Page 7 of Soaring Sweethearts

Deciding to ignore Jack, she tightened her hold on Doug’s arm. Doug swallowed hard as she led him out to the small park where the Easter egg hunt would be held. Well, she’s succeeded in unsettling him. That was something.

As she hid the brightly colored eggs under picnic tables and bushes, she frequently looked back over her shoulder to make sure Doug was watching her. He was—with rapt attention. She slid her arm into his, and much to her satisfaction, goosebumps appeared on his wrist. It was working. Who knew such simple things could produce such a result?

As they stood to the side watching the children hunt, she snuggled even closer. Doug turned bright red.

“I feel a bit of a chill. Do you feel it too?” she said, despite the unseasonable warmth of the day.

“Here. Take my coat,” Doug said, removing his suit jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders. “Can’t have you catching cold. It may be warm out today, but it’s still April.”

Their eyes met, and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Jack’s advice wasn’t only working on Doug, it was working on her too. There was a warmth in Doug’s eyes that made her feel all fizzy. It was nothing like the sharp ache that she used to feel when she looked at Jack, but that was probably for the best. A tame and sedate love was what she needed.

As she threaded her arm back through Doug’s, she noticed Jack was still looking at her. There was an intensity to his gaze that hit her with an electric jolt. She looked away quickly. What was that all about? Was Jack angry with her for some reason?

“I’m so glad the weather cooperated this year,” she said, squeezing Doug’s arm ever so slightly. “Last year was such a disaster.”

Doug smiled at her. “As I recall, you saved the day, moving everything to the great hall at the church and decorating it in under an hour. And I’m not likely to forget the sight of you in bunny ears any time soon.”

Oh no. He remembered the bunny ears. How embarrassing. “And here I’d hoped everyone had forgotten my stint as the Easter Bunny.”

“Never. You were the prettiest Easter Bunny I’ve ever seen.”

“Yes, she was, wasn’t she?” When did Jack sneak up behind them? “How are you doing, Doug? It’s been a while.”

Jack reached out a hand, and Doug shook it. Constance was forced to let go of Doug’s arm.

“It has,” Doug answered, turning to Jack with a puzzled but polite smile. “I guess your flight schedule must keep you away a lot.”

“Unfortunately, yes. The Postal Service keeps me busy. But they’ve changed up my schedule so that I’m home on weekends now, so I should be around a lot more. You and I should get together sometime.”

Oh good! Jack was taking her advice about talking to Doug about investing. “That’s a fine idea! I’m sure you two would have lots of things to talk about.”

“I’d like that,” said Doug, looking back and forth between the two of them, a slight furrow in his brow. “Do you like to golf?”

“Can’t say I’ve had much experience with the game. Do you like to play chess?” Jack straightened and puffed out his chest, his smile full of challenge.

Doug narrowed his eyes, with an equally menacing grin, and stepped close to her, reaching for her hand. “I’m more of a checkers man myself.”

Jack stared at their joined hands, smile falling. “Well, I’m sure we’ll figure out something.”

What was going on with these two? They were preening like peacocks and kept glancing at her during this seemingly innocuous conversation. If this was Jack trying to get into Doug’s good graces, it certainly wasn’t working.

“How are your parents?” Constance asked Jack, hoping to end whatever this strange tension was between him and Doug.

“They’re loving life in Florida. The beaches, the palm trees, the warm weather… They only planned to winter there originally, but they’re showing no sign of coming back. Two years it’s been.”

“I can’t imagine what it must be like to have that big old house all to yourself,” Constance said. She loved her family, but living with five other people could be nerve-racking at times. No, make that four. She still hadn’t gotten used to Ernie being gone.

“I won’t lie. It feels a bit too quiet sometimes. Why do you think I like coming over to your place so much?”

When Ernie moved out, Constance thought Jack would stop dropping by for dinner. But Ernie had been married and out of the house three months now, and Jack’s visits were as frequent as ever.

“Mother hates the winters here, but she refuses to consider a move, though I think Father might consider it,” Doug chimed in. “If your parents come to town, they should talk to mine. I think they’d like it down there. Half their friends have already made the move.”

“If they come for a visit, I’ll make sure they invite them over for dinner. They’ll have your parents packing their bags in no time.” Jack clapped Doug a little too hard on the shoulder.

“Not that I’m trying to get rid of them.”

“Of course not. It’s for their health.”