Page 50 of Kissing the Debutant
“Kay,” Katrina said. “Give them a hug for me.”
“I’ll make up my time tomorrow,” he promised.
“I know you’re good for it, Jack. See you later.”
“Ready?” Lillian waited by the front desk. “I hope I’m dressed okay for dinner.” She glanced down at her jeans and pink sweater with expensive looking boots.
“You look beautiful, but you might be a bit overdressed for a Butler dinner affair. Next time stick with the workout clothes.” He winked, taking her hand and leading her out to his crappy old Jeep. Thoughts of what Lillian would think of him once she’d seen his car and where he lived plagued him. Would the academy girl have second thoughts about hanging out with the townie?
* * *
They drove in near silence to Jack’s house across the river. It wasn’t a fancy house, but it was clean and well loved. “Wait here.” He parked in the driveway. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay,” Lillian said uncertainly.
Jogging across the street, he approached Mrs. Patterson’s front door where she already had the terrible two waiting for him.
“I hope they weren’t awful for you today, Mrs. Patterson.”
“Oh, course not, Jacky. They were on their best behavior.” The old lady smiled. She was a godsend to the Butlers, waiting at the curb every day for his brother and sister to get off the school bus. She watched them for a few hours so he and his mom could work in the afternoons. She’d done the same for him when he was a kid.
“Say thank you,” Jack reminded Alexis and Wyatt as he took them by the hands.
“Thank you, Mrs. Patterson,” they chorused.
“Who’s that, Jacky?” Alexis shouted, pointing at Lillian who was leaning against his Jeep.
Jack guided his brother and sister across the street. “This is my pretty friend, Lillian.” Jack introduced them to her. “Lil, this is the terrible two. Alexis is five and Wyatt is seven. Don’t take your eyes off them, they’re sneaky, and they like to take things that don’t belong to them.”
“Jacky.” Alexis rolled her eyes. “That’s not nice, don’t listen to him.” She took Lillian’s hand. “I love your boots, they’re so pretty!”
Lillian leaned down, a startled smile on her face. “Well, I like your dress. Pink is my favorite color.”
“Mine, too.”
“Are you a dancer?” Wyatt dropped Jack’s hand and took Lillian’s free hand. “Do you dance where Jacky works?” The kids led Lillian into the house, forgetting all about him.
“Hey, now, she’smydate, Wy. Don’t get any ideas.” Jack followed behind, happy to see his siblings liked her as much as he did.
“I don’t know,Jacky,” Lillian said as they walked into the living room. “Wyatt is pretty handsome. You might have some competition.”
Jack grinned as his brother turned three shades of scarlet.
“Is Daddy still coming home?” Alexis asked.
“Yes he is, and he can’t wait to see you.” Jack ruffled her brown curls.
“Can we make cookies for Daddy?” Wyatt asked, racing into the kitchen.
“Yeah, his favorite jam cookies!” Alexis squealed in excitement, following her brother who was rooting around in the refrigerator for ingredients.
“All right, soldiers.” Jack stood with his hands on his hips, barking at them like a drill sergeant. “Line up.”
Wyatt slammed the refrigerator door, and they both dropped their backpacks, standing ramrod straight in front of him. “Your new task is to go change out of your school clothes, wash your hands, and then come tell me about your homework. Andthenwemightmake Dad some cookies if you’re really good. One. Two. Three. Go!” He sent them racing off to their room.
Lillian laughed as the two scrambled down the hallway, each trying to beat the other to their tasks. “They are so adorable.” She stepped toward him, bumping her shoulder against his. “You never told me much about them.”
“They’re a handful.” Jack draped his arm around her waist. He hadn’tnottold her about them on purpose, but his time with her was a rare and precious thing. He wanted to know everything about her and hadn’t shared much about his family. To him, it was just everyday life stuff that would probably bore her to tears. “But I do what I can to help out when Mom’s at work and Dad’s on the road. He’s a truck driver, so he’s away a lot.” A twinge of embarrassment shot through him—something he’d never experienced before. He admired and respected his hardworking parents, and he hoped Lillian would too.
