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I was tempted to say "the boathouse," but knew that wasn't what he meant, and he wouldn't appreciate having to expend more words to get the proper response.
"Following a lead," I said as I brushed past him.
"What lead?"
I considered speeding up. With his injury, I could easily outrun him. But speed wasn't Jack's style at the best of times. I could escape him all day, and I'd wake up tomorrow morning, sit down to breakfast, and have him plant himself across from me, asking the same question.
I eased back. "Whatever you're hiding out from, it's bigger than you're letting on, isn't it?"
His face screwed up in an unspoken "Huh?"
"I won't press for details. The point is that if you need me here, I'll stick around as much as possible. Yes, I am a little preoccupied, but I've got your back."
He stared at me, dark brows creasing over a deep furrow. "You think...?" His lips worked, as if he hadn't yet figured out how to finish the sentence. "No one's coming after me, Nadia. It's not..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not like that. You want to know? I'll explain later. But watching my back?" He shook his head. "I'm trying to watch yours. Only this - " He knocked his crutch against the cast. "Slows me down."
"I don't need your help, Jack. Let's - " I pulled my hands from my pockets and leaned against a maple tree, the bark cold under my fingers. "Let's cut through the bullshit, okay?"
"Bullshit?"
"The only reason you're here is because you needed a place to go, and I was the only one offering. So now you're stuck, and you feel obligated to at least pretend everything's the way it used to be. Maybe you think that'll make the situation more comfortable, but it doesn't. You're a paying guest; you don't need to make nice, okay?"
"Make nice?" The words rolled out awkwardly, as if he didn't recognize them. A soft sigh as he repositioned his crutch. "Been a while since I called. But - "
"You were going to. When, Jack? This week? Next?"
He rubbed his mouth. In the silence that followed, I inhaled through my mouth, the air suddenly too thin.
You stupid twit. You were still hoping, weren't you? Still praying it was all a big misunderstanding.
"I would've called," he said finally. "Wouldn't just... leave."
"You don't owe me anything, Jack, especially explanations. But don't insult me by pretending,
okay? There was never any obligation, and I always knew that someday you'd stop coming around."
"Didn't - " He shifted his stance, moving the crutch in front again. "Didn't stop coming around. Just... Stuff came up. My stuff. Nothing to do with you. Didn't think you'd - " A roll of his shoulders. "Didn't think."
My face heated and I raked my hair back, trying to cover my blush without turning away. I sounded like a spurned lover.
In the first year, months had often passed without word from Jack. But after that, he'd called or stopped by at least once a month.
Jack lived a solitary life. Always had, as far as I could tell. If a job came up that demanded all his attention, he'd give it all his attention, never stopping to say, "Oh, I should check in with Nadia." Whatever hang-ups I had about rejection and abandonment, I'd better learn to keep them to myself, or I would scare him away.
"I should - " I straightened and brushed bark bits from my hands. "I was going to check the range before my guests arrive. I have a lot of sign-ups this weekend. You can go on back to the house or down to the lake, enjoy the peace and quiet while you can."
I made it three steps.
"What happened?" he asked.
I stopped.
"Today. Something went wrong."
I didn't turn, just gave a tight squeak of a laugh. "I screwed up. Big surprise, huh? I stayed up all night, thinking about Sammi, and about..."
"Amy"
I kept my voice even. "I decided I knew who'd taken Destiny, flew off half-cocked, and screwed up. Just like you expected."
