CHAPTER EIGHT.
The following night, Jack managed to get the kids off to bed without too much drama, and as a gift to himself for the achievement, he cracked open a beer.
He had no idea how he was going to manage this attraction to Desiree. Seeing her at the bar with someone else had given him a dreadful, tight feeling in his chest, which hadn’t died down even though he’d had a great time with Lisa.
He couldn’t explain it. He didn’t believe in love at first sight. And he wasn’t in love. Not yet, anyway. But he felt like he needed to explore the connection further – that whatever he had seen in her green eyes that first time he had looked into them was worth following up.
His initial worries about her not being able to manage the boys had been eased when she stepped in between them at the markets. They had spent the next two days talking about nothing but her. Obviously her unusual look, or something about the way she approached them, had appealed to them as well.
Jack snorted. It looked like all the boys in the Duncan household had been smitten by Desiree.
He would have thrown caution to the wind and called her except for one thing – Faith. While she had been grudgingly accepting of him befriending Desiree, he suspected she wouldn’t be quite so accommodating if he was to actually start seeing her.
He sighed deeply and looked at his watch. It was 10:30pm. He made a mental calculation – it would be 8:30 in the morning in Dallas. He wondered if he should call his sister.
Jack and Maureen had always been close, even though Maureen was a couple of years older than Jack. When Susan had insisted that they move back to Perth so she could be close to her family, Jack and Maureen had bid each other a tearful farewell, promising to stay in touch. But of course, life got in the way, and they really didn’t talk as much as Jack would like. He realized he missed her, and picked up the phone.
“Howdy? Maureen here.”
“Howdy sis, it’s me.” He smiled to hear her voice, which sounded upbeat and happy.
“Jack? Lord above, you sound more like an Aussie every day. How are ya?”
“Yeah good, good. You?”
“Can’t complain. No, actually I can complain. I just got to work.” She chuckled, and so did Jack. Maureen was famous for loving her job.
“So, what’s up, darlin’? How’s the family?”
“They’re all fine. Faith is getting better every day.” He could hear the smile in his own voice, and he heard it reflected in Maureen’s warm tones as well.
“That’s great to hear. I was gettin’ a smidge worried about that girl.”
“You and me both, but she’s workin’ it out.”
“And how about you, Jackie?”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you. What’s up?”
“Nothin’.”
“Well, that’s a big ol’ smokin’ pile of horse crap if I ever heard one.”
Jack smiled. “Sometimes I hate your intuition; you know that?”
She chuckled down the line. “I know. Now spill it. I can’t sit here on the phone forever you know. I got a job to do.”
“I think I met someone.”
There was a pause, then Maureen said evenly, “Go on.”
“She’s not my usual type.”
Maureen snorted. “Yeah, but all your usual type got you was trouble and heartache.”
“And she’s probably ten years younger than I am.”
“That’s not such a huge gap when you’re forty.”
“And she’s Faith’s teacher.”
Silence.
And more silence.
“Maureen? You still there?”
“Course I’m still here. I’m just not sure what you want me to say.”
“I want you to say ‘Jack, don’t be such an jackass. You can’t date Faith’s teacher. You can’t even think about Faith’s teacher.’”
“No, you don’t.”
“You’re right. I don’t.” His shoulders sagged. “What do I do, ‘Reen? There’s something about her, I swear it. And if she was anyone else, I’d be in there like a bee to a whole sackful of honey.”
“But she’s Faith’s teacher.” Maureen finished his thought, and Jack nodded, although he knew Maureen couldn’t see.
“Well, you know what my philosophy is, Jack?”
“What?”
“Go with what will make you happiest.”
Jack humphed into the phone. “Easy to say.”
“Easy to do, when you work out what it is. Mind, it's what will make you happiest, not just happy. For example, I’m sure you’d be happy with a booty call from the teacher lady, but I’m not sure it would make you happiest.”
“Do you have to be so crude about it?”
“Just telling it like it is, little brother.”
“It’s not just about sex, Maureen.”
“Really? Then what’s it all about?”
Jack thought for a second, then answered slowly. “It’s about… Well, it’s about the chemistry, I suppose.”
“The chemistry?” Maureen sounded dubious and Jack flushed.
“You know, the feelin’ that the other person’s on the same wavelength. That if you got together, the bond would be strong. You know, chemistry.” Jack groaned into the phone. “It sounds foolish, don’t it?”
“No, just unusual coming from you, Jack.” Maureen paused for a moment. “What does Faith think?”
“I haven’t quite mentioned it to her yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because she's doing so well, I don’t want to mess it up.”
Maureen was silent, as if weighing up her next words before she said them. “So really, the only reason you don’t want to go ahead with it is in case it messes around with Faith. And if I know you, and I do, Faith’s happiness rates way up higher than your own ever would.”
Jack’s heart sank. Faith’s happiness was significantly more important to him.
“You’re right, ‘Reen. I hate to say it, but you’re right.”
“I’m always right. You know that. But Jackie?”
“Yeah?”
“Faith won’t be there beside you for long. Before too many more years pass she’ll be off, living her own life. If your teacher lady could be a keeper, I’d take that into account as well. You don’t want to destroy your own happiness trying to secure your daughters’.”
“So basically, I’m back to where I started.”
“Uh huh.” Maureen’s tone was perky.
“And you’ve done me no good at all.”
“Uh huh.”
“So, thanks for nothing.”
“Welcome, hon. Always glad to be of service.”