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“I think I like to hear Jack coming from you. Make sure to call me Jackson around my mother, though, won’t you?”

  “If I can remember,” she said with a wink. He cut into his steak, and she watched the bright-red blood ooze out of it onto his plate. “Are you sure the mooing has stopped?”

  “Doesn’t really matter to me if it has or not. I’d take my knife and fork out into the field and just carve off a chunk.”

  She shuddered. “I hate rare meat. I might have to have you sit at another table.”

  “You’re missing all the flavors by eating it that way!” he protested.

  “Then I don’t need flavors in my life. I will be perfectly content with a flavorless life.” She cut into her own steak and took a bite. “Cooked to perfection. Just a thin line of pink right down the middle.”

  “You’re ruining it!”

  “I think I’m going to like having lively discussions with you. What do you want to argue about next?”

  He laughed. “Hopefully, we’ll eventually find something to agree on.”

  “We’d better not bring up politics or religion for a while. I don’t want to have to kill you in your sleep.” She hated discussing politics. She’d gotten to the point where she unfollowed anyone who posted about them on social media, because no matter what side they were on, they tended to be ridiculous.

  “Isn’t that what your mother thinks I’m doing to you?”

  “Ack! I forgot to call my mother.” Sydney’s gaze met his. “I’ve got to call her. She’s probably sitting beside the phone contemplating calling the FBI. I have no desire to have to deal with them.”

  He shook his head. “Does your mother have the number for the FBI?”

  “Of course not. But she’ll keep looking until she finds it.” She tapped her mother’s contact on her phone. “Sorry, I forgot to call sooner, Mom. I’m married.” She waited for the explosion from the other end of the line.

  “You’re not dead yet?” her mother’s voice was filled with fear.

  “I promise I’m not a zombie or a ghost, Mom. How are things there?” Sydney tried to keep her voice casual.

  “Your father’s had heart palpitations all day worrying about you.”

  “Are you sure? Did you take him to the hospital?” Sydney knew her father’s heart palpitations were in her mother’s mind.

  “You know I don’t leave the house. I thought about calling an ambulance, but he kept telling me he was fine. I hope he doesn’t die in his sleep tonight.”

  “I think he’s going to be fine, Mom.” Sydney saw that Jackson was watching her closely, and she knew she’d have some explaining to do after her call. How could she possibly explain her mother?

  “Well, make sure you call me in the morning. I want to make sure you’re alive, and you’ll need to know whether your father died during the night.”

  “I’ll call you, Mom,” Sydney said dutifully. She had always pandered to her mother’s wishes when it came to calling.

  “You’d better.”

  As Sydney ended the call, she shook her head. “My mother is certain my father is going to die of heart palpitations tonight, because he was so worried about us.”

  “Oh? Is there any truth to that?”

  She sighed sadly. “No, my father’s heart troubles are all in my mother’s mind. I’m afraid her anxiety is much worse than his heart troubles could ever be.”

  “I’m sorry to hear it.” He reached out and covered her hand with his. “My mother’s not crazy per se, but she’s a pain. She complains about everything I do. Every time I mention something I’m doing, she tells me how much better it would be if I were doing it in Texas. Texas is not the center of the universe, even though it is the center of hers.”

  “Let’s never get our mothers in the same room. I might have to kill them both.”

  After their meal, she suggested a drive out to the park, so he could at least get an idea of what it was like. “We won’t get out of the car, but it’s a beautiful place to have in your backyard. Do you do any of your own photography?”

  “I have the ability, but I don’t usually. People want such specific things on their book covers. I will send an author a cover and hear back that I need to darken his hair to a medium brown from a light brown, and the eye color should be more emerald than moss green. It makes me crazy. They should all let me design the cover and then describe their heroes and heroines from that.”

  “Why don’t they?”

  He shrugged. “Who knows? Some of them just need to be godlike, I think. Some are just picky. Some are too scattered and disorganized to think of doing something like that.”

  “You should tell them all how to do things the right way.”

  Jackson laughed. “My way being the right way of course.”

  “Of course.” She waved to the woman who was at the gate to the park and pulled through.

  “They know you?” he asked.

  “The park isn’t quite small enough that we all know each other. She knows my sticker.” She pointed at the sticker on her windshield.

  “I see.” He was surprised at how pretty the place really was, looking everywhere at once. “I expected it to be boring. Deserty.”

  “Well, it is a desert, but it’s anything but boring. I always thought I wanted to work at Yellowstone, but now that I’m here, I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

  “It is a beautiful place. We’ll have to visit Yellowstone together one day.”

  “Oh, you’d love it. When we win the lottery and buy that RV, it will be our first destination!”

  “I was thinking our first destination should be Scotland.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Why go so far when there’s untapped beauty right here on our own continent?”

  They learned a lot about each other as they drove through the park. Finally, she turned. “I need to get back. I’m going to fall asleep at the wheel.”

  “Do you need me to drive?”

  “I think you’re more tired than I am.” She wasn’t looking forward to the awkwardness of sharing a bed when there would be no intimacy between them, but that was all right. As long as they made it through this first couple of weeks, she was sure they’d be fine.

  When they reached her apartment, she sat in the truck for just a moment. “I’m not sure I want to walk all the way up the stairs.”

  He grinned. “It’s a third-floor apartment.”

  “It is. I love living on the third floor. I like the extra exercise I can’t help but get because I’m on the third and not the first.”

  He nodded. “That makes sense. Except now. Now it doesn’t make sense, because I don’t want to climb all those stairs.”

  “We’ll do it together. I think we could climb mountains if we did it together.” Already she knew that Dr. Lachele had done as well for her as she had for her friends. They would have some things to work through, of course, because they were strangers marrying. But once he could see her instead of his fiancée, it would be better.

  He nodded. “As long as we both have someone to lean on.” He couldn’t believe how quickly he was comfortable with this woman. It had taken so much longer with Paisley, but then he hadn’t gone into the relationship with the other girl knowing he would spend the rest of his life with her. This was…different.

  Once they were both upstairs, she told him to use the bathroom, and she’d change in her bedroom again. She put away the pretty little negligee she’d purchased for her wedding night and instead put on her old Mickey Mouse jammies. She would wear the pretty nightgown on the night they actually consummated.

  When he came into the room, he was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. “I don’t exactly own pajamas,” he said rubbing the back of his neck in a gesture she had learned meant he was embarrassed.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Sydney disappeared into the bathroom to brush her teeth and get rid of the last of the makeup Alexis had slathered all over her face. When she got back to the bedroom, Jackson was standing beside the be
d.

  “I didn’t know if you had a side preference.”

  “Don’t care at all. You?”

  “I’d rather sleep closer to the door,” he said. “It’ll make me feel manly, like I’m protecting you.”

  “You protect me then. I’ll just sleep on the other side.” She winked at him before walking to her side of the bed and getting under the covers. “It’s going to be strange sleeping with someone. I haven’t even slept in the same room with anyone else since college.”

  “Well, we’ll both have a lot to get used to then, won’t we? I lived at home through college, and as an only child, I’ve never shared a room.”

  “Sounds like it will be new for both of us.” Once they were both settled, she lay on her side, facing him. “Tell me something about you.”

  “Like what?”

  “Something most people don’t know. Something that interests you. Something you aspire to. What do you want to be when you grow up?”

  He laughed. “I’m already what I want to be when I grow up, but I would love to get better at photography. It’s something I’ve always loved, but graphic design meant I could make some real money. Photography was just a hobby. Now I want to work on that hobby and combine it more with the money-maker.”

  “I think that’s a great idea.” She smiled. “If you need help, you just let me know.”

  “Well, I sure wouldn’t mind having a beautiful blonde model to work with all the time.”

  “Works for me.” She snuggled into her pillow, her eyes already drifting closed. It had been a long couple of weeks since she’d gotten the news that she was marrying.

  “Tell me something about you that no one else knows,” he whispered.

  “I think I’m going to like being married.”

  He smiled, leaning over and kissing her softly. It still felt strange kissing someone other than Paisley, but he could get used to it. “G’night, wife.”

  “G’night, Jack.”

  They both slept late into the morning the following day. When she woke up, she saw him propped on his pillow, looking at his phone. “What time is it?” Sydney asked.

  Jackson glanced at her. “It’s after ten.”

  “I guess we’re not going to church this morning,” she said softly.

  “Were you planning to?”

  “I usually do on Sunday mornings. You?”

  “I did in Texas, and I think I would have continued in New York if Paisley hadn’t died. I had a crisis of faith.”

  Sydney nodded. “I can understand that.” She liked that he told her a little more about Paisley all the time. It helped her to understand him better.

  “Breakfast?”

  “As long as I don’t have to make it,” she answered. She didn’t mind cooking, but she was still so tired.

  “Are you ever going to cook?”

  “Sure. But probably not this weekend. Maybe not this week at all. We have to get you unpacked and settled. How am I supposed to have the energy to cook too?”

  “You’re not.” He laughed, shaking his head. “I’m happy to go out. Or I guess I could cook if you like toast.”

  “Is that really all you can cook?”

  “Well, I make amazing empanadas, and I can burn toast. What else do you need?”

  She frowned. “How can you make something complicated like empanadas and nothing else?”

  He shrugged. “It’s just a skill, I guess.”

  “Let’s get dressed and eat. There’s this little diner on the edge of town. The food is fabulous as long as you don’t look around you at the people there.”

  “Ooo…sounds like a Waffle House.”

  “Yes, just like a Waffle House!” She sighed. “I grew up in Scranton, and we used to go to Waffle House in Clarks Summit. I loved it. I missed it until I moved here and tried Debbie’s Diner. Now I go there.”

  “How are the tacos around here?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “Not great. They work, I guess.”

  “Maybe I need to learn to make tacos too. I could add it to my repertoire.”

  “That would be great. I had a friend when I first started working for the park who would make tacos for me, but then she moved away, and now I’m stuck eating inferior tacos. If I hadn’t known her, I wouldn’t know the other tacos were inferior, but then I also wouldn’t feel as loved.”

  “I can see that.” He got up and grabbed some clothes, heading for the bathroom. “Get dressed, and we’ll eat.”

  She scrambled out of bed and pulled on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. She knew she should probably be dressing to impress her new husband, but why? He was going to know the real her soon enough anyway.

  “Do you want me to drive?” he asked. “I need to learn my way around.”

  She nodded, walking to his car. There was nothing wrong with it, but…well, it just wasn’t her truck. She got in and gave him directions. It wasn’t long before they’d come in a complete circle. “Why can’t you follow simple directions?” she asked.

  “Why can’t you give simple directions?” He looked frustrated. “Get me an address and I’ll GPS it. No more directions from you.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him, but got the address. “There, you happy now?”

  “Not particularly. I’m hungry, and I’ve been driving in circles.”

  “Because you didn’t follow my directions.”

  “Because you didn’t give directions!”

  She had heard a million times that men saw and thought differently than women did. This was her first example of it, though. How frustrating. She said nothing else, but she did text Alexis. The man cannot follow simple directions.

  That’s because your directions suck butt, Alexis replied.

  You’re supposed to be on my side.

  I am on your side. I just know you can’t give good directions to save you life. You’ve gotten me lost more than everyone else in this world put together.

  Go away. I’m spending the day with my new husband.

  “Who are you texting?” Jackson asked.

  “My friend Alexis. I was telling her that you didn’t like my directions, and she said my directions have gotten her lost more than everyone else in the world put together. I guess you’re right and my directions do suck butt.”

  “I didn’t say they sucked butt! Who says ‘suck butt’?”

  “Alexis.” Sydney sighed. “My best friend and my husband are ganging up on me.”

  He pulled into the parking lot of the diner. “We’re not ganging up on you. We’re just both being honest with you about your navigational abilities.”

  As soon as they were seated, he glanced at the menu. “Have you had their breakfast burritos? Are they any good?”

  “They’re fabulous. You should try them. I usually get the waffles.”

  “Are their waffles good?”

  She nodded. “Wonderful. I recommend everything they have. Seriously.”

  “Well, I’ll get the breakfast burritos but I’m going to need a bite of your waffles.”

  “Only if I get a bite of burrito.”

  “Deal!” He’d never been one to split a meal with anyone. His mother had been very fastidious about everyone eating off their own plates, so he loved the idea of sharing with her.

  While they ate, she asked him another of her thought-provoking questions. “If you could have any superpower, which would you choose?”

  “That’s a tough one. I’d want to be able to fly, but I also kind of want super-speed. And invisibility would be cool. I guess, I have to go with super-speed. Then I could run across water, right?”

  “Oh, sure, you could.”

  “What about you? What superpower do you want?”

  “Flight. Hands down. I want to be able to fly above the world and look down at everyone I love. I want to be able to hover in the air. Superspeed would be nice, but flight would be more important to me.” She took a sip of her orange juice.

  “Interesting. Do you like superheroes?”
r />   She nodded. “I don’t read the comics, but I’m addicted to superhero TV shows. I love Smallville, Lois and Clark, Wonder Woman, The Flash…”

  “Wow. You really are a superhero nerd. Cool! I didn’t think I’d ever meet a woman who liked superheroes as much as I do.”

  “Then you haven’t met the right women. Do you like the X-Men movies?”

  “I love them! Have you seen the new Aquaman? I heard so many people didn’t like it, but I loved it. I don’t know what their problems were.”

  He shrugged. “I wasn’t a huge fan, but I can see why someone uneducated in the comic books would have liked it.”

  “Are you calling me uneducated?” Her jaw dropped for a moment, pretending shock.

  “Only in comic books. In real education, I don’t find you lacking at all.”

  “Well, that’s good, I guess.” Sydney sighed. “Some day I’ll measure up to your standards.”

  “You do…” He shook his head. “Honestly, for a random woman that was picked out for me by some batty purple-haired woman, I think you’re perfect.”

  She laughed. “What made you decide to contact her?”

  He frowned. “I’m not sure I should tell you.”

  “Of course you should!”

  “Well, I was eating in this little Italian restaurant in Manhattan, and listening to a conversation behind me between two women. One of the women was talking about wanting to travel back in time, and the other said she thought she could do it by twitching her nose. Next thing I knew one of the women was gone. The one still there was Dr. Lachele, and she and I struck up a conversation. She thinks she’s been inducted into a Guild of Godmothers of some sort and now has the ability to grant wishes?”

  “I can see that, but why would you keep talking to her after that.”

  “She told me about her business…and I looked it up and it seemed legit. I don’t know. I was tired of being alone.”

  Sydney smiled. She was glad she was better than loneliness.

  Chapter 5

  After breakfast, they went back to the apartment to tackle putting away his things. It took them less than three hours to decide they did need a bigger place. “I’m not ready to house-shop,” Sydney said. “Why don’t we go to the apartment office here and see if they can put us in a two-bedroom?”