Eventually, he had fallen in love again with a woman he befriended in college. They dated on and off for many years before tying the knot and settling down. Laura had willingly moved to Hope Hull and helped Jack create a small farm full of love, where she could raise her animals and eventually the children she dreamed of having. Laura and Jack were so thrilled by the birth of their daughter that they immediately started trying to add to their family. Laura’s second pregnancy was plagued with life threatening issues, but she carried the baby to term and gave birth to another beautiful baby girl. Not long after giving birth to her second daughter, Laura Nelson died, leaving Jack to raise their two daughters on his own. Jack had been both mother and father to his girls, and he was proud of the job he had done.
“Hailey!” Jessica screamed as she peered out the living room window. “You have got to come see what I’m seeing…Nora’s son is super hot!”
“Who cares?” Hailey called from down the hall. Jessica thought every guy was hot after all. She was boy crazy, and Hailey was busy and disinterested.
“I’m serious; he looks like a movie star; he’s tall, built and blond, and Dad says he’s like this big basketball stud,” Jessica yelled back, trying to entice her sister.
“According to who? His mother?” Hailey scoffed as she sauntered down the hallway.
Jessica, who was wearing a pair of perfectly-fitting jeans and a flattering blue shirt in anticipation of Nora’s arrival, turned to look at her sister who wore black, basketball shorts that covered her knees and an old t-shirt with NELSON written across the back in red, plastic lettering. Her hair was pulled up into some sort of messy knot on the back of her head, and she was barefoot.
Jessica opened the front door. “Suit yourself,” she rolled her eyes, “but I’m going to meet them.”
“Knock yourself out,” Hailey shrugged as she walked into the kitchen for a glass of orange juice. “Good luck with the movie star,” she laughed as she rolled her eyes. For a brief second, her mind was filled with flashbacks of a boy whose dreamy, brown eyes were more captivating than those belonging to any Hollywood actor. She shivered audibly as she willed the memories away. “Get a grip, Hails,” she groaned as she opened the refrigerator.
Jessica greeted Nora with a hug, and, just as Nora had suspected, Jessica and Emily hit it off right away.
“Let’s head on in, gang,” Jack suggested. “We’ll show y’all around the house.”
“There’s not that much to see,” Jessica shrugged.
“Well, it’s definitely more likely to be featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition than an episode of MTV’s Cribs,” Jack nodded, “but it’s home, and it’s home for y’all as long as you want to stay.”
“Thank you,” Nora mouthed, and Jack tucked her under his arm as they walked.
“Jessica, I love your nails; they’re so pretty,” Emily exclaimed as she and Jessica walked into the living room.
“Thank you,” Jessica smiled sincerely. “I can do yours if you want me to!”
Hailey walked back into the living room to find everyone gathered inside. Instantly, she and Grant locked eyes and stared at each other in open-mouthed amazement. The room went silent as everyone watched the two of them; each looked as though they had seen a ghost.
“No way,” Grant rubbed his eyes in utter disbelief, sure they were playing a cruel trick on him.
“Grant?” Hailey exclaimed, fighting the urge to run up and fling her arms around him.
“Hailey…” Grant exhaled.
Jack and Nora glanced at each other in amusement. “How do the two of you know each other?” Jack pondered.
“I never thought I would see you again,” Grant said, his eyes focused on Hailey.
His words seemed to strike a nerve that jolted Hailey back to reality. “How did this happen?” she asked insistently. “How did you of all people come to be standing in my living room?”
“So, how do the two of you know each other?” Jack repeated curiously, hoping that one of the two would stop staring at the other long enough to comprehend his question.
“We met during the summer,” Grant replied after a long moment.
“Yeah,” Hailey gulped as she stared at the rug.
“I’m still confused,” Nora admitted.
“We met at the University of Tennessee…at basketball camp,” Grant explained.
“Dad, how could you not tell me that he was coming here?” Hailey sighed.
“Well, I didn’t realize you knew him,” Jack replied quickly. “I tried to tell you that Nora has a son who’s going to be on the basketball team…”
“And I tried to tell you about Jack’s daughter,” Nora nodded at Grant.
Grant and Hailey stared at each other until Grant blinked first.
“How have you been?” Hailey asked softly, infuriated by the longing she heard in her own voice.
“Hailey, listen,” Grant gulped, “I know you probably think I’m a jerk…”
“Yeah,” Hailey said confidently. “I’m sure of it.”
Jack’s forehead wrinkled as he glanced over at Jessica, only to find her wide-eyed and interested, as though she was watching a romantic comedy, staring someone on Hollywood’s A-List.
“One of us has to go,” Hailey said boldly. She took a sip of her drink before adding, “and since this is my house, I think it has to be you.”
“Hold on a second,” Jack tried to break in.
Grant turned and walked toward the door.
“Where are you going?” Nora exclaimed.
“I’m going back to North Carolina if I have to steal a cow to get me there! I can’t stay here with her,” Grant shook her head. “Do you have any idea what she did?”
