for work, but I swear, all kids look the same to me.” I raised my shoulders as I finished. “But yeah. I think that’s it for me, in terms of grand life goals. What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Yeah, you just asked me to list off my whole life plan,” I replied. “I think it’s only fair that you go next.”
“Well, for starters, I’m sick and tired of traveling.” Jack’s words seemed pointed as he stared over in my direction. “No offense, but when your whole job revolves around taking naps in airports and getting to know the flight attendants on a first-name basis, travel starts to lose its luster. I’d still travel though, but only to places that I really wanted to go, only to places I hadn’t been before.”
“That… sounds like a very small list of places.”
“It is,” Jack said, his tone devoid of any emotion. “And when it comes to settling down and starting a family… if I want any of that, it has to happen pretty soon.”
“How soon is pretty soon?”
“Sooner than whenever you’re thinking,” he answered. “Sooner than someone your age would probably even consider it.” Jack shook his head as he went on. “Where was holding down a job, by the way? In your bucket list of things to get done with your life? Don’t you want to make being a detective more of a priority?”
“Maybe, if there’s an opportunity to—”
“There’s that word again.” Jack sighed. “Maybe. Maybe this. Maybe that. Maybe you’ll go from being a detective to being an astronaut. Maybe you have a 401K. Maybe you don’t. Maybe you’ll take something seriously for once. Or maybe your next move will just fall out of the sky.”
“Did I do something wrong here?” There was a lump forming in the middle of my throat. “Why are you…”
Why are you being so mean?
I tried and failed to form the question in my mouth as I silently stared back at Jack.
“I’m sorry,” Jack apologized, almost like he’d been able to read my thoughts. “I’m sorry, Austin. I took things way too far. I just… I just wanted to make sure that you were thinking about your future. It always seems so far away, until it isn’t.”
“Why do you care so much about my future, anyway?” I murmured. “It’s not like you ever planned on being a part of it. This is just… I thought your whole thing was to just get in and get out. The last time we tried to talk about this, you made it sound like I was too young for you to ever take seriously, and now you’re acting like…”
“Your father?”
“What? No.” I frowned at the suggestion. “You are acting like someone who has a stake in whether or not I live up to your expectations for me, though.”
“It’s not about expectations.”
“Then, stop acting like it is,” I argued. “And stop trying to back me into a corner to answer questions you already know I don’t have the answers for. What kind of game is that, Jack?”
“It’s not a game, Austin—”
“I’m going back to the main building,” I cut into his response as I walked away from the kitchen counter. “I’m done cleaning for the day.”
“I can come back with you,” Jack offered with a sly smile. “And then, we can order in, before we head back to my room—”
“Yeah, no thanks,” I interrupted him again. “You can come back with me, but I don’t… I’m not going up to your room tonight.”
“You aren’t?” Jack’s face fell.
“Sorry. I’ve got too much to think about,” I answered. “You know, with my future and all.”
I made sure the last thing I said was lined with sarcasm, wanting Jack to know that his overly aggressive line of questioning was the reason he’d be sleeping alone tonight.
And then, I headed for the cabin’s front door before I hastily made my way back down to the Bed & Breakfast.
13
Jack
Fuck.
Why the hell did I have to be such a jerk to Austin earlier?
I was lying in my bedroom, fully awake, as I retraced my missteps in my head. I should’ve known to back off on all the questions, especially when I saw Austin struggling to come up with answers. But instead of pulling back, I went in for attack after attack, forcing him to think about his future, forcing him to tell me exactly what he was thinking about.
I was being an asshole, all the while hiding behind the guise of being helpful. Although, even as I grilled