He waves when our eyes lock, and it’s impossible to see him as the bad guy. Okay, not impossible, because no one could miss his careless nature and self-absorption. But he’s a genuinely nice guy. He’s sweet and caring and doesn’t appear to have a hurtful bone in his body. Which is rare. I bet if he and Mason actually sat down and had an adult conversion, he’d be shocked to learn what he’s put Mason through. I doubt he’s ever taken the time to understand him.
I’d go as far as to guess that’s one of the reasons Mason struggles so much. He needs a friend he can talk to, not a brother that takes him for granted.
I force a smile as Jack nears, and when he sits down next to Mason’s coat, my nose involuntarily scrunches. Not that he notices.
“You’re wearing a Santa hat.” He bites back a smile. “It’s cute. Here I was thinking you hated Christmas.”
“What?”Maybe he’s more observant than we think.
“I found the newspaper you destroyed this morning. The one with the giant Christmas tree on the cover. Unless that was Mason?”
“No, that was me. Your brother seems to love Christmas.” I gesture toward the celebration across in the park and Jack subtly scoffs.
“That he does. Always the hero.” There’s a hint of sarcasm in his tone, but when I glance his way, he’s smiling. “Did you help out with the toy run?”
“I did. It was amazing.” A warmth swells inside me, and Mason’s smile comes back to mind. “It’s an incredible event. Have you been?”
“I sure have. It’s been a while though. I don’t think they do table service out here. Do you want a—”
“You made it?” Mason’s dry questioning tone flits through the air, and Jack’s eyes dart in that direction, his grin a little forced.
“I made it. I wanted to hang out with Jenna, and since you refused to bring her home, I thought I’d come to you.”
I freeze, my eyes bouncing between them as my brows crease.
“She—”
“I wasn’t ready to go back,” I cut in, stopping Mason from having to justify his actions. “But now that you’re here, we can all hang out, yeah?”
“Right,” they both say in unison, tension sizzling as I awkwardly laugh.
“Jack, can I get you a drink?”
I stand up before he’s answered and gesture toward the bar, needing an excuse to get away for a beat. They need a moment to sort their shit out, and God, I hope they do it while I’m gone.
After the initial awkwardness, Jack and Mason settled into their brotherly banter, while I sat back and listened,laughing at their jokes, questioning whenever they said something strange.
Who calls a sausage a snag?
And why the hell would I assume a “Servo” was a place to fuel your car?
Australians.
By the time we make it back to Mason and Jack’s, with me getting a ride in Jack’s car, they’re buddies again. It makes me question everything I assumed.
“I’m sorry I’ve been MIA.” Jack grabs my hand, stopping me from opening my door, his eyes locked on mine when I spin around to face him. “Tracey doesn’t ask for help all that often. So when she does, I know it’s important.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself. I’ve had fun.”
“With Mason?”
“And Kai. You don’t need to take care of me, Jack. I’m a big girl. I can look after myself.”
“I know. But you came all this way to see me and I fucked up.”
“No, you didn’t. We’re still good. I promise.”
A beaming smile lights up his face, and I can’t help comparing it to Mason’s. When Jack smiles, a warmth coats my chest, but with Mason…I feel more alive than I’ve ever felt before. Like the curl of his lips has a direct line to my soul. It may be because he reserves his smiles for the moments that deserve them. But I think it’s more than that. I think they’re for me.
