-- 13 --

Barbra Jean and Cheyenne were staring at Reba at the breakfast table as she sat reading the newspaper. She ignored their glances.

"So? How was the date?" Barbra Jean asked for the fifth time.

"Fine" Reba also answered for the fifth time

"REBA!!"

"MOM!!"

"WHAT??" cried Reba

"Mom, we're dying to know the details here!!" Cheyenne pouted.

"What do you want to know? I said it was good!" she flipped to the new page, pretending to ignore them as much as she could.

"You didn't get up until almost 11am, and you didn't go to the church today. You have a lot to confess sister!"

"Yeah, mom. Barbra Jean is right" Cheyenne agreed

"Did you kiss?" Barbra Jean got right to the point

"Maybe" Reba answered, eyes still on the paper.

"What do you mean? Maybe? It was a 'yes' or 'no' question!" but before Reba had chance to answer, Brock walked in the kitchen, all nicely dressed as if he was going out.

"Hello every body" he got himself a cup of coffee and decided to join the ladies. He had a huge grin on his face. Cheyenne and Barbra Jean stared at him. He seemed to be in a very good mood. They turned their look to Reba, who had a smile across her face ear-to-ear as soon as he came in. Cheyenne and Barbra Jean glanced at each other before turning to Brock.

"So?"

"Huh?"

"How was your date?" Barbra Jean asked Brock. Reba handed him the sports section.

"It was great" he tried to hide his grin as he sipped his coffee, then he took the paper from Reba and started to read.

"Dad, are you going to tell us about it?" Cheyenne asked impatiently

"What did your mom say?"

"She didn't tell us anything"

"I see" and Brock continued to sip his coffee, his eyes still locked on the page. Reba laughed softly.

"OK you guys are killing me here!!" Barbra Jean burst out, pulling the papers away from Reba and Brock. "Did you kiss?"

"Maybe" Brock and Reba answered in unison. "I swear we didn't plan this." Reba laughed. Brock finished his coffee, got up and leaned over to Reba.

"I'll pick you up at 4 ok, honey?" and he answered every one's question by kissing her tenderly on her lips before he left. Their eyes locked for a few seconds, looking at each other like nobody else was in the room.

After Brock left, Reba got up and was about to leave when she felt her hand being pulled.

"Sit down peaches." Once again, Barbra Jean and Cheyenne stared at her for an answer.

"Are you planning to stare at me all day? I have to get ready before he picks me up at 4 you know"

"Spill the details or we won't go anywhere mom"

"Alright, yeah we kissed"

"I can see that! Now, trace your step back since you left the house" Barbra Jean demanded

"I'm not gonna tell you everything"

"It's almost 2 o'clock mom"

"Fine! We just went to dinner, and went to see a movie, then he took me to a park to watch a meteor shower. It was so beautiful, shooting stars falling down from the sky..." Reba was daydreaming "Did you see it?"

"We knew about the shower mom, Kyra told us." Cheyenne accidentally slipped.

"Kyra did?" Reba was surprised

"Yeah, Dad said he wanted to really impress you, Kyra and I helped him" she admitted, "Kyra said something about shooting stars. He said he'll definitely take you to see it, and he had to come up with an excuse to set up the right date" Cheyenne told her mom

"Ah, I see. If Kyra were the one with the shooting stars idea than you must be the one with the bright idea for him to take me to the Drive-in!" Reba thought it was cute that the kids helped dad to impress mom. Just like when he needed help finding her a gift for special occasions when they were younger. She expected Cheyenne to look guilty about the drive-in idea, but instead, she looked excited!

"He took you to the drive-in? I told him to take you somewhere that you both used to enjoy going to together, and he took you to the drive-in!" Cheyenne eyes lit up. Barbra Jean moved even closer to hear the story. Reba saw their reaction and thought 'cccrrraaaappp!'

"Noooo" Reba made her best 'lying face', trying to be more convincing than BJ's infamous expression.

"Oh my God, you two were making out in the drive-in!" said Barbra Jean excited

"No, we didn't!" she blushed "Well, not last night anyway"

"Ok, what was the name of the movie you saw last night?" Barbra Jean was not convinced.

"It was..." she paused. Crraaappp!! She was busy thinking about her and Brock back in college, she didn't pay attention to the movie! "Alright, I don't remember, but we didn't do anything!"

"Sure you didn't" Barbra Jean tapped her nose and winked.

"Really we didn't! We were really watching the movie; I just didn't remember the name of to the movie. That's all. Then we went to see the meteor shower and it was so beautiful and romantic. So, we had a few kisses and that's the end of story"

"How 'few' kisses?" Barbra Jean wondered

"Three... Four..." Reba said

"Oh really?" once again asked, Barbra Jean not convinced

"Ten maybe twenty... I didn't count!"

"What time did you get home last night?" Cheyenne shoot out the next question

"About 4am"

"Did you... bowc chi..." Barbra Jean asked the next question, but didn't have chance to finish because Reba cut her off first

"NO... we didn't!"

"And what were you doing till 4am?"

"Told you we just watching the stars falling from the sky"

"Are you going out on a date with dad again today?"

"No, we're going to see a movie, he owed me a movie, then we're going for a dinner, that I owed him. And no, it's not a date"

"Are you getting back together?"

"One question after another, you make me feel like a movie star being interviewed." Reba laughed,

"You're not answering my question mom"

"Cheyenne, we haven't talked about this. If we do, you kids will be the first ones to know. I promise"

"Don't forget about me, I'm your best friend!"

"Yeah, you too Barbra Jean. Now can I go get ready?" Reba left Barbra Jean and Cheyenne to get ready for her 'not-a-date'.

"Do you think they are in love?" Cheyenne asked Barbra Jean

"Didn't you just see them kiss, and the way they looked at each other? Of course they are!"

"But do you think they know that they are in love?"
Barbra Jean thought about the question before she answered.

"I think your dad will 'maybe' admit that he's in-love with her, but your mom. I don't think so! C'mon, you know your parents. They are both stubborn!"

"Yeah, why can't they just say 'I love you and I love you too' and get on with their lives?" Cheyenne and Barbra Jean shook their heads. They could not understand why two people who loved each other, just wouldn't admit it to each other.

Brock picked her up right at four; Cheyenne and Barbra Jean were no longer there. Jake and Kyra also went out earlier. They had the house to themselves, but Reba insisted on going out. Who knows what could have happened, and she's not ready for that. At least, not yet.

"I really enjoy watching those stars last night" Brock said during dinner

"You did? You hardly looked at the sky!"

"How did you know if I didn't look at the sky? Were you watching me?"

"No, but you tend to notice when someone is staring at you." She answered with a smile.

"Reba?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you really know what I wanted to ask you last night?"

"I have a hunch.," she said with a smile "Brock, we have been friends for 30 years, and were married for 20 years. I can read you like a book!" she laughed.

"Then you knew I was jealous of those guys you went on a dates with?"

"The moment you shouted 'one thousand dollars!" she winked.

"And you still went out with them" he frowned

"They won the bid, didn't they?"

"What about that reverend? He didn't win the bid!"

"He didn't, but you dared me to go out with him"

"But you said you're going out with him again" he whined,

"No, I said IF he asked me again." she looked at him before she continued, "Which I don't think he will. He knew I wasn't interested in him."

"Is that mean we..."

"Brock" she cut him off before he finished his sentence. She held his hand in her palms "I realized that we were great together. And always will be. We've been pretty much best friends since we were in college. I enjoy your companionship as much as you enjoy mine. Right now, I'm not ready to lose what we have and go back to the same problems we had before. So can we keep our friendship the way it is, at least for now?"

"Sure, Reba. We'll be friends" he squeezed her hand gently. Until your ready to start the relationship with me again' he thought.

He pulled out a little blue velvet box from his pocket, inside was a ring with three stones; two small diamonds on the side, and a blue sapphire at the center. It matched the earrings and necklace he gave her before. "This is for all the anniversaries I've missed for the past 7 years" he put the ring on her middle finger on the left hand.

"Thanks, it's beautiful" she admired the gift he gave her. "But I didn't get you anything"

"That's ok. You been kind enough to give me friendship for the past 7 years, when you could have just hated me. I don't think I deserved anything, nor I want anything more from you." He kissed the back of her hand. He promised to himself that he would make her fall in love with him again, when she was ready. One day he hoped to put another ring on her left hand, but it'll be on the right finger.

-- end --

Please stay tuned for sequel "Love Revival"