Chapter 72

William was standing in front of the kitchen stove early on Saturday morning. He was beginning to make breakfast for his family. Grace and Elizabeth were taking the new prom dress to a close friend of Elizabeth's mom. While she loved the dress, the slit was a little higher than she was comfortable with. It wasn't high, but it was a little higher than her conservative personality was comfortable with. William was all for it. He was a typical father.

William sighed when his phone buzzed. Receiving a phone call on an early Saturday morning was never a good thing. A thousand possibilities began to roll through his mind…none of which were good. He refused to look at the screen before answering. His thumb found the accept button without even having to look for it.

"William Thatcher here."

"William, this is Ted."

"Yes, Ted. How are you?"

"I'm fine, sir. How are you?"

"I'm good."

William paused for a moment, waiting for Ted to say something. While they had a good relationship, it was uncommon for Viola's boyfriend to call him out of the blue, especially early on a weekend day.

"Ted, isn't this a little early for a college student to be awake?"

Ted laughed at the statement. "That is something Viola would say."

"She's not one for too early in the mornings."

"I wanted to let you know that my spring semester concert is set for four weeks from today."

"Great. Please send that to me in a text. I want to put that on my calendar. Grace and I would love to come and hear you play if that is still all right with you. We'll make a weekend out of it."

"That's great. I look forward to seeing you there. I must warn you, I won't be available before the concert. It is usually a tense time, especially this one."

"Why this one?" William asked as he reached into the fridge for the eggs.

"My professor decided he wanted to torture me with two new pieces that I don't know. They are difficult pieces."

"So, your professor wants to challenge you?"

Ted thought about it for a moment. "You've already spoken to Viola, haven't you?"

William laughed. "She said that your professor thinks the world of you and wanted to test you since you are so advanced."

"That woman has too much confidence in me." He could only shake his head.

"She has all the faith in you. I'll get the details from Viola, but please send me the date. I'll give it to Grace, and she'll plan out the trip. We'll make a weekend out of it."

"Viola and I would love to spend the weekend with you."

"We look forward to it."

Ted stood in the middle of his dorm, trying to work up the courage to get to the second reason why he called William. His palms were sweaty, and he was constantly moving, trying to walk off the nerves.

After some time of silence, William thought the conversation had come to its natural end.

"Thanks for calling and telling us about the concert. We are truly looking forward to the trip."

"William, before you go…" He tried to swallow. "…if you have a moment…" His voice trailed off.

"Is there something else you want to talk to me about?"

"There is…William sir…"

"Ted…what is going on?"

"When you are here, I would like a few minutes of your time."

"Well, since we will be there the whole weekend, I'm sure we will see each other many times."

"Yes, sir, but that's not what I was talking about."

"Oh…do you have something in mind?"

"Sir." Ted's voice failed him. He coughed and then tried to swallow even though he didn't have anything in his mouth to swallow. "I would like a few minutes alone with you."

William paused for a few moments. His mind wondered what Ted would like to talk with him about.

"I have a few minutes to talk now if you have time."

Again, Ted cleared his throat. Somehow, he found courage he didn't know he had. "This is a discussion I believe is necessary to have face-to-face. I wanted to set a time for us to speak…man to man."

"Alright…" William's voice trailed off. He remembered the discussion he and Ted had when his oldest daughter and her boyfriend were in town the last time for a visit.

"Ted…are you…"

"Sir. I mean no disrespect, but I believe this discussion needs to be done face-to-face. It's something my late father taught me."

"I believe I understand." William smiled as he nodded his head.

"Yes, sir."

…

"Oh…come on, Elizabeth," Jack whined.

The couple had just sat down in the food court of the mall. They were spending a lazy Saturday afternoon together. There weren't any particular plans. They were doing a little window shopping. If they found something that interested them, they would stop to take a look. Elizabeth would look for accessories for the prom if something stood out to her. Other than just spending time with each other, there wasn't a plan.

The young couple stopped in front of two store windows when they saw something that intrigued them, but nothing was worth going inside. For most of the walk, they held pinkies. Occasionally, they held hands, or one would wrap their arm around the other's waist. As much as Jack loved it when he placed his hand on the small of Elizabeth's back, she loved it just as much. It was just an intimate gesture to them.

"Jack…"

"Elizabeth, it's not a national secret." He huffed. "My ma knows…your mom knows…I'm assuming Steph and Connie know…"

"Yes, they know. They are my best friends." She paused when she saw his pouty face. "Jack, it's not happening!"

"Come on, Princess Beth…you shouldn't keep him from me! Secrets are not good between couples!"

"Jarrick Thornton…that's not my name, and you know it! Why aren't we passed that yet?" She huffed.

"You know…Steven calls you PB."

"PB? Why does he do that?"

If he wasn't trying to get Elizabeth to tell her secret, he would have felt bad throwing one of his best friends under the bus. Unfortunately for Steven, Jack really wanted to know the little secret.

"Come on, Princess Beth. I just want to see the picture of your dress. Ma told me to get a rich, deep green tie."

"So, you know the color. Why isn't that enough?"

"I'm not asking to see your wedding dress. This is your prom dress."

"I know that, Jarrick. You're not going to see a picture of my dress. Now, what does your tux look like? May I see a picture of it?"

Jack smiled. He hadn't told Elizabeth he chose a suit instead of a tux.

"Oh no…if I can't see a picture of your outfit, there is no way you are going to see what I'm wearing." Jack sat tall in his chair to prove his point.

Elizabeth huffed. "I just want to make sure it's going to match my dress."

"Let me see the picture of the dress, and I can help you to decide if it matches." Jack challenged her with a raised eyebrow.

Elizabeth leaned back for a moment. Then she leaned a little closer to her boyfriend. She batted her eyes at him. She knew that simple act usually worked on Jack. He would fold like an old deck of cards when she did that.

"Jack…it's senior prom. I was just wanting us to match. We will have a lot of pictures together. I don't want to clash. These pictures will be important for us. You just know our children will love to see them and make fun of them."

Elizabeth leaned a little closer. She made sure to make eye contact with Jack. She began to draw him in with her intense, loving eyes. He swore they were sparkling. She moved a little closer to him.

"Jack…" She spoke in a flirty voice.

"Yeah…" Jack leaned closer to her without knowing what he was doing. She was drawing him in. He was putty in her hands. Just like always, he was fine with it.

She reached up and ran her index fingertip down his jawline, giving him a patent smile.

"May I see the picture of your tux?" Her voice was flirty, playful, and a little sexy.

Without realizing what he was doing, Jack reached for his phone. He never broke eye contact with his girlfriend. She had him right where she wanted him, and she knew it.

That's when she made her mistake. Instead of the flirty look that had him completely hooked, her facial expression turned into the expression she always had when she won a little battle between them. The same expression she always had in class when she bested him. She didn't realize her expression changed.

When seeing her facial expression change from flirty to victorious, Jack closed his eyes and shook his head. He knew what she was doing.

"Hey!" He bellowed out. "You're playing me, aren't you?"

"What?" She shook her head no.

"That…that expression." He pointed to her face. "That's not fair." He whined as he placed his phone down on the table. Her laughter was contagious. She knew she was caught.

"Jack…" She tried to recapture him like before.

"No…no…" He closed his eyes so she wouldn't have that power over him. He couldn't help but laugh.

"How did you know?" She finally relented when she knew she had lost control of the situation.

"Your expression changed to the one you always give me in math class."

"Oh…" She batted her eyes at him again.

"Oh no…that's not working this time." He picked up his phone and placed it in his pocket.

"Jack." She leaned forward and gently kissed his lips.

"Nope. Not happening until you show me your picture first."

She huffed, knowing she had lost this little game. However, she did enjoy the little banter between them. The playfulness of their relationship was enduring for both of them.

"Hey, what are you two doing?"

Connie asked as she and her boyfriend walked up to the table with a tray of food.

Elizabeth turned her gaze toward Steven.

"What exactly does PB mean?"

Steven's attention went straight to Jack.

"Dude! Did you really tell her?"

"I didn't tell her about the meaning behind it."

"You shortened his awful nickname to just the initials, didn't you?" Elizabeth challenged him.

"Did you?" Questioned Connie.

"Dude! How could you tell her?"

"I'm sorry, Steven. I was trying to get her to show me the picture of her dress."

"Oh…" Steven stated as he sat down.

"He's trying his best to do the same." Connie nodded toward Steven.

"Hey…you try the same thing." Steven defended himself.

"Not happening!" Declared Elizabeth and Connie together.

…

Charlette walked into her kitchen and saw her husband munching on chips while he sat at the kitchen island. He looked up to see the expression on his wife's face.

"What's going on?"

"Jack and Tom are growing up too quickly."

Thomas sat down the bag of chips. He knew his wife well.

"That they are. Jack will be leaving home soon to go to college…" He stopped talking when his wife's face screwed up in a tortured expression.

Thomas stood and walked around the island, wrapping his arms around her loosely. He then held her in a loose embrace.

"We have raised Jack well. He has a level head on his shoulders and is making good decisions. I do believe he is ready for this next season in life."

"Tom…that's not what I want to hear!" She huffed. He may have been correct, but that wasn't the sympathy she wanted.

"You did good, Mommy." He playfully teased her. "What happened?"

"Bryan's sent Jack another email. He'll be in the Decosimo Dorm. They also sent an updated list of items he'll need to move in. They even told him his new address. Tom, he's not supposed to have a new address. He's always had our address."

"Our little boy is growing up."

"My little boy." She emphasized the word 'my' with a little grin. That has always been a little dig at each other about who's son Jack was. "And on top of that…Tom received an email from the College of Charleston."

"College of Charleston?" Thomas asked, surprised. "Why are they emailing him? He's just a sophomore. Wait…isn't that in South Carolina?"

"Yes, to all of that." She sighed. "That's a lot of miles from here. Plus, it's in a different time zone away…maybe two time zones away."

Inwardly, Thomas chuckled. However, he knew better than to laugh out loud.

"Jack is always who he is. He always makes good decisions. I guess we take it for granted because he always has. Tom has really grown over the last few months. I just don't know about Charleston."

"He can't go that far away!"

"We can't make that decision for him, sweetheart. Plus, we have two years with him before he even moves to school. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Tom will continue to grow over the next two years. He will make the best decision for himself. Jack will only be three and a half hours away."

"You're right."

"I bet that was difficult for you to say that." He teased.

"Tasted like vinegar." She sassed back.

"Tom…I'm really happy for my children. It just seems that all of this has happened very quickly."

"It did happen quickly."

…

Ted smiled as he closed the passenger door after Viola took her seat. She had on a nice pair of pants and a sweater that matched her eyes nicely.

"Wow…my girlfriend is gorgeous." He whispered to himself as he closed the door.

Viola's smile grew when she heard what he said. She was grateful her boyfriend enjoyed the view. She kept eye contact with him as he walked in front of the car to his door. She never understood when Elizabeth would say that she couldn't explain her attraction to Jack. He just pulled her in, and she was ok with it. Now, she knew what her middle sister was trying, but failing, to say. The man walking in front of the car gazing into her eyes was just part of her now. Viola could only see her future with Ted in it. She couldn't explain the feeling any better than her sister could. However, she knew it to be completely true. She reached for his hand before he even had his seat belt buckled.

"Where are we going?"

"A little restaurant where a friend of mine is playing tonight."

"Oh, that sounds nice."

"The place isn't too nice. The atmosphere is nice, and the music will be good."

"So, my future will be saturated with music?" Viola asked as she cut her eyes toward Ted.

Ted wasn't sure if he was reading too much into her statement and tone, but he thought there was an underlying meaning to what she had just said. Maybe his discussion with her father earlier influenced it, but he knew what he was thinking.

"Maybe…" He hesitated for a moment. "Are you ok with that?"

"I prefer it more if you were the one playing, but I do admit I enjoy sitting with you enjoying the music."

They kept eye contact for several seconds. Both were enjoying the conversation's undertones. Ted was certainly reading into this conversation the discussion with William and its full meaning. He didn't understand that Viola was doing the same thing.

"Come on, sweet man. I'm hungry, and I would like to eat dinner with my guy."

…

"What are you planning?" Julie scrunched her face toward her boyfriend.

"Me? Planning something? Why would you assume I would be planning something?" Tom tried to ask innocently. He could only laugh at his girlfriend's expression.

"Fine. Yes, I was planning something."

"Ok…so what is it?"

"We're going out with friends again tonight."

"We are."

"How would you feel about going out on a date with just me?"

Julie unscrunched her face and thought back to her sixteenth birthday, which was the end of her parents' rule of not dating. Since then, she and Tom went out a couple of times alone, but they were still in the habit of going out with friends—they just didn't realize they were still in that habit.

"Tom…" She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "I would love that."

"Me too. It just seems we haven't taken advantage of our new freedom."

"I agree. Now, what are you planning?"

"Dinner and a movie is nice…but…" His voice trailed off.

"They are nice." Julie softly stated. "But…"

"I want to do those things with you too, but they just aren't necessarily us."

"Oh, I agree."

"So Tom, with that settled, what's the plan?"

"An adventure."

"An adventure!" Julie squealed as she jumped up and down with her hands clasped in front of her chest. "What adventure?"

Tom smiled at her enthusiasm. He loved that woman and who she was. They were so much alike.

"How do you feel about blowing off our friends?"

"On it!" Julie stated as she texted her friend to let her know that she and Tom couldn't make it. After the text, she turned her full attention to Tom. "So, what are we doing?"

"We are going on an adventure."

"I already know that! So, what are we doing?"

…

Cory and Steph joined the group a little while later. Instead of going out separately, they decided to just hang out together as a group. After dinner at Abagail's, the group decided to go to Jack's house for a bonfire. They were just enjoying the time together as a group. They knew their time like this was quickly coming to an end, especially since the whole group were going to different colleges. Granted, each couple was going to the same college, but the whole group was going to three different colleges.

It didn't take long for Jack to light the bonfire. The fire wasn't as large as the ones he had back in Buxton, but the neighborhood was different in Hamilton. When Jack called his father about the new evening plans, he gathered the chairs for the group. Jack, Steven, and Cory got the wood together along with Jack's guitar. Even though the group just ate, Charlette ordered three pizzas, mozzarella sticks, and some bread sticks for the group. She knew her son, Cory, and Steven would want a snack later.

Jack sat beside Elizabeth, holding her hand. Cory did the same with Steph and Steven with Connie. They circled the fire.

"Are you excited about college?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Yes, Connie, I am excited. Also, if I admit to the truth of it, I'm a little nervous, too." Connie and Steph nodded their heads.

"I agree. New everything…new classes, new home, new school,…you two won't be there." Connie stated with hesitation in her voice.

"At least we still have our phones."

Steph looked at her two best friends. "True. Even though we will be hours apart from each other, I still think our friendship will endure."

"More than endure," Elizabeth stated with confidence. "Girls, you have been my best friends since we were in kindergarten. You are not getting rid of me that easily."

Connie smiled as she wiped away an unfallen tear. "The next season of life may bring many changes, but it will not change this."

"After all, you two are going to be a huge part of my wedding," Elizabeth whispered. Wiping away a tear as she spoke.

"Same here, girlies," Steph added.

While the girls were still sitting with their boyfriends and discussing their chosen schools and new basketball teams, the boys were having a similar discussion.

"Kinda feels like going into high school all over again." Chuckled Jack.

"Yeah, just on a much bigger scale," Steven stated.

"True," Cory stated. "The team already has a big man."

"Mine has a rising senior. I wasn't promised anything. Just an opportunity for playing time." Jack stated.

"Same here," Cory stated.

"Mine has two. At first, the coach told me I would sit my freshman year. But with the partial scholarship, I couldn't pass it up."

"True. Maybe you'll get a scholarship due to your dancing." Joked Cory as he laughed.

"He's gotten pretty good." Jack smiled. "My boy got skills he didn't even know he had."

"You'll be impressed. We all need to go dancing sometime."

"We're in!" Exclaimed the girls in the middle of their conversation.

Cory and Jack only shook their heads as Steven smiled at the thought of dancing with Connie again.

"The coach called me the other day. He saw the film from the district tournament and state playoffs. He said he's impressed with how I played."

"You're going to a good coach. I believe you may have an opportunity before you think you will."

"Thanks, Jack. He said if I played like that, I might just see the court my freshman year."

"Good for you," Cory stated.

"After all, that's all we have ever wanted."

"Very true." All the guys stated at the same time.

"I'm going to miss Coach Franklin and you all. I know I have only been here a year, but you guys became very important to me."

"Yeah…" Cory and Steven stated a little uncomfortably.

"Oh…this is getting a little too emotional for me," Jack stated as he reached for his guitar.

When he began to strum the instrument, the others began to tear away from their conversations. The next couple of hours were spent singing different songs. Some of those songs were played and sung very well, and others were sung while being silly. To the person, it was one of the best nights spent together.

…

"Where are we going?" Julie asked for the fourth time since Tom began to drive in the other direction.

"Patience, Julie…patience." Tom laughed at his girlfriend's expression.

"You know certainly well that I am not a patient person." She sat taller in her seat to reinforce her point.

"Don't I know it!" Tom chuckled. "Just hang in there with me; you'll enjoy it."

Tom pulled into a small parking lot. It was a restaurant that neither one of them had heard of before. He only knew of this place because his cousin, Ted, pointed it out to him. He remembered Ted telling him that he would bet the restaurant had good food and better entertainment. Evidently, playing in so many different restaurants gave Ted the eye of knowing a good place or not just by looking at it. Tom trusted his cousin, but he did a google search for the place. Tonight, the place was having a local group play live. They had good reviews on their website.

"What's this place?" Julie asked as she looked around the parking lot and building. It certainly wasn't the best place she'd ever been.

"Don't judge a book by its cover," Tom warned her. "Ted said he would almost guarantee this place would be well worth the time."

"I'll trust him." Julie teased. "That guy certainly knows his music."

The young couple walked into the restaurant. The building certainly showed its age. The hardwood floors showed years of scuff marks. There was a small stage in the center of the back wall. The lights were down low, but they could still see. Three guys and one lady were on stage. They were setting up their instruments. Tom thought they may be twenty years old or so. Julie thought they were younger than that.

"Find a table you'll like. If you sit close to the stage, it'll get a little loud." A middle-aged woman stated as she looked up from the hostess table. "We'll get busy in about fifteen minutes. The music is set to begin in thirty minutes."

"Thanks."

"You'll enjoy tonight's group. They'll pretty good."

Tom and Julie sat down at a table two rows from the front of the stage. Within ten minutes, the place quickly filled up with people of different ages. They just beat the rush.

"What would you like to drink?"

"Sweet tea." Julie and Tom stated.

"Here's the menu."

"Care to recommend anything?"

"We're known for our hamburgers and parmesan chicken. Can't go wrong with either. Chili cheese fries are a great appetizer. Our ranch dressing is made in-house and is the greatest in Hamilton."

"Better than Abagail's?" Julie asked.

"Oh…that place is the best place to eat. They have better food, but I think our ranch is better."

Tom glanced at his girlfriend. She nodded her head in an unspoken agreement.

"I'll take the burger with cheese and mac-n-cheese. She'll have the parmesan chicken with a loaded baked potato. We would also like to have the chili cheese fries before our meal." Julie smiled at him, knowing what she wanted. For some unknown reason, she liked that.

"Perfect choice." The waitress looked over her shoulder. "The group looks like they'll begin shortly. The young lady's voice will blow you away. She's very talented and has a huge range. The band is really good, too."

…

The waitress wasn't wrong on either front. The food was great, but neither of them thought it was as good as Abagail's. However, they did think the ranch was better. The band was very talented. The young lady had a wide range with her voice. They mostly sang light rock songs, but they did play some country and even two blues songs.

When the young couple finished eating, the waitress moved them to the bar section, which didn't serve food or alcohol. This area was shared with countless other people who were finished with their meals but wanted to stay and listen to the music. When a couple was dancing, another couple would use the stools.

"Come on, baby. Let's dance, " Tom said when a good song began. The singer's voice was rich and deep, and they thought she sung it better than the original artist.

"Tom…no one's dancing," Julie whined. This was the second song after they finished eating.

"Then, we'll be the first couple to begin the fun." He gave her his best seductive grin. "Come on!" He nodded toward the small little section of the floor that he thought could be used as a dance floor. The waitress did say that there was some dancing occasionally, but no one had done it yet.

Tom knew he convinced her with her growing smile. She loved his playful side. He was a guy who didn't care what others thought. If Tom wanted to do it, then he would. He wasn't restricted by a crowd. She loved that about him. She was a little like that as well.

Cheerfully, she jumped up from her stool and took his hand. "Come on, handsome. Let's show this old group how to have fun!"

…

The trio of couples divided amongst themselves to different sides of the fire pit. They had a great time together with each other. There was plenty of laughter and joking around with each other. The couples began to seclude themselves around the fire as the night marched on. They just wanted a few minutes to be just couples. While they weren't completely secluded, they did have a sense of privacy. Mostly due to the fact that they were all best friends.

The camp chairs were as close as they could possibly be. Jack's arm was across the armrests and resting in Elizabeth's hand. He was leaning toward her the best he could. In a low whisper, he told her that he loved her. She smiled as she leaned forward to kiss his lips gently. While they did have a sense of privacy, they knew they weren't private. With that bit of knowledge, the kiss wasn't deepened like they would have liked to do.

Each couple kept the display of public affection to a small limit. To be perfectly honest, no one was paying attention to anyone else except their significant other. The make-out sessions weren't too much to be embarrassed about; they were just loving gestures amongst couples.

Elizabeth smiled when Jack finally broke eye contact with her. She knew where his eyes were going next and where they would end up. Jack's eyes slowly moved to her lips. He loved her lips. They were always so soft. He also loved the way they tasted. Jack lost all concepts of his environment. He only saw Elizabeth. She smiled when he licked his lips. She loved it when he did that. Involuntary, she bit her bottom lip at his action. He loved it when she did that. He didn't know if she did that on purpose or if it was something she did unconsciously. He just didn't care why. She was just so stinking adorable when she did that.

"I love you." He whispered as his eyes lowered from her lips down to intention at the base of her neck.

For some unknown reason, he loved placing his lips in that area. He loved the look of it. He also loved paying attention to that spot. It really was one of his favorite places. Elizabeth felt the same way. Since the first time he paid attention to that spot on her front porch, she loved it too. She especially loved it when he would gently kiss and suck that spot. It drove her crazy.

"Jack…" She softly stated as he leaned in toward that spot.

Jack was undeterred in his pursuit of his spot. He continued to move toward her slowly.

"Jack, we can't…" She let out a slow breath.

Jack stopped just a few inches away. He knew she was right. He didn't like it. He let out a huff of frustrated air as he closed his eyes.

Elizabeth hated stopping Jack as much as he hated to stop. She knew he hated stopping, but she was thankful he did. It was just another reminder that he respected her and put her first. She reached and placed a finger under his chin. She lifted his face to look into her eyes.

"Tomorrow night…you and me…date night…and you're not stopping." Elizabeth paused after each short phrase. Her voice was breathy in the beginning but grew stronger as she spoke. The look in her eyes was all-consuming to Jack. She had him in the palm of her hand. She could have done anything she wanted, and he would be fine with it. He trusted her completely.

Without saying a word, he slowly leaned in for a kiss without ever breaking eye contact. His answer was in his gentle kiss. She felt all of his love.

…

Tom and Julie slowly made their way to Tom's vehicle, holding hands. They didn't want the evening to end. The dinner and dancing were perfect.

"Thank you, Tom. This evening is the best ever!"

"I agree. You made this perfect!"

"How did you learn to dance like that?"

Tom's face slightly turned to a pinkish color. "Well…" He swallowed. "…probably the same way you learned. You did great out there, too."

"True." She shyly smiled. "I think we bring the best out of each other."

"I agree." Tom smiled as he reached for the passenger door. Julie stepped between them and the door. Along with him, she wasn't ready for the evening to end.

The parking lot was almost full of cars, but everyone was in the restaurant. The young couple had a sense of privacy.

She slowly moved to be directly in front of him. Tom placed his hands on her hips and pulled her a little closer. Since their major hiccup, the young couple had matured and grown up in many ways. Even with that, they were still themselves. They were still free-spirited and their own persons, but just tempered a little.

She leaned back on the vehicle as he pulled her a little closer. Their faces were just an inch apart.

"I love you, Tom."

"I love you, Julie."

She tip-toed just enough to capture his lips as he finished the sentence. The kiss was passionate, but not too much for a public setting. She ran her fingers through his hair as he tightened his hold on her hips.