BACK WITH YOU
Chapter Seventeen

A week passed by, and slowly things fell into a sort of routine. Jack moved all of his things from his apartment and into Rose’s house, and together they began to really make a home. Jessamyn began to get used to having him around, and vice versa. It was odd at first, having a man around. But she was surprised at how well she got along with him and how easy it became to accept him as her father. She began to call him Dad towards the end of the week, a title that surprised and humbled Jack. He still wasn’t used to it, and sometimes she would have to call him it a few times before he would respond. Rose found all of this quite comical and couldn’t help but start laughing every time Jack was called that because of the bright smile he had on his face.

Now, Jessamyn sat at her desk with a piece of paper laid out in front of her and a pen in her hands. It was early, but that was because she was determined to get this letter done and in the mail today. She had a good idea of what she wanted to say, only she couldn’t think of how to start it. How did one begin a letter to your adoptive parents?

She chewed on the end of the pen and tried to think as she looked out the window. The ocean rolled as it always did and the faint sound of the waves crashing on shore could be heard. Sighing, Jessamyn took the pen out of her mouth and looked back down at the paper.

Dear Elizabeth and James, she scribbled down, and then stopped. Was that too generic? She felt really guilty and horrible for not addressing them as Mom and Dad, but she knew in her heart of hearts that they would understand. Rose and Jack were her parents. She shrugged, took a deep breath, and continued on. I regret that I have not written you sooner, but I have been busy. Many things have happened to me since I arrived in Santa Monica. The letter went on to explain how and when she had found Rose, and then the surprise of finding her father as well. She also wrote that there had been a great tragedy and ironic series of events surrounding her parents, but did not elaborate on what these were. She’d already told Charlie about the Titanic when she wasn’t supposed to. There was no reason to tell anyone else. That part of the letter came relatively easy, but then she was stuck. She wanted to tell them she was staying, but there was no easy way to do that.

I know you have been wondering whether or not I will be coming back to Maine or not. And honestly, I can’t say that I will. I miss Rockland, but I like it here in California, and I am having a wonderful time getting to know Jack and Rose. So I’m planning on enrolling in college down here in the fall and staying through school. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be back after that.

There is one thing I want to say, though. I want to thank you for everything you have done for me. You loved me enough to take care of me all those years, even though I am not your biological daughter. You had a heart big enough to adopt a child you had never even seen. You gave me life. And without you I don’t know if I would be where I am today. I love you as much as any child loves their parents. You’ve been a wonderful example of love to me. Thank you.

Don’t be shy to write. I’d like to know what’s going on up there. Tell everyone hello for me and tell them I miss them a lot. I miss you two as well.

Much love,
Jessamyn

P.S. If any of my stuff is still lying around, can you send it my way? I’ll reimburse you for any charges.

Jessamyn breathed a sigh of relief and threw her pen down on the desk. She had finally done it! Happily, she reached over and pulled open one of the desk drawers. It took her a minute, but she eventually found an envelope and stuck the letter in there. Then she licked the edge and folded it down. Lastly, with careful penmanship, she addressed it to James and Elizabeth Calvert in Rockland, Maine.

Standing up and stretching, Jessamyn looked with pride at the little white envelope. She felt like a great burden had finally been lifted from her chest. Now she could relax, finally! The dreaded letter was finished. But now she was worried about the reply. She hoped they would take it well enough, without any retribution thrown her way.

She sighed, tightened her bathrobe tie, and then grabbed the letter. She was going to put it in the mailbox before she forgot and had to wait until Monday to send it. Then maybe she would make her parents breakfast.

Jessamyn had just opened the door to her room when she saw Jack pass by. It was only seven. She didn’t expect to see him or Rose until later because they usually slept in these days. Rose had conveniently changed her hours back until nine in the morning and then hired Jack to help in the store until he found a more permanent job. Jessamyn stopped by once in a while when they were at work, but she preferred not to. Getting out of the house was an escape from all the kissing and the lovey-talk. She didn’t need to see or hear it outside of the house as well. She was pretty sure that they would keel over from withdrawal if they had to be apart for more than an hour.

So when Rose didn’t follow Jack down the hall, Jessamyn was surprised. Instead, she followed her father into the kitchen and snuck up behind him. When she tapped his shoulder, he jumped and spun around.

"Jeez, Jess. You’re going to give me a heart attack!" he exclaimed in a whisper, putting his hand over his chest.

Jessamyn smiled at him. "Sorry," she whispered back. "What are you doing up so early?"

Jack grabbed his key off the counter, threw it up in the air, and then caught it. "I’m going to go down to the train station to see when my stuff from New York is going to be here," he said. He had arranged for his old landlady to box it up and ship it to California. He had no desire to go back to New York, but there was some stuff he was desperate for. The old woman had agreed, but he’d had to pay her a pretty good sum. The way Jack looked at it, though, it was no more than a train ticket. "Why are you up so early?"

Jessamyn held up the envelope. "Letter to Maine," she explained. "I thought I’d get it done first thing this morning."

"Oh," Jack mused. He’d been told by Rose to avoid the subject of the Calverts unless Jessamyn brought it up. When she didn’t say anything else, he shrugged inwardly and gave her a soft smile.

"Where’s Mom?" she asked him, changing the subject.

Jack yawned. "She’s still asleep," he remarked, wishing he could do the same. But if he didn’t get down to the station early, there were going to be long lines and lots of people. "I’ve got to run, Jess. I’ll be back in about forty-five minutes."

Jessamyn watched him go and called good-bye softy. She was still holding the letter, but waited about five minutes before going outside and putting it in the mailbox. She really was nervous about becoming too clingy for Jack’s taste. If she followed him out there, he might be a little annoyed. Then again, she mused as she closed the door of the mailbox, if he didn’t consider Rose clingy, he wouldn’t consider anyone clingy. Jessamyn smiled to herself and remembered to grab the paper off the lawn as she walked back to the house.

When she came back inside, she was surprised to see Rose sitting at the table. Her mother was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and yawning.

"Morning," she said groggily.

Jessamyn returned the greeting and handed her the paper. "Dad just left," she told her.

Rose nodded. "I know," she replied. She had woken up when he had slipped out of bed. She’d gotten very used to his presence next to her every night and there when she woke up, so when he left and didn’t come back, she hadn’t been able to sleep. It was not a good habit to be forming, but she couldn’t help it.

Jessamyn gave her a tiny smile and then looked through all the cabinets. She was really hungry, but didn’t feel like making anything anymore. Nothing looked good, so she just put some coffee on and sat down at the table next to Rose. Her mother was reading the paper, and every so often, she would sigh happily to herself. Jessamyn just watched her for a while, got her coffee, and then sat back down. She didn’t quite know what to do with herself now. Charlie was in a meeting all day today, and she didn’t really feel like seeing any of her other friends.

"When are you and Dad going to get married?" she finally asked, before taking a sip of coffee.

Rose put the paper down and looked at her. "Soon, I should hope," was her vague answer. They had already gotten the marriage license a couple of days ago, but that was as far as they’d gotten. She smiled, and then the paper was back up again.

"Are you going to get married in a church? Or just a civil ceremony?"

Again, Rose lowered the paper. "I don’t know," she answered. "Most likely a civil ceremony. I don’t know who we’d invite to a church wedding."

Jessamyn nodded in agreement and then got up from the table. Rose watched her go into the living room with raised eyebrows. She could see so much of herself in her daughter; that need to ask questions and seek answers. And then that fire in her eyes that Jack claimed Rose had. It was kind of weird. She still wasn’t totally used to having her around. She shrugged and started reading the paper again. But now her mind started to wonder about this wedding business. She and Jack really hadn’t talked about it much, other than they wanted to have it as soon as possible. It had only been a week, but even so, Rose was starting to feel the need to get it done. She wanted to legally be Rose Dawson. She sighed heavily and put the paper down once again. To bad Jack wasn’t home.

Getting up, Rose crossed the kitchen and grabbed herself a cup of Jessamyn’s coffee. It was too early. She was used to sleeping in until closer to eight, not ten to seven. Oh, well, she thought. I’ll just go take a hot bath. Rose yelled to Jessamyn where she would be, grabbed her Good Housekeeping magazine, her coffee, and then shut herself in the bathroom.

Jack arrived home about a half hour later, angry because his things were not going to arrive for another week. Jessamyn smiled at him as he came stomping in and demanded to know where Rose was.

"Bathroom," she answered her father.

She watched as he stalked off, knocked once, and then pushed the door right open. She would have started laughing if the thought of her mother naked and her father walking in didn’t make her so nauseous. So she just rolled her eyes and picked up a book. Time to focus her mind on other things.

Rose was shocked to see Jack barge in, and she turned her head toward him with wide eyes, lowering her magazine and throwing it on the floor.

"Do you mind?" she asked teasingly, sinking under the bubbles that had built up from all the bubble mix she had poured in there.

He sat down on the toilet and looked at her with stormy eyes. "My damn boxes aren’t going to be here for another week," he grumbled.

"What do you need them so badly for?" Rose asked, sitting up and resting her arms and chin on the edge of the bath. Suds started dripping over the side, so she reached over and grabbed a towel off the floor, placing it where they were falling.

Jack sighed. "There is just a lot of stuff I’ve been wanting. My pillow, for one. I’ve wanted it for months. A couple of sketchbooks, some clothes…a really nice suit. You know, I was going to take you out to dinner if they were here today, with my suit and everything."

Rose looked him over. "What’s wrong with the clothes you have on?" she asked after a minute.

"Aw...c’mon, Rose. You don’t wear these types of things to dinner." He gave her a soft smile. It was true; he was wearing a pair of jeans and a baggy shirt. They were fine for doing work around the house or running downtown for a minute. But one didn’t wear them to take his fiancé out. And the rest of his clothes weren’t much better.

"Then go buy yourself a nice pair of trousers and a nice button down shirt," Rose suggested. Really, what was this obsession with clothes all of a sudden?

Jack gave her a look like she was crazy. "I hate shopping," he said flatly.

"Take Jessamyn with you," she replied. She had taken her daughter shopping a few times. That girl could find a bargain better than anyone. And she had great taste. Rose smiled. She must have inherited it from her mother, she mused comically. "Oh, I know," she said suddenly. "Take her out to breakfast and then have her show you where to find such things. She’d probably love that."

Jack had to agree that sounded like a good plan, but his mind was already jumping to something else he had just thought of. With Jessamyn’s help, he might just be able to pull off what he was thinking about doing. It would take careful and precise planning, though.

"You know what?" he asked, suddenly getting very excited. "That might just work." He got up from his seat and crossed over to Rose. "I’m going to go. And you know what? Tonight I’m taking you out to dinner. Just you and I."

Rose smiled at him. "All right," she said sweetly.

Jack grinned back and leaned down to give her a quick kiss. "See ya," he replied, before leaving.

Rose watched him go and sighed happily as she sank back down underneath the bubbles. Life was shaping up to be pretty good, she decided, opening her magazine back up again. And it only took thirty-six years to get that way.

*****

Jessamyn looked nervously at the clock and then pounded on her mother’s bedroom door. "Are you finished yet?" she called. At this rate, Rose wouldn’t be ready by the time Jack showed up. She had managed to make up excuses for his absence all day, but if she had to make one more, Rose would start to catch on. And then her father’s little plan wouldn’t work. Jessamyn sighed and pounded on the door again. "Mom!"

"All right! All right!" Rose finally replied. She opened the door and presented herself to Jessamyn, who smiled at her mother.

"You look nice," she commented.

Rose smiled and then went back into her room. Jessamyn took the liberty of following her and sat down on the bed, watching as her mother selected some earrings and put them on.

"You need a necklace," she reminded Rose, whose face lit up.

She mumbled a quick "That’s right," under her breath.

Rose searched through her jewelry box and finally found the one she was looking for. Delicately, she pulled out the silver cross on the tiny chain and fastened it around her neck.

"What do you think?" she asked, turning toward Jessamyn, who nodded approvingly.

"Perfume," was the only thing she suggested.

Rose nodded in agreement and picked up a bottle, splashing some on her wrists, behind her ears, and then just a tad across her bust line. Jessamyn rolled her eyes and flopped back on the bed so that she was lying down. Honestly, those two were going to drive her mad.

"Where is your father?" Rose asked suddenly, sounding very annoyed. "He called and told me to be ready at a quarter to seven."

Jessamyn groaned; this was what she was afraid of. She sat up again and sighed. "He’ll be here," she mumbled vaguely, and then got up from the bed.

"What kind of errands could be taking him so long?" Rose continued.

The special, secret type, Jessamyn thought, crossing the room to where her mother was. If she and Jack were going to pull this off, she needed to distract her mother from the fact that he wasn’t here. "Maybe he’s getting you flowers or something," Jessamyn suggested.

Rose smiled. "You think so?" she wondered hopefully, her voice suddenly calm and sweet again.

Oh, crap. That was dumb. Jessamyn immediately mentally kicked herself. Now Rose would be expecting flowers. She sighed and was about to make up something else when the doorbell rang. "Oh, thank God," she whispered to herself. That would be her father.

Rose’s brow furrowed and she started out of her bedroom. "Who on earth could that be?" she wondered out loud. Jessamyn grabbed a few things that Rose had forgotten and then followed her, excited to watch her reaction.

Jack was outside, hands in his pockets, waiting for Rose to open the door. He hoped that Jessamyn hadn’t let anything on and that she had gotten Rose ready. They were on sort of a schedule here. If they weren’t at the restaurant by 7:15, then they wouldn’t be other places when they needed to be there. He looked down at himself, brushing off a stray fluff. The suit Jessamyn had helped him pick out was hardly a suit, more like really nice pants and a really nice shirt with a sports jacket. It was clever, and at least he didn’t feel like a penguin.

Before he could position himself again, the door opened and he jerked his head up. Seeing Rose, his breath was immediately sucked out of his lungs. She looked stunning in her dress, white with a soft, almost French blue patterned little number that fell just below her knees. The neckline, too, was scoop cut and fell quite low, with lace trimming it and also the sleeves. She topped it with her hair pulled half back, light blue high-heeled shoes, and the right amount of jewelry. She broke into a smile when she realized it was Jack at the door. This brought him back reality.

"Good evening, madam," he said, faking a British accent.

Rose started laughing. "Good evening, darling," she seductively said back. All of her anger and frustration at his absence was washed away immediately as she stared at him. In short, he looked fantastic.

"Would a beautiful young woman such as yourself care to accompany me to dinner?" he asked, still putting on airs.

"Certainly," Rose replied, enjoying his little game. "Just let me get my purse." She turned around and was about to go back inside to retrieve it, but was met with Jessamyn, who was holding the small white handbag.

"Have a good time," her daughter remarked, smiling as she handed her the purse.

Rose smiled back. "Thank you," she whispered, kissing her daughter on the cheek. "See you later." And with that, she turned and went back to Jack.

He held out his arm to her and she took it. It reminded her very much of the time he had led her to the dinner they had shared on the Titanic as he guided her to the street corner and to where a cab was waiting. He held the door open for her and Rose climbed in, giving a sly and secretive glance as she did so. They both were thinking of the other time he had held a door open for her. And once he was seated and the cab driver asked, "Where to?" Rose couldn’t help but start laughing.

Jack, too, was smiling as he gave the man directions, put the screen up, and then settled in next to Rose, draping his arm around her shoulders.

"Where are we going?" she asked him, her face lighting up.

"Just wait and see," Jack whispered to her, leaning his head close to hers. Gently, he took her left hand and twisted the ring around and around on her finger. "It looks like it was made to be here," he commented, somewhat trying to distract her from looking out the window, but mostly just being completely honest.

Rose leaned her head against his. "Hmm…maybe," she said languidly, watching him twist it around. She still got butterflies in her stomach when she looked at it. It was so beautiful; the perfect engagement ring.

Jack brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it softly. "It’s nice to have you alone…" he whispered.

"We’re not alone," Rose replied, smiling as she gestured toward the driver with a nod of her head.

"He doesn’t count," Jack said, before kissing her on the lips this time.

Rose started laughing again as she pulled away. "Oh, doesn’t he?"

Jack shook his head. "I mean, like, Jessamyn or people in the shop…they’re around. This guy doesn’t even know our names." He paused and looked at her for a minute. "Which means I can do this without reserve," he whispered, pressing his lips to hers once again. This time the kiss lasted longer, and once it eventually ended, Rose sighed.

"I hate it when you do that," she groaned, pressing her forehead against his.

Jack broke out into a grin. "Why?" he asked.

"How do you expect me to go into this restaurant looking normal?" she asked. "You’ve got me all…you know…now."

Jack started laughing warmly and kissed her on the cheek. "Good to know I still got it…" he mused, rubbing his chin.

Rose shook her head and pulled a respectable distance away, but so she was still in his arms. "Someday that ego of yours…" she commented, rolling her eyes.

"My ego!" Jack protested, throwing his hands up. "Don’t presume to tell me what I will and will not do. You don’t know me!" he said sardonically, his voice freakishly accurate to hers, although he did manage to make it just a tad more dramatic and wild than the actual phrase had been.

Again, Rose started shaking her head. "You’re going to pay for that," she teased, hitting him gently across the knee. But she smiled at him. They both knew he wouldn’t.

Before long, the cab stopped and the driver tapped on the screen. Jack pulled it down, paid the man, and then jumped out before running around to open the door for Rose. She stepped out elegantly, and her eyes widened as she saw where they were. It was La Mer, a very exquisite, intimate, not to mention quite expensive, little French restaurant resting close to the shore, which is how it got its name.

"Oh, Jack," she breathed as he came up behind her and laid a soft hand on the small of her back. "Oh, darling, I don’t know. It’s so expensive," she protested weakly. She so badly wanted to go, but something like this would sharply cut a hole in her budget.

Jack came around to face her and placed a finger delicately over her lips. "None of that," he whispered. "I’m taking you out to dinner and this is where I know you want to go." He knew it was expensive, but Jessamyn had told him that whenever Rose walked by this place she would look at it wistfully and sigh. Besides, he had some money saved up from New York. He’d just take some funds out of there.

She smiled at him, her eyes filling with happy tears. "How’d you know I wanted to come here?" she asked softly as he started leading her up the front walk.

"A little bird named Jessamyn told me," he replied, as he held the door open once again and entered after her.

They were led to a small, intimate, and private table towards the back of the restaurant with a lovely view of the ocean below. Once they were situated, the waiter introduced himself, handed them their menus, and then promised to return in a few minutes before walking off.

Rose opened up the menu and gushed over the selections. "Oh, everything looks so good." She sighed. There were pages of things she remembered eating and loving as a teenager, and it was hard to just pick one. When Jack didn’t reply, she lowered her menu and watched as his brow furrowed in frustration.

"I hate French," he finally concluded, throwing the menu down. What words he had learned in Paris had long since been forgotten and even if he did remember them, they wouldn’t help him now. He used to be able to say things like "Do you have any jobs?" or "Where is the bathroom?" He could not read names of food if his life depended on it.

Rose started laughing. "Do you want me to help you?" she asked, unable to resist teasing him once again.

Jack shrugged. "What are you having?"

She glanced at the menu one more time, made a quick choice, and then told him.

"Eh…I’ll have the same," he answered, not really knowing what he was saying the same to. "You better order for us," he mumbled under his breath as the waiter approached, holding a little booklet.

Rose nodded in agreement. When the waiter asked them what they would like, she told him in French and he smiled at her as he wrote it down. But when he asked what they would like to drink, Jack broke in and just said, "Bring us your best drinks." He desperately wanted a bottle of wine, but prohibition was still in effect. Oh, well, enough of that to look forward to later tonight. The man’s eyebrows shot up at Jack’s request, but he did not protest, just took their menus and said something about the food being there shortly.

As the waiter once again left, Rose shot Jack a look. "You’re crazy," she told him. "Do you know how much they might charge you for something like that?"

Jack didn’t answer her, just grabbed her hand across the table and held it softly. "You look wonderful. I don’t know if I told you," he said after a minute. He meant it, too. The dim lighting cast soft shadows on her face. And when she smiled at him, like she was doing now, it added so much to her case.

"You don’t look so bad yourself," she replied, squeezing his hand. She watched as he started to blush. "Can I ask you something?" she asked right away, before he could say anything else.

"Of course," he answered.

Rose’s expression went soft, and she asked in a rush, "How many other women have there been?" She’d been dying to know since their first night together. Just because she was--well, used to be--inexperienced didn’t mean she didn’t know good lovemaking when she felt it. There was something mature and sweet about it now that hadn’t been quite there when they were younger. And it had to do something with Jack’s experience, right?

Her question caught him off guard and his eyebrows raised. "You really want to know?" he asked, his mouth slowly fading into a smile.

Rose groaned inwardly. She knew it! She knew he’d had lots of different women. A sort of jealousy began to build up inside of her heart as she felt herself nod slowly.

Jack was still smiling as he placed a soft kiss on her hand. "None," he answered tenderly.

Now it was Rose who was taken off guard. "None?" she squeaked, her eyes lighting up. "Really?" Her voice was so full of emotion that it didn’t even sound like her.

He nodded. "Yeah. You were my first…you’ll be my last."

Her eyes began to fill up with tears and she choked back sobs. "So…all those years?" she asked weakly.

"Never," Jack said, shaking his head. "I couldn’t. Oh God, Rose, I wanted to. I dated…went out to bars, that sort of thing. I wanted to so badly, so I could make myself forget. But every time I even got close, I couldn’t go through with it. I eventually stopped trying." He looked down at the table and sighed.

Rose gently caressed his hand with her thumb. "I’m the same way," she whispered truthfully. She didn’t even care if anyone was listening or watching. All she knew was that this man was sitting here telling her something she had longed to hear.

Jack’s head shot up and his eyes widened. "Really?" he asked.

"Don’t look so surprised about it," Rose warned, seeing his reaction.

This brought a smile to his face, but he couldn’t say anything more. He looked at her in awe. They had both been willing to wait for the rest of their days because of what one night had meant to both of them. It was a level of love not experienced by many. He rose up a little bit and leaned across the table to really kiss her quickly.

"Why did you want to know?" Jack asked when they had both regained most of their composure.

Rose blushed to the point that her face was almost the same color as her hair. "It’s not important," she answered, looking down.

They talked for a little bit longer until their food and drinks came, upon which conversation pretty much ceased. Jack had to admit that Rose had pretty good taste in French cuisine when it turned out to be one of the best meals he’d ever had. He quickly ate it all up and then watched as Rose plowed through hers much slower. If there was anything Jack had learned in the past week, it was that she took forever to eat her food. It had to be something to do with the way she was brought up, but even so. It took her a half hour to finish a bowl of soup! Then again, Jack though as he watched her, he had spent years trying to eat his food before whomever he had stolen it from caught him.

When she finally finished, she looked up at him and smiled. "Shall we get dessert?" she asked.

Jack shrugged and topped off her water glass, which was looking a little dry. "If you want we can," he answered after looking at his watch. He really wasn’t that hungry, but then again, he always had room for a piece of cheesecake or something.

Rose sighed before taking a sip of her drink. "I probably shouldn’t," she groaned.

He smiled at her. "Yeah, you should. What do you want?" This would waste a little more time, since they had about an hour before they had to be at their next stop.

"Ice cream," Rose replied immediately, without even looking at the dessert menu. She had heard from some acquaintances that the homemade ice cream here was to die for.

Jack started laughing. "Ice cream it is!" he exclaimed. He decided on the strawberry cheesecake himself and waved the waiter over. After clearing their dishes, he wrote down their requests and then scampered away once again.

Rose yawned and leaned her head on one of her hands, resting her elbow on the table. "What are we going to do about this wedding?" she asked Jack.

He almost choked on his drink that he had just taken a sip of. If only she knew…

"Um…I don’t know," he said slowly, trying to remain innocent looking. His heart began to beat as he watched her face for some sort of reaction. She gave him a soft smile and tilted her head some more. But before she could say another word, the waiter appeared with their desserts.

Once he left, Rose dug into hers. "This is so good," she gushed, with a big bite in her mouth no less. She swallowed and then gave Jack a grin.

Oh, sure, she finishes the good stuff fast, he thought, smiling as he watched her. In fact, both desserts went rather quickly, and then all they were left with was a rather large check. Jack left Rose to go pay and get some change for a tip. She watched him walk away with suspicious eyes.

She knew he was up to something. He couldn’t hide his jumpiness from her. But she couldn’t imagine what. The dinner alone had been surprise enough. She sighed and turned her head to look outside. Night had just about fallen and a beautiful sunset was just ending over the water. Hardly anyone was outside anymore; the beach was quite barren looking. She was so immersed in the scene that she didn’t even notice Jack come back until she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked, trying to hide his nervousness. His stomach suddenly seemed filled to the top with butterflies. This night had gone well so far, but now there were two different ways it could go.

Rose smiled at him as she stood and grabbed her purse off of the table. "Yes," she said softly, linking her arm through his.

Jack led her out of the restaurant and onto the front steps. "How about a walk?" he suggested, trying to make it sound like he had just come up with the plan. She turned her head and gave him another of her winning smiles.

"Sounds nice," she commented, resting her body close to his.

Chapter Eighteen
Stories