Angie wandered over. “I don’t want to sound completely lame, but I think I’m going to head home. I’m beat.”
“Are you okay to drive?” Jack asked.
“Rich is going to drive me. He hasn’t had anything to drink. I’ll come back tomorrow to get my car.”
Jack got up from his seat to give his sister a hug. “I hope you had fun.”
“I did, Jack. It was awesome.” She patted him on the shoulder, then turned to Lexi. “It was great to meet you. Thank you for the bracelet. I love it.” Angie held up her arm, showing off the very thoughtful gift Lexi had bought.
“Oh, good. I’m really glad you like it. It was nice to meet you, too,” she said.
Angie pulled Jack aside. “Actually, can I steal a minute? Inside?”
“Yeah. Of course.” He turned to Lexi. “I’m going to help Angie grab her stuff.”
The pair made their way inside to the living room, where she’d opened her presents. They both sat on the couch, Angie loading up a gift bag with her birthday haul, while Jack gathered spent wrapping paper bound for the recycling.
“I want you to know that I like her. A lot. I thought she was going to be a bubbleheaded rich girl, but she’s not that at all. She’s very thoughtful and down to earth.”
Jack was fairly certain that was the case, but he was still relieved to hear it from his sister. “I’m really happy to hear that. Thank you.”
“But there’s one thing you need to realize.”
Here we go. “Yeah. Of course. Tell me.”
“Knowing the way I feel right now, she’s still really hurting from her divorce. There will be some days when she’s over the moon with you and others when she’s not sure. I’m learning that it’s part of the process. Your whole life gets shaken up, and it makes you question everything.”
Jack nodded, solemnly, taking in the things his sister had said. “Keep taking it slow.”
“Exactly.”
“Okay. I appreciate you telling me that.”
Angie got up from the couch and picked up her gift bag. “One more thing. She noticed that you didn’t introduce you as her girlfriend. I think that’s probably a conversation you should have.”
“Was she upset? And how is that supposed to be part of taking it slow?” Jack felt more than a little overwhelmed by all of this.
Angie placed her hand on his forearm and shook her head. “She wasn’t upset. In fact, she said she’d prefer that you be Jack and she’ll be Lexi. So, I think you’re good. But I also think you should probably talk about it.”
“Got it.” One thing Jack knew for sure was that Lexi had made serious inroads in his world today. If their romance was going to progress, he was going to have to find a way to fold himself into hers. That meant at some point he’d have to find common ground with Lexi’s dad.
Angie kissed Jack on the cheek. “Thanks again for everything today. Now go spend some time with Lexi and I’ll talk to you on Monday.”
Jack watched as Angie found Rich in the kitchen and they turned down the central hall to leave. When Jack got back out to the pool, the final guests were heading out. “Thanks for coming.”
“Thank you for a great day,” they replied.
Jack joined Lexi under the umbrella again, sitting rather than reclining, and reached for her hand. A few minutes later, they were alone. That moment of recognition hit him every time this was the case—that he wanted her. Needed her. “Will you stay the night?” He stroked her fingers softly, but even that innocent touch had his body on high alert.
“I don’t know if I can sleep over. Bianca dragged me to yoga this morning, so I made her promise me that she’d come over and help me go through the boxes in my garage. The only time she can get away from the kids is at 8:00 a.m.”
“Ouch.”
“I know. Right? Anyway, I want this move to a new house, once I find a place, to be a clean slate. There are a lot of memories of Houston and my marriage in those boxes. I think I’ll feel better if I just get rid of all of it.”
Jack was happy to hear that. Lexi was taking strides forward, and he saw that as an essential part of their future. “I’m happy to haul stuff away if you need it. I sure as heck have a big enough truck.”
“That would be great. Can you come by tomorrow? Late afternoon or tomorrow night?”
