hint of sadness in her eyes though. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was her. She deserved the world. And her father was probably right. She deserved better than a recovering alcoholic who was the son of a drunk.
Jack hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol since he was twenty-one, but for two years before that, he’d gone down a path that he wasn’t proud of. And he never intended to follow that path again. He wasn’t naïve though. He’d watched his father relapse time and again. Had Amanda relapsed too? Recovery was a house of cards that one strong wind could destroy. Unlike his father though, if Jack ever got knocked down again, he wasn’t taking anyone he cared about with him.
* * *
For the second night this week, Emma opened her front door and welcomed Jack inside. Sitting in a home improvement store was one thing. Hanging out at the café with other friends was another. But being alone in her home, just the two of them, was something completely different.
“Barnaby, get down.” Emma scolded her little dog because he had immediately latched on to Jack’s leg.
Jack didn’t seem to mind. He took a moment to pick Barnaby up and lift him eye-to-eye.
“Watch out—” Emma started to warn, but it was too late. Barnaby lapped a tongue across Jack’s cheek, leaving a shiny trail of drool. Emma’s face contorted into a grimace.
“Whoa, you’re a fast one, aren’t you?” Jack laughed, and set Barnaby back on the floor.
“He’s generous with his kisses,” she said like she would to any of her friends. But using the word kiss around Jack made the space between them crackle. “Um, the bathroom is down the hall if you want to wash that off. And the bed is in the guest room,” she said. “You can take it for as long as you need. I rarely have guests, and if I do, they can take the couch or I’ll use the air mattress.”
“Thanks, Em.” Jack gestured to the bathroom. “I’ll just be a quick second and meet you in the guest room.”
She nodded and headed down the hall without him. A moment later, he appeared in the doorway.
“I can help you load it onto your truck if you want,” she offered.
“Nah. I can get it.”
She tilted her head. “I’m not sure how you survive with all that alpha-ness going to your head. But fine. I’ll go get dinner started.”
“I get dinner too?” he asked, a light shining behind his eyes.
Her lips parted. That wasn’t intended to be an invitation. Her plan was to get rid of him as soon as possible. “Well, what I have isn’t much. Just a frozen pizza.”
“Sounds perfect. You promised me lemonade at the café, but we got distracted,” he pointed out.
Well, she guessed that was true enough. “I have lemonade in the fridge.”
“I’ll load the bed, and then we’ll have pizza and lemonade. Maybe you can help me figure out what to do with Sam while he’s here. And I can help you with that box I brought you this morning.”
She hesitated. “I might need something stronger than lemonade for that.”
“I’ll stick to the lemonade,” he said.
Something pulled in her gut the way it sometimes did when she was with Jack. Once upon a time, he’d enjoyed a beer or two, or even more than that. Then he’d casually started saying he wasn’t in the mood. He’d order a soda instead or offer to be the designated driver. She hadn’t thought anything of it at first, but after a while, she’d started to wonder. Why didn’t Jack drink anymore? He hadn’t just cut back. He’d stopped altogether.
“Pizza will be ready in twenty minutes,” she said, turning away. “Let me know if you change your mind and decide to let me help.”
He chuckled behind her. “Let me know when the food is ready, and I’ll head to the table.”
Emma walked into the kitchen, surprised that her dog chose to stay with Jack. Traitor. Then she got to work preparing dinner. She’d almost forgotten Jack was even here until he walked past her to the sink and washed his hands.
“Smells good, and I have to admit, I’m starving,” he said.
An awareness buzzed through her. Through the window, she could see that the sun was down and it was dark outside. Fireflies started twinkling in the air, lighting up just like her own body when Jack was in proximity.
“Want me to pour you that glass of wine?” he asked, opening her fridge