[Pritchett's House] [Saturday] [Morning]
Jay poured himself a scotch, neat, and set the bottle back on the bar with a satisfied grunt. He lit a cigar, took a slow pull, and sank into the couch like a man who had just won a small war and intended to enjoy every second of it. The morning light streamed in through the windows, and Jay looked completely at peace with the world.
In the kitchen, Gloria was carefully lining a cupcake tray, humming to herself as she measured flour. She had decided today was the day to try a new recipe, one she had seen online that promised "perfect moisture," which she did not fully trust but was willing to test.
She glanced over her shoulder and frowned.
"Jay," she called out, "who drinks scotch in the morning?"
Jay raised his glass slightly, inspecting the color as if it were fine art. "Winners," he said casually. "Men who close deals that make other grown men cry."
Gloria shifted her focus back to her cupcakes. "If you keep this up, you are going to get sick."
Jay leaned back, clearly enjoying himself. "You know Closets, Closets, Closets, Closets?"
"Yes," Gloria said. "How could I not know your archnemesis?"
Jay grinned. "Beat them. Crushed them. I just made the biggest deal in the history of Pritchett's Closets and Blinds with one of the biggest producers in Hollywood. The Prestons." He took a slow sip of his scotch. "You should have seen Earl's face. He looked like someone stole his lunch money and his dignity at the same time."
Gloria stopped what she was doing and turned toward him. "The Prestons?"
Jay nodded. "Yeah. The famous Hollywood producer duo."
She stared at him for a moment, then slowly set the measuring cup down. "Haley's boyfriend has the same last name. Preston. And he is an actor in Hollywood."
Jay blinked once. "Really?"
"Yes," Gloria said as she walked into the living room with flour on her hands. "His name is Jack Preston. He is very polite, very handsome, and very famous for someone so young."
Jay straightened a little. "Wait. Haley is dating a Preston. As in my Preston."
Gloria shrugged. "I do not know if he is your Preston, but unless Hollywood is full of rich Prestons who all act and produce, I think it might be the same family."
Jay thought for a moment as he got a nice idea. If this is the same Preston, then he must get close to him.
Why?
Jay was thinking like a businessman.
Jack is dating Haley and is an actor, so he must be around Haley's age. In a couple of years, when Jack becomes an adult, he might buy a house. Since they were friends early on, Jack could give Jay the contract for the closets in his new house. Then, if Haley somehow manages to stay with Jack and get married later, Jack might buy another house and Jay would get the contracts for those closets too. Right now, Pritchett's Closets and Blinds is popular, but if Jay somehow manages to get into the celebrity circle, then he's going to make money.
Jay's eyes narrowed slightly, the way they did when a plan started forming. He stubbed out his cigar, picked up his phone, and scrolled until he found Haley's name.
Gloria watched him with suspicion. "Why do you look like that?"
"Because," Jay said, already lifting the phone to his ear, "I might be about to make money without lifting a finger."
...
Upstairs at the Dunphy house, Haley was stretched across her bed, half watching something on her phone and half daydreaming about absolutely nothing productive. Her screen lit up with Jay's name.
She frowned. "Why is Grandpa calling me?"
She answered anyway. "Hey, grandpa."
Jay leaned back on the couch, putting on his most casual voice, the one he used when he absolutely was not being casual. "Hey, kid. Just checking in. How are you?"
Haley smiled a little. "I'm good. Why do you sound like you're about to ask me for something?"
Jay chuckled. "What, I can't call my granddaughter without an agenda?"
"Historically, no," Haley said.
Jay ignored that. "Listen, I'm throwing a little get-together tomorrow noon. I tried calling your mom, but her phone went straight to voicemail, so I figured you could pass the message along."
Haley sat up a little. "A party?" She looked excited.
"Yes. I closed a deal that makes this house smell like victory and expensive scotch," Jay said with pride. "Tell Claire and Phil they're invited. Everyone is invited. It's going to be a big party."
Haley paused. Then, very carefully, she asked, "Can I bring Jack?"
//Jay's confession//
Jay sat on the couch with a cigar. He simply shook his head with a victorious smile as he looked forward. He took a puff, let the smoke out, and said a single word, "Teenagers."
//Jay's confession End//
Jay smiled to himself.
'Got her.'
He kept his tone neutral, almost bored. "Jack? Who's that?"
Haley said. "My boyfriend."
Jay leaned forward slightly, pretending to think. "Boyfriend, huh? When did that happen?"
Haley laughed. "Recently."
Jay nodded slowly. "So this Jack. What's his deal?"
Haley hesitated, instantly suspicious. "Why are you asking?"
"I'm making conversation," Jay said. "That's what people do at parties. They talk. I don't want to be the guy who doesn't know who's walking into his house."
Haley relaxed a bit. "Okay. Well, his name is Jack Preston. He's an actor. He's really nice. Like, weirdly nice. And smart and he helps me study."
Jay's eyebrow twitched at the last name.
Preston.
He kept his voice steady. "Preston, you say."
"Yeah," Haley said. "Why? Do you know him?"
Jay waved a hand in the air even though she could not see it. "I know a lot of people, kid. Hollywood's a small town when you're important."
Haley rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."
Jay smiled wider. "So this Jack Preston. His parents wouldn't happen to be in the business, would they?"
Haley blinked. "Yeah, actually. His parents are producers. Richard and Sarah Preston."
Jay's smile froze for half a second.
'Bingo.'
He cleared his throat. "Well, would you look at that."
"What?" Haley asked.
"Nothing," Jay said quickly. "Just surprised. World's smaller than people think."
Haley narrowed her eyes. "You're being weird."
Jay leaned back, satisfied. "I'm being curious. So yes, you can bring him. I'd love to meet the kid."
Haley smiled despite herself. "Okay. But don't scare him, and he hates when people talk about his work life. So, don't ask anything about movies or other celebrities."
Jay nodded. "Okay. I'll keep that in mind."
They said their goodbyes, and Haley hung up, already planning what to wear.
Jay set his phone down and reached for his scotch again. He was smiling again.
Gloria noticed his smile and nearly jumped up. "Eey!" She quickly rushed over and used two fingers on Jay's face, pulling the corner of his lips down. "Put your face back to what it used to be."
"What?" Jay asked, surprised.
"Your smile..."
"What about my smile?"
"You look like a crazy person," Gloria replied. "Don't ever smile like that unless you want to sleep on the couch." She walked toward the kitchen again, but not before giving Jay a death glare.
'What?' Jay touched his face. 'What's wrong with my smile?'
...
[Jack's House] [10 AM]
Jack sat at the desk, laptop open, a notebook spread beside it. He was writing the next Harry Potter book.
He paused, read the paragraph again, then nodded to himself.
Ninety percent of the book was completed. Only the last chapter was left, and then the editing.
He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes, more tired than he realized. He was not rushing with the second book. The first book was still waiting on copyright, so he was taking his time.
His phone buzzed on the desk.
He glanced at the screen.
Haley.
A small smile showed up before he could stop it.
He picked up the phone. "Hey."
Haley asked. "Hey, you busy?"
Jack replied. "Just working on a side project. What about you?"
"I just talked with my grandpa," Haley said, curling up on her bed. "He's throwing a party tomorrow at noon, and… I wanted to see if you'd like to come?"
Jack's voice perked up, just a hint of amusement in it. "Yeah, I'm free. I'll go. Sounds fun."
"Cool," Haley said, smiling. "It's just a casual thing. We usually go to Grandpa's house every weekend to party and have some fun. Everyone will be there. Mom, Dad, Alex, Luke, Mitch, and Cam... and obviously us."
Jack chuckled. "Your grandpa sounds like a cool guy."
Haley laughed. "Yeah, he's cool, and he likes to talk a lot about his closet business. So, whatever you do, don't get dragged into it unless you want to spend the day listening to his speech."
Jack's voice lowered slightly, teasing. "Well, if not closet. Maybe I'll talk about how amazing his granddaughter is."
Haley laughed. "I'll gladly let you brag about me. Just say the good ones, and skip the car accident."
"I'll see what I can do... But don't worry. Since your family will be there, I'll try to make a good impression," He replied as he stood up and stretched his legs.
Then, after a pause, he added casually, "Hey, I was thinking… about hitting that new cafe next to the mall, grab something to eat, and then watch a movie. So, you wanna come?"
Haley sat up straight. "Yes! Absolutely. That sounds perfect."
He nodded, "Alright, how about we meet there in an hour?"
"Perfect," Haley said. "See you then."
"See you," Jack said, and they hung up.
...
[2:30 PM] [Cinema Lobby]
Jack and Haley stepped out of the cinema hall, blinking a little as the afternoon light hit them. The lobby behind them was still buzzing with people talking over each other, arguing about the movie like it was a matter of national importance.
"That ending was trash," Haley said, shaking her head. "Absolute trash."
"I had mixed feelings," Jack replied.
"She picked the wrong guy," Haley said, pushing the theater door open as they walked outside. "Paul actually understood her. He supported her dreams. He showed up. Jim just had a job and a boring apartment."
Jack nodded. "I liked Paul more too."
Haley stopped walking for a second and pointed at him. "Thank you. Everyone always says I am being dramatic."
"You are dramatic," Jack said easily. "But you are not wrong."
She smirked and kept walking. "Exactly."
They slowed near the sidewalk, waiting for their cab to pull up. Haley crossed her arms, still clearly not over it. "I do not care what the movie tried to say. Love should not be about picking the safest option."
Jack thought about it for a moment. "Emotionally, yeah. I agree."
She raised an eyebrow. "Emotionally?"
Jack smiled. "Logically speaking, though, Jim made sense."
Haley groaned. "Oh no. You are going to defend him."
"Just a little," Jack said, holding up a hand. "Think about it. Ten years from now, they are married, they have kids, and suddenly, life is not just about grand gestures anymore. You have rent or a mortgage, car payments, groceries, school fees, healthcare, all of it. Stability starts to matter whether you like it or not."
Haley looked at him, squinting. "You sound like my mom."
"Really?" he said. "Well, that realization hurt me too."
She laughed despite herself. "Okay, fine. I get it. But movies are supposed to make me happy, not remind me that adulthood is a trap."
Jack grinned. "Fair point."
Their cab pulled up, and they slid into the back seat, still talking as the car pulled away. Haley leaned back against the seat, watching the city pass by through the window.
"I still think Paul would have figured it out," she said. "He would have grown. People grow."
Jack nodded. "They do. And sometimes movies forget that."
She glanced at him, smiling softly. "That is why I like watching stuff with you. You do not make me feel dumb for caring too much."
"You care the right amount," he said. "That is the problem."
The ride to her house felt shorter than it should have. Too soon, the cab slowed and stopped in front of the Dunphy house. Haley sighed quietly, already wishing they had taken the long way.
They stepped out onto the sidewalk. For a second, neither of them said anything. It was that familiar awkward pause that was not awkward at all.
"So," Haley said, rocking slightly on her heels. "I had fun."
"Me too," Jack replied. "Even if the movie betrayed us."
She laughed, then leaned in without overthinking it. He met her halfway, the kiss easy and familiar, warm but quick. Just enough to make her smile when she pulled back.
"Strawberry?" Jack raised an eyebrow.
"You like it?" Haley asked with a little blush.
Jack leaned in for another kiss, and Haley kissed him back again. Then the cab driver cleared his throat, and they pulled back with a smile.
"Does that answer your question?" He asked.
"Pretty much..." She replied. "Text me when you get home."
"I will," he promised.
Jack stepped back into the cab, and Haley stood there as it drove off, lifting her hand to wave until it disappeared down the street. Only then did she turn toward the house, still smiling to herself.
---
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