Free Crumbling Walls (Jack and Emily #1) by Laura Strandt Page A

hope for York. Jack would be thrilled to have Claire back.”
     
    Snuggling down into his arms while he switched on the news, “It'd be nice to have Jenny around again, too.” Squeezing her husband's hand, “But we can't say anything to anyone yet. There's a good chance it won't happen.”
     
    “I know, but it's a nice thought.”
     
    ▪▪▪
     
     
    Tim dropped Dex off first, then left Emily and Jack at her house, “I’ll be home in a little while.”
     
    Tim just nodded, “You’ll probably make it home before me anyway, but okay.”
     
    Standing under the clear sky, he waited until Tim had driven off before turning to Emily, “Do I have to go home?”
     
    It had to be the sweetest and most heart-breaking thing she’d ever heard. Fighting back the tears and the secrets that suddenly threatened to spill over, she nodded, “I don’t want you to, but I think you have to.”
     
    Hoping the disappointment wasn’t too visible on his face, “Then can I ask another question?”
     
    She nodded, “’Course.”
     
    “Do you think you might ever possibly sometime in the future maybe want to kinda be my girlfriend?”
     
    In complete seriousness she answered back, “I think that sometime in the future, I would very well love to be your girlfriend.”
    “Do you think you’ll ever let me kiss you?”
     
    Reaching up to run her finger down his cheek, then her thumb across his lips, “I wish I could let you kiss me now.”
     
    As her hand left his face, he caught it and bought her fingers back to his mouth, kissing each of the tips, “Make sure you tell me the minute I can.” With a final squeeze of her hand, he turned her towards her door, “I’ll see you in the morning.”
     
    ▪▪▪
     
     
    The nightmares began that night. She wasn't sure if they were brought on by Will, by Jack and her anger at not being able to get closer to him or things were just finally beginning to surface, but, regardless, she watched the world wake up from her comfortable spot on the couch, where she’d been wide-awake since 1:30 a.m.
     
    Chapter 8
     
     
    Jack saw the sleepless night plainly on her face the next morning, “You okay?”
     
    Nodding and yawning at the same time, “Yeah, just couldn’t sleep last night.”
     
    “All night?”
     
    “I slept for about an hour, maybe a little more, but that’s it.”
     
    Hiking her book bag over his shoulder, “You should have called. I’d have talked to you until you fell asleep from sheer boredom.”
     
    Too tired to catch herself, “I can’t call you.”
     
    Half-joking with her, "What? Your mom keep track of when you use the phone?”
     
    Still not really hearing her own words, “I can only afford a land line with local calling and your cell phone number's out of the area.”
     
    Attributing her answer to exhaustion, he still filed the statement away in the back of his mind unconsciously, “Ahh, well, next time you can’t sleep, just imagine the boring conversation you could be having with me. Should work the same way.”
     
    “I don’t think you could ever bore me enough to put me to sleep.”
     
    “But it would be fun to talk to you all night.”
     
    She could only bump shoulders with him, “Well, as much as I’d love to talk to you, I’d much prefer that tonight, I hit the pillow and don’t move until tomorrow morning.”
     
    “Well, if for nothing else, winter break starts in a couple of weeks. You can always catch up then.”
     
    As they continued trekking towards school, she stared ahead, unfocused and exhausted, “Maybe we’ll get a snow day in here somewhere and we’ll all be forced to stay home and nap all day long.”
     
    “You’re making my mouth water, woman. Stop it.”
     
    ▪▪▪
     
     
    She did sleep like a log that night. For a whole two hours. Then, once again, she watched the neighborhood wake up through the front window while curled on the couch, pad of paper on her lap and pencils strewn