Oh, heck yeah, that was flirting!– and nearly rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
Nine
HEIDI
Heidi had never laughed sohard in her life. Jack was utterly entertaining and sweet, more than she had ever anticipated. He treated her like she was a queen and made sure everyone knew that he was the lucky one. In fact, one moment would forever stick with her – because it seemed so surreal. When the waiter walked up to the table and turned to greet Jack, he immediately pointed at her.
“Ladies are first,” Jack tossed easily. “While I might be a ‘frequent flyer’ around these parts, I also know how lucky I am right now. Ladies first and we can chat in a bit. FYI, tell Lita that I was bragging about the queso to a connoisseur, so it better be good tonight,” – and smiled at Heidi. “Right?”
All afternoon, she was treated like a princess and waited on hand-and-foot. If her glass was nearly empty, Jack flagged down a waiter. If they got low on chips, he got up and grabbed a new basket by the bar, exchanging a few words with the bartender he obviously knew. He kept the conversation rolling, kept talking about little things – little nothings, and finally she blurted out her curiosity.
“What’s with the house? And Mimi?” she asked quietly,watching him. “Were you married and got the house in the divorce? I just don’t understand any of this, you, or why you’d bother to take in a perfect stranger or…”
“Hang on,” he interrupted, looking slightly uncomfortable. “One question at a time, so I can answer them.”
She waited impatiently, wobbling her leg and tapping her foot under the table in a anxious manner. A part of her didn’t want to admit that she was nervous to hear his answers – but a bigger part needed to know those answers, because she was considering something completely crazy and off the wall.
“I’ve never married,” Jack admitted quietly, his eyes firmly planted on his hands as he rolled the cup between his palms absently. “I bought that place when Mimi was about to be forced into assisted living – and I needed a place of my own.”
“So you bought two houses – yours and Mimi’s?”
“Well, Mimi’s is supposed to be a mother-in-law suite. There’s a reason I bought all that stuff at Home Depot today. I own both buildings and an acre of land. The previous owners were living in Mimi’s house – and let the other one fall apart over the years. I’ve been working on fixing it up for two years now.”
“Really?” Heidi started, shocked. “It doesn’t look that bad.”
“If you want the grand tour, you’re welcome to take a peek around…” he offered and then made a regretful smile. “I’m no handyman, but I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty – and it shows.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah,” he chuckled softly. “I’m starting to wonder if I’m making things worse.”
“Oh no…” she laughed, picking up her glass and taking a sip of tea. “How are you making it worse?”
“I get started on one project – and it snowballs,” he admitted. “I start replacing a ceiling fixture and part of the sheet rock comes down with it, so I have to replace it…”
“You’re kidding,” she interrupted, stunned.
“And it’s not simple sheet rock but rather plaster ceilings,” he chuckled, sharing a smile with her. “So now, during my spare time, I’m learning how to apply plaster and…”
“You’renotkidding,” she laughed, realizing it took a special person not to just throw up your hands in frustration. No, even when Jack got derailed abruptly, he went with the flow and got himself back on track.
“I wish I was somedays, because now I’m plastering a ceiling,” he continued, smiling. “And the other night, I stopped when I saw a bare wire. Plastering, insulating, trying not to electrocute myself and hoping that when the house was wired it was done professionally – and not by someone like me – all because I wanted a brighter light so I could sand the floors when I eventually get to them.”
“I’m so sorry,” she admitted, sharing a smile with him. “What’s next?”
“Termite fumigation, I suppose,” he muttered but there was something in his expression, his voice, that told her he was teasing – and she cracked up laughing again. “I’m not kidding. I’ve learned how to paint, plumb, drywall, do landscaping – even if it doesn’t look like it – and so the only thing I can think of that’s left would be termite fumigation. I’m pretty certain when I start refinishing the wood floors, that is when I’ll find that new and fun-filled problem.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it ‘fun-filled’…” she replied, lips twitching as he made a dismayed expression on his face.
“Shame on me for wanting a nice place to bring a woman home to someday…” and they both hesitated. Him – like he couldn’t believe he’d said those words aloud – and her, who caught them immediately.
“You’re planning on things,” she breathed, stunned and shocked. “You’ve got a woman in mind and… and yet you’re here with me?”
“Now don’t you go jumpin’ to conclusions or anything,” he rushed out in a panic, reaching for her hand only for her to jerk it away. Jack stiffened, drew himself up, and visibly composed himself before her as she stared at him, unsure what to think. “There’s no one in my life, but I hope to change that someday – and I bought the most affordable place I could simply because I wanted Mimi to be independent for as long as possible.”
“She seems okay…”
“I’ve picked her up a few times off the floor,” he admitted quietly in a hushed voice. “It’s pretty unsettling – which is why I always go by when I’m on patrol or stop by every evening.”
