More Nights With Kate (Jack Ryker) (11 page)

In addition to Kate, I had a new life mission as well. 
In fact, my mission in life had never been clearer.  Kate and I were going
to move high-end fashion manufacturing back to the U.S.  Then I would use
all of my manufacturing contacts to put pressure on some of the overseas
factory owners.  If what I had seen was accurate, there were thousands of
workers out there who were in desperate need of help. 
Ouch!  In
the meantime, I better just relax and get some rest.

~~~

Later That Evening

Kate

As Jack and I got ready for bed, I knew our lives would
never be the same.  Whatever Jack had experienced earlier that day was
going to send us on a much more dynamic course.  Even though he wasn’t
feeling very well, there was definitely a new light in his eyes.  It
reminded me of the Jack that I had met a dozen years earlier as a little
girl.  The fire was back.

“In spite of everything, this was an amazing day,” he
whispered softly as he got comfortable.

I snuggled into him getting as close as possible.  I
wanted to be enveloped by his energy and bask in the warmth that constantly
radiated from his body.

“You are going to be completely healthy,” I whispered back
gliding my hand across his abdomen.

“I’m glad you were focused on that.  I could sense that
you were pulling me back.”

“That’s good, I’m glad it helped.”  C
ould he really
sense my thoughts?
  I had read all kinds of crazy beyond and back
stories.  In some, people had floated above their bodies and saw their
loved ones crying or people working on their body.  I had always wondered
how much of that was exaggerated just to sell books.  In this case,
though, Jack didn’t have anything to gain by overstating his experience.

“I love you, Jack.”

“I love you more,” he replied with a genuine smile.

I don’t think so.

Tuesday February 7, 2012

Kate

The amazing changes in Jack began to accelerate after his
encounter that day in the hospital.  Some would say that his renewed
energy was a result of the pacemaker.  Others would give the credit to the
stem cell injections.  I, however, had concluded that it was because of
whatever Jack had seen on the other side.  He no longer focused on his
weakened heart or the fact that he was aging.  It seemed as if his brush
with death had actually turned back the clock for him.  As each day passed,
he became more and more energetic.  He seemed to be eating and drinking
healthier without even thinking about it. 

He began calling Brandon and Jayne each morning to say hello
and get any business updates.  Then he would do the exercises that the
doctor had sent home with him and have a healthy breakfast of fruit and egg
white omelets with veggies. 

“Kristen’s calling again,” he said as he finished his
stretches.

“It must be important.  She called your phone two or
three times yesterday, too.”

“It’s always important when it comes to Kristen,” he
scoffed.

I hadn’t known Kristen for very long, but it didn’t take me
long to figure out that she was the high strung type.  If there was
something to be done, it had to be done now.  Jack liked how she efficiently
handled details, but she occasionally drove him nuts.  Overhearing one
side of the conversation, it sounded like she wanted to visit Jack aboard the
yacht.

“I’m not sure I’m up for any visitors right now,” he
replied, telling her what had happened the day before.

She was obviously insistent, as his next words were,
“Alright, Kristen, that’s fine.  Yes, I know it’s futile to argue with
you.”  After which I could hear her laughter come through the phone. 

After Jack conceded, Kristen admitted that she had already
booked a charter flight and it would be touching down at the Grand Bahama
Airport at 3:00 that afternoon.  Jack appeared to be a little shocked, but
then again he hadn’t listened to any of her voicemail messages from the
previous day.  After hanging up with Kristen, he played back the message
in which she explained that she needed to talk with both of us about something
very important.  Jayne had told her that we were going to be anchored off
the Coast of Grand Bahama Island for the next couple of weeks.

Jack rolled his eyes as he listened to the message. “I
wonder what’s on her mind now.  I hope she’s not flying here to try to
convince us that we aren’t right for each other.  She will be wasting her
breath.”

“Yeah she will,” I agreed wrapping my arms around him. 
“Don’t let Kristen aggravate you.  It doesn’t matter whether or not she
approves of our relationship.  It’s not like we see her on a daily basis
or anything.”

“That’s true.  We’ll just have to wait and see what she
has to say.”

Jack

It was very out of character for her to book a last minute
flight.  She hated wasting money, even if she could easily afford it
now. 
Whatever is on her mind must be awfully important.
  My
mind kept replaying the conversation we had at the restaurant the previous
week.  She had confessed her love for me and now after spending several
days at the spa, she wanted to talk to both of us.  I hadn’t mentioned
anything to Kate about the prior conversation because I didn’t want any tension
between the two of them. 
I should probably talk to Kate about it
now.  Then again, I don’t want things to be awkward between us.  I
guess I’ll wait to see what she has to say.  If things go badly, I’ll just
have to completely cut ties with her.

~~~

3:45 pm Tuesday Afternoon

I drew a deep breath as the helicopter blades came to a
stop. 
Hopefully this goes well.
  The door popped open as two
crewmembers went to help her out and retrieve her bags.  
Wow, she looks
different.
  It took a few seconds to confirm that it actually was Kristen. 
She was all legs in a short blue and white floral dress.  I had never seen
her in anything so short or so colorful.  She was obviously trying to make
a statement
.  She looks fantastic.  What the hell did they do to
her at that spa?

“Kristen looks fantastic,” Kate said as Kristen walked
toward us.

“Yeah, I don’t think I would’ve recognized her on the
street.”

“Hey, you two,” Kristen said as she opened her arms to
embrace us.

“You look incredible,” Kate said immediately, to which I
agreed.

“Oh, thank you!  Now that I don’t have to go to an
office every day, I decided to buy some fun clothes,” she said adjusting her
dress.

“You look terrific, Kristen.  I’m glad to see you
ditched those dark suits,” I told her.

“How are you?” she asked changing the focus back to
me.  “Jayne told me that you had quite a scare yesterday.”

“I did see the white light, but I was in good hands. 
They implanted a pacemaker that will help me out until my heart grows
stronger.”

“That’s so scary, Jack.  Did you see anyone from the other
side?” Kristen asked half-jokingly.

“Hundreds… or even thousands of people,” I confessed.

“You’re kidding!  Who were they?” she asked with a look
of amazement crossing her face.

“It was very obvious that they were factory workers. 
None of them were very happy either,” I explained.

“Jack thinks he’s been responsible for a bunch of
sweatshops,” Kate added.

“That’s quite noble, Jack, but they would’ve popped up with
or without you,” Kristen replied.

“We have always said that, but it was very clear that the
people I saw were directly affected by things that I have done.  There was
nothing vague about it.”

“How long were you gone?” Kristen asked.

“Probably only a couple of minutes, but things happened very
quickly.  I instantly understood everything.”

“I’ve been trying to understand it, too,” Kate added, as
Kristen stood there trying to comprehend everything.

“It’s kind of hard to explain, but time is different there,”
I replied.  “It wasn’t linear.  In a flash I understood everything
about my life, as well as all the consequences of my actions.”

“That’s crazy.  I’m not sure I could handle it,”
Kristen said, her eyes widening.

“Have you been that bad?” Kate teased.

“It depends on how you define ‘
bad’
I suppose,” she
laughed.

“We all have our flaws,” I said.  “Let’s go in and I’ll
show you around.”

Kate

It’s so surreal to hear Jack talking about his beyond and
back experience.
 
He seems a little hesitant to go into too much
detail, though.  I’m sure he doesn’t want to sound crazy, but I really
want to know everything about it.  He obviously was enlightened by the
experience and I want understand this crazy world as well.

After giving Kristen the grand tour, we went up to the Lido
deck to enjoy a beautiful sunset before dinner. 
Watching the sun set
across the water will never get old.  The mixture of colors cast by the
sun, combined with the turquoise and blue shades of the water, are absolutely
breathtaking.

“You guys have found paradise,” Kristen exclaimed, as she
stood at the railing looking out over the horizon.  “I’m jealous.”

“I’m sure you will see plenty of beautiful sunsets in the
coming years,” Jack said giving her a pat on the back.

“I hope so.  That’s actually why I came here to talk to
you guys,” she said as her expression turned serious.

I looked over at Jack and his expression was just as
serious.  Like me, I’m sure he was wondering whether she was going to
challenge the viability of our relationship.  After a moment of
hesitation, she finally came out with it. 

“I’m assuming that you two have come to the conclusion that
your relationship is going to work out despite the huge age difference?”

“Yes.  We’re going to make it work because the only
thing that matters is how much we love each other,” Jack responded
immediately.  “I don’t care what anyone else thinks.  If they don’t
agree with our decision, then they don’t have to be part of our lives.”

Kristen seemed stunned by Jack’s intensity but remained calm
as she turned her attention toward me.  “You don’t think you’re going to
eventually regret the fact that he’s so much older than you?”

“I’ve thought about it a lot because my mom is single at age
49.  But, I love Jack with all my heart and I can’t imagine walking
away.  Regardless of what happens down the road, I will always have
fantastic memories of the time we spent together.  I can’t imagine
throwing away those memories out of fear.”

Jack put his arm around me and pulled me close, his smile
confirmed that I had made the right choice.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Kristen said after watching us for
a moment.

“You are?” Jack asked with a surprised tone in his voice.

“Yes.  I met someone this past weekend at Jason’s
wedding.   Unfortunately, he was born the same year I graduated from
high school,” Kristen confided.

“Really, that’s fantastic,” Jack said with obvious relief in
his voice.  “Was he the best man?”

“He was, actually.  He was Jason’s roommate in
college.  He was also the captain of the soccer team, so that’s how they
met and became friends.”

“What does he do now?” I enquired curiously.

“That’s the most amazing part,” Kristen replied.  “He’s
a Brazilian soccer star!”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Jack said in disbelief. 
“Is he on the national team?”

“Yes, have you heard of Nico Costa?  According to
Jason, he’s quite a player,” she explained.

“Nico Costa?  You met Nico?  He’s one of the best
players in the entire league, Kristen.  He was Jason’s roommate? 
That’s incredible.  He almost singlehandedly won the championship for the
Bulldogs his senior year of college,” Jack said with admiration.

“You actually know who he is?” Kristen asked, apparently
quite shocked.

“Of course.  Anyone who follows soccer knows Nico,”
Jack replied with a laugh.

“That would explain why I had no idea who he was,” she
confided with a giggle.  “He’s been thinking about retiring at the end of
the season and is deciding whether to move back to the New York area.”

“You and Nico…  I never would’ve guessed it,” Jack said
shaking his head.

“Congratulations, Kristen,” I said to draw her attention
away from Jack’s reaction.

“Well, we haven’t actually gone out yet,” she
admitted.  “He would like to go out next time he’s in town, but I
initially thought I was too old for him.  After I got home, I started
thinking about the two of you, and decided maybe I was using the age difference
as an excuse.”

“You and Nico.  I would say go for it, Kristen,” Jack
said confidently.  “From what I’ve heard, he’s a great guy.  His
teammates and coaches absolutely love him.”

“That’s what Jason said, too,” Kristen confirmed with a
flush in her cheeks.

“What’s the worst thing that could happen?” I asked,
agreeing with Jack.

“I end up back where I’m at right now,” she said with a
laugh.  “I just don’t understand why he would want to go out with me. 
He could have anyone he wants.  Why would he choose someone who is 18
years older than him?”

“It happens, Kristen,” I said reassuring her. 
“Sometimes there’s more to falling in love than just age.”

“You’re pretty smart for a kid,” she said with a smile. 
“Do you still want me to book something for Greece?” she asked turning back to
Jack.

“Enough personal talk, huh?  Quite a bit has changed
since you and I talked about that,” Jack replied.  “I think we are going
to postpone Greece for a while.”

“That’s true.  Speaking of change, I’m actually excited
about it for the first time in my life,” she said smiling again.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Jack said.  “You’ve spent
enough time pouring all of your energy into work.  Get out and have some
fun.  Going out with Nico would be a good place to start.”

Jack’s phone buzzed and it was Chef Jameson letting him know
that dinner was ready to be served.  It was another beautiful evening, so
we ate dinner on the deck where we could enjoy the moonlight sparkling off the
turquoise water.  Kristen was so relaxed that she seemed like a different
person.  Once again, Jack behaved himself having just one small glass of
wine with dinner and turning down crème brulee for desert.  I started to
wonder if his enlightenment had included some dietary and exercise tips in
addition to learning the consequences of his actions.

As the night wore on, Jack and Kristen began talking about
the early days of the business.  It was easy to look at how successful
Jack had become and think that it came quite easily.  It was fascinating
to hear Kristen’s version of the story.  It is never an easy road when you
set out to transform an industry, and Jack had taken his share of lumps in
those first few years.  Through sheer persistence and being willing to
adapt to a changing manufacturing climate, Jack had eventually been a
transformational figure in the fashion industry.  Now, however, he was
suddenly having second thoughts about his accomplishments. 
I have a
feeling he’s thinking about transforming the industry once again.

~~~

Jack

After Kristen left, we spent a few lazy days aboard the
yacht. 
I’m glad Kristen has found someone to occupy her time.  I
have been worried about her.
 As for me, I was starting to feel pretty
good.  Each day I woke up feeling stronger than the day before, but I
didn’t have much stamina yet.  The cardiologist confirmed that it was
normal for this stage of the game. 
My heart went through a pretty
traumatic experience and will take some time to fully recover.  I’m
confident that the stem cell treatments will speed my recovery, though.