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Chapter 14
Their Salt Lake flight to Orange County was significantly delayed, which meant that Paige had to cancel her afternoon class. She sent out the email and Jack phoned Dr. Keller, wanting to set up a meeting with the university president for tomorrow, if possible. Jack walked away from her while he was on the phone, so Paige missed the conversation, but when Jack returned he gave her a thumbs-up.
“We’ll see him tomorrow,” Jack said, dropping into the empty seat next to hers and opening his laptop to scroll through emails. “I think it’s going to work out.”
She glanced at him, half smiling. “You are always so positive.”
“I’ve found that things just work out better that way.”
She searched his eyes, amazed and awed at his conviction, and yet his confidence was appealing. She felt calm despite all the changes happening. “Anything I should do to prepare for the meeting with Dr. Keller?”
“Nope. Just show up and be you.”
It was mid-afternoon when they arrived in Orange County. Jack walked Paige to the curb, where they said goodbye, parting with a kiss. He’d offered her a ride home, but she’d declined, wanting time to think and process the weekend before her phone began to ring with calls from Elizabeth and her daughters. She’d just settled into her Uber when her phone rang. It was Elizabeth. Incredible.
“Have you been tracking my flight? How did you know I landed?” Paige asked, shifting her carry-on bag into a different position on the seat.
“You gave me your schedule, so yes, I’ve been tracking your flight. So, talk to me, PG. How did it go?”
“It went great.” Paige paused, remembering the weekend that had gone by far too fast. It felt like she’d only just left, but it had been a wonderful weekend. She just wished it had been longer. “I saw lots of bison, a moose, as well as a mama and baby bear up close.”
“A grizzly bear?”
“No, a black bear. But I wasn’t sure at first.”
“What did you do?”
“I froze.” Paige laughed. “Fortunately, it got scared away by Sheila, and then Jack appeared, and everything was fine.”
“You feel good about Jack?”
“I do.” She’d returned to Southern California even more infatuated. Jack made everything just a little bit better. More humor, more laughter, more understanding. More fun. “I can’t wait to go back to Yellowstone. And now there’s a whole list of parks I must see.” Hopefully with Jack, she silently added.
“Were people nice?”
“Everyone was really nice, except for Sheila—”
“The same Sheila who scared the bear?”
“The same. Sweet Sheila couldn’t not talk about Camille Ormond, Jack’s former love.” Paige sighed. “It wasn’t the first time I’ve heard about her. Jack has mentioned her. They were together for a long time. I don’t know all the details, just that she’s a scientist, she does work similar to Jack, is French Canadian, very likable, and a Sheila favorite.”
“But why would this Sheila bring her up?”
“That’s a good question. It didn’t sit well with me. It’s not that I’m completely insecure, but hearing Jack described as a dating whore hit me wrong.”
Elizabeth gasped. “She did not call Jack a dating whore, did she?”
“No. That’s me. That’s what it felt like. And I get it, Jack has a right to date who he wants, when he wants. But it was upsetting. I felt . . . weird.”
“Dating is hard,” Elizabeth said.
“It is. It brings up all kinds of fears, and honestly, at our age, there is some serious baggage. I’ve a whole lifetime of mistakes and hurts. There are times I’ve let others down, times people have let me down. It’s almost as if you have to be mentally fit to date. And I’m not there yet, but at least I have an idea of what I need to do if I’m going to continue spending time with Jack.”
“You’re going to keep seeing him.”
“I’d like to.”
“This is huge.”
“It’s not that big of a deal. All I’m saying is that I’m open to more dates, but a lot can go wrong.” Paige glanced out the window, saw that they were approaching a traffic slowdown. They were definitely back in Southern California. “Speaking of Jack, it looks like our field program has hit some snafus. Mainly weather. Our program in Monteverde is a washout. Literally. Jack’s working on an alternative, and it’s totally out of my comfort zone, but I’ve told him I’ll leave it in his hands and see what happens.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. Paige gave Elizabeth a moment to answer, but she didn’t. “Are you there?” Paige asked.
“I’m just thinking about what you said.” Elizabeth’s voice hinted at laughter. “Paige Newsome is leaving it up to Jack? You’re loosening the reins on control?”
Paige rolled her eyes. “I simply said that I’m leaving it to Jack to figure out options for his course. It has been hiscourse from the beginning. I’m second fiddle here, and I’ve always been second fiddle. I know the role I’m supposed to play, and I’m playing it.”
“I’m impressed, that’s all. I commend you for being positive and open to change.”
“You can be so exhausting, Elizabeth.”
“You’ve been saying that since we were fifteen.”
The Uber had stopped moving. Traffic was at a virtual standstill. Paige groaned inwardly. It wasn’t a long drive from the Orange County airport to her house, thirty minutes without traffic, but today, who knew. “I’m going to check my emails, make sure there’s nothing I need to do. Tomorrow is going to be hectic, but maybe we can meet for coffee Wednesday?”
“Absolutely. Just let me know.”
* * *
