Alison and Olivia walked to their cars. They were tired and hungry and emotionally spent and Lily was being unusually fussy. They hugged goodbye without exchanging a single word. There was nothing to say.
The whole evening had been heartbreaking, especially, Alison thought, the tears from Eliza’s children. It always blew her mind how women have the ability to bury things away in order to survive. Never telling anyone for years and years—their mothers, their best friends, all in the dark; carrying the weight and the shame alone. Her own mother had been no different.
When she got into her car, she started to cry. She thought back to her conversations with Jackie on the bulletin board and with Jack in real life. She realized that the only person she wanted to talk to after this brutal night was him. She wanted to feel the safety she had when he hugged her at the fair, before it all came crashing down. For that brief moment she had felt something that she never had before.
She thought again of Jackie’s wayward dating advice: Follow your heart.
As she came upon Jack’s house, she filled with the anticipation of seeing him again. Zach was already asleep in his car seat, and she wrestled with what to do with him, one of those first-time parenting situations that always left her second-guessing herself. She went with taking him out in the car seat and grabbing her diaper bag, in case they were invited in. As soon as she got to the door, she wished she hadn’t. It felt presumptuous.
Her empty belly filled with nerves as she rang the bell. In her mind, he would probably apologize again upon seeing her. And this time she would accept it. Despite her hardened, law-honed tendencies, she trusted him. After the parade of god-awful men she had just experienced, Jack’s crimes felt more like misdemeanors. After several minutes passed, Alison felt a wave of disappointment. He wasn’t home.
She was about to give up when the driveway filled with the light of a car turning in.
Jana got out first and walked over to Alison, looking at her suspiciously. Between bearing witness to her father moping around after their last date, and being front and center for today’s discussion regarding Alison’s presumed love triangle, she was not a fan.
“Can I help you?” she said with an extra dose of teenage sass.
“Hi, yes, we met at the fair. I’m Alison Le.”
“I know who you are, thanks.”
Alison seriously considered running. This was not the welcome she had anticipated.
Jack walked up looking gorgeous in a cable-knit sweater and jeans. Her heart dropped at the sight of him. She didn’t remember ever feeling that way before. She smiled. He didn’t. He instructed Jana to go inside, and she did, slamming the door quite purposefully behind her, an action that quickly doused the warm feeling in Alison’s belly and replaced it with dread.
“Well, I guess your daughter hates me,” she said, wishing again that she had run.
“A little. She’s very overprotective of me and she knows I was down about blowing it with you.”
He said it in a way that emphasized the past tense.
“Well, you didn’t completely blow it,” she said with a cautious smile.
Alison grappled with what to say next. He didn’t.
“I saw the press conference, and at first I didn’t believe you were with that guy, but I realize now . . .” He paused and shook his head, in a way that made him seem so vulnerable and continued. “I may look like a strong, tough guy, but it’s been a long time since I’ve felt anything close to what I did for you. I’m not the kind who would do well with one of those open relationships people do now. That’s not my style. Especially not one where your picture would be flashed in all the papers with the would-be mayor.”
“But I’m not with him. Not that way.”
He looked at her skeptically.
“Well, in what way are you with him?”
“We are nothing. He is Zach’s father. That’s it. I don’t like him that way.”
Jackie actually took a step back from her, his body language reeking of uncertainty. She felt an unfamiliar pull in her stomach, possibly desperation.
“I like you that way, though,” she said, hoping so badly to turn things around.
He smiled and took a step toward her. “You do?”
She breathed a slight sigh of relief from the warmth in his tone.
“Yes, very much so.”
“And you are sure—there’s nothing more between you and Marc Sugarman?”
“Nothing. I thought maybe there was, but I’m sure—very sure.”
His smile grew. “When you didn’t take his hand, right? At the press conference—that’s when you were sure?”
She laughed. “Yes—that’s when I was sure. You are unbelievable!”
“Actually, I am believable. Very, very believable.”
He apologized again for misrepresenting himself. “I’m really sorry for not being up-front with you. Please know that’s not who I am. I can show you who I am—if you want.”
She smiled cheerfully. “I want.”
He leaned in to kiss her. She leaned in to meet him. Just as their lips were about to touch, she noticed something move in the bushes. Her eyes widened.
“Don’t move,” she whispered.
Though confused, he listened. Two eyes looked out at her, then moved back into the shadow. From its brief appearance, she was pretty sure that it was the lost dog from the bulletin board.
“I think that lost dog is in your bushes.”
“Who? Truffles Goldstein?”
After all of the awfulness of the night, the mere fact that this sweet, eager man knew the missing dog’s full name really sealed the deal.
“I think so.”
“OK, what should we do? He’s very skittish, right?”
“Yes. They said he always runs when spotted.”
“Should I get him a treat? I have chocolate inside.”
“That would be good if you want to kill him.”
“Sorry. I never had a dog.”
“Wait.” She reached into her diaper bag. “I have turkey.”
“Great. Call out ‘treat’ with the turkey, and I will grab him from behind. Go slow.”
“OK.”
Alison carefully unwrapped the turkey and put it in front of her on the ground. It smelled so good, this dog had better appreciate it, she thought as her empty stomach rumbled.
“Treat! Here, Truffles. Here, boy,” she said calmly and took two steps back. After a moment, Truffles crept out and cautiously sniffed the turkey. As he gulped it down, Jackie reached out and grabbed him by the collar. The dog flinched, but didn’t even stop eating.
“We did it!” Alison cheered.
“My car is right there. Should we take him home?” she added.
“Yes. Let’s do it.”
“I can watch the baby!” Jana called out from the window. They all laughed, realizing she’d been eavesdropping the whole time. Alison was glad she’d been listening, happy to have gained her approval.
They climbed into Alison’s car and messaged Truffles’s owner, who tearfully gave them her address. Once there, Truffles raced to the door, crying and jumping up and down as they rang the bell. He knew he was home. He barreled in, nearly taking Jackie down with him.
The reunion was right out of the movies, with Truffles taking turns licking the tears from everyone’s faces, Jackie’s and Alison’s included. Outside, Alison was feeling quite thankful.
“You saved Thanksgiving,” she said.
He didn’t understand why, but he took it with pride. “Can we kiss and make up now?”
“If you don’t mind, first, I could really use a hug.”
As he wrapped his arms around her, they both sensed that it would be a long, long time until they would let each other go.