Turning around

Jay listens intently to Katie talk about Jason and Wyatt, intrigued by who they are, and who is daughter has become. He almost says something once about the men she was referring to, but refrains, remembering that at this point in time, he really has no right to give advice.
Instead, he continues to listen. A smile forms as he takes the picture of Katie with her car. "She was a beauty," he compliments.
Learning about Katie at TJY, what she did, who her friends were...it filled in so many holes...answered so many questions he had had. As Katie concludes, Jay realizes that there are tears behind his eyes. He looks down for a minute, then back up at his daughter with love. "I'm so proud of you... You've done so many things...had so many accomplishments..." He reaches out to take her hand. "Somewhere along the way I lost my little girl...but you've grown into a woman that any father would be proud to call his daughter."
Clearing his throat awkwardly, he shrugs. "Life at home hasn't changed a whole lot. It's just Jess and me around the house most of the time with your siblings away from home now too. Business at the dog kennel is going alright...tax season is a mess..." He chuckles. "Picked up the hobby of fishing somewhere along the way so once the weather is nice we'll be camping out some."

Mick nods at Rosetta and throws an arm around her shoulders as they exit the hotel. "One of these days, this'll all be over," he promises quietly.
The drive to the hotel doesn't take long, and the three make their way to Katie's room again. Arriving, Jeff opens the door to let Rosetta and Mick in, only after entering, realizing that Katie's not alone. He raises his eyebrows as he sees his brother.

Turning around at the sound, Jay's eyes widen. He'd known Rosetta and Jeff might be here, but he had forgotten, and hadn't prepared for this meeting. He stands up from his chair, the strange nervousness returning.


Jason pulls off onto the shoulder of the road, his indecisiveness getting the best of him. He puts the truck in park and just lets it idle as his mind spins. This whole thing was just ridiculous. He hadn't told anyone about it so that it wouldn't become a huge deal, but instead, he was apparently making it worse by not saying anything. It was such a small thing that he'd hate to even say anything now, for fear of looking foolish. It was nothing for anyone to get excited over...in the broader view of the subject, the request had been nothing, compared to the world it lived in. It was such an insignificant thing! It would be like him saying it had all been over as stupid a subject as choosing what color to paint his office.

He groans and sets his head back against the seat. It really was silly the way this had turned out...Katie was worried about him, Wyatt thought he was doing something illegal...all because he'd simply kept this to himself. ...But he still didn't want to tell anyone...he knew nothing would come of all this, and not having anyone know would simply save him the embarrassment of announcing rejection. Why had he said yes in the first place?

He runs his hand along the bottom of the steering wheel as he thinks. He'd agreed thus far for the simple reason that this was something he'd always dreamed about, whether he'd let anyone in on that dream or not. He'd always known he wasn't good enough...
Getting through two meetings had sparked a slight hope, but he knew today would just pop that bubble. He shouldn't go... He looked a mess after his go-around with Wyatt, he didn't want to receive that look of rejection, and on top of all that....even if there was the remotest possibility that he was wanted...even if there was that ever-so-slight chance...how could he really say yes to it? He knew good and well that once he tasted it, he'd love it, and then he'd be forced to ride two roads. It would be impossible to balance what he already did...his job...his friends...then add something this on top of it.

Gritting his teeth, Jason puts the truck in gear and waits for traffic before turning around and heading back towards town. He just needed to forget about this whole thing. It was stupid of him to have pursued it this far to begin with. Cutting it off today was the safest route to take.