A Pinch of Salt

  Some of the guys snorted at that, although, looking around the room, I realized the class was at least seventy-five percent girls. Which could be because of the subject matter, and not the handsome teacher at the head of the class.

  I giggled at the thought, imagining how much I would have mooned over a teacher like Jackson Heeler as a young girl. Shoot, he made me swoon now, I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like if I had raging hormones.

  I looked back at Jackson, his dimples showing as his passion for his work shone through, and I knew that I’d officially fallen in the deep end.

  Jackson was everything I’d ever wanted in a man, and more. He was the nuts on a sundae, the whipped cream on pecan pie, the salt on the salted caramel cupcake.

  Jackson was the ingredient that turned a normal dish into something extraordinary, and I am in love with him.

  The bell rang in the middle of my epiphany, startling me and causing my heart to jump.

  I moved out of the way as kids starting barreling out of Jackson’s classroom, and when the coast was clear, I slipped inside.

  His back was to me as he organized something on his desk, so I cleared my throat and smiled as he turned.

  Jackson’s face lit with pleasure when he saw me.

  “Hey, this is a nice surprise,” he said as he met me in the middle of the room.

  “Good,” I said shyly, suddenly feeling just like one of those teenaged girls I’d just passed. “I wanted to check in on you and bring you this.”

  I lifted the bag containing his cake, then put my arms around him and added, “And, this.”

  “This is nice,” Jackson murmured, hugging me back. He gave really good hugs, and I found I’d happily stand like this forever.

  Of course, maybe that’s my lovesick heart talking.

  “What’s in the bag?” Jackson asked when he reluctantly pulled back.

  “Pineapple upside down cake. I have it on good authority that it’s your favorite.”

  “It is,” he said, his eyes lighting up. Then he looked at me mischievously and asked, “I don’t have to share, do I?”

  I laughed. “Not if you don’t want to.”

  I swayed toward him and tilted my head back, and Jackson answered my request by giving me a soft, sweet kiss.

  “I know you have class, and I have to get back to work, but I needed to check in on you,” I admitted softly.

  “I’m glad you did,” Jackson assured me as he brushed a wayward hair off my cheek. “Seeing you always makes me happy.”

  “Good,” I said with a grin, then started walking backwards toward the door. “I’ll let you get back to it.”

  Jackson nodded, and I floated out the door and down the halls of the school.

  Jackson

  IT HAD BEEN A ROUGH week.

  Dealing with Julie’s complete lack of desire to be a mom, and Kayla’s reaction to it, along with a packed work schedule and the normal, everyday issues that never failed to pop up, I was exhausted.

  Of course, being a single dad meant I couldn’t give in to that exhaustion. Instead, it was Friday night and I was catching up on laundry, cleaning the floors, and putting away the dishes I’d been neglecting in the dishwasher.

  To make matters worse, Kayla had gotten in trouble at school that day, and was currently sitting on her bed “thinking about what she did wrong.”

  My phone rang just as I opened the dishwasher, and I thanked whoever was calling for the distraction. Seeing it was my mother-in-law, I leaned against the counter and pressed answer, then greeted, “Hey, Ruth.”

  “Jackson, she called,” Ruth said breathlessly, not even bothering to say hello.

  I’d told her about finding Julie and what went down when I met with her, and although I could tell she was disappointed, I also knew that no matter what, Julie was her child, and she’d been anxious for any news about her, even if it wasn’t what she’d hoped.

  “That’s great, Ruth, I’d hoped she would,” I replied honestly.

  “I’m going to see her next week, in Hampton.”

  “That’s great, I’m happy for you. I know how much you’ve missed her.” Everything I said was true, still, I couldn’t help but feel bitter about the fact that Julie apparently had room for her parents in her new life, but not her daughter.

  Refusing to dwell on it, I focused on what Ruth was saying.

  “I tried to talk to her about Kayla, but she shut down, so I stopped. I’ll try again when I see her,” Ruth promised, and my heart ached for the older woman.

  “Ruth, don’t worry about it. I already spoke with Julie, and told her what needs to happen if she ever wants to be in Kayla’s life. Just go and spend time with your daughter, without worrying about us.”

  “I don’t know if I can do that, Jackson,” she replied, and of course she couldn’t. Ruth was a good woman. A great one, in fact.

  “I know, I just mean, don’t let it ruin your reunion. Get to know her again and maybe you can bring it up at a later date.”

  “All right, Jackson. And, thanks again for finding her, and for telling her to call us.”

  I heard Ruth begin to sob on the other end.

  “No problem, Ruth.”

  “I love you, Jackson, and I’m so sorry for my daughter’s actions.”

  “I love you too, Ruth, and like I’ve told you a million times, let Julie take ownership of her actions. You’re an amazing grandmother. Have a good night.”

  “Good night,” she responded softly, and I disconnected the phone.

  I stared at my phone for a minute, before putting it down and opening the dishwasher, then closing it again and picking my phone back up.

  How’s your night? You done cooking for the baby shower?

  Just texting Millie put a smile on my face and made me feel better. The woman really was good for me.

  I put the phone back down and finally put off emptying the dishwasher. When I was done with the top rack, my phone dinged.

  Yes, baby shower . . . check. Now I’m baking for tomorrow’s Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary. You should see the pictures their kids sent me. #inspiring.

  I grinned at her use of the hashtag.

  You have time for a break at dinner?

  I’d just put the last fork away and closed the dishwasher when she replied.

  What are you bringing me?

  My heart leapt at the thought of seeing her tonight, when I hadn’t expected to.

  Chinese or Sandwiches, your choice.

  I wiped down the counters while I waited, snatching up my phone quickly when it chimed.

  Chinese. Beef and Broccoli, please, with an egg roll.

  You’ve got it, we’ll be there soon.

  Shoving my phone in my back pocket, I went to Kayla’s room and knocked on her door once before opening it.

  “Get your shoes and jacket, we’re going to grab some dinner.”

  Kayla’s face cleared, probably at the thought of being able to go out to eat, when she was supposed to be in trouble.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, practically leaping off the bed.

  “To pick up Chinese, then take it to Millie’s work to have dinner with her.”

  Kayla landed with a thud and her face fell.

  “Oh . . .”

  “Yeah, oh, and you’re going to be on your best behavior. None of this bratty, tantrum stuff you’ve been doing whenever Millie is around. You’re a sweet, funny, kind girl, and I’d really appreciate it if you showed that side of you to my girlfriend.”

  The thundercloud on Kayla’s face made me realize what I’d just said, and I groaned silently.

  “Girlfriend?” she spat.

  “That right there, that’s exactly how I don’t want you to act. Yes, she’s my girlfriend,” at least, I hoped she was . . . We hadn’t ever really talked about it. “And I really like her. I think she likes me too, and I know she’d love you, if you’d just give her a chance.”

  When Kayla didn’t respond, I lowered into a cro
uch and looked my daughter in the eyes.

  “Can you please make an effort, K? For me?”

  When she sighed and shrugged, I figured beggars couldn’t be choosers, and took it.

  Millie

  HE’D SAID WE’LL BE THERE soon, and I doubted he meant Rob or Ty, or even Jericho, although I would have been less nervous with any of them . . . yes, even Jericho . . . than I was about his nine-year-old daughter who obviously hated me.

  “It’ll be fine, Millie,” I assured myself out loud as I worked on the flowers for the various cakes that would be served at the anniversary party. Not fifty of them, thank goodness, although that would be cool, but each table would have their own cake centerpiece that would be a miniature version of the actual anniversary cake.

  That meant I had a lot of flowers to make. Calla Lilies, which were the flowers she’d had in her wedding bouquet.

  Still, when Jackson had offered to bring food, I’d jumped at the chance to see him.

  “Talking to yourself again?” Dru asked as she walked in, her trusty clipboard in hand.

  “Of course,” I replied with a smile, then gave my sister a onceover and whistled. “Wow, you look great.”

  “I thought the baby blue would be a good fit for the baby shower,” Dru said, leaning up against the counter, her gaze on my hands as I worked on the flowers. “Plus, I wanted to show off the birthday shoes you and Tasha got me.”

  I glanced at her shoes briefly. “Sexy.”

  “I know, I love them,” Dru gushed, then turned serious and asked, “Everything on track?”

  I nodded and replied, “Claire and I loaded up, along with Enrique and Stacey, and the three of them took off to set up. Claire will come back after to see if I’m still working on the cakes, and the others will go home after breakdown.”

  “Perfect. I’m so excited about tomorrow. I heard that Mr. and Mrs. Stonopolis have written their own vows to renew and are going to be dressed to the nines. They are so sweet, and I can’t wait to make their special day go off without a hitch. You should totally be on site for this one, Mills.”

  “I was thinking about it,” I told her, a small smile playing on my lips. “You know I’m a sucker for a good love story.”

  “That’s because you’re in the middle of one,” Dru joked, just as the bell chimed outside.

  “You didn’t lock up?” Dru asked with a frown, since the front was closed.

  “Yeah. I just unlocked it for Jackson and Kayla; they’re bringing me dinner.”

  Dru waggled her eyes at that, to which I had to reply, “Shut up,” which was my sisterly duty.

  “Hey,” Jackson called.

  “We’re back here,” I replied, taking a moment to flex my stiff hand.

  “Hi, oh, hey, Dru,” Jackson greeted as he walked in carrying a bag of food, his daughter trailing behind him wearing the sullen look I was beginning to think never faded.

  “Hi, Jackson,” Dru replied, setting down her clipboard and crossing to give him a side hug, then she looked down at Kayla and said, “And, you must be Kayla. I’m Dru, the cool twin.”

  Kayla looked momentarily surprised, heck, I think she almost even smiled, before saying, “I didn’t know Millie had a twin. You guys look a lot alike.”

  “People have always said that, although we are fraternal, and I’m the pretty one . . .”

  “Jerk,” I said with a laugh.

  Dru turned her head and winked at me.

  “Actually, we have another sister, too. Tasha; she’s the baby. We all work here together.”

  “Oh,” Kayla responded, then closed her mouth swiftly and looked around the kitchen without saying another word.

  “Are you hungry, Dru? We have plenty,” Jackson offered, but Dru shook her head.

  “Better not. I’ve got to head out, but you guys enjoy. Don’t work too late, Mills,” my sister ordered, then swept out of the room.

  “I can take a break now,” I said, rubbing my palm absently. “Want to eat at one of the tables out front?”

  “Sure, come on, Kayla,” Jackson replied, guiding Kayla back out the door they’d just entered, while I went to wash up and put a few things in the refrigerator.

  When I was done, I found that he’d already set up the paper plates and had the cartons open and ready.

  “I didn’t know if you like anything else, so I got a few different items, but there’s your Beef and Broccoli and the eggrolls. I also got some sauces and both forks and chopsticks.” As he spoke, Jackson took the items out of the bag in his lap.

  I grabbed the chopsticks and said, “Thanks, I really appreciate this. I hate to admit it, but I often get so caught up that I forget to eat.”

  “We’re happy to feed you anytime, right, Kayla?” Jackson asked his daughter, trying to make her a part of the conversation, but all she did was shrug and keep her eyes on her plate.

  Before I could think of something else to fill the silence, Jackson’s phone rang. He looked down, frowned, then looked up at me and mouthed, “Lawyer,” then stood up and walked back into the kitchen for some privacy.

  “So, how was school this week?” I asked Kayla, painfully aware of how awkward things were with Jackson gone.

  Shoot, they’re awkward when he is in the room . . .

  “Millie?”

  I looked up to see Jackson standing in the doorway, motioning for me to come over.

  I placed my chopsticks down and rose, then followed him out of the store.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked when we were far enough that Kayla couldn’t hear, assuming that if he wanted her to, he would have spoken to me at the table.

  “That was my lawyer,” he began, distracted as he fidgeted with his glasses. “He said that Julie is at his office right now and he wants me to come down.”

  “Why’s she there?” I asked, my stomach dropping as a million different reasons crossed my mind.

  “I don’t know, he didn’t want to go into it over the phone, just said I should get down there. He did say it’s nothing major, so I’m assuming that means she’s not contesting, still . . . I need to get down there and see what’s up. I want to get this over and behind us so we can move forward.”

  “Of course, is there anything I can do?”

  “Can K stay here with you?” he asked, and I was sure my worry shone through when he amended, “It’ll only be for a little while, my lawyers’ office is only like five minutes from here. I can’t take her there and risk them bumping into each other, she can’t handle that right now, and it would take too long to drive her to one of her grandparents. I won’t be long, I promise.”

  “Yes, I’m happy to help,” I said, but I couldn’t help wondering how Kayla was going to react to this turn of events.

  Jackson

  I PARKED OUTSIDE THE LAWYER’s office and walked slowly in, giving myself time to try and calm down. To breath.

  Mr. Hurley had said it wasn’t bad, but the worry that had formed on my drive over was that Julie was going after Kayla. I remembered what she’d said just a few days ago, and I knew my lawyer would categorize such a thing in the bad category, but still, that’s where my mind had wandered and stayed for the duration of my trip.

  Now I was close to hyperventilating, I was so sure that Julie was about to try and take my baby away from me.

  No way am I letting that happen, I promised myself as I opened the door and went into the waiting room. I turned my phone to silent, then crossed to the receptionist to let her know who I was and why I was there, then went to sit down. Before my butt could hit the chair though, my lawyer stepped out, and I knew he must have been waiting for me.

  “Jackson,” he called, giving me a welcoming smile, which eased my worry a tiny bit.

  He wouldn’t be smiling if my world was about to fall down around me, right?

  We walked back into the hall, pausing outside the door to his conference room, and Mr. Hurley turned to me.

  “Like I said on the phone, Julie showed up here asking to
speak with me. She didn’t have an appointment, so she waited about five hours until I could fit her in. My secretary didn’t make the connection between you and Julie, since she has a different last name, and thought she was just a random walk-in, or I would have called you sooner.”

  I nodded that I understood, although I couldn’t quite find my words yet. My throat was too dry, my heart beating too fast.

  “Anyway, after speaking with Ms. Baker, I thought it would be best to call you in and try to handle this without paperwork, since yours is already being processed. No need to halt progress if it’s not needed, right?”

  I nodded again, tried for a smile, which felt more like a grimace, then followed him through the door when he opened it.

  Julie was sitting at the end of the conference table, dressed somewhat demurely in a low-cut dress, at least, more demurely than last time I’d seen her. Her blonde hair was blown out and curled, and she wore light makeup. All in all, she looked quite pretty, although still completely opposite from the way she used to look.

  It was almost hard for me to reconcile that she was the same woman.

  I wanted to shout, to ask angrily, what is going on? Instead, I held my tongue, took the seat farthest from her, and waited with forced patience.

  “First of all, I want to assure you that no changes to the divorce paperwork is necessary, rather this is just a meeting, in which I will mediate. It’s a little out of norm, but as long as we get this done quickly and amicably, I have no problem with it. One of the nice things about owning your own law firm, is answering to no one but yourself; still, I wouldn’t want this to become a habit,” Mr. Hurley began, pausing so that each of us could process his words.