Jack
‘Take the corners slowly,’ Evie insisted as they drove out of Manhattan towards New Haven. ‘My dinner is still sloshing around in my belly.’
All the green space was covered in white, but roads had been cleared by snowploughs. The sun reflected off the snow on either side, brightening the inside of the car as they travelled all the way to his property.
‘I wonder if Dad and Nicole are “playing Twister”.’ He raised a naughty, quizzical eyebrow.
‘A. That’s revolting, that’s your father you’re talking about,’ Evie laughed. ‘And B. I think they’d vomit if they tried to even move.’
They turned into Jack’s street, slowing as kids scrambled past them. Three girls, triplets with ebony hair pushed beneath crimson hats, squealed past them, each dragging a red plastic sled behind them.
‘Looks fun,’ said Jack as he pulled into the driveway. Todd was already out with a shovel, clearing the path.
‘Todd,’ Jack jumped out of the car. ‘Merry Christmas, buddy.’ He shook his hand, patted him on the shoulder. He felt more like a big brother, especially today with it being Christmas. He didn’t know what Todd would do once he was on the straight and narrow, but he hoped they could at least stay in touch; maybe become friends. Already he’d secured him some work up at Nate’s farm next year at the start of fruit picking season, and hopefully it would have a waterfall effect and other jobs would come his way.
‘Hey, Evie,’ Todd called out as Evie made her way over from the other side of the vehicle. ‘What are you both doing here? I thought you were having a huge family celebration.’
‘We did,’ said Jack, ‘but you wouldn’t come to us and I wasn’t going to let you have Christmas on your own. So we’ll keep you company for a couple of hours.’
Evie brandished the Tupperware containers filled with Todd’s portion of Christmas dinner.
‘Wow.’ His eyes betrayed him, and Jack knew he was glad they’d come despite his adopted nonchalance. ‘I don’t know what to say.’
They went inside to microwave the turkey dinner for Todd and spend some time with a boy who’d lost his way in life but was somehow finding the right path again, just like Jack was.
Braydon hadn’t shown his face in The Diamond Touch since that day, and Kent had given him a generous payout for so many loyal years at the company. Sometimes money really did help, and although Jack knew it wasn’t the answer to everything, it certainly was necessary at times. Jack would’ve rather gone over to Braydon’s place and beat the living crap out of him, giving him no money whatsoever, but he let his father handle it in his own way. And he wasn’t interfering in his relationship with Nicole either. They had his blessing, although they didn’t need it, and Jack had accepted the invitation to be best man at their wedding in early June. His father had told Nicole he’d be able to use contacts and get the Plaza, but Nicole had told him she wanted simplicity, close friends and family only, and they’d agreed to head to Sicily where they would honeymoon and where Nicole had scattered Noah’s ashes. It seemed fitting if they were going to start again, to get to know one another and the intricacies of their lives.
Evie had been the biggest surprise of all. In the minutes he’d first met her, his life had begun to alter, and in the time he’d gotten to know her better, everything had changed. He wanted to share his days with her, his thoughts, his fears. And most of all he wanted to be there for her. He watched Evie now as she chatted to Todd while he poured the reheated gravy across his Christmas dinner. She looked up and smiled at Jack.
It was a smile that said they were both in it for keeps. And he couldn’t be happier.
Evie
‘Todd’s a nice guy,’ Evie said as they drove from New Haven towards Hollyhock Farm. ‘You should be proud.’
Jack turned into the main street of Hazelbrook. ‘I am. He’s a great kid.’
‘I don’t just mean you should be proud of Todd. You should be proud of yourself too.’ She looked at him until he turned to her and returned her smile. Whatever life you’d come from and whatever direction you were heading in, everyone deserved a second chance to make a change, to make amends, to become a better version of themselves.
‘Jackson Churchill, I was wrong about you,’ she admitted out loud.
He slapped the steering wheel. ‘Hallelujah! I knew you’d have to admit it eventually!’
‘Yeah, don’t push it. I can easily change my mind back.’
‘You won’t.’
‘You sound confident. What have you got planned?’
‘Just you wait and see.’
Evie warmed inside at the thought of what he would do.
Jack slowed and pulled to a stop outside a store that looked empty. ‘Would be perfect for a jewellery store, don’t you think?’
‘Or a wedding dress store.’ She grinned.
Jack reached over and ran the back of his hand down her cheek. ‘Or maybe it could be both. Diamonds and dresses kind of go together.’
