they’ve gotten pretty serious but that does not mean she ever forgot you, son.”
“Do you think I expected her to shut herself up in a nunnery?”
Not hardly, not a beautiful young woman like her, and he expected that right this moment, she was with Eric, and with was the operative word. Janssen could be damned persuasive.
They were probably really good together, and as long as she didn’t tell him to get lost, Jack honestly didn’t care.
Making her choose would be the mistake of a lifetime.
He shook his head. “This will all work out, one way or another. Right now the last thing she needs is a bunch of people asking her what she’s going to do, so let’s just drop the subject. I haven’t even been back for twenty-fours quite yet. She’s totally off balance. For the record, the first thing she said was to beg me to call you, but I’d risked enough as it was. Luckily the notification came through pretty fast or I might have gotten into trouble.”
“Fine, I’ll leave your personal life for you to manage, but you sure are favoring one leg. Can you tell me where and how you acquired that limp?”
“Where? No. How, yes. It’s a long story but I can only give you the short version. I’ll tell it while we play. You want to break or should I go ahead?”
Chapter Seven
Cadence was the first caller at eleven the next morning. Without even a greeting, she said, “Now I think I get why you were acting so strange yesterday. Nick, oh my God, Jack is still alive.”
Nicole smoothed her finger down the edge of her laptop and inspected it for dust, of which there was none since she carried it with her constantly. “Yes, I know.”
“Everything we talked about at lunch makes a lot more sense to me now.”
She gazed abstractly out the window. “How did you find out?”
“Mrs. Templeton called Mom.”
That figured, but though she hadn’t anticipated this would be an easy day anyway, that feeling seemed to exponentially increase. “I guess that’s better than if I had to do it.”
“I really do not know what advice to give you at this moment.” There was clear sympathy in her sister’s voice. “I’m wildly happy for you, and yet…well, needless to say this won’t be the easiest time in your life. Does Eric know?”
“He does. Like everyone else, he’s happy, Cadence. No, he’s happier than most people because he and Jack are best friends.”
There was a silence before her sister spoke. “I think that’s true. No, I know that’s true, but what happens now?”
This was not going to be the first time she would have to field this question. Most people would not ask so directly, but Cadence was…well, she was Cadence, and her sister.
“How would I know?” Nicole got up and went to the cabinet and took out a glass, and then went to the refrigerator to get out some lemonade. She poured, just waiting.
“I get you,” her sister said after a moment. “I’m going to leave this alone. But if you need to talk to someone again, Dr. Cadence is always in her office.”
Nicole couldn’t help but give a weak laugh. “All right. Thanks. I’ll keep it in mind. The support is appreciated.”
“It’s wonderful news.”
Having Jack back? It was. Wonderfully complicated, but wonderful .
“Thanks for warning me the word is out.”
“Hey, hang in there.”
Nicole slowly pressed end and sat in relative silence. Someone was mowing their lawn, the distant hum of the tractor muted since she had the doors closed and the air on. This was going to be a long day. She could feel it.
It was ironic that when she heard someone pull into her drive a few minutes later she wondered which one of them it was—Jack returning Eric’s car, or Eric bringing hers back since he’d gone home to shower and change clothes.
It proved to be Jack, wearing an old Purdue T-shirt and faded jeans, sauntering up to the front door with that slight hitch in his usual walk that was a reminder of his injury, his gray eyes clear
“Do you think I expected her to shut herself up in a nunnery?”
Not hardly, not a beautiful young woman like her, and he expected that right this moment, she was with Eric, and with was the operative word. Janssen could be damned persuasive.
They were probably really good together, and as long as she didn’t tell him to get lost, Jack honestly didn’t care.
Making her choose would be the mistake of a lifetime.
He shook his head. “This will all work out, one way or another. Right now the last thing she needs is a bunch of people asking her what she’s going to do, so let’s just drop the subject. I haven’t even been back for twenty-fours quite yet. She’s totally off balance. For the record, the first thing she said was to beg me to call you, but I’d risked enough as it was. Luckily the notification came through pretty fast or I might have gotten into trouble.”
“Fine, I’ll leave your personal life for you to manage, but you sure are favoring one leg. Can you tell me where and how you acquired that limp?”
“Where? No. How, yes. It’s a long story but I can only give you the short version. I’ll tell it while we play. You want to break or should I go ahead?”
Chapter Seven
Cadence was the first caller at eleven the next morning. Without even a greeting, she said, “Now I think I get why you were acting so strange yesterday. Nick, oh my God, Jack is still alive.”
Nicole smoothed her finger down the edge of her laptop and inspected it for dust, of which there was none since she carried it with her constantly. “Yes, I know.”
“Everything we talked about at lunch makes a lot more sense to me now.”
She gazed abstractly out the window. “How did you find out?”
“Mrs. Templeton called Mom.”
That figured, but though she hadn’t anticipated this would be an easy day anyway, that feeling seemed to exponentially increase. “I guess that’s better than if I had to do it.”
“I really do not know what advice to give you at this moment.” There was clear sympathy in her sister’s voice. “I’m wildly happy for you, and yet…well, needless to say this won’t be the easiest time in your life. Does Eric know?”
“He does. Like everyone else, he’s happy, Cadence. No, he’s happier than most people because he and Jack are best friends.”
There was a silence before her sister spoke. “I think that’s true. No, I know that’s true, but what happens now?”
This was not going to be the first time she would have to field this question. Most people would not ask so directly, but Cadence was…well, she was Cadence, and her sister.
“How would I know?” Nicole got up and went to the cabinet and took out a glass, and then went to the refrigerator to get out some lemonade. She poured, just waiting.
“I get you,” her sister said after a moment. “I’m going to leave this alone. But if you need to talk to someone again, Dr. Cadence is always in her office.”
Nicole couldn’t help but give a weak laugh. “All right. Thanks. I’ll keep it in mind. The support is appreciated.”
“It’s wonderful news.”
Having Jack back? It was. Wonderfully complicated, but wonderful .
“Thanks for warning me the word is out.”
“Hey, hang in there.”
Nicole slowly pressed end and sat in relative silence. Someone was mowing their lawn, the distant hum of the tractor muted since she had the doors closed and the air on. This was going to be a long day. She could feel it.
It was ironic that when she heard someone pull into her drive a few minutes later she wondered which one of them it was—Jack returning Eric’s car, or Eric bringing hers back since he’d gone home to shower and change clothes.
It proved to be Jack, wearing an old Purdue T-shirt and faded jeans, sauntering up to the front door with that slight hitch in his usual walk that was a reminder of his injury, his gray eyes clear
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