Dishonoring Jack

Chapter Sixteen

Oliver's nefarious warning did little to deter Jack from wanting to spend more time with the man. If anything, the town's disapprobation awakened a rebellious streak in Jack, and his secrets only engendered more curiosity. Thus, when Sunday afternoon came and Jack returned from church, she walked over to see him.

Donovan and Jack hadn't spoken much since the Ragtime party. Perhaps he was keeping his distance because of the mysterious men at the dance. Though he often waved at her and smiled when she and Minnie departed for the factory, he hadn't spoken to her at all. Jack briefly wondered if their kiss had scared him away, but then she remembered his answer when she asked him if he had regrets. "Not for a moment."

Jack believed him. A man wouldn't kiss like that if he had no interest in a woman, and she had every reason to believe he was as good a man as any in her acquaintance. She certainly didn't regret the kiss, and she hoped it wouldn't be their last.

That brought her to the Bookers' front door Sunday afternoon after church. She had a proposition for Donovan that he wouldn't refuse. Jack changed out of her Sunday best into a loose shirt, a pair of men's trousers, and scuffed boots and marched to the Bookers' front door under the delicious August sun.

Jack lifted her chin as she crossed the bumpy field to the Bookers' house, letting the rays of sun wash over her tanned feature. Oh, how she loved the summer, and now that the end of summer was drawing near, she wanted to revel in every last moment. And she had just the plan to enjoy it.

The Bookers' home sat uphill from Jack's, a square brick house with a stout chimney and a view that nearly stretched to the nearby ocean. Jack had half a mind to drive and see it today if she could convince Donovan to go along with her plan.

Jack wracked her knuckles against the door, painted a dark green by Minnie in the spring. She tugged on her shirt as she waited, eager for a response. Finally, the door swung open and she was greeted by Julius, wearing a mismatched vest, shirt, and pants and no shoes. Ink was smeared above his left eye and he blinked against the sunlight.

Though absent-minded, the town's newspaperman was the most intelligent man Jack knew and she admired his absent genius. Julius was lucky to have Hannah Benjamin to keep the newspaper on schedule.

"Jack? Why, hello. Are you here to see Minnie?" he asked, an easy smile appearing on the man's broad face.

Jack's face pinkened as she contemplated her reply. "Actually, I'm not. Perhaps...is Donovan here? I'd like to speak to him."

Julius cocked one eyebrow and smiled at her. "Yes, I suppose he is. Shall I fetch him?"

"Yes, please."

Julius nodded and disappeared from the doorway and Jack kicked at a loose stone with her boot. Was she too bold in coming to their home to request an audience with a man she barely knew? Perhaps, but Jack had always been audacious. When she saw something she wanted, she went after it. No one had given her anything, so she worked for what she want.

"Jack?"

Donovan's smooth lilting voice interrupted her reflections and she looked up to find him standing in the doorway, his black hair loose from its tail. The dark strands fell around his face and Jack lost her train of thought for a moment. Mercy, he's handsome.

"Jack? You asked for me?" A smile lifted at the corner of his mouth and Jack knew she'd been discovered in her overt admiration.

"Yes, I...are you busy this afternoon?"

He leaned against the doorframe, his eyes washing down her face. "I'm not."

"In that case, I have a proposition. That is, if you've not grown weary of my company."