DECEPTION IN DENALI - EXCERPT CHAPTER 6

          Deborah chuckled. “You still like to flatter the ladies don’t you, Jack?”
          “Only with my comedic genius,” he deadpanned.
          “Hmmm, I wasn’t thinking about that,” she said, turning around in his arms to kiss him.
          “Yuck!” they heard from below them. But when they pulled apart and looked down, Michael was smiling and seemed anything but grossed out.
          “Head to the table, short stuff,” Jack said, grabbing the spaghetti off the counter. “Dinner is served.”
          “Hey Deb, remember my fourteenth birthday dinner?” Jackson asked, halfway through the meal.
          She looked up from her plate, her eyes wide. “You wouldn’t.”
          Jack smiled and stuck a meatball on the end of his fork. “I would.”
          “You’ll teach your son how to get into trouble.”
          He turned to Michael with a serious look on his face. “Don’t ever do this without permission. Okay, son?
          “Okay, Dad,” he smiled.
          Jack flicked his fork forward and hit his son on the nose with the meatball.
          Michael giggled and tossed a couple of noodles back at his dad. Deborah ducked under the table as the spaghetti noodle war raged above her. It was enough just to hear father and son bonding and having a good time. Moments like these were truly priceless. And it made her wonder if things could work out with Jack. They still seemed to be compatible and she loved him more every minute. And best of all, he was a great father, a natural.
          “Hey Mom, you can come out now,” Michael called.
          “First one of you to toss anything covered in spaghetti sauce on me is grounded for a month,” she called out, peeking around the edge of the table. Both Mannon boys sat there with their hands in the air, so she came all the way up and sat in her chair. She surveyed the damage – two spaghetti sauce covered boys, a trashed table and noodles with meatballs on the floor.
          “Jack since you started this you are in charge of bath time. I’ll clean up the kitchen.”
          “Aww Mom, you’re no fun,” Michael pouted. “I don’t need a bath.”
          Jackson chuckled. “I think your Mom’s right, kiddo. I think we both need to wash up. Head on into the bathroom and I’ll meet you there.”
          Michael slunk off, dreading the clean-up process.
          “And don’t touch anything,” his parent’s yelled in unison.
          Jackson stood up and walked over to Deb. “Thanks for letting us do that.”
          “You’re welcome,” she smiled. “Just don’t make a habit of it.”
          She stood up to grab some cleaner and the mop when Jack stepped in front of her. “You deserve a hug for being such a great mom, but I won’t because of the mess." He started to turn to leave, but switched back and grabbed her in one of his famous bear hugs. Dropping her quickly, he ran for the safety of the bathroom.
          “Jackson Steven Mannon!” she yelled.
          “I didn’t toss anything sauce-covered on you,” he hollered back.
          “You’re still gonna pay!” she called out just before the water started to run.
          By the time the boys came out of the bathroom, Deborah had the dining room cleaned and was reading a book she’d grabbed out of her SUV.

**********

“So Jack, how are things with you and Deb?” Thomas asked as he crawled into his bed.
“It’s like we were never apart, most of the time. Kind of strange how one day we were still like high school sweethearts and the next we are grown up lovers, but everything feels the same.”
“I can’t even imagine,” Thomas sympathized. Things between him and Vanessa had felt different, but the love and passion had still been there.
“I’m afraid one day we will wake up and realize things have changed too much,” Jack worried.      
“As soon as you get home and say goodbye to Maryann, you really need to get to know each other again. But hell, you never know, maybe the changes of eight years will slip naturally into your lives.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Jack agreed. “But that doesn’t make the fear of the unknown any less.”
“I think you two were meant to be together though,” Thomas reassured him.
“I know, right?” Jack smiled. “I mean, otherwise why would we have been thrown together again like this?"
“You could look at it that way.”
“Well, it’s not like my mother could have planned this like she did for the rest of my siblings, right?”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. Your mother is an amazing woman.”
Jackson scoffed. “You just think she’s amazing because thanks to her, you get to play tiddlywinks with my sister again.”
“Speaking of tiddlywinks, have you been playing some with Deb yet?”
Jackson laughed. “None of your business, man.”
“Dude, I’ve known you since we were in grade school. And you were wound tighter than a virgin on prom night during the cruise.”
“And your point?” Jackson asked.
“Jackson got laid, Jackson got laid, and he’s not acting like an ass anymore!” he sang.
A pillow went flying through the air and landed on Thomas’s head just moments before Jack slammed into his body, catching him in a wrestling hold. Within seconds Thomas released himself, but was still unable to move Jack off of him.
“If you don’t get your knee off my nads Jack, I might just have to tell you all about how your sister will kiss them better for me.”
“Oh gross!” Jackson yelled, jumping over to his own bed. “Now I’m going to have to burn out my ears and my brain. That’s just sick, Tommy!”
“It got you off of me, didn’t it? And don’t call me Tommy!’
They both laid in their own beds contemplating what the future would hold for Jack and Deb.
“Hey man, I’m glad you seem to be happy again,” Thomas murmured in the dark.
“Thanks Thomas. And thanks for all of the help. I couldn’t have done it alone.”
“No problem man, that’s what best friends are for. By the way, my car needs washed.”

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