“How did you know I was a scrawny pig-tailed little urchin?” Her head tilted in curiosity.
“The pictures around your home, for one thing. I especially liked the one of you sitting in the cockpit with your black felt cowboy hat and no front teeth. Charming.”
She tossed a roll his way. “There are pictures around the house of me with teeth. Did you notice any of them? And, I still have that hat in a closet somewhere if you’d like to borrow it.”
“No thanks. It looked better on you.”
“Okay, so you’ve seen me at my best. Now tell me, Jack.” She gave him a stern look. “As your boss, I demand to know. What was life like for Jack Stinson near the big cities of Dallas and Ft. Worth? Were you a serious kid or is that a recent development?”
He considered her question, knowing she wasn’t going to let the interrogation rest. “Was I a serious kid?” He never thought about it that way. “Yeah, I guess I was. I mean, I think I was a typical kid, but our family was quite a bit different than yours. We didn’t tease each other like ya’ll do. My dad was and is a strict disciplinarian.”
She nodded her understanding.
“You know where Cryder is, right? Outskirts of Ft. Worth. Since you’re big on short versions, I grew up there, graduated from high school there, graduated from college near there, went to work for my father, and now I’m here. That’s it.” He avoided her eyes, slipping another bite of roll into his mouth.
“Sounds like a good life.” Her voice was sincere. “Stable.”
“You know, you’re right.” He had to chuckle at the irony. She wanted what he had; the part about working with his dad, anyway. And he wanted what she had. If they could have changed places though, he was certain the work she longed for would not seem nearly as attractive to her. Their fathers were total opposites.
“Has Felicia or your other sister shown any interest in flying?”
She tilted her chin at him. “Nice subject change. But let’s finish this one before we start dissecting my life again. I’ll bet you left a dozen broken hearts behind.”
He shook his head and smiled at her question. “No time for that, remember? And besides, you’re being nosey.”
She threw a grape at him. “Of course I am. Now, talk.”
“Hailey, don’t. That’s childish.”
“Of course it is.” She aimed another grape at his face.
“You’d better stop wasting food.”
She fired the grape at him, and he opened his mouth just in time, catching the grape between his teeth.
She clapped her hands and laughed, plucking another grape. “What are the chances of doing that again?”
He issued her a stern warning. “No!”
“Oh, alright, Mr. Starched Shirt.” She reached for the napkin in her lap and wiped her fingers.
“That’s stuffed shirt. And thanks.”
“You’re welcome. I’m just glad you can admit it.”
They ate quietly for a moment before Jack broke the silence. “Ok, your turn. How about you and this Brently — ”
“Bradley,” she corrected with a full smile. “He liked my black cowboy hat.”
“I’m sure he did.”
“Honest!” She held her hand up, palm facing him as if taking an oath. “We loved each other a lot, still do, but we weren’t in love.” She shrugged. “Like I told you before Brad said adios Barnes. Hello big city life. Which is fine. I’m so glad he’s happy.”
“So, you two are still friends. That’s good.”
“Of course. Since we were in diapers as a matter of fact, and we always will be.” She retrieved a slice of jalapeño pie. “But just think, not being involved in a serious relationship has given me the chance to focus on the business. I wasn’t kidding when I told you I haven’t had time for much of anything else.”
He tipped his iced tea goblet to his lips and then set it down. “That’s right. Miss One Track Mind.”
“You make being focused sound like a case of the flu. And you’re obviously one to talk.”
His father’s driven face flashed through his mind. “Not the flu. Just a bad head cold. Or bronchitis, maybe.” He laughed at his own wit. “Pretty good, huh? For a stuffed shirt.”
She chewed the bite of pie in her mouth and raised her hand to high-five him.
He slapped his hand to hers. “No business should consume your life. Believe me, I know. You have to have fun to balance the work.”
She swallowed and speared another bite with her fork. “My work is fun.”
“You know what I mean. We all need diversions. Something different.”
“You’re right, Jack.”
“Because I finally hit the wall and realized my life was so out of balance that … what did you just say? I’m right?”
“I wondered when you were gonna catch that.” She laughed. “I agree. Balance is good.”
He was actually surprised and thrilled by her quick admission. “Exactly! Sure, I’m focused on work, but the way my dad drives everybody around him is ridiculous. There’s a point where you can get obsessed.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Define obsessed.”
“Alright.” He didn’t take her cue to stop while he was ahead. “I want it all, not just a successful work life. I want a big hound dog thumping his big fat tail against the floor because he’s so happy to see me get home from work every day. And a good woman who loves me. Someone I can love forever. And kids. A mortgage and a boat. I’ve always wanted a boat. I’ve just never had the time.”
“You sound obsessed with having it all.”
He leaned closer to her. “I am.” He smiled.
She returned the smile.
“Let’s get back to ‘you’re right, Jack.’”
“Did I say that?” she teased.
“Yes, ma’am. When I said we all need diversions.”
She nodded at his words. “Don’t you think my mom is diversion enough for anyone? And we won’t even get into the whole Neal and Paul thing.”
The lightness in her voice made him crinkle his brow. He decided to re-voice the question that kept tugging at his mind. “But, how can you say you have so much respect for your dad and so little for your mom?”
The joking glint quickly dimmed. “Please don’t say that, Jack. I’m doing this as much for her as I am for myself and my dad. And for my sisters, too. My mom will never come to terms with Dad’s death until she comes to terms with the business.”
“Somehow there’s a compromise that would allow both of you to be happy. Maybe you’re just not seeing the whole picture.”
“Giving up flying completely is the only thing that will make her happy.” Lord, help him understand! She plucked a grape from the stem and put it into her mouth. Then she took a bite of cantaloupe.
“You don’t think that maybe you’re being a bit selfish?” He knew the second he said it. It was a bad idea.
She couldn’t chew and swallow fast enough. “Am I the one being selfish? She’s the one who’s tried to stand in everybody’s way. She’s the one who’s always tried to stop our dreams. And that’s like … like breaking a bird’s wings and leaving it to suffer and die!”
Her direct, piercing words echoed through the empty loft.
He wanted to say he understood what she was saying, because in a way, he did. He knew all too well. But still, he couldn’t help but wonder about Rinnie Holman’s deeper motives. Reason told him there was more to why the woman was so adamantly opposed. Nobody in their right mind acted this way without a shred of reason.
Oh, well. Of course. His dad’s face flashed before his eyes again and reminded him that, yes, some people do in fact act that way. Even if no one can figure out what their shred of reason might be.
Jack reached for his tea.
; A sudden thump against his chest brought his full attention back to her face. He stared in open disbelief. “You hit me with another grape.” He retrieved the grape that had fallen beside him on the quilt and placed it on the side of his plate. “I can’t believe it. We’re in the middle of a deep, serious conversation, and you do something so … so childish.”
“I’m not being childish. I’m clearing the air.”
“You never give up, do you?”
“No, I never give up. You’ll learn that.” She picked several grapes and held them in her hand.
He shook his head. “I guess I already have.”
Well, that’s just fine, he thought. Two could play this game. He reached for a slice of cantaloupe. “So I guess that means prepare to meet defeat, Miss Holman.”
“I’m not worried.” She let the grapes fall from her hand back onto her plate, holding empty palms for him to see. “You’re too much of a gentleman to attack an unarmed lady.”
“Unarmed? As long as you have that mouth of yours, I hardly think you’re unarmed.”
She pretended to take offense, but then gave him a confident smile. “I’m not worried. Like I said, you’re a gentleman.”
“That’s right. I’m a gentleman.” His teasing mood slipped from his fingers with the cantaloupe he returned to his plate. He reached across the quilt for her hand, accidently brushing the candles between them. Two hot flames hit the quilt. Jack grabbed his iced tea goblet and doused the small blaze before it could spread. Hailey swatted at the smoking material with her linen napkin.
He frowned at the charred blotch on the quilt. “I really am sorry, Hailey. I’ll have this replaced.”
She fingered the material. “I can patch it. I’m just thankful we stopped it.” She motioned to the dry straw that filled the loft. “It could have been much worse.”
He sucked in a deep breath. It certainly could have been much worse. “I really do apologize.”
She offered him a half smile. “Things were getting a little heated, I suppose. But don’t worry about it. God’s got everything under control.”
Jack searched the smiling face before him. Was she talking about the fire? Or his attempt to kiss her? The God he knew watched from His throne and hit people on the head with a powerful rod any time they stepped out of line. In his mind, a kiss wasn’t even close to misbehaving. “You mean, God doesn’t like for us to have fun down here on earth, so He stopped me from kissing you.”
“Kissing? We weren’t kissing.” Realization crossed her face and she stifled a grin. “God doesn’t zap us if we try to have fun. That’s not what I meant at all. And there’s nothing wrong with kissing, but come on. You and me … if we had kissed just now, it would have changed things between us. And neither of us wants that. Right?”
He hesitated. “You won’t consider letting me even kiss you? Just a simple kiss?” His voice was earnest.
“You’re definitely kissable.” She seemed surprised by her own admission. “But neither of us wants to complicate things, do we? I sure can’t afford that kind of distraction, and I don’t think — deep down — you need that either right now.”
Her words hit a familiar nerve. Distractions. That word again. His father hated distractions, too. Work, work, work. No time for anything else. What was he thinking? Hailey Holman was every bit as bossy as his father.
And unfortunately, she was certainly bossing her way right into his heart.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
After the barn incident, Hailey and Jack worked at keeping their time together strictly business.
It wasn’t easy for Jack, since her presence was proving more and more to be a challenge to his heart. He knew he was getting a little too close. In his eyes, she didn’t have a clue how interested he actually was. And he had to admit, her resolve was impressive. Frustrating, but impressive.
Rinnie Holman was still civil. Mostly. And he woke up surprised every day that he was still here working with Hailey after four weeks. He had to start making calls to find another job. Soon.
One good thing was the Watson boys’ outbursts were loud but so far harmless, just like Hailey promised. And the work was more than rewarding.
Then Hailey approached him one morning with a request that tested the boundaries of his benevolence.
“You want me to do what?”
“Babysit. Just watch little Dee for me.”
“You want me to babysit?”
She eyed him as if her request was perfectly natural. “Yes, Jack. Just for a few minutes. Dee’s a great kid.”
“She’s a great kid, yes. But I can’t be responsible for a small child.” Jack knew his protests fell on deaf ears. He’d be stuck babysitting this little girl no matter how hard he fought it.
“I’m sorta in a bind, Jack.”
“Nothing personal against Dee, she spends a lot of time around here, and she’s definitely about as well-behaved as a little kid can be,” he added. “Not that it’s rocket science to keep an eye on a six-year-old, but it’s not in my job description, so no. No!”
“Oh, Jack, stop being dramatic. An hour, tops.”
“No. I’m a mechanic, remember? Not a babysitter. This isn’t a place for children to play. It’s dangerous around the hangar. All the tools she could get into … ”
“What do you suggest, then? That I send her back to her house? Carleen’s working the morning shift at the diner, and I sure don’t want Neal and Paul pretending to watch her.”
“Then take her with you.” His voice was somber. The last thing he wanted was for Dee to go back to her own house to be with those drunkards. But the next to last place he wanted her was stuck there with him.
Hailey persisted. “I would, and I usually do, except this morning I have an appointment for a check-up and my mom’s already gone into town for a meeting. Ms. Carleen didn’t plan on working this morning. One of the other waitresses called in sick. And besides, Dee wants to stay here with you. She likes you.”
He held his hands up in a hopeless gesture.
Hailey tossed him an understanding look. “Listen, Felicia only has one final to take this morning, so she’ll be home soon, and Mom shouldn’t be too long with her Friends of the Library meeting. Just hang in there for an hour.” She patted his shoulder before turning to leave. “You’ll be just fine.”
“And you wonder why I’m still gonna start looking for another job,” he called after her. At some point. Soon.
She waved at him and continued around to the garage. “You’re a big help, Jack. Now get back to work.” Her playful tone drifted back at him.
Jack watched as Hailey pulled her truck around and down the gravel drive, making a right turn and heading in the direction of town. Then he turned his attention across the yard to the little girl who’d been left in his charge.
Dee jumped from step to step across the back porch, brownish curls bobbing around her head.
What was he supposed to do with her? He’d never been around kids much. What if she had to go potty and asked for his help? At six? No, probably not. He supposed he could pour apple juice and fix a bowl of Cheerios if she got hungry.
He allowed a confident smile to ease across his face. Kids were kind of like miniature people, he reasoned. And Dee really was a likeable little kid. Spunky. Probably something like Hailey must have been when she was younger. If he stayed around much longer, it would be okay to spend some more time getting to know the little kid. He wanted kids someday. Maybe four. Hailey would be a great mom. He shook the thought off with a vengeance.
Stop thinking like that. He watched Dee chase a butterfly and he let out a deep sigh. Okay, this is the hand he was dealt and it would be fine. He just wished he knew more about what watching a child on his own entailed. Some warning would have been good. Not being thrown into the full care and responsibility of a
little human being at a second’s notice.
Jack watched her hop to the bottom step and gather up some crawly creature from the ground. What would it be like to have a child of his own? He quickly chastised himself. Hailey wouldn’t even kiss him, so how did he suppose she’d consent to marry him and have babies?
The thought brought a crimson scowl to his face and he turned on his heel to march back into the hangar. The heat must be getting to him, he decided, fiercely resenting the way his own brain put thoughts in his head that were never going to happen. She’s told me enough times.
Jack threw himself back into his work, anxious to escape the uninvited thoughts rolling around in his mind. It was clear Hailey viewed him as nothing more than an employee. How many times did she have to remind him? A temporary employee, he should toss back at her. A mere distraction. That’s what she called me. A distraction. Man, if that doesn’t beat a guy’s ego, nothing will.
With a vengeance, he slipped a nut over the end of the bolt beneath the wing. And what do I care, anyway? It’s best for me, it’s best for her. It’s best for everybody. I don’t need feelings like that murking up my life. Like Hailey always says: Bad timing.
“I’ll just keep my distance from her. That’s what I’ll do. And that little bundle of energy bouncing around playing across the yard? I’d better not get too attached to her, either. I’ll definitely keep my distance. Hailey had better be right about her mom and sister returning soon. The sooner the better,” he muttered to the plane.
Jack busied himself with his work and before he knew it, over half an hour had passed. He craned his neck to see through the double doors of the hangar. No Dee in sight. Good. Felicia or Mrs. Holman must have returned and taken the little girl inside. They should have told him they were back, though.
He returned his attention briefly to his work. But a nagging concern for the little girl made him decide to check, just to make sure.
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