Loving Jack(12)

"Everett?" An all too familiar voice called from across the street and  Grace's mortification was complete. Jack had come looking for his absent  brother. When Everett turned around Grace and her tear stained face was  revealed to Jack. He stared at her, too stunned by her presence to  react. Grace was still crying and there was no way to hide it with the  trails of mascara she was sporting. She needed to go before the shock  wore off and Jack crossed the street.

Grace smiled sadly at Jack and gave a little wave before she pulled away  from the curb. The light at the corner was red so she had to pause in  her getaway. Her eyes immediately searched out Jack in her side mirror.  Everett reached Jack and she continued to watch while Everett spoke to  him. Grace assumed she was being discussed. Jack turned to look at her  car and the light turned green. She heard Jack yell her name.         

     



 

"Grace! Wait!" he shouted, but she didn't stop. You had to know when enough was enough. And Grace had had enough for one day.





****





After that awful day in Jack's picturesque home town, things between  Jack and Grace continued down a path that was destructive and painful  for Grace. She refused to talk to Jack about what happened. He wanted to  know what she and Victor had talked about, but she wouldn't discuss it.  Victor must have clammed up as well. That was probably best for him.  She didn't believe Jack would appreciate the way he had accosted her.  She'd told the whole sorted story to Luke and Jessie, and they agreed  that she was doing the right thing, but staying away from Jack was going  to be hard.

At first, Grace avoided Jack in a mad effort at self-preservation, but  he used every excuse he could find to seek her out. First he needed a  tutor to help him prepare for his math final. He'd been nearly hostile  when he learned that she and Luke study together as a habit. He attended  their study sessions but she didn't believe he actually needed help. He  just glared at her and Luke as they quizzed each other. When she  quizzed him he never needed help finding the answers.

Then he needed a ride to the airport when he flew home to help his mom  deal with some legal papers and box up some of his dad's stuff to be  donated. He hated eating alone so he'd show up at her door and insist he  let him take her to dinner. Grace could never look into his pleading,  ever-changing blue eyes and tell him no.

Of course, half the time he came to her room Jack would find Luke there,  too. It annoyed Grace when they both puffed up their chests and got all  macho. Jack didn't like her spending so much time with Luke but she  wasn't going to let him chase away one of her best friends. Luke didn't  think Jack deserved to breathe the same oxygen she did. He was such a  sweetheart. She would question his relationship with his blond bestie  and the argument was over.

The more time she spent with Jack the deeper her feelings for him grew.  He wanted her as desperately as she wanted him and she knew it. He would  always hold her hand or tuck her in close to his body as they walked  and anyone who saw them together believed they were a couple. Jack took  every opportunity he got to kiss Grace and he constantly tried to push  her past her objections to dating him. She was so weak in his arms. It  really was like they were already a couple even though she tried to  pretend otherwise. Turning away from his passionate affection was nearly  impossible. Then she'd remember that he would be returning to Victor  and whoever else he was seeing. Those thoughts effectively halted Jack's  advances every time.

She was in love with the man, and that was the problem. Jack had  feelings for Grace and the chemistry between them was like a nuclear  reaction, but he wasn't ready to give up the other people in his love  life. She didn't fault him for it, at least she didn't in her mind, but  her heart was another matter altogether.

The funny thing about a person's tolerance for heartache is that you  never see the last straw until you buckle under its weight. Grace would  see Jack around campus with Victor and another guy she'd never met. She  assumed he was another boyfriend. Jack knew better than to approach her  if he wasn't alone when they crossed paths. Every time it happened she  sank deeper into the chasm of despair that was quickly swallowing her  whole. She'd seen Jack's blond bestie a few times but the ridiculously  attractive woman always glared at Grace and sniffed with disdain. She  supposed his friends blamed her for Jack's moods.

After graduation, the student body was busy moving out of the dorms.  Grace was about ready to go and the knowledge that she wouldn't see Jack  again was a dark shadow over what should have been one of the happiest  times of her life. She had several offers for internships at finance and  accounting firms, one of which was in Seattle. Jack would be going home  to Washington State. Somewhere in the corner of her mind that still  believed in fairytales Grace was still waiting for her prince to make  her dreams come true. So she applied for the internship in a moment of  weakness. So as not to put all of her eggs in Jack's basket, she'd also  applied to firms in New York, Chicago, and Atlanta. She'd been offered  the positions in Seattle, New York, and Atlanta. Now was the hard part.  She had to decide which company was the best choice for her career and  her future, and she had to do it fast.

It was her last night on campus and Jack dragged her out for dinner and  dancing at a new Latin club in town. This always happened after she saw  him with one of his men. He would show up at her door dressed and ready  for a night on the town insisting they spend some quality time on the  dance floor. Jessie would glare at him and comment that he must not have  anyone better to abuse that night. Jessie hated that Grace was letting  the situation with Jack drag her down. But when she and Jack were  together Grace wasn't down. She was happy. She was in love. It was when  Jack was gone that the misery took over. This time was different though.  There was an air of finality between her and Jack. This was it. Jack  knew about her internship offer in Seattle and he was pushing hard for  her to accept it and follow him home.         

     



 

After an incredible night of dancing and just being together Grace felt  her will to resist Jack slipping. She loved him so much that she'd  nearly convinced herself that she could win Jack's heart if she only  took a chance and sacrificed her own. She had the opportunity to take  the relationship further. It would be hard to move to a new city and  start her career there, but it would be worth it if they ended up  together, just the two of them forever.

"What are you thinking about, babe?" Jack asked. They were dancing close  and Grace was trying to work up the nerve to tell him she planned to  take the job in Seattle.

"I'm thinking about you . . . and me," she admitted. Jack sobered and  searched her face. He looked at her mouth and back up to her eyes. He  wanted to kiss her, again. And this time she wouldn't try to pretend she  didn't want him to do it.

"What are you saying?" he asked. She just smiled up at him. She didn't want to talk about it here in a crowded club.

"Can I stay the night with you tonight?" she asked with a blush. "We can  talk about it later . . . or maybe in the morning." They both knew if  he got her in a secluded place they'd both be naked in a hurry. Jack's  smile started small and quickly spread across his face. He did kiss her  then. Jack brought his lips down on hers and he kissed her softly,  sweetly, with the promise of all that was to come later when he got her  home.

Jack let out a trumpet, "Woohoo!" and they took off into another dance.  Grace's heart felt buoyant and ready to soar. Jack and she laughed and  smiled like fools as he attempted to teach her the steps to the sultry  dance.

That's when the unthinkable happened. Victor appeared on the dance floor  right behind Jack. He moved in behind Jack as he danced close to Grace,  effectively sandwiching Jack between them. Grace released Jack and  backed away a step. Jack was surprised at the intimate contact and spun  around. Victor smiled sweetly at his lover and moved in to continue the  dance. Jack looked over his shoulder at Grace guiltily, but he let  Victor lead him away in the dance. And wasn't that a metaphor for their  entire relationship. Jack said he wanted to be with Grace, but it was  far too easy for someone else to lead him in another direction. Just  when Grace began to hope for more, something would happen to remind her  exactly where she stood.

Grace watched them from the sidelines. They weren't the only male couple  dancing and there were several pairs of ladies enjoying the mesmerizing  Latin beat as well. This was a test of Grace's mettle. If she could  tolerate this and still go home with Jack they had a chance. She was  doing just fine until the dance ended and Victor moved in for a  scorching kiss. Just like the night in that bar on the mountain, Victor  took Jack's mouth like a man who knew he had the right to be there. And  Grace couldn't take it. It had nothing to do with the fact that Jack was  kissing another man. It was all about the fact that someone else, man  or woman, was kissing her man.