Jack had imagined her face so many times that seeing it in the flesh left him wondering if he could trust his eyes. Her auburn, wavy hair was cut short framing her high cheekbones and slightly turned-up nose. Her pale skin was flushed; chin raised in defiance, the soft contours of adolescence gone.
She'd stopped, clearly as paralyzed by the shock of him as he was of her. The commotion around them swirled away as they studied each other in stunned silence. Carrie blinked and licked her full lips subconsciously. Jack found his own jaw gone slack.
All the witty verbiage he practiced floated away as he instinctively noticed the differences between the Carrie of his dreams and the woman in front of him. She was as beautiful as he'd ever imagined her, her figure enhanced by the simple black dress that gathered at her small waist. There was a confidence, sophistication, an air of subtle self-awareness in the way she held herself that was new. And yet instinctively he knew she was upset.
Carrie's breath came in short bursts as she struggled desperately to say something. She'd always thrilled at the sight of his rugged, barrel-chest frame, but she was now looking at a man. Gone were the gangly arms, the hanging of his head, the slump. Jack's entire bearing indicated a sense of self-assurance she didn't remember.
His strong legs shuffled once, recovering from the impact of their bodies. A turquoise bolero tie barely closed the shirt around his thick neck and matched the buckle on his belt. He had let his hair grow long, binding it neatly as was his tribal custom. He was more exotically handsome than the Jack of her dreams was.
She let out a deep breath. "I didn't think you were coming."
That voice. Amazing what a simple sentence could conjure up in a man. Jack felt the deep resonant tone reverberate through him like a soulful saxophone, tingling to his toes. Unable to pry his eyes away from her face, he smiled. "Well, it is our reunion and I do happen to live here, as you may remember."
His face went blank after the briefest of smiles had lit up his dark brown eyes for an instant. When he'd been in his teens, that smile had a shy quality that had made him even more desirable. Looking at him now, she sensed a maturity that gave his features a graver, more powerful dignity.
Carrie felt the heat rising in her face. It served her right for saying something so stupid. She steeled herself for a barrage of scathing comments, but none seemed forthcoming. He just stood there staring at her, whatever hatred he felt for her expertly masked.
He was older, yes. His tall cheekbones chiseled his jaw firmer. There was still softness to his lips and in the depths of those dark, velvety eyes. Eyes that seemed wary and watchful now as she gazed up at him. Had he always been so tall?
"I heard you might come tonight," he said quietly.
"I wasn't sure myself, I'm only here a few days," she answered quickly, then gave an inward curse as she felt the flush in her cheeks deepen.
Jack nodded, "Didn't think you'd want to stay any longer than you had to." You certainly wasted no time leaving when you did the first time, he nearly added, but stopped himself. What was the point, after all this time? He wasn't a lonely jilted lover.
Carrie merely nodded. Did she really expect him to rant and rave at her? What had happened between them was ten years ago, not last week. He was over it, well over it. He wasn't angry. He sounded as casual as someone bumping into an old acquaintance with nothing but a few shared experiences at stake.
"You're staying with Aunt Betts?" his tone was even, polite.
"Yes, she's watching Katie, my daughter. She . . . " Carrie paused as she saw emotion flicker across Jack's face. She instantly wished she hadn't mentioned Katie, and then regretted feeling guilty about it.
"Your daughter--she's here in Eagle Point?" Jack felt a stab of pain shoot through him.
"Yes, I have the month off and it has been a long time since we've been able to get away."
"Good for you, so you're teaching then?"
"Counseling, guidance they call it, at the high school level."
Jack nodded, the definition annoying him. So, she still thought he was an uneducated dummy. Wasn't that why she'd left? His dreams of success where just that to her, foolish dreams. She hadn't wanted to marry a man who'd be eternally pumping gas at Maxwell's. No, she had bigger dreams. She achieved them it sounded like. But he too, had achieved his dreams.
"So, how about you?" she asked.
He wanted her to know about his successful stations, his financial well being, but as he looked into her emerald eyes all he felt was the hurt, the rejection. "I still pump gas," he smiled. Carried nodded again. Why should she be feeling this tug of disappointment? Isn't that what she had feared, his dreams would never materializing?
She wanted more than what Jack was capable of. She had much loftier goals. And she'd managed to achieve a few, not that her achievements made her feel entirely fulfilled. After the painful divorce and single parenthood, with its isolation, she didn't feel at all self-righteous. Silence fell as they regarded each other, uneasiness mingling with the curiosity in both their faces. The tension between them rippled and sparked.
Every question was like a step into an unknown cave to him, but Jack had to know if he was right. "Why are you upset?"
Carrie shook her head, "nothing really," how did he know she was upset? His eyes bore into hers, demanding a better explanation. It was so typical of him. "It's Sally. You know how she has a tendency to meddle in other people's business."
A flicker crossed his face again, "Yes, I remember that."
Carrie frowned, the heat on her cheeks again. This conversation was like walking in a minefield. Every single comment an emotional blast.
Jack, too, was beginning to tire of this small talk that had so many larger unspeakable thoughts cursing through it. "Well, I hope that you and Sally patch things up." He took a step back. "Have a good time tonight," he shrugged.
Carrie smiled, the gesture was so familiar, a glimpse of his former self, "You too." She had an impulse to . . . what shake his hand? The awkwardness of the moment was accelerating.
Jack nodded. "It was nice to see you," and he walked away.
She hurried down the hallway to the bathroom, thankful for the termination of the encounter and yet feeling a terrible sense of loss. What did you want? she asked herself. Jack to pull you into his arms, smother you in kisses and take you away to live happily ever after? Yes, Carrie stared into the mirror, that's exactly what I want. The chuckle started deep in her throat. What a fool, she thought and you know better. Besides, as absolutely irresistible as he is, he's still pumping gas. She pounded the counter with her fist.