Piper gave her a sly look, waiting for the blonde woman’s answer.
“Oh. I didn’t know Jack had a girlfriend - Jack have you been hiding her from us? Yes, I’ve heard of Bella Pella, but I don’t use any of your products. Sorry,” she said with a shrug and a look that said she wasn’t sorry at all.
“You should, it would really do you good; you know older skin needs so much help. Well, bye, we are going out for a family dinner.” Butter wouldn’t melt in Piper’s mouth; she was that good.
Jack gently but firmly removed Gretchen's arm from his, said goodbye, took Bella’s hand and hurried away -that wasinsane, he thought. He went to get the car, pulled up to the front, got them in the car, and then they were off to dinner. Jack had let them pick the restaurant tonight, so they were off to a steakhouse on the lake. After they were seated and their drinks arrived, Jack turned to Bella.
“Bella. I have no idea what the hell that was. I’ve never - not once - been interested in that woman - and nothing has ever happened between us. I don’t know what she was thinking. That was completely nuts.”
Bella took a sip of her martini, smiled, and replied, “I know. But she might want to check her radar — that target's already acquired.”
“Really? You’re not mad?
“No, I was actually amused. But she needs to know - Ghost is spoken for. Now, what’s good here?”
Jack leaned over to kiss her cheek, just as she was taking another sip of her drink.
“I love you - there’s no one but you I want as my wingman. You just took out your target without even putting down your drink.”
The next morning, Bella awoke to her phone blowing up with texts and notifications. Opening the group chat thread with Angela and Madeline, she started to read:
OMG Mom!
I can’t believe it - all my friends are freaking out!
What’s going on - what’s happened?
Mom - haven’t you seen your ‘Gram or Facebook? Go look RIGHT NOW at Jack’s IG!”
Bella quickly opened up her Instagram app and pulled up Jack’s page - all the astronauts had official accounts where theywould post updates on the mission, and personal photos from time to time. There was a picture of her and Jack, right at the moment he was kissing her cheek while she sipped her martini - one of the girls must have taken it. Jack had captioned it “Out with my wingman,” and tagged Bella’s account. She quickly went to Facebook and saw the same post.
“Mom - your IG/FB official!”
Is that a big deal?
Duh, he might as well have tattooed ‘mine’ across your forehead!
She smiled a smug smile and got out of bed, ready to take on the world.
Chapter 23
June passed by - Jack was incredibly busy. Training intensity was building up, with the launch now about nine months out. Every day the crew spent long, hard hours doing intensive simulations, spacecraft operations, practicing specialized maneuvers, to ensure they could take over manually in case one of the automated systems failed. The physical training had also increased, and it included weekly cognitive evaluations and health assessments to ensure the crew remained flight ready. In addition, they had several trips to Florida to visit Kennedy Space Center. Weekends were spent at home, relaxing and enjoying the precious time they had together, along with the girls when they were around.
Sloane and Piper had come up to Dallas for a week during one of Jack’s trips, and they had a wonderful time hanging with Angela and Madeline who were both home for the summer. They visited the Bella Pelle office a few times and loved it. They had been allowed into the lab with Luis, who helped them create their own custom product blends. The girls even spent a day golfing with Big G at his club. Bella called Jack that night to tell him all about it - apparently Big G had let Piper drive the golf cart — after she swore she knew what she was doing, and she’d almost taken out three golfers! Big G said he saw racecar driving in her future, which they all laughed about, because it was probably true! Evenings were spent around the pool, playing with Daisy and Primrose, or going to the movies. The day before they were due to go back to Houston, Bella booked them all appointments for manicures and pedicures, followed by afternoon tea at Cafe Dior in Highland Park Village. They’d be heading off to summer camp - tennis for Sloane, dance for Piper - in a week, so Bella was happy to have the time with them before they left. Angela and Madeline were heading to Los Angeles simultaneously, so Bella would go back to being an empty nester of sorts.
A few weeks later, Bella was in her office, wrapping up for the day when her phone rang, it was Jack calling.
“Hey you, I was just about to head home to pack and get on the road” she said.
She heard coughing and sneezing before he'd even spoken.
“That’s why I’m calling - I’ve come down with a bad summer cold. They sent me home, so I didn’t get anyone else sick. I’m so sorry babe, but I think you should stay home - I don’t want you to come down with this - it’s terrible.”
“Oh no, Jack, that’s awful. Are you taking anything? Are you sure you don’t want me to come there? I don’t mind. I worry about you being there on your own.”
“No, really, I’ll be okay. You stay there and I will see you next weekend. I’ll check in with you later though; I think I’m going to take a nap.”
“Well, if you’re sure. I love you.”
