "I'm glad you were home when I got home from work. This isn't why I wanted to be with you, but it also worked out that it was a bit of a stress reliever."

"Oh? Is that so? Well, I'm happy to be of service."

Lisa swatted Jack's leg. "You're ridiculous."

"Yeah, but you love it." Jack kissed Lisa. The two of them were so focused on each other that they didn't hear the door open. It wasn't until they heard Lyndy that they realized they weren't alone anymore.

"Ewww!" exclaimed Lyndy.

Jack and Lisa looked over at their youngest great-granddaughter and chuckled. Lisa apologized, saying, "Sorry, Lyndy."

Katie walked into the living room. "What are you apologizing for?"

"GG and Lisa were kissing a lot," said Lyndy to inform her cousin about what was going on. The little girl looked disgusted.

Katie looked thoughtfully at her great-grandparents and then at her cousin. "Oh. Yeah, adults seem to do that a lot. My parents are always kissing. You probably don't remember it, but your mom and dad kissed a lot, too. It's not a bad thing. It just means that they love each other. I remember when my parents got a divorce. It was sad. Even if I don't always want to see people kissing a lot, I don't mind it because it means that they love each other."

Jack was touched by what Katie said. "Thanks for that, Katie. You're right. We do love each other. We'll try to control ourselves, though. Also, we didn't hear you guys come in."

"It's okay, GG. I understand. You came close to losing Lisa, and you're just so thankful that you didn't. Well, I'm going to put my backpack upstairs and change out of my school clothes. Lyndy and I are going to hang out a bit this afternoon. Amy already asked me to babysit her after school today. She has something going on today." Katie went upstairs, leaving Lyndy standing in the living room.

Jack looked at Lyndy and invited her to come sit with him and Lisa. "How was your last day of school for the year?"

"It was so fun! We had a party. Even while we were cleaning out our desks, my teacher put on fun music. She said it was to motiv…motiv…" Lyndy couldn't come up with the word her teacher used.

"Do you mean motivate?" asked Lisa.

"Yeah. That word. It was a lot of fun. Everyone cleaned their desks out extra fast, and then we had more time to play. We even danced around the room."

"Well, that sounds like a great last day of school. Why don't you drop your bag off in your room," said Jack.

"Okay!" Lyndy got down off of Jack's lap and carried her backpack to her room.

Jack turned to Lisa, "What would you think of taking the girls out for dinner tonight to celebrate the last day of school? Maybe we could go to that dairy bar where we kissed for the second first time. They have good burgers and ice cream."

Lisa blushed at the memory. "Part of me wants to keep that place just for us, but it does sound fun. I think that they would enjoy it. Let's just check with Amy and Lou and make sure that they don't have any plans first before we get their hopes up."

"You're right. I'll call Amy, and you can call Lou, and then we can get this figured out quickly. Does that sound alright to you?" asked Jack.

"Great. I'll go in the other room, and you might want to go out on the porch, so any little ears that are around don't hear in case Amy has other plans." Lisa didn't want anyone to hear their plans until they were sure it could happen.

"You're right. There is no sense in getting her hopes up for something that isn't possible. I'm glad I married someone so smart and caring who thinks of these things." Jack laughed when Lisa rolled her eyes and walked into their bedroom.

Neither Lou nor Amy had a problem with Jack and Lisa taking the girls out for dinner. Both had expressed a desire to have a girls/sisters' night. Lisa went to talk to Katie, and Jack went to talk to Lyndy. Both girls were excited about going out to dinner with their GGs, and Jack and Lisa were looking forward to it as well.

While they were driving to the dairy bar, Katie asked, "Where are we going, GG?"

Lisa turned to look at Katie in the back seat. "There's a place a little ways away that makes really good burgers and milkshakes. We thought you would enjoy going there for dinner."

Katie grinned at the mention of milkshakes. "That sounds good. Right, Lyndy?"

"Yes. I love milkshakes!" shouted Lyndy.

"We know," said Jack. He looked amused by his youngest great-granddaughter and her excitement for ice cream.

When they arrived at the dairy bar, Katie and Lyndy got out of the truck and walked over to look at the menu. Jack looked over at Lisa. "I have good memories of this place."

"Me too." Lisa thought back to their impulsive kiss.

Jack smirked at his wife. "We should probably go see what they want for dinner."

"We should. Maybe we could just have a quick little kiss first?"

"I will never turn down kissing you." Jack gave Lisa a quick kiss and then walked around to Lisa's side of the truck and helped her out. They walked over to the girls to see what they thought looked good.

"So what looks good, girls?" asked Jack as he walked up behind them.

Katie turned around and answered, "I want a cheeseburger and a chocolate milkshake."

"Me too," chimed in Lyndy.

"That sounds good to me," added Lisa.

Jack and Lisa enjoyed this time with Katie and Lyndy. They shared stories from their last day of school and what they wanted to do on their summer break. The four of them talked and laughed as they ate their dinner.

At one point during their meal, Lisa sat back and just observed her family. She was so thankful for how her life had turned out. She caught Jack's eye and smiled brightly at him. He reached over and squeezed her hand. Lisa squeezed it back and then went back to eating her dinner.

As they were finishing up their dinner, a text came through on Lisa's phone. She pulled it out to see who was texting her. It was a message from Edwin asking for her to call him. Lisa excused herself from the group and went to call him back.

Jack watched Lisa as she spoke with Edwin. She looked concerned, and he hoped that she wasn't getting bad news. He knew that she was concerned about traveling for work alone. He hated how much her accident had hurt her confidence. It was something that had always made him proud. He hoped that she would eventually get that back.

Lisa ended the call with Edwin and walked back over to the family. She sat down next to Jack and tried to just keep a bright expression for the girls. When Jack looked at her questioningly, Lisa just gave him a quick shake of the head to signal that she didn't want to talk about it just then. She turned back to focus on the story that Lyndy was telling about something that happened at school.

When the girls were done eating, they loaded into Jack's truck to head back to Heartland. As they drove, Jack reached over and took Lisa's hand in his. He brought it to his lips and kissed it. It was his way of telling her that he was there for her no matter what was going on.

Lisa almost cried at how sweet Jack was being. She was anxious to talk to him about her conversation with Edwin, but she didn't want to get into it around the girls. It was just something that would have to wait until they got home.

Once they arrived back at the ranch, Jack turned to look at Katie and Lyndy in the back seat. "Why don't you two go inside? It looks like Amy and Lou are home now. Lisa and I are going to go for a walk."

"Okay, GG. Thanks for dinner. It was really good," said Katie.

"Yeah, thank you, GG!" Lyndy jumped out of the truck with her cousin and then went inside.

Jack looked over at Lisa. "Let's go for that walk."

Lisa smiled up at her husband. "Okay. That sounds good."

As they made their way toward the pond, Jack held Lisa's hand. "So that phone call didn't seem good. I take it that Edwin can't travel with you."

Lisa shook her head. "No, he can't. His ex-wife's father is in the hospital, and he needs to stay home with Rebecca."

"We could have Rebecca over at Heartland. Lyndy would be thrilled," Jack suggested.

"I offered that, but apparently, there is concern that Rebecca's grandfather won't make it, and then Edwin will need to bring Rebecca to say goodbye and go to the funeral," explained Lisa.

"Ah, I see. Yes, that does complicate things. So are you still going to travel?" asked Jack.

"Yes, I need to. I'm not ready to tell Chuck about my memory, so I'm just going to have to travel by myself and hope for the best." Lisa wasn't looking forward to traveling, but she also knew that she needed to do her job.

"I'm sorry. I know that's not what you wanted to do." Jack looked sympathetically at his wife.

Lisa shook her head. "No, it's not, but I suppose it had to happen eventually. It's just sooner than I was hoping."

"I'm sure you'll be fine. You're very good at your job. I'm proud of you and all that you have accomplished." Jack wanted to encourage his wife. He was sure that she could be successful, but he could tell how nervous she was about this trip.

"Thank you. Well, I guess I better get my plane ticket and hotel and all of that. I need to start some laundry so that I can pack."

"Okay, well, let's take a stroll around the pond, and then you can get to work. I want a little time with you before you go." Jack wasn't quite ready to end his evening with Lisa before she had to start preparing to go out of town.

Lisa looked over at Jack. "Okay, that sounds like a plan. I won't be gone for long, so I don't have that much packing to do, but I do need to get stuff done. Spending a little time with you before I go is good, too. I'm glad that I came home early today and got a little extra time."

Jack smirked at Lisa. "I'm glad too."

The two finished their walk and headed back to the house. Lisa pulled out her phone as she approached the house and was already looking at flights. She was in the middle of booking her flight when Jack grabbed her arm. Looking up at Jack, Lisa asked, "What?"

Jack turned Lisa to face him and kissed her. "I just wanted to kiss you before you get busy with getting ready to go."

"Oh, okay." Lisa put her arms around Jack's neck and pulled his face close to hers. "Was earlier today not enough for you?"

"No. I will never get enough time with you." Jack kissed Lisa again.

Lisa chuckled. "I'm glad. I feel the same way, but unfortunately, I do need to get stuff done so that I can leave. I have a lot of laundry to do before I leave." She gave him a peck on his cheek and went inside.

Jack stood on the porch. He was lost in thought about how far he and Lisa had come. He thought back to the panic he felt when Lisa had no idea who he was when she woke up in the hospital. Her falling in love with him again was what he dreamed of, but he wasn't sure if it would happen. While Jack was deep in thought, he didn't hear Lou come outside.

"Hey, Grandpa," said Lou quietly.

Jack jumped a little. "Oh, you scared me, Lou. I didn't hear you come outside."

Lou laughed. "Sorry, Grandpa. I just wanted to check on you."

Jack reached out and patted Lou's arm. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" asked Lou.

"I was just thinking about how far Lisa and I have come." Jack still seemed kind of lost in thought.

Lou put an arm around her grandfather. "You have come a long way. I'm really happy for you two. It's been nice to see you back together. You both look so happy."

"We are happy." Jack smiled as he remembered their afternoon.

"Lisa said that she has to travel for work on Sunday when she came into the house. Is she ready?" Lou looked at him questioningly.

Jack shrugged. "I don't know. I think so. She wanted Edwin to come with her, but his ex-father-in-law is in the hospital and he needs to be home to take care of Rebecca and possibly take her to go say goodbye to her grandfather and attend a funeral."

"Oh, that's rough." Lou got quiet for a moment and then asked, "Is Lisa going to be okay traveling alone?"

"I hope so." Jack really didn't know if she would be, but he hoped that it would all work out.

Lou's face lit up with an idea. "Could you travel with her?"

"I could, but she doesn't bring me to work things like that. I don't travel with her for stuff like that. I never have before," Jack answered.

"Grandpa, I love you, but you are very stuck in your ways. Just because you've never done something before doesn't mean that you can't do something now. Have you asked Lisa if she wants you to come with her?" Lou shook her head in frustration.

"No, I haven't, but it's just not something we've ever done, so I didn't think about it. I really don't like flying." Jack was beginning to consider what Lou was saying.

"I know. I still think that you should ask her. You can even let her know that she can turn you down, but you just wanted to offer," said Lou.

"Okay, I'll go talk to her. She's probably already gotten her flight, but I'll go ask her," responded Jack.

Lou smiled at having gotten through to her stubborn grandfather. "You do that. Although Lisa is mostly the same as before, there are little differences. She might want you to travel with her."

Jack squeezed Lou's arm and went inside to find his wife. He quite honestly hoped that she didn't need him to travel with him, but he knew that Lou was right and he needed to offer. When he walked into the bedroom, Lisa had a small notebook out, and she was making a list of all the things she needed to pack.

Lisa looked up when she saw Jack walk into their room as she continued to pack. "Oh, hey. The only flight I could get was really early so I have to leave first thing on Sunday morning. I'm probably not going to get much sleep tomorrow night."

"I'm sorry." Jack wondered if it was too late to ask about going with her, but he decided to go ahead and ask anyway. "Um, Lis?"

Lisa stopped what she was doing and looked at her husband. "Yes?"

"You can totally tell me no, but I was wondering if you want me to go with you on this trip. Since Edwin can't go with you, do you need me to go?"

Lisa walked over to Jack and put her arms around his neck. "You are so sweet to offer. I even thought about asking you, but I realized that this is something that I need to do on my own."

Jack put his arms around Lisa's waist and kissed her. "Are you sure? I know that I don't usually travel with you, but this isn't a usual situation."

"I'm sure. It's not going to be easy, but I need to do it." Lisa gave Jack a quick peck on the lips and then stepped out of his arms and continued making her list.

"I'm really proud of you. I hope you know that." Jack was leaning against the door with his arms crossed.

Lisa blushed a little. "I do know. I appreciate it even if I don't feel worthy of that pride. I'm just doing my job."

"Well, you're very good at doing your job. So what time is your flight?"

Lisa sighed. She wasn't looking forward to getting up so early. "My first flight is at 6:45 am on Sunday. I have a connecting flight through Chicago. I'm not looking forward to flying out that early. I almost considered going to a hotel in Calgary tomorrow night so that I don't have to get up as early. I should have just gotten my ticket earlier and then figured out Edwin's. I'll know for next time."

"You're out of practice, but you'll figure everything out eventually," said Jack encouragingly.

Lisa smiled at Jack's encouragement. "I am. I've kind of forgotten how to travel, but I'm sure it will all come back to me."

"I'll leave you to make your packing list. I'll be in the living room working on my flies." Jack turned and left Lisa to get ready for her work trip.

To Be Continued

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay again. Life has been life-ing lately, and I've had some writer's block as well. Not to mention, the mobile app used to let me use the spelling and punctuation correction that is on my texting app as well, but it has stopped allowing that through. I think they want me to use their AI system, but literally, all I want is to make sure that my verb tenses make sense and that I haven't forgotten a comma. Those corrections aren't available in their AI tool. Now I have to copy and paste on my phone from Google Docs to my texting app to get those corrections and then fix it on the computer. It's a pain in the butt because I have to go one page at a time, but it's worth it to have at least somewhat correct punctuation. Hopefully, I caught everything. Thanks for all of your reviews. They are much appreciated.