Page 20 of Forget Me Knot

“Oh, I’ve actually met Jack, but I didn’t know you have a sister, too. I’d love to meet her.”

“Jack?” His mama looks confused, glancing back and forth between Jackson and me. “No, honey. Owen and Winifred are inside. Hissiblings,”she repeats like I didn’t hear correctly the first time.

Both his parents’ countenances change immediately as they turn their attention to Jackson.

“Son,” Gary says, voice lower and suddenly a little sad. “You didn’t tell her?”

7

TAKE ON ME

A-HA

DINAH

“You’re Jack?” I repeat like a broken record.

“Yes,” Jackson answers, hands stuffed guiltily in his pockets.

“And Jackson?” Again, nothing makes sense to me.

“That’s how a split personality works, Dinah. Yes.”

I shake my head. I don’t mean to be coarse, but I’m feeling a little blindsided by the news he was essentially coerced into telling me by his parents. And I don’t particularly like Jackson/Jack’s attitude at the moment.

Like I’m the crazy one.

Not that he’s crazy. I’m not blaming the guy for how his brain works, but I do feel more than a little ridiculous right now.

His parents have since retreated to the safety of their business, while I try to wrap my mind around the fact thatPhlegm—and yes, admittedly,Rugged Ken—is also the put-togetherDreamboat Kenstanding in front of me now. “I just… I need some time to…”

“I get it.” He nods, crossing his arms and looking a bit more like Jack as his eyes grow a bit stormy. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you.”

“You weren’t going to tell me?” I mean, I know it’s a first date, but I feel like theI have a split personality and one of us is REALLY into youdiscussion should have been at the top of conversational points if Jackson wanted this thing to work between us.

“I mean, I would have. Eventually.” He flips his cap off and runs his hand through his hair before placing it back on his head. “That guy isn’t me, though, ya know? He’s… just not me. I didn’t think you’d want to date me with him attached to the equation, and I really want to date you, Dinah Belle. I like you.”

“You get how confusing this all is, right?” I mean, I like the guy. It’s weird. The whole thing is like something out of a movie, but it doesn’t diminish the attraction I feel towards him.

“Yeah. I do.”

“But,” I admit, “I like you too.”

Jackson sighs and takes a seat on the bench next to me again.

“Has Jack always been… there?” It’s strange to ask the question as if Jack isn’t sitting next to me, but I need to understand this thing before I move forward in any direction.

He shakes his head. “No. A little over three years ago, I went to Owen’s season opener. It was at home. Our whole family was there… Half the town was there.

“The game was goin’ great. Owen pitched a near-perfect game, and the Badgers were up by three in the bottom of the ninth.”

“Jackson, I have no idea what that means.”

He chuckles and bumps my leg with his. “They were winning.”

“Got it.” I nudge him back. “Please continue.”

“So, I was havin’ a good time with everyone, ya know, and got distracted. We all did. I turned at the perfect time and caught a pop fly to the temple at about 80 mph.” He whistles and uses his hand as if it were the ball smacking him in the side of the head. I can’t help but flinch when it makes contact. “I was in a medically induced coma for a few days, and when I woke up for the first time, I was him. Jack.”

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