Chapter 9
"Hey sweetheart, school's tomorrow. Don't stay up too late."
"I won't Ma, I promise." Jack looked up from his desk. He was looking over some math work. For the first two days, Elizabeth always answered the math questions before he did. He was determined to beat her at least once, but he wasn't sure if he could. She was always quick at answering every question the teacher asked.
"Hey Ma…" Jack called out as his mother was walking out the door.
"Hey, what's up?" She could easily see that he had something on his mind. Charlette stepped back into Jack's room and sat on the edge of his bed. Normally, she would have waited for Jack to get his words together. However, she was dying to know how he thought the evening went. He was quiet on the ride home. She held her tongue as long as she could.
"What did you think about tonight? Did you enjoy yourself?"
Jack looked at this mom for a moment. It was the tone in her voice that made his eyebrows raise. "It was a very big surprise. Who would have ever thought that Pa's boss was Elizabeth's father."
"Yeah. That was shocking."
"It was."
"Was that what you wanted to talk about?"
"No. I asked Pa earlier, but I think I would like a woman's opinion."
"Ok…just say it and we'll work out the next part."
"There was a moment this evening before we left…" He paused for a moment. "…where I almost kissed Elizabeth."
Charlette had trouble not to jump up and down because she was so excited. She didn't want Jack to push Elizabeth. She didn't think he would. She was just excited that he was happy.
"I didn't, but I wanted too."
"Why didn't you?"
"Well, we haven't really talked about it. Plus, I was a little nervous. I haven't kissed anyone before."
"Well, don't push her. If she's ready, she'll let you know."
"How will she do that?"
"Didn't you talk to your father about this?"
"I did, I just wanted a woman's perspective."
"Well, each woman is different, but she will give you signals. You can see it in her eyes. Her lips will change color just a little or she may lick or bite her lips."
Jack smiled when he remembered Elizabeth slightly biting her bottom lip. "What if she holds both of your hands and slowly closes the distance between you?"
"Most definitely. Is that what happened tonight?"
"Ma! I am not talking to you about that!" He shook his head.
"Fine, don't push her and you be very respectful."
"I will Ma. I promise."
"Now, bed in the next few minutes."
"Thanks, Ma."
What Jack couldn't know was that Elizabeth was having a similar conversation in her bedroom with her mother at the same time.
…
Elizabeth pulled into her normal parking space about twenty minutes before school. She was excited about today and not just because it's Friday. She was excited to see Jack. She pulled out her phone and read the text Jack sent her that morning.
J – Good morning, Bella.
Even though the text was short, it meant a lot to her. The text showed her that she was on his mind. She also remembered what Charlette told her, that Jack may have trouble telling her his heart, but he will absolutely show her with his actions. She wondered if this was part of him showing her. If it was, she was excited.
Elizabeth's smile grew when she saw Jack ride up the sidewalk to the front of the steps where the bike racks were located. She quickly got out of her car and grabbed her backpack from the back seat. Jack was wearing a green shirt with khaki shorts. The contrast looked nice. She just knew the green shirt would bring out his hazel eyes. The closer she walked to Jack, she could see that there were faint, white stripes in the shirt.
Jack jumped off his bike and locked it up in the same spot as he did the first two days of class. He was a little surprised at the mount of racks and so few bikes. Before he turned around, he could sense her. Even though he felt her presence, he could smell her lavender and vanilla shampoo. He sighed and smiled as he turned around adjusting his backpack on his shoulders.
"I knew it." Elizabeth whispered.
"Knew what?" Jack gave her his dimpled smile. Elizabeth was certain that smile was reserved just for her.
"Oh…nothing, I just knew I was right."
"Aren't you starting that a little too early today? We aren't even in class yet." He teased her.
"Enough from you. When I'm right, I'm right." She scrunched up her nose drawing him in all over again.
Jack rolled his eyes and let out a little huff. "Are you always like this early in the morning?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe you need to get more sleep or you need to eat a better breakfast?"
"Funny…that's not it."
"Did you have a nice evening last night?" Jack playfully flirted.
"I did…it almost ended perfectly, but not exactly perfect." She flirted.
Jack smiled at her teasing. He knew what she was talking about. "Come on Princess Beth, we don't want to be late."
"My name's Elizabeth!" She exclaimed. "I thought we were passed this."
Jack only grinned as he turned toward the front doors of the school. Elizabeth quickly stepped beside him, matching his steps easily. After the fourth step together, he extended his pinky. She immediately extended her pinky, and they interlocked them together. They walked the short distance from the bike racks to the steps holding fingers. Holding pinkies was their thing. It felt intimate to them. Jack laughed at something Elizabeth said as the were walking up the steps. As they climbed the last step, they heard a voice calling out for Elizabeth.
"Elizabeth! Elizabeth!" They stopped to turn around. Charles was quickly approaching the steps and climbing the steps two at a time. He didn't see them holding hands. When Elizabeth saw who was calling out to her, she let go of Jack's pinky and adjusted her backpack. Jack quickly looked down at his empty hand and then up at Elizabeth. She was looking at her friend coming up the steps. Then Jack turned his attention back to Charles who was quickly approaching.
"Hey Elizabeth, you got a moment?" As Charles approached, he finally realized who she was walking with. He was so consumed looking at Elizabeth, he didn't notice she was walking with Jack. He sighed when he noticed Jack.
"Hey." Charles stated to Jack quickly, looking at him for a second then turning his attention back to Elizabeth.
"What's up?" Elizabeth asked Charles.
"I was wanting to talk to you. Do you have a moment."
Elizabeth remained standing there waiting for Charles to say something. Charles wanted to talk to her, but not in front of Jack. So, he began to ask about something else hoping Jack would take notice and just leave.
"This weekend, are you still going to the picnic?"
"I am. You know I always go. Father wants me there to help. We all go. I always help during the first part of the day."
"Yeah, will there be music again?"
"Charles, you know there is always music there. I'm not sure what bands will be there, but father always brings in a few local bands to show them off."
"I always liked that about Mr. Thatcher. He is always doing things like that for other people."
"Yeah. He always believes in giving back to others."
Jack stood there watching and listening to Elizabeth and Charles talking. He was still a little shocked she let go of his pinky. Was she ashamed of me… Of us…? Why would she do that? Maybe she doesn't want to be with me when Charles is around. Maybe she's into him more than she thought…no, she said she wasn't…but why not hold my hand in front of him…? After a couple of minutes, he looked at his watch and decided he was going to just walk into the school. The conversation was only between Elizabeth and Charles. They can walk into school together. It seemed that she wanted to be with him anyways.
"She will make her way to first period when she is done talking with Charles." Jack stated to himself when he turned and began walking to the front door.
When he walked into the school, he found the familiar group of students walking down the hallway heading to the cafeteria. His eyes landed on his new buddy, Adam. He already saw Jack and was beginning to wave his arms vigorously.
"There's my guy!" Jack stated in a voice that was easily heard but wasn't too loud to be inappropriate in the school hallway. Jack quickly closed the distance between the two of them. Him and Adam walked straight into a hug. Like the previous times, Jack gently picked him up and twirled him around once before placing him back down. Then John came up for his high five. Each guy came for their high fives and each lady came for their half hug. This was truly a highlight of Jack's day.
…
After what felt like a few moments, Elizabeth turned toward Jack to ask him if he was ready to walk into the school. She stopped before she asked when she didn't see him standing there. She quickly looked around to see if she could see him, but he wasn't anywhere to be found.
"Where did he get off too?" She asked.
"Who?" Charles tried his best to hide his smirk.
"Jack." Elizabeth stared blankly at her friend.
"Oh, he left a few minutes ago." Charles grinned in satisfaction. His plan worked perfectly. He had a difficult time keeping his smile at bay.
"A few minutes ago?" Shock evident in her voice
"Yeah." Charles continued to smile in pure joy. "How serious are you two if he doesn't wait on you so he can walk you into school? That doesn't sound like a good boyfriend to me."
"Charles, we just started dating."
"Yes, I remember." He smiled. "I'm just not sure how serious you two are if he doesn't wait on you. He may not be the guy for you. He may not be able to make you happy." Charles softened his voice hoping to plant a seed of doubt instead of a seed of the Thatcher anger.
"Charles, Jack makes me happy."
"Sure he does, but you completely forgot he was standing there. We have been talking for more than five minutes."
"No we haven't."
"Elizabeth, it's just under ten minutes before class begins. We talked every bit of five minutes, maybe even longer. You didn't even talk to him while I was here. Plus, you didn't even know he left. He left several minutes ago." Charles' voice was cheerful. He was able to distract her, and it didn't take too much effort. "Come on. I'll walk you in like I always have."
Elizabeth pulled out her phone and noticed that there were eight minutes until school began. She realized she really did talk to Charles for a good five minutes. Plus, she really didn't know when Jack walked away. She felt bad about that. She also noticed that Charles was walking a little closer to her than normal and he had a ridiculously large smile on his face. Their shoulders brushed against each other a couple of times. He also had this look on his face. He was proud of himself. She stepped away to create a little distance between them. If she wasn't confused about where Jack was and what happened to him, she would have been a little frustrated with Charles.
When she walked into the main hallway, she quickly noticed Jack was talking with the whole special ed group. Adam was hanging beside Jack. He had his arm around Adam's shoulder. Adam had a huge grin on his face. There were eight other people other than Adam and John. While the ten young people had huge smiles on their faces, Jack's smile was the biggest. He was engrossed in the conversation. Not one person in the group did all the talking. The eight verbal people were each talking and carrying on the conversation. Two people who were non-verbal were involved in the discussion. You could see it with their smiles. Elizabeth slowly walked up to Jack and the group. Charles watched her walk toward Jack. He felt confident in what he did. He knew he caused some trouble for them.
"Hey…" Elizabeth slowly stated.
Jack turned his head just enough to see her. "Hey." He stated as he turned his attention back to the group when one of the young ladies was talking about her horse. He never moved his arm from Adam's shoulder. After a couple of moments, the five minute warning bell sounded. Ms. Johnston stepped up to the group.
"Come on group. We need to get to the cafeteria for our breakfast." She gently clapped her hands a couple of times.
Everyone waved at Jack and several said goodbyes. John gave him another high five and Adam gave him another hug. Jack picked him up and twirled him around like he always did. Jack watched them walk down the hall toward the cafeteria with a huge grin on his face.
Elizabeth followed Jack's gaze and watched the group walk down the hall. She returned her stare back to Jack a couple of seconds before he looked in her direction.
"Are you ready for class. We don't want to be late." His voice wasn't cold, but she could already tell he wasn't too happy. The grin quickly disappeared when he began to speak.
"Where did you get off too?" Elizabeth nodded to the front door.
"Oh, I didn't want to be the third wheel. You and Charles were talking. After a little bit, I just decided to come in and say hi to my group." Jack bent down and grabbed his backpack and placed it on his shoulder.
Charles stood back a few feet listening to the conversation. He was very pleased with himself. He did exactly what he wanted to do. He kept Elizabeth busy to the point she ignored Jack and he felt it. He left long before Elizabeth realized he left. He felt he placed a bit of a wedge between them. He couldn't hide his smile. It also gave him hope that she was easily distracted away from Jack.
"You weren't the third wheel."
"Are you sure? I felt like I was."
"Why would you say that?" They began to walk down the hallway.
"Well, how long was I gone before you noticed I left?"
Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. Charles said a good five minutes, but I don't believe that."
"I left when you two were talking about music for the picnic and how your father likes to promote unknown groups to get them exposure."
Elizabeth thought back on her conversation with Charles. The music portion of the picnic was in the first part of the conversation. They talked about his sister, her sister – Viola, a problem in math class, and the company picnic again. It was every bit of five minutes… She thought to herself.
"I just didn't want to stand there and be ignored. So, I came inside because I knew Adam and John would be walking down the hallway soon. I wanted to make sure I said good morning to them and to the group."
"Jack, I'm sorry."
Jack nodded his head. "That's ok."
She didn't feel like it was ok. She knew something was off. "I didn't mean to ignore you. We just began to talk and..."
Jack nodded his head. "It's ok." He cut her off.
Elizabeth looked down in a bit of frustration. She didn't know why she ignored Jack. It wasn't her intention. She wasn't sure why she did. It also bothered her that she didn't know when he left. How could she miss that?
Jack was fighting an internal struggle. If he was completely honest with himself, he would have to admit that he was already in love with Elizabeth. He couldn't put it in words, but he just knew he was. He was a little hurt that she ignored him the first time he was with Elizabeth in Charles' presence. He was thinking maybe he needed to step back and let her figure out her true relationship with Charles. He was also thinking this was very complicated. That's why he had the no dating rule. As much as that stung, he didn't know why she released his finger when she noticed Charles was the one walking toward them. He figured maybe it was his inexperience shining through. Maybe it's normal…but it didn't feel normal to him. He couldn't understand why she would let go of his hand. Why didn't she want to hold his hand in front of Charles? Did she not want him to see that sign of affection with him? Was it important for her to keep that from him? If so, why? Why would it be bad for Charles to see affection between him and Elizabeth? He sighed at the many thoughts running through his mind. This was certainly complicated.
The two minute warning bell sounded before another word was spoken. Their eyes connected. It wasn't like it was many times prior, there was a little bit of trouble present. She heard his frustrated sigh. She wished she could read his mind. They walked down the hall toward their history class, but they didn't hold hands. Jack didn't necessarily keep his distance from her, but they didn't bump shoulders as they walked to class. There was a small amount of distance between them. He was confused…and hurt.
…
History class went ok. It was Jack's favorite. He shined in it like he has the first couple of days. While Jack answered a few questions, Elizabeth missed his little smirk when he answered before she did. She knew he was a little upset with her actions that morning. They shared looks, but it just wasn't the same. He wasn't as playful when he had the correct answers, and she didn't. She knew they had taken a step back from the previous days. She was not happy about it. Maybe he was a little more frustrated than she thought. She made her mind up to correct this. When Elizabeth made her mind up about something, she was a determined force to be reckoned with.
When the bell sounded to end the class, Elizabeth immediately reached for Jack's hand after they stood and gathered their materials to leave.
"Jack, I'm sorry about this morning. I didn't mean to do that, and I didn't realize I did it."
Jack looked down at their hands. While he loved her touch, he was confused by her holding his hand. Why was she holding his hand now and not earlier on the steps when Charles was around. When he thought about it, he got a little frustrated at the thought. So, holding hands is forbidden when Charles is around but ok if he isn't? The only way it all made sense was that she didn't want to hold his hand in front of Charles. But why? Why was his presence a determining factor in them showing affection towards each other? She reached for his hand when Charles wasn't around. Was she ashamed of their relationship? Or did she want to show no affection in front of Charles? If that was the case, then why did she think that way? Why was she dating him instead of Charles? Jack stared at their hands for a few seconds before turning his gaze upward.
"Princess Beth why are you holding my hand?" He finally asked after the internal rant in his mind.
The question confused her. She always loved his touch and thought he enjoyed it too.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, our next class is Honors Math."
"Yeah. What does that have to do with me holding your hand?"
"Elizabeth, Charles will be in there."
"So…?"
"On the steps, you released my hand when you noticed Charles was approaching. I just figured you don't want to hold my hand in front of your friend." His tone had a bit of a bite to it.
"I did no such thing."
"E- liz-a-beth…" He elongated her name. His expression was a little frustrated because of her denial. "We were holding pinkies and laughing walking up the steps. You released my pinky when Charles called out and you realized it was your friend. Why did you do that? Are you ashamed of us? Of me?"
"Jack, I didn't release your hand because I am ashamed of you or of us."
"Well, then why? You had no problem holding my hand last night walking into your kitchen with your parents' present. Yet, when your friend walked up to us, you ignored me and released my hand. You didn't look at me the moment you realized Charles was walking up the stairs and didn't look for me until long after I left. I don't understand." Elizabeth not only noticed his confused look. She noticed a new look in Jack's eyes. It was a hurt expression. He wanted to ask her if she had feelings for Charles, but he didn't ask because he was a little afraid to know the answer.
"Jack, I just didn't want to shove our relationship in his face. You know I am happy about this." She lifted their hands together. "You know how I feel about you."
"I think I'm confused." He slowly shook his head.
"Why are you confused?"
They stepped out of the classroom into the hallway. "Well, when we were at Abigail's for the first time after school, all the texts, and the time at your house last night, I have always felt this connection with you. It's like it's always been about you, about us. Even when you frustrate me, you don't really irritate me. I thought we were growing closer with each text and over the course of last night. I wanted to…" His voice tailed off with embarrassment.
"I wanted to kiss you too." Elizabeth embarrassingly stated as several people walked by. "Why didn't you?"
"Nervous…scared…?" He shrugged his shoulders.
"Why?"
"I've never kissed a girl before. I was scared I would somehow mess it up."
She let out a nervous laugh. "Me too."
"So why did everything seemed to change when Charles approached us? Why did you let go of my pinky when you realized it was him? Why did you completely ignore me when you knew it was him? Do we need to slow this down?" He unconsciously took a small step away from her in case she did want to slow down their relationship.
Elizabeth stopped walking so quickly that Jack continued for another step. She stopped him because she was still holding his hand. He turned around to look at her. He saw an expression that he wasn't sure of.
Elizabeth slowly, but with some purpose, released Jack's hand and placed her hands on Jack's chest. She took a fraction of a second to marvel at the feeling of his chest muscles she could feel under his shirt, but quickly regained her train of thought. She slowly walked him backwards to the lockers that were close by and pushed his back against them. Elizabeth's body was just inches from his. Her hands were still planted on his chest. She leaned into him placing a little bit of her weight on him. She never looked away from his eyes. He was going to understand every word she was about to say to him with her voice and with her eyes.
Jack was a little shocked at her behavior. She didn't slam him against the lockers or anything, but there was no doubt that she was going to be understood. There was fire in her eyes. It may have been somewhat controlled, but the intent wasn't lost on Jack. He stared into her blue eyes and immediately knew what she was about to say was coming from her innermost being. In a soft, yet firm voice, she began.
"Jack Thornton, don't you ever say anything like that again! I did not break my no dating rule for a two day fling. I am not embarrassed by you nor ashamed of you."
"But you…"
"I handled that all wrong." She never stopped talking. He was going to understand her heart. "I have never done this before. I didn't want to shove this in his face, but make no mistake Mr. Thornton, it's you and me.
"I have never dated before and really didn't pay much attention to my friends who did date. I don't know how it's done, but we will figure it out as we progress. Please don't ever suggest we dial this back. I did not mean to ignore you. I'm sorry you felt that way and I will make sure you will never feel that way again. If I ever do anything like that again, instead of walking away from me, why don't you take my hand? Let me know what I am doing instead of leaving me?"
"But you didn't want me there. You didn't want me to hold your hand. You let go the moment you knew it was Charles that was approaching us. You never looked in my direction when you noticed it was Charles walking toward us. You forgot I was standing by you and didn't notice when I left. What am I supposed to think?"
Elizabeth leaned a little closer to Jack and put a little more of her weight on her hands that were still firmly planted on his chest. She never looked away from his eyes. Her face was just inches from his. "Then take my hand and remind me of my mistake. I just didn't want to gloat about our relationship. I never intended for you to feel that way. It upsets me knowing I made you think that I'm embarrassed by you or that I didn't want to hold your hand. I've learned my lesson today. Now, do you want to slow this down?"
Jack couldn't speak. The challenge in her eyes completely pulled him in. He was utterly lost in this young woman and was happy about it. He heard her words, but it was her eyes that told him everything that he needed to know. At that moment, he knew without a doubt that he loved Elizabeth Marie Thatcher. It also shocked him that he knew he was going to marry that woman someday. He knew it in his bones and in his soul. The thought never scared him. He was going to change her last name to Thornton.
Jack slightly shook his head no.
"I'm sorry Mr. Thornton, I need you to say it." She demanded.
Jack knew he wouldn't always like this determined and bossy side of Elizabeth, but at this moment it took his breath. She was so real and honest with herself that it completely captivated him. If she had asked anything at this moment, he would move heaven and earth to try to make it happen. He shook his head and took a deep breath. "No." He wanted to say more, but the fire in her eyes were taking all the oxygen he was trying to breathe.
"Are you sure?" She challenged him.
He only nodded his head.
"Mr. Thornton, I need…"
"Yes. I'm sure."
The grin and the look on Jack's face reached inside of her brain and pushed the pause button. She couldn't think or speak. Her knees went weak. She was grateful she was leaning on him a little because she didn't think she could stand on her own power. As much as she drew him in over the last couple of minutes by her actions, he was doing the exact same thing now. She was completely lost in those hazel eyes. The two minute warning bell sounded but they didn't hear it. They were completely lost in the moment. They were lost in each other. No one else was in the hallway with them.
"Come on, Emily, we can't be late again." A girl called out as she accidentally bumped into Elizabeth. "Sorry." She called out as she jogged away.
The girl's bump pushed Elizabeth completely against Jack. Her hands were still on his chest, but her body was against him now. Their faces were so close that they were sharing the same breath.
"I guess…" They began speaking at the same time. They each nervously laughed. Elizabeth told him to go first.
"I guess we need to go so we won't be late for math."
"Are we good?"
Jack nodded his head. When she opened her mouth to speak, he quickly said yes.
"Let's go then. We can't be late."
Elizabeth slowly pushed herself away from Jack. She immediately missed his warmth and the feeling of her body pressed against his. She never imagined she would enjoy that feeling so much. She extended her hand with her fingers open. Jack instantly intertwined his fingers with hers. The smile never leaving his face.
"Come on Jack." She stated as she began to pull him down the hallway. "The classroom is just down this hallway to the left." She finally tore her eyes away from Jack.
"I remember where the classroom is, Elizabeth." He sassed at her joking with him.
"It's honors math, you will need to listen so you could maybe answer a couple of questions." She flirted, teasing him a little.
"Very funny, Ms. Thatcher." He flirted back. "Elizabeth…that was…" His voice trailed off. He didn't know the word he was trying to think of.
"What was what?" She asked, a little confused.
"That." He nodded back toward the lockers where she had him pushed against. "That was…"
"Let's begin with incredible?" She teased.
"Let's start there." His dimples were on full display drawing her in like they always did.
"Maybe you can think of another word." She flirted. Her eyes sparkling.
"I'll work on that."
They walked into Honors Math holding hands. She never let go of Jack's hand until they reached their seats. Unlike the first two math classes the previous days, Elizabeth sat beside Jack. He always sat a few seats away thinking her and Charles were dating. Neither of them even noticed Charles sitting in his normal seat waiting for Elizabeth to sit next to him.
…
"Alright Chris, this is the route we will take Saturday. You will pick up Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher at their home at eight o'clock sharp. You will take this route. We will call it route A. Jason, you will be with him for this trip to the picnic and then the trip home as well."
"Yes, Mr. Thornton." Chris and Jason stated.
"If there are any questions or concerns, call me. Once you arrive at the picnic area, you two will be on loose detail. I will take primary detail and follow him during the day."
"Are we on detail for the whole day?"
"No. You two will have the first two hours of loose detail. You will not be around Mr. Thatcher, but you will keep him within your sights. After two hours, you are relieved of duty until four o'clock. We have two other set of two body men that will take over after you two. You may stay and have fun or head home or whatever. You will pick up Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher and drive them home. You will take route B."
"Got it, sir."
"If you have trouble in route, call me. We will change to 4221."
"Sir, will this work both ways?"
"Yes. Four will stand for west. You will immediately turn west. Then you will take the second road east. One is the designated location. After your second turn, you will immediately work your way to the predesigned location on varies streets. Use your best judgement on the route, account for traffic, road construction, etc. The passenger seat will immediately call me on his cell while he also pushes the panic button on the SUV. That will engage the security center through blue tooth. They will hear everything through that. The passenger seat will check mirrors and see if you are being followed. The driver's sole focus is to drive the vehicle."
"Yes sir."
"Now, we don't know anything will happen, but we will be ready just in case. Are there any questions?"
"Will the children ride with Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher to or back from the picnic?"
"I'm not sure about going home. I do know they are not riding with them on the way to the picnic. Either way, you are responsible for any and all souls in that vehicle. Understand?"
"Yes sir."
"Do you feel comfortable with the plan? Do you have everything you need to accomplish the objective?"
"Yes sir."
Jason and Chris were impressed with Tom. This man knew his stuff and took the job serious. They liked the plan and thought it would work. Tom was also impressed with Jason and Chris. That's why he selected them to drive that day.
…
"Will you be at the company picnic tomorrow?"
"Yes Grace. Tom will be there long before I will be. He said that he will be accompanying William all day while he's at the picnic."
"Yes, William said that he asked for him. William quickly liked Tom. It's odd, he has never done this with any security before. He respects Tom."
"Tom respects him as will. Sundy Evening, are you all free for dinner? We would love to have you at our home for dinner."
"That sounds like a nice evening."
"Please, bring Elizabeth and Julie."
"How is Jack doing dating?"
Charlette laughed. "He's trying to find his footing. He asked me about kissing last night. He's never done it."
"He asked you how to kiss?"
"Oh no…he wouldn't do that. That would embarrass him to no end. He spoke with Tom about that."
"What did he ask you then?"
"He wanted a woman's perspective. He wanted to make sure Elizabeth wanted him to kiss her."
"Jack asked you about any ques that she was open to it?"
"He did."
Grace sighed at the respect Jack had for her daughter. Normally a mother would be nervous about a boy and her daughter's first kiss. Grace trusted Elizabeth. She was quickly learning to trust Jack. If a boy wanted to make sure her daughter would welcome a kiss, the boy must have been respectful. Grace smiled at the image of Jack and Elizabeth. She just couldn't get over how great they looked together.
"Charlette…you and Tom did a great job with that young man."
"Grace, you and William did a great job with Elizabeth. I can't believe how great a young lady she is."
"They are just perfect for each other."
"They are."
The joy in their voices was evident. The ladies spent another thirty minutes talking with each other. Not only did they want their children to date, but they were also quickly becoming good friends.
…
Charles watched Jack and Elizabeth walk into honors math. He noticed they were holding hands and Elizabeth's face was a little flushed with color. He stared at the couple when Jack took his seat. Jack to the same desk he did the first two days of class. He was shocked when Elizabeth followed him and took a seat that was next to him. After a second, Charles reached to the seat in front of him and removed his backpack. He was saving the seat for Elizabeth.
Charles just knew he caused some issues before school began. He could see the frustration on Jack's face as he turned to walk away from them. Charles prolonged the conversation with Elizabeth just to buy more time. Everything played out perfectly for him.
Math was Elizabeth's second best subject. She shinned throughout the class. She volunteered to walk to the white board and answer a question. Jack worked on the problem on a piece of paper while she did. He was trying to beat her. When he finished the problem, he looked up in Elizabeth's direction. She had a cheesy grin on her face knowing she had beat him to the answer. She was so proud of herself. Jack huffed knowing he had lost. Not only did she have that little smirk he hated and loved so much, but she also had her hands clasped in front of her swaying slightly from side to side.
"You have no idea how gorgeous you are, do you?" Jack whispered to himself watching his girlfriend up front. "Or how frustrating you are." He chuckled, shaking his head.
"Well done Ms. Thatcher. Now class, do you see how perfect Elizabeth worked through the equation? She kept each step clear and concise. It's not messy or jumbled. That keeps your line of thinking clear." The teacher continued to explain as Elizabeth walked back to her seat. She never took her eyes off Jack nor did her cheesy grin leave her face.
"Proud of yourself, aren't you?" Jack leaned in and whispered.
"Absolutely. I beat you." The cheesy grin only grew.
Jack huffed. "I got it right." He showed her the piece of paper.
"Well, look at that…you did get it right." She playfully teased. "After I did." She sat a little taller in her chair.
"I'm sorry." Mr. Callahan stated as he looked toward Jack and Elizabeth.
"Mr. Thornton needed a little help with the equation." Elizabeth stated in a dead pan voice. Jack could see the teasing in her eyes.
"Thank you for your help, Ms. Thatcher." Everyone, including Charles, could see the flirting between them.
"You're welcome Mr. Thornton. If you need any further assistance, please don't hesitate to ask." The class erupted in laughter at the tone of Elizabeth's words.
With a huge smile on his face, Jack looked at Elizabeth. "You'll pay for that."
Elizabeth scrunched up her nose at Jack and playfully shook like she was scared.
Charles looked at Sam. "We need to take care of this problem…and soon."
"What little I know of him, he seems like a nice guy."
"Really?"
"Sure. I don't know him very well. He just seems cool."
"I don't think so."
"I don't know how he got Elizabeth to date him. You always said that she wouldn't date in high school. That's why she wouldn't go out with you on a date."
"Voluntary basketball practice twice a week begins next week. The coach can't be there. It's just us guys getting together to practice. If he shows up…"
"What are you going to do?"
"Just play backyard basketball. We'll see how tough he is." Charles hissed.
"Mr. Kensington. If I may have your and Sam's attention for the next fifteen minutes please." Mr. Callahan stated.