Chapter 4

"Could we get inside already?!"

"Katie!" Lou's indignant response had Katie's anxious face falling into chagrin.

"I'm sorry mom, but I REALLY gotta pee!" Lisa just chuckled as she opened the door to her childhood home and propped the door, gesturing for Katie to run in ahead of them, the teen running straight for the bathroom, Peter's voice calling after her.

"We told you not to chug that soda right before we left home Katie". Katie's distracted "yeah yeah" as she shut the bathroom door made them all chuckle and Lou rolled her eyes. Lisa stepped through the door and held it open for the family to file in, smiling when Ben and Krista ventured into the entryway to greet everyone.

"Hi guys, is ah…everything ok? Kind of a commotion coming in I heard." Lou rolled her eyes and pointedly looked at Georgie sheepishly standing next to her. The young woman had arrived home from Europe the day before and the sisters had been getting up to mischief the entire time. They'd gotten into a friendly argument just before they'd left for Fairfield and Georgie had dared Katie to chug a giant bottle of flat soda. Katie had, predictably, taken it as a challenge and met that dare. They'd had to stop in town on the way, and the extra travel time had given the soda time to hit the girls bladder with force and she'd been squirming in the car for the last 5 minutes of the drive.

"Ahh…" Georgie looked around at everyone sheepishly as they gathered in the entrance, the family holding back chuckles. "Hi Ben!" She practically shouted. Ben laughed, not knowing why yet, but understanding there must be a funny story. He gave Georgie a quick hug.

"Hi Georgie, nice to see you again. Please, I'm dying of curiosity here."

"Well, I sort of dared Katie to chug a flat soda, cuz we were arguing about whether it still tastes good flat…ummm…yeah. She did it, which I totally can't believe, and now her bladder is paying the price." They all turned to look as Katie flung the bathroom door open and walked out smiling.

"But I totally win, right?!" She grinned at her older sister in triumph and Georgie just rolled her eyes and huffed out "yeah yeah, you win" took the bowl of salad out of Lou's hands and stomped off to the kitchen, Katie trailing behind her taunting her with her victory.

Ben just raised his eyebrows and turned to look at them all. Lou patted his shoulder.

"Sorry Ben, they get a little…crazy...the first couple days when they're reunited." Ben just laughed.

"Never a dull moment with your kids Lou." He patted Lou's shoulder in return and laughed again when she turned to the kitchen when loud arguing of "I did not" "you did too!" reached their ears. Lisa greeted Krista warmly once Lou had disappeared around the corner to play referee to her girls, and apologized for their noisy entrance.

"Oh it's ok Lisa. I always wished I had siblings and longed to be part of a big family. I love it!" She turned when Ben nudged her and stepped away from Lisa with a smile as she was introduced to Tim and Jessica. Tim and Ben had met a few times over the years, but Lisa knew from earlier conversations with Ben that it was hard for him to warm to the man after seeing how hard it was for Amy to let him back into her life after being abandoned. He'd never known his own father and it remained a sore spot between Tim and Ben, though they were both kind to one another. They'd greeted one another cordially at the funeral, but Jessica had still been out of town, and Ben and Krista had not yet met her. Lisa suspected they'd felt obligated to say yes to today's dinner invitation but was glad to see the introductions seemed to go smoothly.

Lisa smiled at Jack as the four conversed, seeing Amy and Lyndy, and Peter had also followed the commotion into the kitchen, and it was just the two of them still standing there. Jack took Lisa's hand and murmured quietly to her.

"It was nice of Rachel to invite Tim and Jessica as well." She nodded up at him and shrugged, not really understanding why her sister had invited the couple, as Rachel and Tim had really never gotten along. Tim had stayed on the straight and narrow with his sobriety, and he had little patience for Rachel's drinking, and Rachel had once made a pass at him while drunk, before he'd met Jessica, that she was now embarrassed about, but denied to high heaven. Lisa and Jack turned as the two other couples turned back toward them after brief introductions and small talk.

"Well, mom isn't back yet, but I'm guessing she should be soon. I think it's fine if we just get everything going." Lisa sighed, not surprised that her sister wasn't there to greet them, even though this family dinner at Fairfield had been her idea. She just shook it off though and smiled at Ben in agreement, and they all headed to the kitchen, chuckling as she heard Tim mutter behind her "Oh darn, Rachel's not here." Lisa completely understood Tim's aversion to her sister and had never been offended by it. He was generally very respectful when he did have to see her and had always taken Rachel's poor attitude toward him with grace in the moment, though she was sure Jack probably always got an earful afterward.

Lisa, Lou and Ben got everything set out on the table while everyone else found places to sit and within no time, they were all eating and laughing together.

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Later, when dinner had been cleaned up, Tim and Jessica said their farewells, Jessica stating she was still tired from her travel. Lisa suspected Jessica just didn't really want to be there. The other woman had been quiet during dinner, and had even been short with Lyndy a few times, which had made Amy bristle in silence. Lisa nodded at Tim when he sent her an apologetic look, knowing he'd figured out that she'd guessed the real reason they were leaving. As the couple left, Lisa peeked out the window, laughing as she saw Georgie, Katie and Krista playing with Lyndy in the yard, enjoying the warm evening. She saw Jack, Lou and Peter sitting in lawn chairs nearby, chatting away. She picked up the last few remaining glasses and carried them to the kitchen counter, stopping as she overheard Ben and Amy chatting.

"So, Jessica seems…nice." Ben softly stated as the two washed the last few dishes.

"Oh, yeah, she's very nice. Dad seems really happy with her." Amy said in return not giving much away in her voice. There was silence as Ben seemed to contemplate saying more. After a few moments he spoke softly again, treading carefully.

"That's good to hear. Maybe she really was just tired today, I don't know her, but it didn't seem like she had much patience with Lyndy." Amy sighed, setting the dish towel on the counter and braced her hands on the edge.

"Yeah, I mean, she probably was tired, she's usually a bit better than she was tonight, but I admit she's not really natural with Lyndy. Lou and I have talked about it, and we think she's just not very…maternal. She doesn't spend a ton of time with Lyndy, or with Katie and Georgie. She makes dad happy though, so it's ok. The girls have Lisa, and Lou and I know that she loves them to the moon and back, so even though it bugs me a little, I usually just let it go with Jessica, cuz if Lyndy needs Grandma love, she has oodles of it already." Ben chuckled and turned to look at Amy.

"Yeah, Lisa does really love them, talks about them all the time too. She's really the best, isn't she?"

Lisa couldn't help the gasp that escaped her at Ben and Amy's heartfelt words, and she looked at them sheepishly when they both turned and saw her.

Lisa cleared her suddenly thick throat, and awkwardly set the two glasses she was holding on the kitchen island. Amy stared her down, but Lisa could see the mirth dancing in her eyes and she darted her eyes to Ben, thankful to see he was biting back a smile, but he raised his eyebrows at her.

"Eavesdropping Aunt Lisa?"

"No! I mean, ok yes, but not because I meant to. I really was just bringing these glasses on my way out to the yard. I ah…caught the questions about Jessica and I guess I was concerned too, so I was going to chime in if needed. I didn't expect it to become an… appreciation of me party." She shrugged helplessly at them, still touched by their words, but a little embarrassed she'd been caught eavesdropping. She relaxed when Amy and Ben both laughed.

"It's ok Lisa. And…thanks for being concerned about Jessica. I should have known you would have noticed how weird she was being tonight." Amy reached across the island and grasped Lisa's hand.

"You okay? I saw you tense up a few times, watching her with Lyndy at dinner." She looked into Amy's eyes and was saddened by the resignation she saw there at her question. She knew Lou and Amy tried very hard with Jessica, but while their father's wife was very kind to both women, it was obvious to the rest of the family that Jessica kept herself on the edge of things and hadn't really found a place in the family. She seemed to genuinely love Tim but kept herself just out of reach with everyone else, only half-heartedly joining family events. Lisa herself had tried the last couple of years to befriend Jessica, and while they got along fine, she'd always gotten the feeling that Jessica wasn't interested in them getting to know one another better. Amy smiled at her in thanks and squeezed Lisa's hand again.

"Yeah, I think at this point it's just disappointing that it's still like this with Jessica. I guess I thought she'd warm up to us more by now. It's really ok though, I don't want to dwell on it. Lyndy's got lots of other people that love her." Amy grinned at Lisa with those last words and she blushed slightly, remembering the words she'd overheard from Amy and Ben. She cleared her throat again, and released Amy's hand, stepping away from the counter and gesturing to the yard.

"Well, I'm glad you're alright. I'm gonna head outside." At their nods, she turned toward the patio door, but stopped and turned to face them again.

"Just so you two know, I love you both to the moon and back too." She winked at them and walked out to the patio, Ben and Amy's laughter following her into the evening air.

Lisa smiled as laughter erupted across the lawn, watching as Lyndy and Katie tried to do cartwheels in the grass, but Georgie kept interfering by catching their feet in the air. She joined Jack on the loveseat sized patio chair as he watched the girls in delight with Lou and Peter. She snuggled into his side as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and smiled up as Krista joined them, leaving the kids to their antics. The young woman perched on one of the tree stumps used as stools and smiled at Lou and Peter.

"Your girls are a hoot, you guys. My face hurts from laughing with them."

Lisa relaxed into Jack as Krista chatted with Lou and Peter, the girl's laughter creating pleasant background noise.

"Any word from Rachel?" Jack asked her quietly.

"Just that text earlier, saying she got caught up with some old friends. Jeremy I'm guessing. She never could resist him." She sighed and looked up at Jack.

"Jeremy…as in…" he nodded subtly toward the kitchen and she nodded in confirmation, knowing he was referring to Ben. Though Ben had never met his father, Lisa knew him, and knew that Rachel would seek him out every now and then and have a fling again. He'd been the bad boy her little sister could never let go of, even when he wanted nothing to do with his son. She heard Jack sigh next to her. He'd never approved of Rachel continuing to seek Jeremy out and keeping it from Ben.

"Let's not let her absence and behavior ruin this lovely night though, okay?" Lisa asked "I want to enjoy this." He nodded and pulled her a little closer as they laughed at Lyndy and Katie now throwing fallen leaves at each other.

They sat quietly together, and watched as Amy and Ben came out after finishing the dishes, and soon they were all standing at the side of the lawn, taking sides in some sort of chase the youngest three in the family had come up with, cheering on the girls and ribbing each other in good fun. Lisa closed her eyes and let the sounds of her family wash over her. Remembering the kind words she'd heard from Ben and Amy and thinking about how supportive everyone had been in the last week made her emotions well up again, and she turned her face into Jack's chest, breathing deeply to try and regain control. It was no secret that her entrance into this family had been rocky at times, especially with Lou and Amy, but over the last several years, they'd seemed to relax with her, even if they still butted heads sometimes, or bristled if she got to involved, but those instances had lessened, and she couldn't have loved any of them more if they were biological family. This is the kind of family she'd always dreamed about, and sometimes, it still shocked her, even after all these years, that now she had it. Even Tim had given her a warm hug when he'd learned about Aunt Evelyn and expressed his condolences, and she sometimes couldn't contain the overflowing love she felt for these people. She turned her face up to her husband, his attention and smile still on their family.

"Jack" she whispered softly.

He turned to look into her eyes, and she cupped his cheek in her hand, gazing at the man she'd fallen head over heels for almost 18 years ago. She loved him more every day and couldn't fathom that she'd spent so much of her life without him. Though they exchanged the words often, she couldn't resist reminding him, in this moment, how much she loved him. As tears fell down her cheeks, she spoke softly as she gazed into his loving eyes.

"I love you Cowboy." He looked at her in concern, brushing her tears away gently, and she just shook her head and smiled, gesturing her head towards the happy family out on the lawn. As he glanced over and then back to her, she saw the understanding dawn in his eyes, knowing she felt overwhelmed with all the love everyone had shown her in the last week. He knew how much she'd ached for this kind of life before she'd met him, and how much it meant to her to have this kind of family. He leaned in and before his lips gently met hers, he whispered his love back to her and she sank into his kiss. Before she could get lost in it and carried away, Lou's teasing voice rang out.

"Hey lovebirds, quit canoodling and come join the fun."

They pulled apart and grinned at each other. Jack stood and Lisa let him pull her up as well, and they joined the rest of the family, finding out they'd been volun-told into taking score in a made-up game that made no sense. They began arbitrarily making up scores, awarding 50 points at once to Lyndy, Katie and Georgie and giving the others one point at a time. Later, when the youngest had tired out, and the adults had grown teasingly bitter about their low points, they gathered back in a group and Ben spoke up.

"If I could say something to everyone" he grasped Krista's hand in his and looked at the family assembled around him. "Thank you all for coming tonight. I know we usually gather at your house, but I thought, on our last night here, that maybe it'd be nice to gather at the first place I ever lived, and that Lisa, my mom and Evelyn all grew up in. I know Evelyn would enjoy seeing us all together like this, and I'm actually oddly thankful that my mom dipped out tonight, as I have some things to say, that we all know she wouldn't understand." Ben paused as his eyes filled with tears, and Lisa reached out to grip his free hand. He cleared his throat and spoke again, more emotion filling his voice.

"I hope you all know what you mean to me, and how thankful I am for you. When Lisa first had me come to Heartland all those years ago, I kind of assumed she just didn't know what to do with an angry kid. But I've known for a long time now, that even then, she saw this in all of you. This loving family, that leans on each other, and builds each other up. I mean, I'm fully aware she also used me being there as an excuse to show up and flirt with Jack" they all laughed as she blushed about that and chuckled with them "But I also know that she really did think my time with you would be good for me. And it was. I'll never forget the months I spent with all of you, and I'm so thankful for it. And I'm thankful you've welcomed my aunt into your family. I know she loves all of you so much, and I see how much you love her too. She's…everything to me…and I'll never be able to express how much it means to me that she has you. You all know, that Aunt Lisa has been the mom to me that my mom isn't capable of being, and…just…thank you." He went quiet at that, and Krista leaned into him, kissing his cheek and spoke as well.

"I'd also like to thank all of you. I know you consider Ben family too, and you all have also welcomed me so wonderfully. I'm really glad to know all of you and I'm proud to soon become part of the family too." She smiled at all of them, and they all startled when Georgie lurched forward to hug Ben and Krista at once, crying into Krista's shoulder. She pulled back after a moment and looked at everyone's shocked face, wiping at her face to get rid of her tears.

"Sorry, it's just, I think I kind of get where they're coming from. I came into this family from the outside too, and it's just the best family ever. Even if Lisa and I did get off to a…rocky start." She grinned at Lisa, softening that blow. Lisa just blew her a kiss. The two of them had worked that out years ago, and it was all water under the bridge.

"Yes well…SOMEBODY didn't tell me about you." She nudged Jack playfully and he groaned, knowing he'd never live that one down.

"Yes well, not one of my finer moments, I know." They all chuckled again, Ben quietly assuring Krista he'd fill her in later at her confusion.

Lou cleared her throat when their laughter died down, and looked at Amy, who nodded, before she spoke.

"Ben, Krista, Amy and I want you to know something, and I know Grandpa feels the same way. You aren't considered family; you just ARE family. Ben, Lisa is part of our family, and you're a part of her family, so you're our family too, that's just how it works…" she trailed off "Ok, now I feel like I've said family too many times." They all laughed again, and Ben thanked them. Lisa met his eyes with hers and he squeezed her hand again. Understanding passed between aunt and nephew, thankful for the people around them. A little voice chimed in through the laughter.

"Uncle Ben?" Lyndy asked

"Yeah kiddo?" Ben leaned down to get a little closer to Lyndy and then he stood back up in shock at her words, his face turning red.

"Are you and Krista gonna have babies? Momma and Auntie Lou said that you're gonna have super cute babies and I want to see them."

Krista also blushed, but they looked at each other and laughed. Krista then squatted down next to Lyndy.

"We'd like to have some yes, but that might take a little while, so we're going to focus on the wedding first, ok?" At Lyndy's enthusiastic nod, Krista began talking with Amy, Lou and their girls about the upcoming wedding, and Jack and Peter started cleaning up some of the games the kids had been playing with. Lisa was left standing with Ben, and she looked up at him.

"That was beautiful, what you said to everyone." He smiled at her and pulled her into a hug.

"I meant every word Aunt Lisa." They pulled apart and she kept a hold of his hands as he continued "You do mean everything to me, and I've always just wanted you to be happy. I could tell, even as a kid, that you had this…cloud hanging over you. Mom told me once you know, that when she was a kid, you went away for a couple of years, and came home…different. And…sad." Lisa closed her eyes at that, memories bubbling to the surface. She clamped them down and opened her eyes again to look at him. "Whatever it is, sometimes shows up in your eyes still, but you've been so much happier with Jack and this family than I've ever seen you. You don't ever have to tell me about it, if you don't want to, but just know, whatever it was that you dealt with back then, it won't ever change how much I love you." Lisa's heart was in her throat at his words. She'd never imagined that Ben had any idea there was something in her past that had changed her, although it shouldn't have surprised her that her sister had said something. She pushed away the pain his words brought up and focused on his assurance of his love. She hugged him close again, speaking through tears yet again.

"Thank you honey. I love you too." She didn't comment on his other words, taking him at his word that she didn't have to tell him. She pulled back as Amy approached, a fading Lyndy leaning against her.

"Sorry to interrupt you guys, but I should really get Lyndy home, she's fading fast." Ben spoke to Amy as Lisa wiped away her tears, trying to refocus and forget about the memories Ben's words had brought to the surface.

"Hey kiddo, want a piggyback into the house?" Ben asked, Lyndy perking up a bit and nodding. Ben got down to her level and she climbed onto his back, hooting as he trotted them into the house, bouncing her a bit on the way. Lisa and Amy smiled as they watched them, and walked toward the house themselves a little more slowly. Amy linked her arm through Lisa's and spoke softly.

"I'm sure you're sick of people asking you this, but are you alright?"

Lisa patted Amy's hand that was resting on her other arm and assured her she was fine.

"It's just been an emotional week honey. And all this love and care from everyone is getting me a little overwhelmed, in a good way." Amy nodded.

"I'm glad you're doing ok. I'm here if you ever do want to talk though, ok?" Lisa thanked her as they walked back into the house, Lisa locking the patio door behind them. Amy squeezed her arm and went to get Lyndy ready to go, the little girl fading again after Ben had sat them both down on the couch.

The family packed up and stood near the door, exchanging hugs and goodbyes with Ben and Krista, who were headed to the airport early the next morning. Ben was a Stillman through and through, and he didn't like airport goodbyes any more than Lisa did, so they were getting a taxi to get there. Jack, Lisa, Amy and Lyndy expressed their excitement to see them again soon for the wedding, and Peter, Lou and their girls wished them well at the wedding, still torn about not being able to attend, even though Ben and Krista understood.

Lisa exchanged one more round of hugs with her nephew and his fiancé and let Jack lead her out of the door. She sighed as she settled in the car, relishing the delightful time they'd had as a family, grateful for every moment. As she began to doze off in the passenger seat, she tried to keep her thoughts on the good moments, and ignore the other emotions, annoyance at her sister's absence, and the memories Ben unwittingly had brought to the surface, determined not to let it ruin the beautiful day.

As they pulled up to Heartland and they all tramped inside to start turning in for the night, she quietly watched as everyone said goodnight, glad this week and the ordeal of Evelyn's death and funeral were at an end. She knew the pain of losing her aunt wasn't over yet, but she felt relieved to be done with the worst of it. She puttered in the kitchen as the household settled and prepared tea for herself and for Jack, bringing them into their bedroom, as he showered. When he emerged from the bathroom, she nodded to his tea, and he gently kissed her in thanks, no words needed as their day wound down.

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Three days later, Lisa and Jack were sitting with Lyndy at the dining room table, helping her with a school project. Her class was doing a big project on family trees, and they got extra credit if they could go back a few generations. Lyndy had been able to fill in most of the spots up to Jack, and Lisa had just about cried when Amy hadn't argued against putting Lisa in as her great-grandmother. Lisa had caught Amy alone to let her know she wouldn't be offended if she wanted Lyndy to keep it to her actual bloodline, but Amy hadn't budged, simply saying "Lisa, you know better than anyone that family is more than who your bloodline is." So now, Lyndy's family tree included Lisa's parents and grandparents above her name, and Rachel had promised to bring over a list of names further back than that from their dad's things. Jack was helping Lyndy fill in his side right now, and she was giggling about the fact that he had a great-grandmother named Minnie. The little girl kept calling her Grandma Minnie Mouse, laughing hysterically, and had laughed even harder when Lisa had told her that Rachel's middle name was Talulah. Lyndy said it was pretty, but that it sounded like a Disney princess' name. She was very entertained by learning everyone's names and putting them on her poster. Lisa smiled across the table at Jack as Lyndy added coloring to the latest names she'd added and saw his eyes twinkling back at her. A knock at the door had him turning and watching as Amy left the kitchen table where she was emailing a client and let Rachel in.

"Hi Rachel, come on in."

"Hi Amy, is my sister in? I told her I'd bring her som…oh" Rachel trailed off as her gaze caught Lisa's through the kitchen and into the dining room. Rachel smiled at Amy and came around to greet Lisa, sitting next to her and putting a folder in front of Lisa and sipped at the takeout coffee she'd brought in with her.

"Hi Jack, hi Lyndy. How's your family tree going?"

Lyndy responded without looking up, concentrating on her coloring. "It's going great Rachel Talulah." Rachel sputtered over her sip of coffee, looking at Lisa in surprise.

"What?" Lisa teased her "Family trees require FULL names Rachel, that's just how it works." She grinned at her sister, and watched as Rachel rolled her eyes and huffed, though Lisa could tell Rachel thought Lyndy saying her full name had been pretty cute. She muttered under her breath "stupid middle name" and Lisa and Jack chuckled at her.

Rachel leaned in to show Lisa the list she'd brought in the folder, also having found a family tree that Lisa had done in school. Lisa handed them to Jack and he nodded at her unasked question, that he would help Lyndy add the names so she and Rachel could chat.

"Thanks Rachel, Lyndy's having fun with this project, so I'm sure she'll love having all this new information." Lisa stood and nudged Rachel to follow her into the living room, so they didn't disturb Lyndy. The sisters settled on the couch and chatted for bit, Rachel catching Lisa up on all her gossip in the 10 days she'd been in Hudson. Lisa listened with one ear, not the least bit interested in learning this information about people she barely knew, but knowing it meant Rachel was in a pretty good mood. Rachel had spent most of the last 10 days, when she wasn't helping plan Evelyn's service or spending time with Ben and Krista, catching up with old friends. She hadn't mentioned the night she'd been kicked out of a local bar, that Lou got a video of, and Lisa had decided to not bring it up, hoping it was a one off, but when Rachel had also missed out on the family dinner on Ben and Krista's last night in town, Lisa had started to get more annoyed. She wasn't sure if her sister was ever going to really grow up. She tried to tune back in as she heard a few names she recognized from when Rachel was in high school.

"So then, I guess David and Janelle got a divorce, and now he's seeing Mariellen Winthrop, can you believe that? They had to have been having an affair, why else would he leave someone who is as loaded as Janelle is?" Lisa internally rolled her eyes. She remembered Mariellen Winthrop, she'd been someone that she always wished Rachel had been better friends with. She'd been a very nice girl growing up, and from what Lisa could tell from bumping into her now and then in town, she'd stayed very nice. She doubted Mariellen had been involved with David before the divorce. David and Janelle had been friends of Rachel's, just as chaotic and irresponsible as her sister. They'd been quite the trio back then, and had gotten into all kinds of trouble together.

"Hmmm…sorry to hear they divorced, I hope they're both doing ok" Lisa answered, trying to invest in the conversation. She really wanted to be closer to Rachel, so was making an effort to be interested in her life. Rachel waved off her comment.

"Oh don't worry, I'm sure David's better off. You know Janelle has always been a bi…" at Lisa's hastily cleared throat and gesture to Lyndy sitting behind them, Rachel amended her sentence "a big ol' meany". Lisa just closed her eyes and shook her head, not thinking that description of someone was any better for Lyndy to hear, even if it was more sanitized. She opened her eyes again when Rachel lightly smacked Lisa's knee.

"Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about something else too."

"Oh? What is it?" Lisa asked, the look in Rachel's eyes made her nervous. Rachel only looked like that when she was planning some hare-brained adventure.

Rachel clapped her hands together and exuberantly stated "I'm moving back to Hudson!" with a huge grin on her face. Lisa blinked in surprise, feeling like her brain was short-circuiting. "Isn't it great, we'll get to spend so much time together!" Lisa gasped as Rachel threw her arms around her and hugged her tightly. She awkwardly hugged her back and patted her back a few times before Rachel pulled away.

"Umm…yeah, wow. You surprised me, but that's great Rachel. But, what about your job?" Rachel hadn't said much about how much time off they'd given her, but Lisa had been suspicious of what was really going on, since Rachel had been at the law firm less than a year, and likely wouldn't be given this much bereavement time for an aunt. Rachel rolled her eyes at Lisa.

"Pshh… Lisa, that place was terrible. I told them I'm not coming back. It's not a big deal, I'll find something fabulous here and probably make way more money."

"Oh! Well ok, I guess if you…" Lisa's response was interrupted by Rachel's phone ringing and she watched as her sister picked up and cheerily started talking to Janelle and agreeing how horrible her now ex-husband David was, even though she'd just been telling Lisa the exact opposite. Rachel gestured outside, and Lisa nodded as she walked outside to finish her phone call. She shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened. She didn't even notice Jack lower himself to the couch until he touched her knee.

"Lise?" She looked up at him, and glanced over at the table, seeing Lyndy was no longer sitting there. She looked back at Jack helplessly, not able to process.

"So, she's moving back" he said quietly. Lisa was glad he'd overheard, and she didn't need to explain. "This should be interesting" he added. She gasped out a bitter laugh, not sure how to respond, so she just leaned forward and rested her forehead on his shoulder, sighing as she pictured the days, weeks, months…YEARS ahead with Rachel in the same town.

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Thanks, Chapter 5 coming soon!