Part 22 (1/2)
”Yes, by all means,” Donnie said. ”We'll meet you at my car. It's the silver Chevy Tahoe.”
Cathy found Jack propped against the hood of his black 1999 Corvette, his arms crossed over his wide chest. When he saw her, he stood up straight and grinned.
”Ready for some of Cedar Hill's homemade yeast rolls?” he asked.
”I'm afraid there's been a change in plans,” Cathy said, then went on to explain the situation. ”I'm really sorry, but-”
”You don't need to explain,” Jack told her. ”Your son comes first. Besides, it's not like this is our only chance to have Sunday dinner together.”
She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. ”Thank you.”
”For what?”
”For coming to church with me today and for understanding about lunch.”
”Stick to your guns, honey. Don't let anybody talk you out of fighting for your kid.”
”J.B. Cantrell is a real son of a b.i.t.c.h,” Lorie said.
Jack stared into his dessert plate, his thoughts a million miles away. Well, not quite a million miles, just a few miles away to wherever Cathy was. Whatever decisions she made about her life, especially those involving her son, were none of his business. He had no claims on her, despite their past.
What past? They had spent all of two weeks together, sneaking around day and night, using Mike as a front so that Cathy's mother wouldn't figure out she was dating the town's former bad boy. So what if they'd thought they were in love? She'd been a starry-eyed seventeen-year-old and he'd been her first lover. And he'd been a h.o.r.n.y, hungry-for-affection young man facing an uncertain future half a world away.
”Earth to Jackson Perdue.” Lorie reached across the table and tapped him in the center of his chest.
”Yeah, what?” He stared at her.
”I said that J.B. Cantrell is a real son of a b.i.t.c.h.”
Jack grunted. ”Yeah, he is.”
She studied Jack closely, a frown marring her smooth forehead. ”Want to tell me what's going on with you? You show up in town for the first time in years. You move back, into a house you hated. You take a job that you're probably both unqualified and overqualified for, and you insert yourself into Cathy's life again at a time when the last thing she needs is another complication.”
”Is that what I am to Cathy, a complication?”
Lorie drew in a deep breath, not answering immediately, and then she replied by turning his own question back on him. ”Exactly what is Cathy to you?”
”An old friend.”
Lorie snorted. ”You and Cathy were never anything as simple as friends. You two were crazy about each other, couldn't keep your hands off each other.”
”Yeah, sure, for two whole weeks.”
”You left her, remember?”
”I was in the army. I had no choice. I thought she'd wait for me.”
”She did.”
”Not for long.”
”You were reported missing in action, possibly a POW or worse-maybe dead.”
”Yeah, and how long after that did she marry Mark Cantrell-a couple of months?”
Lorie shook her head, her thick, reddish-brown hair bouncing on her shoulders. ”If you're pursuing her now in order to get some sort of revenge for-”
Jack laughed. ”I haven't spent all these years pining away for Cathy any more than she has for me. Yeah, when I got out of the prison camp and came back to the U.S. and found out she'd married somebody else, I felt pretty raw about it. But that was a long time ago. Cathy and I are practically strangers now.”
”Strangers who are still attracted to each other,” Lorie said. ”And I'm not saying that you wouldn't be good for each other. But I'm warning you-Cathy is the best friend I've ever had, and if you hurt her, I'll rip your head off.”
Grinning, Jack reached over and took Lorie's hand. ”She's lucky to have a friend who cares so much about her.”
”I'm the lucky one. When I came back to Dunmore nine years ago, with my tail tucked between my legs, it didn't take me long to realize I was the town pariah. Even my own parents wouldn't give me the time of day. But Cathy reached out to me. She went against everyone, including her husband, to offer me her friends.h.i.+p. She was the only person in town who was willing to give me a second chance.”
”What sort of man was Mark Cantrell?” Jack released Lorie's hand.
”He was basically a good man, considering the fact he was a preacher. And you should know that my opinion of clergymen in general is that half of them are sanctimonious hypocrites. Mark wasn't.”
Frowning, Jack nodded.
”Not what you wanted to hear, huh?” Lorie said.
”Actually, I'm glad he was a good man. Cathy deserved somebody a lot better than me. I was pretty messed up back then.” He let out a chest-deep chuckle. ”h.e.l.l, I'm still messed up, but getting a little better every day.”
”Mark was eight years older than Cathy and a lot more settled than guys her age. He'd been married before and lost his first wife. He was ready to get married again and to start a family. And that's what Cathy wanted.”
”So she had a good life. She was happy.”
Lorie grabbed Jack's hand and squeezed. ”Yes, she had a good life. She was content. But...” She released his hand and leaned back away from him. ”d.a.m.n, I shouldn't say this.” She paused for a moment. ”Cathy never forgot you.”
Lorie's words. .h.i.t him like a sledgehammer in the gut, knocking the air out of him. He sat there stunned and speechless for several seconds. But before he could react further, he felt a hand clamp down over his shoulder.
”Afternoon, Deputy,” Mike Birkett said. ”Is the blackberry cobbler good today?”
Jack scooted back his chair, stood and shook hands with his boss.
”Mama, you remember Jackson Perdue, don't you?” Mike said to the plump, silver-haired woman standing to his right.
”Sure do. How are you, Jack?” Nell Birkett smiled at him, and then she glanced past him at Lorie. Her smile vanished.
”h.e.l.lo, Mrs. Birkett,” Lorie said.