AllFreeNovel
Share Us
On the other hand, being at the ball game seemed to have perked up Alex and DeeDee, along with the hot dogs, garlic fries and ice cream sundaes they’d eaten.
During the second inning Alex had taken out his phone and texted something. Kayla didn’t ask whom he was contacting, figuring it was probably Sandy. He checked the phone several times and didn’t seem to get an answer until he looked again between the tenth and eleventh innings.
“Morgan and Jackson watched Death on the Nile tonight,” he announced. “I didn’t know they liked old movies.”
“It’s not that old,” Kayla told him, hating the way her nerves tightened. She had to expect to hear Jackson’s name from now on, especially since Alex had become such good friends with Morgan.
“It’s older than me. Jeez, it’s even older than you,” Alex said. Obviously something being older than his mother was his benchmark for old.
The idea of sitting with Jackson and watching a movie, classic or new, was immensely appealing, and it was hard not to think how things could be if they were together. Like...what if he was at the game with them right now? His eyes probably would have crinkled with humor at Alex’s definition of old. Maybe he would have put on that funny voice and suggested finding their canes and making their way to a rocking chair. And the French fries, loaded with fresh-chopped garlic, would have made him tease that they’d better both eat their share.
Stop, you’re just making it harder, Kayla scolded herself.
It would be difficult enough to see Jackson when they visited her grandparents; she didn’t have to compound the pain by considering everything that could have been.
The Mariners won at the stroke of midnight and they cheered before joining the throng heading for their cars. Kayla was grateful that it was too busy and chaotic to think about anything except making their way through the crowd.
* * *
THE NEXT MORNING Jackson sat at the kitchen table and waited for Morgan to get back from her run. Electricity seemed to be bursting in every cell of his body.
What were the best words to use when he talked to Kayla again? What tone of voice?
It was possible that if he hadn’t married Marcy and Kayla had stayed in Schuyler, they might have eventually fallen in love for real. Who could say? But it didn’t matter, because that wasn’t how it had happened. Instead, they’d taken independent paths and become different people. And the man he’d become loved Kayla Anderson completely.
“Hey,” Morgan said, entering the kitchen shortly after eight.
“Good morning,” he replied. “I’ve got a suggestion. How about going to Seattle to buy your school clothes?”
Her green eyes opened wide. “Really?”
“You bet. It would be fun to do something different. Perhaps we could even visit the artist who made that necklace you like.”
“Cool. Just wait until I tell Alex and DeeDee.”
“How about surprising them instead?” he suggested. “It would be fun to see their faces if we show up and they didn’t know we were coming.”
“Dope!” Morgan exclaimed, presumably in agreement.
He would have emphasized not letting Alex or DeeDee know their plans, but he didn’t want Morgan to wonder why he thought it was important. While it was tempting to employ her support in winning over Kayla, it wouldn’t be fair to her or to Kayla.
“Why don’t you go get packed?” he said. “We’ll probably spend the night in Spokane, and get into the city tomorrow.” Normally he’d prefer driving straight through, but with a later start, it made more sense to make it a two-day journey.
“You mean we’d leave today?”
“Why not?”
Morgan giggled. “Awesome.”
She thundered up the back staircase and Jackson mentally reviewed his preparations. He’d packed, written out orders for his foreman, talked with Flora, asked Greg to watch Cory and emailed his parents to say he and Morgan were driving to the city for school shopping. He hadn’t mentioned Seattle by name to his folks—there were no guarantees he’d be able to convince Kayla to marry him and he didn’t want to raise anyone’s hopes.
He particularly didn’t want Elizabeth and Hank to anticipate Kayla and the children’s return to Schuyler, in case it didn’t happen.
Their return to Schuyler?
Jackson frowned.
That night at Ryan’s, Kayla had accused him of expecting her to give up everything she’d worked for so he could have what he wanted. It was the same sort of mistake he’d made with Marcy, agreeing to live on a ranch hand’s income for five years without asking how she felt about it. Jackson doubted anything would have saved his marriage, but maybe she wouldn’t have been so bitter.
