smiled. She’d heard through the very reliable teenage grapevine that, once everyone was in bed, Jack had sneaked down to the laundry room where the dog had been housed for the night, and had led him quietly upstairs to sleep on his bed.
Jack needed a friend badly, and it looked as though this dog might be just the catalyst to get the boy to begin to open up. Jess hoped so. And she also hoped Lucas would never hear of the late-night dog visit to the bedroom. She wasn’t sure he’d take kindly to having hair-shedding beasts in his house.
She surveyed the group of young people, straggling out along the route to the wooded area where they were going to lounge around fishing, after gathering wood and rocks for the campfires. Maybe later there’d be a game of touch football. The weather was cooperating beautifully. Low sixties and sunny. Made to order for outside activities. Gorgeous day. Gorgeous weather.
The only blot on the excursion was the usual one—Lucas Brand. Everyone else was carrying fishing gear, but Lucas was toting his laptop computer. During the conference call this morning with Sol and Fletch, it had been decided that they’d all, independently, check the raw data for a program error.
So, while the kids were fishing, he’d physically be there, as required, but he’d be about as accessible, friendly and helpful as the Big Dipper constellation! “Big dip,” she muttered.
“Talking to me?” he asked, and she jumped, not realizing he’d sneaked up behind her.
She glared at him. “No! And I won’t be speaking to you as long as you’re carrying around that little dingus.”
He grinned wickedly. “Don’t insult something you’ve never seen.”
She frowned, then realized what he meant. “I said dingus, meaning thing—er—object…” She blanched. It wasn’t getting much better. “Computer!” she fairly shouted.
He lifted a brow as though that had never occurred to him. “You know, a good grasp of the language is invaluable. It can keep you out of trouble.”
“You know, Lucas, you have a rare sense of humor,” she gritted. “I hope they find the cure soon.”
“Don’t sell your little band of misfits short,” he warned ominously. “They could cure most bouts of good humor. And as for my dingus, let’s not get started on that subject again. Let’s just agree to disagree. You know I have a deadline.”
“Mr. Niceguy?” someone asked in a faint little voice.
Both Jess and Lucas turned to see Molly Roberts standing there, her slight frame dwarfed by the long fishing pole resting on her shoulder. Her hazel eyes were big and worried-looking behind her thick glasses, and her mouth was pinched in distress. The stocking cap over her short, stringy brown hair, made her look like a frail little boy.
“Yes, Molly,” Jess replied. Though Molly hadn’t been addressed, she wanted to protect the girl’s feelings if Lucas didn’t remember her name.
Molly glanced from Lucas to Jess, then back to Lucas. “I—I was just wondering what happened to your eye?”
Jess blanched. Though only his lid had turned blue, and the resulting bruise wasn’t too bad, she felt rotten and guilty about having hit him last night.
Lucas shrugged and smiled at the girl. “I ran into something in the dark,” he answered simply.
“Does it hurt?” Molly asked. Jess knew the girl wanted to become a nurse one day, and in Jess’s opinion she’d be a wonderful addition to a caring profession.
“Only hurts when I shave,” he teased.
Molly blinked, then a slow smile blossomed on her thin lips. “You’re kidding me.”
“Maybe a little around the edges,” he admitted.
“I think it’s gonna be okay,” Molly offered. “But next time put ice on it right away. Helps it not be so purple.”
Lucas gave her a serious I’m-paying-attention look and nodded. “Check. Ice right away. Thanks.”
Molly’s cheeks became two glowing maroon dots on her pale skin. “It’s nothing. I mean, like—I mean…” She motioned broadly with a delicate hand. “Well—you’re being so neat and cool with us. Me trying to help isn’t that big a deal….” Her cheeks flushed even brighter, in her embarrassment. That had probably been the longest speech she’d ever uttered.
Lucas frowned, seeming daunted for the first time since Jess had met the man. “It’s nothing, Molly. Nothing,” he muttered.
“Hey, Molly!” Suzy shouted. “Quit brownnosing Mr. Niceguy. Come over here and show Annie how you can wiggle your ears one at a time. She thinks I’m lying.”
Molly gave Lucas one last, bashful grin and trotted off.
Lucas and Jess strolled along side by side. The silence between them was