Deceived

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter 19: Bye, Bye, Jack

Time: Fall 2008

No copyright infringement intended.

Jack was on the phone. "How long will that take? What am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

Barbra Jean entered the living room. "Jack?"

He quickly ended the phone call. "Hey, Barbra Jean, you look much better today. I just came by to check on you."

She smiled and tilted her head. "I'm on to you. You wanted to check on Reba, but you didn't want to show up or call because of Brock, right?"

"Guilty as charged. I really did want to check on you, too," he responded sheepishly.

"You want me to run interference. You want to sneak around to be with your girlfriend and you want me to help you, right?"

"That's only partially true."

She raised an eyebrow. "So, was that Reba on the phone?"

"No, actually my apartment is being fumigated. There's a lot of repairs and maintenance going on. I just got off the phone with the office."

"That's too bad. Where will you stay?"

"The last time there was a problem in my building. I stayed in Reba's garage. She's good about stuff like that. She let Alex stay there when you two were on the outs."

"I doubt that her husband will agree to that."

"It's not up to him. Have you met Reba? She's very independent and doesn't like to be told what to do. The other day, we were out in the garage and things were getting a little steamy. She told me that she's not interested in Brock anymore."

"That's too bad because he's her husband. She's stuck with him for the next year. That's not gonna make things easy for you."

"We'll figure it out. If she wants to be with me, then we'll find a way."

Barbra Jean was touched by Jack's determination and devotion to her best friend, but at the same time, she knew she had to block him off at the pass. "You could stay here. You've been here so often lately. I'd be glad to help you out. You could move in here temporarily. Reba could stop by to see me, and Brock wouldn't suspect a thing."

Jack smiled. "That would be great, Barbra Jean. It would be a big help. Thanks."

"No problem. I can see those wheels turning. You're like a guilty teenager, planning to sneak around with your girlfriend. Just beware of Brock, okay. There's innocent fun, and then there's permanent damage to a family. Believe me, I know."

He put his hand to her cheek. "Oh, honey. There is no way that you would've known that all of this was going to happen. Don't blame yourself."

A tear trickled down her cheek. "How can I not blame myself? My actions have ruined people's lives. My husband is dead."

"BJ, don't talk that way. I'm going to get my stuff from my apartment and started moving in. I'll be back in an hour and we'll have dinner."

Barbra Jean wiped the tear away. "Okay, see you then."

Jack flashed a smile and rushed out the door. His intention of contacting Reba for a secret rendezvous forgotten.

Barbra Jean beamed, patting herself on the back for manipulating the situation to her advantage. "Come on, Brock, I did my part. I hope you appreciate it," she thought to herself.

Later, Jack and Barbra Jean were sitting down to dinner alone. Henry was enjoying some family time at Reba's with his Uncle Brock. Brock was only too happy to babysit for Barbra Jean after she gave him the rundown on her earlier conversation with Jack. So far, it had been a quiet evening.