Page 42 of Justice for Aleta

“I hope thereisa next time,” Jack said, and he meant it. Anything could happen.

The look on Amos’s face was one of pure defeat. “Me too,” he said, and Jack thought he’d heard wrong. His big brother was acknowledging their bond.Boy, this must be worse than I thought, Jack told himself. “I’ll see you Sunday unless you need something between now and then.”

“Got it. Thanks, bro. You’re good people.” Jack was still chuckling when Amos closed the door.

“Did you get anything interesting?” Aleta asked when she wandered into the kitchen where Jack was putting things away.

“No. Well, maybe. Just this.” He held up a chocolate bar and grinned. “Know anybody who’d like to have this?”

“Maaaybeeeeeee…” She reached for it, but he held it higher. “Give it to me!” she whined.

Jack gave her a wicked grin. “It’ll cost you a kiss.”

“Oh, I’ve got plenty of those.” Aleta slid her arms around him and stood on her tiptoes to reach his lips. As he kissed her, he brought his arm down and slipped the chocolate bar down the front of her top and into her bra. Laughing, she broke the kiss and leaned back to grin up into his face. “Good boy!”

“I got it for you anyway.” He gave her forehead a peck before he turned her loose and went back to putting things away. As he did, he hid a few things. Yeah, he had something up his sleeve, and he wasn’t about to give himself away.

The next afternoon, he called a member of the security detail to the door. “Could you maybe take her somewhere? I don’t care where, just somewhere other than here?”

The SRT member shrugged. “Sure.”

“Ask her where she’d like to go and take her. Just make sure she’s safe, and give me about two hours.”

“Roger that,” the officer said.

Forty-five minutes later, Aleta was on her way to a boutique on the edge of town that she’d seen a dozen times but never stopped in to look around. Amos was waiting to come over, and as soon as he’d made his delivery, Jack got to work.

The SRT officer sent him a text to let him know they were on their way back, and Jack put the finishing touches on everything. He cut the lights, lit a bunch of candles, and waited. When the car pulled up in the drive, he waited until he heard the doors close and stood with his hand on the doorknob at the front door. A voice said, “As soon as you’re inside, I’ll go back to my post, ma’am.”

“Thank you, sir. That was fun! I appreciate you taking me.”

“You’re welcome, ma’am. Have a nice evening.”

“You too.” As Aleta’s voice quieted, Jack felt the doorknob turn slightly, so he turned it himself and pulled it open. “Jack!”

“Hi.”

She stood there just outside the door, a puzzled look on her face. “Is something up?”

“Yeah. Come on in.” When he stepped back and swept his arm inward, he watched with a smile as Aleta’s face lit up.

“What’s going on? Oh my goodness, what’s that smell?”

“Come on. I made dinner for you.” Taking her hand, Jack led her toward the dining room. The table was lit with pillar candles, around which were rose garlands, and rose petals were strewn here and there on the table. “Have a seat, beautiful. I’ll be right back.” He was so excited he could barely stand it. Oh, she was going to be so happy!

Their first course was a beautiful endive salad with diced ham, diced boiled eggs, bacon bits, shredded mozzarella, tomatoes, and the freshest greens Amos could find. Jack had to hand it to his brother?when he’d let Amos in on the surprise, the older Fletcher had gone all out to get the right things. “Here you go, miss. Enjoy,” Jack said as he set the salad down.

“This is beautiful! But what’s that smell?” she asked again, sniffing the air.

“Finish your salad and you’ll find out.” Jack sat down in the seat adjacent to Aleta’s and they both tied into their salads. He had to admit, the fresh greens were crisp and delicious. As soon as they were finished, he cleared the plates and headed into the kitchen.

“Here you go. I hope you enjoy it.” In front of Aleta sat a plate fit for a queen. A Cornish hen rested there, its little body cavity spewing out a fragrant sage dressing. The Brussels sprouts he’d sautéed were tender and buttery, and the cauliflower was golden and sweet with its spicy seasoning. As soon as he sat down to his plate, he turned to Aleta, and he hoped his face told her how excited he was to be able to do something like that for her. “Well? Do you like it?”

“Oh, gosh, Jack, it’s beautiful! I can’t believe you did all this!”

He reached for her hand and kissed the back of it. “Just for you.”

“But why? What on earth possessed you to do this?”

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