As they approached the front desk, Jack saw Cheryl look up from her computer. Her eyes tracked them across the lobby, her expression shifting from curious to something harder when she realized they were leaving together.
Jack held the door open for Rachel, and as they stepped out into the cool morning air, he glanced back. Cheryl was glaring at them through the glass, her jaw tight, her eyes narrowed with unmistakable displeasure.
Jack let the door close and turned his attention back to Rachel, who was pulling her keys from her pocket and smiling up at him in a way that made his chest feel too tight.
“See you in an hour,” Rachel said.
“Yeah,” Jack replied. “See you then.”
He watched her walk to her car, and as she drove away, Jack couldn't stop smiling. Whatever Cheryl's problem was, he didn't care. Not when Rachel had just agreed to have breakfast with him.
Jack hurried to his SUV, his heart racing and not from the run. It wasn't much of a workout for him, considering he usually ran longer distances. But he couldn't believe his luck. Running into Rachel, getting to spend time with her, and having a chance to meet with her instead of calling to ask her out.
As he drove back to his parents' house to shower and change, Jack felt lighter than he had in a long time. He was home. Rachel was here. And for the first time since he'd walked away from her that last time, Jack felt like maybe, just maybe, they had a chance.
He just had to make sure he didn't screw it up this time.
18
Rachel drove home from the gym with her hands gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly, her heart hammering in her chest. Jack was home. She’d spent last night agonizing whether to text or call him after Carson had mentioned his brother was home. But she found her fingers never hit the right buttons on her phone. Fear gripped her. After all, if he wanted her to know where he was, he would have called or texted.
She’d spent the night miserable, thinking of what his being home might look like… a quick stopover? Bringing home a girlfriend to meet his parents? Maybe just passing through for a quick visit with his family. Maybe he was heading out soon to a place where he’d gotten a job after the Navy. Her teeth caught her bottom lip as she tried to think of their last messages, but no matter how much she replayed them in her mind, she knew he hadn’t mentioned his final plans.
By the time she finally slept a few hours and then awoke, she knew she needed to go to the gym and run her worries away… or at least run until she dropped from exhaustion.
Now, she’d seen him and was having breakfast with him. Although she still had no idea what his plans were.
She pulled into the drive and practically ran up the stairs to her apartment, her mind racing. She still shared a house with two teachers. The other two women had the bedrooms in the main part of the house, and she had the small efficiency in the attic with outside stairs.
Rachel stripped off her clothes and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water cascade over her as she tried to calm her racing thoughts. She couldn't help but have butterflies. The kind that had always fluttered in her stomach whenever Jack was near. The kind she'd always had and probably always would, which could be problematic.
She thought of David. Nice, stable, interested David. He checked all the boxes that should matter. Kind. Present. Willing to go slow. But there were no butterflies with David… and never had been.
Maybe it was just because of her shared history with Jack. Maybe the butterflies were just muscle memory, her body responding to what it had known for so long. Jack knew her past and helped her navigate the new world she’d suddenly found herself in. And he'd turned all those negative memories into something stronger because of who he was as a protector.
But did that mean he was her person? Or just the person who'd been there when she was young and needed someone most?
Her heart ached each time they separated. Every goodbye had felt like tearing a piece of herself off. She'd realized, listening to friends over the years talk about their relationships, that there had never been a big fight with Jack. Never a huge breakup in the traditional sense. Their journey had been more of a time of growing. Sometimes together in the same way at the same time. And at other times, what they wanted and needed as individuals didn’t match the other person's. Life had simply taken them to places where they needed time to explore who they were as individuals.
Rachel jerked back to what she was doing and hurried to dry her hair. She put on just enough makeup to look put together before slipping into jeans and a soft blue sweater that she knew brought out the color of her eyes. With her feet in low-heeled boots, she grabbed her purse and jacket and headed out the door.
The drive to Joe's Diner took less than ten minutes, but it felt like an eternity. This was the diner where Jack's mom used to work when he was younger. The site of many of their teenage dates. Rachel pushed through the door, and her eyes immediately found him. He sat at a corner booth with two cups of coffee already on the table in front of him.
When he saw her, he stood, beaming a smile that spread across his face, causing her pulse to race. Jack greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, his hand warm on her shoulder as he took her coat. The gesture was so natural, so familiar, that Rachel had to smile.
“That was some greeting, considering you just saw me an hour ago,” she said as they slid into the booth.
Jack's grin was boyish and unrepentant. “Can't help myself. You look beautiful.”
Rachel felt heat rise to her cheeks. “You're in a good mood.”
“I am.” His smile did something funny to her insides, even now, after all these years since they first met. “It's a good morning.”
She hoped he would tell her his plans so she would stop wondering. But then, maybe he wanted to hold off telling her it would be another goodbye. She let out a shaky breath as she held his gaze.
“So tell me about working at Baytown High School,” Jack said, leaning forward on his elbows. “I know you’ve emailed me tidbits about working there, but I want to hear about it. Is it weird being back in those halls?”
Rachel opened her mouth, but waited as the server came over. Betty, who'd been working at Joe's for as long as Rachel could remember, smiled at her warmly.
