Chapter 11
After a quick bite to eat, the interview resumed. I’d already revealed to Diane how Ellie had swept into town and stolen Jack’s heart, but there was more to the tale than just an ill-fated love story. So much more.
I took a moment to gather my thoughts, letting the silence stretch out comfortably between us. Diane looked at me expectantly, her pen at the ready, as if she sensed the climax was on the horizon.
“Once I realized that Jack and Ellie were more than just friends, I decided to intervene. It’s something that to this day I still regret, but at the time, it seemed like my only option.
My heart belonged to Jack, and watching Ellie become the object of his desire was a pain I couldn’t bear.
I knew there would be consequences, possibly devastating ones, but the thought of losing Jack forever hurt even more. ”
Sims Chapel, TN
June 1950
A few days after I had seen Jack and Ellie at the dock together, I was finishing up some chores when the phone rang. It was Connie, calling to tell me she and Yvonne had run into Jack earlier that afternoon.
“And he was getting into George’s truck with some girl,” she said, her voice ripe with gossip.
“Some girl, huh?” My insides churned. “Who was she?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t recognize her, but she was really pretty. It must have been Clara’s niece, the one you were telling me about.”
Of course, I thought bitterly. It had to be her.
“Yes,” I forced myself to say calmly. “I’m sure that’s who it was.
” The line between us crackled with tension.
I drummed my fingers on the kitchen counter, images of Jack and Ellie flitting through my mind, each more painful than the last. “Do you know what they were doing?” I finally mustered the courage to ask, forcing down the lump forming in my throat.
“I don’t know. Just riding around, I guess.”
My heart pounded against my ribcage, each beat echoing the fears I dared not voice.
“Anyway, I thought you should know,” Connie added. “Considering…”
I managed a weak “thank you” before hanging up the phone.
Even after seeing them together at the dock, part of me still held on to the belief that perhaps it was merely a chance encounter.
But now it had happened multiple times, and my friends had seen it, so I couldn't ignore it any longer. The image of Jack's loving smile reflected in Ellie's shining eyes haunted me, gnawing at my sanity like a persistent itch I couldn’t scratch. ”Oh, Jack,” I whispered, shaking my head in disbelief. “What are you doing?”
Over the next few weeks, I tried not to think about Jack and Ellie.
I tended to my chores, spent time with Connie and Yvonne, and even started reading again, something I hadn’t done since school let out.
But no matter where I went, whispers of Jack’s new flame followed me.
To make matters worse, I was Ellie’s tutor, so I had to face her almost every day.
Each meeting felt like a stab to my heart, but I swallowed down the bitterness, forced a smile, and carried on with the lessons.
Every now and then, Ellie would speak of Jack—probing in that innocent, casual way of hers, unknowingly twisting the knife deeper into my heart.
I tried to maintain my composure, to keep my feelings hidden behind a mask of friendly concern.
After all, I couldn’t let Ellie see the war that was raging inside me.
Nights were the hardest. Lying alone in my bed, unable to escape my thoughts, the suffocating silence only amplifying the betrayal.
I stared up at the ceiling, my eyes tracing the familiar patterns of the stucco as I fought back tears.
But despite everything that had happened, I was determined not to let this ruin me.
I was stronger than this, and I knew I had to endure.
One warm July morning, I walked to Clara’s, using the time alone to ponder if today was the day I would confront Ellie.
For weeks, I had been building a fortress of courage, brick by brick, and today, as the rays of the sun gently kissed my face, it felt solid and steady.
The realization that she and Jack were together had been a bitter pill to swallow, but I was determined not to let it poison me.
I took a deep breath and opened the door, the chimes above announcing my arrival.
“Mornin’, Sara,” Clara greeted me warmly as I entered.
My eyes were already scanning the room for Ellie. There she was, sitting cross-legged on the sofa, engrossed in a book.
“Morning,” I returned the greeting with a weak smile before making my way toward Ellie. With every step, my heart pounded louder in my chest. I had rehearsed this conversation so many times in my head, yet now all the words seemed to have abandoned me.
“Hi, Sara,” Ellie said, not taking her eyes off the book. Her tone was casual, as if we were discussing the weather and not a momentous shift in our dynamic. I forced a smile, swallowed my nerves, and sat down next to Ellie on the sofa.
“Hello,” I replied, trying to match the casual air she exuded. I glanced at her book, tapping my fingers restlessly on my knee. “Are you ready to get started?”
“Do you mind if I finish this chapter first? I meant to do it yesterday, but I was out late last night. There’s some cobbler in the kitchen if you’d like to have some before we get started.”
My eye twitched at the mention of the previous night, but I nodded, smoothing my hair behind my ear. “Sure,” I said, rising to my feet. I made my way to the kitchen, letting the familiar scent of Clara’s famous cobbler fill my senses.
As I entered the kitchen, I paused, glancing back at Ellie who was still absorbed in her book.
“Can I get you a piece of cobbler?” Clara asked. She was leaning against the counter, sipping her morning coffee.
“No. I mean, no thank you. I ate before I left the house. But,” I said, dropping my voice to a whisper, “perhaps there’s something else you could help me with. I was wondering if you’ve seen Jack lately.”
“Can’t say that I have. Why do you ask?”
I hesitated, gnawing my lower lip thoughtfully. “I just… He’s been so busy lately, I haven’t seen hide nor hair of him. Which is unlike Jack.”
Clara's eyes widened slightly, her coffee mug paused midway to her lips. “I know George has been keeping him busy at the dock.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.”
“Ready when you are,” Ellie announced as she closed her book and set it aside on the coffee table.
For two hours, I quizzed Ellie on inequalities, functions, and polynomials. The numbers and patterns consumed her, providing a temporary relief from the gnawing concerns I had about her burgeoning relationship with Jack.
When we were all done, we ate lunch and spent some time on the back porch, watching the squirrels and listening to the birds sing in the trees.
“Are you enjoying your summer?” I asked, attempting small talk.
“So far,” said Ellie. “By the way, thank you for doing this. I’m sure there are a hundred things you’d rather be doing this summer besides helping me study.”
“Think nothing of it. Besides, Clara is paying me, so it isn’t all bad. How are you keeping yourself busy in the afternoons?”
For a second, I thought I saw a hint of blush in her cheeks, as if she was hiding a secret. “Oh, you know, this and that. Clara’s taken me to Dandridge a few times and to Knoxville, but mostly I piddle around here.”
I couldn’t help myself and probed deeper. “Have you been on the water yet?”
Ellie looked up sharply, perhaps sensing that I knew more than I was letting on. “A couple of times.”
“I may have told you, but Jack works down at the dock. If you’re interested, maybe we could all go fishing sometime?”
“Um, yeah, maybe. So you and Jack are close?” Ellie asked.
“Close as two friends can be. We’ve known each other since we were old enough to walk. I reckon he knows the water about as good as anyone around here. Says he wants to own his own business someday.”
She leaned in, a mischievous smile gracing her lips. ”You and Jack ever, you know…?”
The directness of her question caught me off guard.
Almost instantly, I could feel my face heat.
“Heavens, no. Well, I take that back. He did kiss me last summer,” I said, embellishing the truth just a bit.
“But I sort of got the impression he didn’t like it much.
He only did it once. I don’t take it personal though.
Jack’s a bachelor, and I suspect he always will be. ”
“What makes you say that?”
“Jack’s heart belongs to the water, always has, and probably always will. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I reckon it’d take a special girl to tear him away from it.”
While Ellie turned and stared out the window, I thought about what I had said.
It was true, Jack loved the water. But he also valued friendship and loyalty, both of which I offered him in abundance.
And for the first time since learning of Jack and Ellie’s escapades on the water, I was hopeful that in time this storm would pass.
A few days later, I was finishing up Ellie’s lesson when I saw Jack coming up the path to Clara’s house.
“Jack.” I stepped out onto the porch, flashing a grin. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh hey, Sara. Long time no see. I came by to talk to Ellie.”
The disappointment nearly knocked me over, but I hid it well behind a practiced smile. “Oh. I’ve been meaning to congratulate you on catching that lunker a while back. George told me all about it.”
“Thanks, but I didn’t catch it. Ellie did. First cast, too.”
My smile wavered just a tad at that. “Is that so? I didn’t realize she knew how to fish.”
“She didn’t until I taught her.”
“How nice of you. Maybe you could show me where you caught it sometime. I’ve been dying to get out on the water.”
“You know the place,” Jack said matter-of-factly. “It’s up at the head of Muddy Creek, near the bridge. I took you there last summer, remember?”
I frowned, recalling the day. It had been hot, so hot that even the water had been warm to the touch. We spent the day basking in the sun, lazily casting our lines. It didn’t matter that we hadn’t caught anything because I had Jack, and that was enough for me. “Oh yeah. Must have forgot.”
When Ellie appeared, I slipped away and took the path that led into the woods.
There, I found a quiet spot beneath the oak tree where Jack and I had carved our names as kids.
It was a sacred spot, a place where we used to escape the world and all its trouble.
The engraved letters, now faded by the elements, brought a bitter taste to my mouth.
I sat for hours, listening to the creek and watching the shadows stretch and retreat as the sun moved across the sky.
Despite my best efforts, my thoughts wandered back to Jack.
What were he and Ellie doing right now? Were they laughing, telling jokes, listening to music on the radio the way we used to?
Or were they walking hand in hand, lost in the kind of intimacy we never had?
A soft breeze rustled through the leaves, whispering secrets of its own. I closed my eyes, letting the sound wash over me as I sank deeper into my thoughts. It was hard to believe that Jack—my Jack—was now Ellie's. The thought of them together was overwhelming, leaving me breathless and broken.