Committed to You

Chapter 2 Georgia On My Mind

               

They arrived at Sloan's family home about an hour later.  Her heart was happy, as she looked at the property.  It was good to be back.  She lifted her eyes to see the tall pine trees that surrounded the house.  Their height seemed to reach the cloudless sky.  The sound of crickets and cicadas echoed about, the loud chirps of redbirds washed her in childhood memories.  She smiled, closed her eyes and held her head back, allowing the warm rays of the sun that filtered through the dense trees to touch her face.

"What's the matter, Sloan? You look like this is the first time you've seen this place."

"I haven't been home in seven years, Jet.  I didn't know how bad I've missed it.  Absence makes the heart grow fonder.  It's beautiful."

Jet was hoping that she meant that for every situation.

He looked at the huge red brick ranch-style home and then looked across the street to his family's two-story Tudor home and smiled too.  "When you put it that way, it is beautiful.  I must admit I had a nostalgic moment myself.  What got to me is when I walked through the door and it smelled like Mom, even though she wasn't home.  It was just me and knothead Justin.  Did you tell your parents that you were coming?"

"No."

They walked down the long driveway.  "That's going to be fun. ... " As long as your dad isn't home.  Jet was pulling her suitcase in one hand, and he reached out his other hand to her.  She hesitated and he slipped his hand into his jeans pocket and glanced at her.  They were communicating in a way for him to understand that he'd have to earn the next touch of her hand.  It wasn't going to be a knee-jerk reaction like what had happened in the car.  He knew Sloan had every reason to be angry with him.  As he glanced over at her, he now truly regretted what he had done.

She rang the doorbell.  Her mother opened the door, and her smile could have lit the sun. 

"Sloan!!!  What are you doing here?"  She gave her daughter a huge hug.  "I'm so glad you're home.  You and Justin come in."

"It's not Justin, Mom."

"Oh, Jet, I didn't know you were in town too.  Justin came over a few days ago to say hello."  Then all of a sudden her mother stopped and froze.  It was as if a certain reality dawned on her. It was gravely written all over her face.

Jet chuckled, "It's okay, Mama Elise, we survived the ride from the airport."

"How on earth did that happen?  I would have thought one of you would surely have plucked the eyeballs from the other."

"I got suckered into it, Mom.  Justin promised to pick me up at the airport and then sent Jet instead."

"Thank God, we didn't have another world war."  Then her mother called out.  "Dillon, come upstairs.  We have company.  Your sister is going to be so happy to know that you're here."

"How is Renatta doing?"

"Fine, I suppose.  You know your sister.  She's been dating a guy for quite a while, and we haven't met him at all.  Some kind of long-distance romance."

"Really?  What's up with the secret?"

Elise got tight-lipped.  She wasn't expecting that response.  Sloan was the more agreeable of her daughters.  Elise was expecting her to say that she was very happy that Renatta finally found someone and that she had a right to her privacy.  Renatta's divorce was a bad one, and for the last four years she'd sworn off men—said they weren't worthy of trust.  Elise tried to change the subject, but Sloan pulled her back in place.