a long story.” I smiled.
“And one I’m looking forward to hearing.”
Sara put dinner on the table and took her seat. While we ate, Jack shared some of his fishing stories and how close he came to death multiple times over the years.
“Mason told me you don’t have any family here,” Sara spoke.
“No. I don’t.”
“What about back in Alaska?” she asked.
“Not really. I guess you could consider my crew part of my family. It’s always been just me.”
I could tell by the look on his face that it bothered him, and I wished Sara would stop asking him questions like that. Once we were finished eating, Sara got up from the table and took the plates to the kitchen sink.
“Let me help,” Jack said as he got up. “It’s the least I could do for the fine meal you cooked.”
“Thanks, Jack, but that’s not necessary. You sit down and relax. I’ve got this.” She smiled.
He walked over to the sofa table where I had a picture of me, my mom and my brothers from her wedding in Vegas.
“Is this your family?” he asked as he picked up the frame and stared at the picture.
“Yeah. That’s my mom and my brothers.”
“Your mother is a beautiful woman if you don’t mind me saying so.”
“Not at all. She is beautiful. That was actually taken not too long ago at her wedding.”
“What about your dad?” he asked.
“Never knew him. He took off right after I was born.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. You never tried to look for him?”
“No. He was something we didn’t discuss in our household. We all figured if he could walk out on his family the way he did, he wasn’t worthy of knowing us.”
He set the picture down and walked back over to the table.
“You have a beautiful family, Mason.”
“Thanks.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, do your brothers have dangerous jobs as well?” he smirked.
“Elijah is a lawyer and Nathan is an airline pilot.”
“Good careers. Your mother raised you boys well.”
Sara
I stood at the sink and listened to every word Jack said. Something about him wasn’t sitting right with me. Sure, he was a nice man, but something seemed off. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. When we were sitting at the table eating dessert, I noticed something. Something a doctor would notice, and I figured maybe that was the reason he came to New York.
“So, Jack, what brings you to New York?”
“No specific reason. I guess I just wanted to visit and catch some sights that everyone in the world talks about.”
“Oh yeah. Like what?”
“Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, museums. Things like that.”
“I thought you said last night you came here for personal reasons,” Mason said.
“I didn’t really think you’d want to hear about that boring stuff.” He smirked. “To me, those are personal reasons.”
“Yeah. I guess,” Mason said.
“How long do you plan on staying?” I asked.
“I’m not sure yet. Enough talk about me. What is it you do, Sara?”
I grabbed three beers from the fridge and took them over to the table.
“I’m a doctor.”
“Really?” His brow raised. “Any kind of specialty?”
“ER.”
“Good choice. Like Mason here, you also save lives. You two are a good fit for roommates.” He gave us a wink. “Are you from New York?”
“No. I’m from Connecticut. I moved here to be closer to my mother. She’s in a care facility for Alzheimer patients.”
“Gee. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“And your father?”
My heart started racing as I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“I don’t have a father as far as I’m concerned, and we’ll leave it at that.”
“Okay. Got it. Thanks for the dinner and the beer. It was all very good. You two have made my stay here welcoming and I appreciate that. I better get going now.”
He got up from the table and headed towards the door.
“Jack, I’ll be at the station the next couple of days if you want to stop by. I’ll give you a tour.”
“I’d like that, Mason.” He gave him a small smile. “You two enjoy the rest of your evening.”
As soon as he walked out the door, Mason sat back down at the table.
“Well, what did you think?” he asked.
“Something is up with that guy.”
“Oh, come on, Sara. He’s a good man.”
“You don’t even know him, Mason.”
“And neither do you to say that,” he spoke with irritation as he collected the beer bottles from the table.
“Why are you giving me an attitude about it?”
“Because you’re being rude. The guy was nothing but nice and polite, and instantly