mean to.”
“Liar,” Jack teased. “It’s okay. I wasn’t made to cook. I’ve accepted that.”
“What do you do for food?”
“Scavenge.”
The way Jack said it with such a straight face, Fitz wasn’t sure whether he was messing with Fitz or not.
“I’m kidding. The guys always make extra food when they cook, so Joker and I have freezers filled with meals. Luckily, I can heat stuff up in the microwave without setting it on fire. Most of the time.”
“You said you and Joker. Does he possess the same talent for destroying kitchen appliances?”
“No. He’s just lazy.”
“Ah. Your best friend does seem to have a somewhat… leisurely approach to life.”
Jack snorted. “That’s probably the politest reference to Joker’s unkempt state I’ve ever heard.”
“I’m sorry, that was judgy of me.”
“It’s fine. Really. He’s always been that way. He just rolls out of bed and walks out the door wearing whatever he fell asleep in. He’s the reason King enforces a dress policy at work.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Otherwise Joker would show up in some threadbare T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops.”
“King would love that.”
“King would push him off a pier.” Jack went pensive for a moment. “Actually, that’s already happened.”
“Tell me more.”
Jack snickered before taking a sip of his drink. “We were working this big fundraiser filled with celebrities, and Joker showed up dressed in his uniform but reeking of whatever club he’d crawled out of at dawn. He made the mistake of trying to talk to King, who was standing on the pier going over some logistics with me. Man, Joker stunk. Like, rank. King took one whiff and just shoved him, one-handed; the rest of him didn’t even move. Sacha went flying.”
“I had no idea Sacha was Joker’s actual name until recently. He doesn’t seem to react well to it.”
“He hates it when anyone calls him that, but I knew him as Sacha before I knew him as Joker, so sometimes it slips out.”
“Got it. Joker goes flying…”
“Right. Like soars off the pier. Chip looks up at King, then down at Joker, who’s resurfaced sputtering water, his hair plastered to his face, and then he looks back up at King, his tail wagging uncertainly, like should he go after his dad? Maybe he should have done something to stop his dad from hurtling off the pier, but then again it was King, and King’s alpha of his pack, so maybe it was the right move? Anyway, King shakes his head at Chip and says, ‘Frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t do it first.’ Because, Jesus, poor Chip. And Chip just barks and lays down, tail wagging happily, like the right decision was made.”
The imagery had Fitz in tears. It was hard not to get swept up in Jack’s good cheer. The guy clearly smiled a lot, judging by the little creases at the corners of his bright gray eyes. When he laughed, his whole face lit up, but it was his smile that got Fitz’s heart pounding every time. If he didn’t get Jack out of his house right now, mistakes were going to be made. Terrible and possibly delicious mistakes.
Feeling hungry himself, Fitz made them both BLT sandwiches. He added some chips to their plates, and they sat together at the counter to eat.
“I love your house. It’s not what I expected.”
“Oh?” It never was what anyone expected, but Fitz was interested to know what Jack thought.
“I guess I was expecting something very sleek and chic, with lots of designer labels. Furniture that’s beautiful but not very comfortable or practical. Is that presumptuous?”
“No. There are plenty of designer labels in this house, believe me. I like quality and luxury, and I’m not ashamed of that, but I also love comfort. After years of traveling, living out of suitcases and renting apartments I barely spent any time in, I was finally ready to settle down with my own place. I wanted something cozy near the beach, and this happened to be available.” He looked around the home that he loved so much and smiled. “The moment I stepped foot in it, I fell in love with it. The high ceilings, all the natural light from the windows and the glass doors to the lanai. I could see myself sitting out there, relaxing, listening to the ocean. It might be cliché, but I wanted the whole house-on-the-beach dream, so I went with the seafoam-green walls, white accenting, and beach theme.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
They ate and chatted some more. Jack was easy to talk to. He was so different from anyone Fitz