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I didn’t tell him I hadn’t received a birthday gift since my grandmother died nine years ago. He didn’t need to know.

He reached over and gently wiped away a second wayward tear before pulling me up and wrapping his arms around me. He kissed the top of my head. “Tell me about the most thoughtful.”

After a short pause, I said, “My grandmother gave me this.” I lifted the Celtic knot heart pendant I wore on our first date, “For my fourteenth birthday, she said it matc- she wanted me to remember her when I wore it.” I paused, remembering how my world fell apart the day she died. My grandmother had practically raised me. I didn’t know it then, but she had also been protecting me. “I think she knew she was dying. She passed a few months later.”

“I’m so sorry.” He caressed my back.

“Thank you.” I didn’t want to talk about it anymore, so I changed the subject. “When did you have time to do all this? Didn’t you work in Dallas today?”

“I did.” I felt his shoulders lift. “And while I was there, I did a little shopping.”

“Thank you, but you really shouldn-” I pulled away but didn’t meet his gaze.

Jack put a finger over my lips. “I wanted to.”

Jack was telling me a story about his mom while we sat on the couch.

“Haha, you act like your mom’s a crazy woman, but she’s been nothing but kind and generous to me. I don’t think she’d ever be mean to anyone.”

“Because you’ve never been on the receiving end of a verbal smack down by Mary Sheppard, but I have.” He pointed at his chest.

“You probably deserved it.” I laughed.

Jack feigned offense. “I never!”

I crossed my arms and raised my left eyebrow. “Never?”

“Well, maybe once or twice.” He grinned.

I peeked over his shoulders at the flowers sitting on my table. “Thanks for making my birthday so special.”

“You’re welcome. Let me know if you’d rather have the bag in another color. I’ll exchange it.”

“Oh no, I love it. It’s perfect. Soooo, what did you do to deserve a, what did you call it, a verbal smack down from your mom?”

“I don’t always like to play by the rules.” Jack said, as if it explained everything.

I raised my eyebrows and lifted my hands. “And?”

He explained. When they were growing up, Jamie and Madi were the good kids (well behaved, good grades, color inside the lines type of kids); he was the rule breaker (easily bored, always questioning things, a color outside the lines type of kid); and Jaden, their youngest brother, was the rebel (breaking the rules to see if he could get away with it, a draw on the walls kind of kid).

“Wow, you really like the coloring metaphor.” I laughed as he shrugged.

“It fits.”

“So, being a PI is perfect for you. I’m guessing it’s not boring.”

“It can be but it allows me to use my natural sense of curiosity and need to question things… for instance, why would someone,” he gently lifted my chin so we were staring into each other’s eyes “with gorgeous green eyes cover them up with brown contacts?”

I tried to pull away, but he held me firmly in place. He brought his other hand around and lifted my pendant. “Your grandmother chose it because it matches your eyes. That’s what you started to say, isn’t it?”

“How do you-? When did-” My heart was about to beat out of my chest.HOW?

“Your contact shifted while you were rubbing your eyes. I saw a flash of green, it was so quick I doubted what I saw. Until you mentioned, or rather didn’t mention, what your grandmother said.”

“Oh.” I tried to get up. This was a conversation I didn’t want to have. I couldn’t talk about my contacts or why I wore them.

Jack held me firmly, but gently, so I couldn’t run and hide. I tried changing the subject. “You don’t miss much, do you? You learn that in PI school?”

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