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“You always wanted to be in law enforcement?” I pry a little further.
He nods. “Mostly, yeah. I joined the academy as soon as I turned twenty-one. I was a beat cop for three years, then promoted to detective,” he says with pride. “I want to keep people safe. No one should be made to live in fear.”
His eyes are on me, and I wonder if he has me figured out. Maybe he knows I’ve been living in fear and wants to keep me safe. Then again, that’s probably a reach. I’ve been more paranoid than usual, especially now that my faux missing person’s report has made it to Fraser local news. He studies my reaction.
“Do you love it?” I ask.
“Most days, yeah.” His smile is a little sad. “It can be a hard job. You see people at the worst times in their lives sometimes. Luckily though, Fraser doesn’t have a ton of crime.”
I nod with a shaky smile. I’m afraid I might have brought some bad people with me to this quiet, safe town. The thought of anyone getting hurt puts me on edge. I have to figure out a way to stop this before anything else happens.
Christopher found me here in Fraser, and that scares me beyond belief. I need to tell Jack, but I can’t bring myself to say the words. I just want this one night where he can truly get to know me without the cloud of darkness that is Christopher hanging over everyone I know.
Maybe I need to run again. It’s not safe here anymore, and every day I linger I risk those around me. I know Christopher doesn’t care about collateral damage, so the danger is real.Get it together. Drop it for now.I let those thoughts go for tonight. It’s something I need to think about but not right now.
“You have family close by?” I ask, trying to divert his attention.
“I have three brothers. They live in Las Vegas. I’m the only one here in Colorado. We aren’t close.” His tone gets darker at the mention of his brothers, and I get the impression it’s a sore spot for him.
“What about your parents?” Hesitant to ask, but also too curious to stop.
“My dad died when we were young. It changed the whole trajectory of our lives. I went one way, my brothers the other. All of us just trying to do what we needed to do to survive.”
I’m confused on what he means and saddened to hear about him losing a parent so young. Mine aren’t the greatest but at least they are here.
“I’m sorry about your dad. Do you think you can fix whatever it is that’s broken with your brothers?” I know better than anyone how complex your relationship with a sibling can be. What’s going on with Andrew and I is hard to put into words. I love him, he’s my brother but I’m not sure where his loyalties lie and that is a mountain, I’m not sure we can climb.
Jack shakes his head, a sigh leaving his lips. “I’m not sure we can. We are just too different. Our paths can never cross.”
I understand that more than he knows and my heart aches for him, just as much as it does for me and my brother.
I reach over, grabbing his hand in mine and giving it a brief squeeze before letting him go as quickly as I grab him. A small sincere smile on my face. He gives me a small smile back before shifting his eyes away from me.
I get the feeling Jack is done talking about it though and those suspensions are confirmed with he stands and moves to grab the dishes. I hope my questions didn’t make him uncomfortable. I never want to do that with anyone, but especially him. I don’t want to end the conversation, so I stand and grab my own plate.
“Need some help?” I ask.
He smiles softly and nods toward the kitchen before walking in that direction.
“I’m sorry if I asked too many questions. You don’t have to answer them.” I’m sure he’s starting to feel interrogated at this point.
His expression softens, “don’t apologize. You can ask me anything you want. Sometimes, I just might not want to answer.” He has a teasing smirk on his face that puts me at ease. He sets the dishes in the sink and runs water over them.
“I just don’t want to overstep; we barely know each other. It’s understandable that you wouldn’t want to tell a stranger your deepest, darkest secret.” I tease to lighten the heaviness that has settled into my chest. My guilt is rearing its ugly head from earlier tonight.
“I don’t think you’re being nosey. My family is a sore subject is all. What about you? Do you have any siblings?”
My heart rate ticks up a bit. I asked him questions first, this is a natural continuation of the conversation so I should have been more prepared to answer these questions. I take a deep breath.
“Uh, yeah. I have an older brother and a younger sister.” My tone is somewhat flat.
I don’t want to lie or give too much away. It’s a delicate balance at this point. I really like Jack and enjoy his company. I know the truth will eventually come out, and I don’t want him to see me as a complete stranger to him again.
“Parents?” he asks.
Damn. “Yeah, I grew up with both parents.” That’s the truth.Good job, Andrea.
“How’d you end up in Colorado? I can tell you aren’t really from here,” he says with a smile.
