Just Jack (13 page)

Though the moment was a little uncomfortable, Jack appreciated the sentiment. “But this doesn’t mean you can slack off from now on.”

Misha sat back down. “As if, man.” He grinned, jumping slightly as his phone chimed in his pocket. “Alice is going to be stoked.”

Who’s Alice?
In all the times Misha had talked
at
Jack, Jack didn’t recall Misha mentioning her before. He really should start to take an interest in the people he worked with. That was the human thing to do, right?

Misha pulled his phone out of his pocket and smiled. “Speak of the devil.” He glanced at Jack. “My girlfriend. We live with her parents at the moment. We’re trying to save for our own place.” He texted a reply to whatever message he’d received. “Anyway, Abe gave me a list.” He put away his phone and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. “An actual list. So, I’m going to get on it and catch up with you later.” He jumped off his stool, pulling off his coat as he headed out the back.

Jack enjoyed the brief silence before his own cell phone sounded. With a sigh, he noted Abe’s name on the screen. “Hello,” he answered.

“Good mornin’ to you too,” Abe said cheerfully. “Thought I’d call and say I’m runnin’ late. Neve, need I say more? I’ve asked Misha to open up—”

“I know,” Jack interrupted. “I’m already here.”

“Oh. Thought you’d be up to your neck in croissants and coffee.”

Croissants and coffee?
“What?”

“He looked like a guy that might cook you breakfast in the mornin’.”

“It wasn’t like that.”

Abe clicked his tongue. “Sorry. He kicked you out, then?”

“No.” Jack sighed and turned around to lean against the bar. “I left.”

“You left? Why?” Abe actually sounded clueless.

“It was for the best.”

“For who? When exactly did you leave? Please tell me you didn’t sneak out while he was asleep.”

Jack’s silence was answer enough.

“What? Seriously? Given how much life experience you’ve had, you are one hell of a dumbass sometimes.”

“Well, thank you.”

“You’re gonna call him, right? Text? Do somethin’?”

Closing his eyes, Jack massaged his neck. “It’s complicated, and you know that.”

Abe seemed to get frustrated. “No, it’s not. You’re just a coward.”

Jack couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“You… You sounded a hell of a lot like your dad just then.”

There was a beat as it seemed he and Abe shared a moment of reflection.

Jack opened his eyes. “He always was the clever one, your dad.”

“Look, Jack, I get it, I do. I know havin’ to explain in twenty, thirty years’ time why you haven’t aged a single day is a big deal. But surely, there must be someone out there worth sharin’ your secret with. You did it with Dad, me, Brienna, and I hope you will with Neve one day. It’s scary and big, but we’re still here.” Abe paused. “Or is that what you’re scared of? That one day we won’t be? That he won’t be?”

Raising his head, Jack looked at the ceiling. The thought of being alone didn’t scare him. He had been alone before, and he could be alone again. “It’s me,” he stated.

“You?”

“What if I hurt him?”

Abe made a sniffed sound of disbelief. “You wouldn’t hurt anybody.”

“We both know that’s not true.”

“Laying some ice for someone to fall on doesn’t make you a bad person.”

“Maybe.” As a rule, Jack didn’t stick around beyond the initial chaos his trickery might cause—people falling down, the broken bones, cars skidding, colliding. He was sure he’d caused more hurt than a bump to the head or a fractured arm. He didn’t think about how serious things could really be, the far-reaching ramifications his actions might hold. He never had. That wasn’t who he was or how he was designed to be. Those feelings didn’t exist, or at least he had been sure until recently they didn’t. With Leo and how he thought he had felt, Jack was confused. What did any of it mean? Did it mean anything at all, or was it a pipedream, some trick in return from Mother Nature?

“You’re a good man, Jack.” Abe was unwavering in his insistence. “And I think you should call him.”

“And what?”

“Tell him you were an idiot for leavin’.” The sound of Neve calling for her daddy came over the phone. “You deserve to be happy, Jack. Or as happy as happy gets for you. Comin’, baby,” he called to his daughter. “I have to go, but you know I’m right. I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah, bye.” Jack hung up and eyed the stools on the opposite side of the bar. He tilted his head, remembering how Leo’s friends had sat there just the other night. They had made it look so easy, sharing moments, laughing, touching, kissing.

The phone in Jack’s hands had never felt heavier. Could he really have someone for himself? Could he be someone Leo or anyone else could love? He eyed the dark screen.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained
.

Chapter 13

“He left? And you let him?” Ruby hugged her coffee in two hands and gave him a despairing look.

Leo folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the kitchen counter. “I was asleep. I didn’t really get much say in him staying or going.” He rubbed at his eyes and yawned.

“He tired you out, then?” Ruby smirked.

“Something like that.” Leo squinted in the bright light shining through the kitchen window. “Why are you so interested anyway?”

Ruby shrugged and sipped at her coffee. “No reason really. I guess I just hoped you’d had a good time, and, you know, it had helped you forget about Mac.”

“I think it’ll take more than a night out for me to forget about Mac.” He took a deep breath. “Though deep down I knew he wasn’t, I really wanted him to be the one. I thought we were in love.”

“I don’t believe in that stuff,” Ruby stated. “Finding
the one
is a load of nonsense and should be left to those movies you love so much.”

“I hope you didn’t break it to Nathan like that.” Leo chuckled.

“Nathan knows I love him. I married him, after all. But I think it’s more a case of him being the one for me right now. Forever is a long time. People change, we fall in and out of love.” She pressed one of her hands to Leo’s chest. “Sometimes we have to listen to this. Your heart knows when something feels right or wrong.”

“Maybe.” He figured he had known things weren’t right between him and Mac for a long time. Sure, Mac had given him a key to his apartment, but things between them had never gone beyond that. And it hadn’t been just Mac putting it off. Leo had been reluctant to give up his own place, and thinking back, he must have known, really known Mac would never change no matter what Leo had wanted to believe. He’d tried to forgive and forget Mac’s previous transgressions, but he couldn’t. They’d always been there, just out of sight, but always there.

Ruby patted him on the chest. “So, how was last night? Did you have fun?”

Leo smiled as he nodded. “Have you ever met someone and just clicked? Everything was so easy with Jack. He was good to talk to. We had some drinks, got pizza. He came back here, and, well, we… you know?”

The smile on her face indicated Ruby did know.

“As distractions go, Jack was one of the best. I know it’s not going anywhere. He left without so much as a good-bye, but it was like drawing a line under me and Mac, you know? Like saying I’m ready to move on?”

“You mean you’re not going to be sitting in your PJs with a tub of choc chip ice cream, weeping at chick flicks?”

“No, I don’t think I am.” Yes, catching Mac and that guy together had been a shock, and yes, for one dark moment, Leo had felt like he’d had his heart ripped out and it might as well have been the end of the world. But it hadn’t been. His heart was still beating, and the world still turned. Just because Mac was a total idiot, it didn’t mean Leo should be the one to pay the price and hide away.

He glanced at Ruby. “Is this where you break out great pearls of wisdom like there are plenty more fish in the sea?”

Ruby screwed up her nose. “Nah. You don’t need me to tell you that.” She bumped her shoulder to his in a show of support.

The silence they fell into was disturbed when Leo’s cell phone vibrated on the counter.

“Anyone interesting?” Ruby eyed the phone when Leo picked it up.

“It’s, erm…” He read the text message again. “It’s Jack.” He glanced at Ruby, whose interest was piqued.

“And?”

“He wants to get coffee.”

“I’d expect an apology with that coffee.” She took a drink from her mug.

“I—”

“But you’re going, right?”

Was he? “I don’t know.”

Ruby looked at him firmly. “You’re going,” she stated.

Did he dare argue with her? “Fine,” he relented. It was just coffee, after all.

* * * * *

“So, we’re okay?” Jack asked. He smiled when Leo lifted his head from where he had settled his attention on his drink.

“Yeah. Apology accepted.”

Jack relaxed when Leo returned his smile. He must have sounded like a complete douche bag, claiming he had left for Leo’s benefit, so the man could save face and not have to wake to find his one-night stand still in his bed. Whether Leo really believed his rambled excuse, he didn’t know, but Leo hadn’t stormed out or punched him or anything else. In fact, Leo looked okay, more than okay. Jack closed his eyes, reining in his appreciation of Leo.

“I didn’t want you to think you owed me anything.” He opened his eyes to find Leo watching him. He swallowed back the desire to reach across the table and kiss Leo. For a fleeting moment, he couldn’t think of anything he’d ever wanted more. What was wrong with him?

Leo smiled. “I didn’t. I don’t.” He tapped his finger on the side of his mug. “No regrets, but thanks, I guess.”

“The thing is…” Could he say the words?

“What?” The corners of Leo’s eyes creased as he looked curiously at Jack.

“Okay, I don’t expect you to say yes or anything, but…”

Leo leaned backward and waited.

“I’d really like to see you again.”

“You’re seeing me now,” Leo pointed out with a teasing smile.

Jack shook his head and breathed a laugh. “You know what I mean. I enjoyed spending time with you, and I’d like to maybe do it again.” He looked at Leo. “What do you think?”

Leo didn’t answer straight away, and Jack had never felt so nervous, so desperate to hear someone else speak. He might not expect Leo to say yes, but damn if he didn’t want him to.

“Okay,” Leo finally said. His eyes brightened when he looked at Jack. “When?”

“What about now?”

Raising an eyebrow, Leo held Jack’s gaze. “What do you have in mind?”

Jack simply grinned.

* * * * *

“I thought you were kidding.” Leo held on to the barrier surrounding the outdoor ice rink and watched the people skating in circles. “I’ve never skated in my life.”

“Never?” Jack stood beside him.

“Never.” He felt unsteady standing on the blades atop the ice. He didn’t want to move. Maybe he could stay at the side and watch.

Jack let go of the barrier and moved to stand in front of him. “You’ll be fine.”

“You won’t say that when we’re both flat on our backs.” He took a deep breath as Jack grasped his hand. He looked out at the rink and the youngsters gliding circuits with ease. At what age did everything become so scary? Children were so fearless. Leo looked down to see Jack now held on to both of his hands. When the hell had he let go of the edge?

“Do you trust me?”

Trust him? Leo hardly knew him. He looked into Jack’s eyes, and when he did, his fears seemed to melt away. “Sure,” he decided.

With a smile, Jack started to move, skating backward so he could hold on to Leo’s hands.

“Don’t let go.” Panic gripped Leo’s chest as they moved a few feet away from the side. “Please don’t let go.”

Jack shook his head. “I won’t.” They glided slowly around the rink, Jack pulling Leo along with him. “Okay?” Jack checked.

Leo did his best to relax. He noted how Jack’s grip lessened, but Jack didn’t let go. They continued around the rink, Leo daring to push away from the ice as he felt more confident. He felt safe.

“Good.” Jack bent his arms as Leo took more control. “See? Easy.”

“But you’re not going to let go, right?”

“Not if you don’t want me to.”

Don’t ever let go
. Leo bent his arms, holding his and Jack’s hands a little to the side as he glided closer to Jack. He looked into Jack’s eyes as the world seemed to slow down. Where had Jack been hiding all this time? Leo couldn’t look away. Jack was amazing. Leo felt a shift in direction, and he tightened his hold on Jack as they spun around.

He held on tightly as he found himself gliding backward. His fears faded as he continued to look into Jack’s eyes. They seemed so bright, so perfect. A smile teased the corner of Jack’s mouth as he turned his body, bringing the two of them to a stop beside the edge of the rink. They stood together for a moment, and Leo thought Jack was going to kiss him.

Blinking, Leo looked up at the sky as soft, wet flakes fell on his cheeks. The snow fell in straight, steady lines. Delicate flakes clung to their faces and coats. Leo glanced at Jack. Ruby might think him a fool, and that magic, finding the one, and love at first sight belonged in his movies, but right here and now, Leo dared to believe they were real.

“What now?” Leo asked on a sigh.

Jack leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. “Whatever you want.” The smile that spread across his face seemed tainted by sadness as he added, “I have all the time in the world.”

* * * * *

Free from the skates, Leo enjoyed the feel of his feet flat and firm on the sidewalk. The snow had stopped as quickly as it had started, and the paths across town were already clear.

“You don’t have to spend the whole day with me, you know?” Leo said, feeling guilty for having stolen so much of Jack’s day from him. “I’m sure you have other things to do. At the club or something.”

“Not until later this afternoon, so for now you have me all to yourself.” Jack gently ran his fingers over the back of Leo’s hand when they stopped outside a coffee shop. “Besides, I like spending time with you.”