“Do you want it, Jack? Cooties and all?” I asked.
“Oh, you know I want it, Eve.” His voice was low and playful. “But this wasn’t part of the negotiation.”
“Not everything has to be negotiated. You can think of it as a gift.” I tried to smile, but I know it didn’t quite reach my eyes. And I wasn’t sure that we were still talking about the dessert.
He put the proffered bite into his mouth and moaned loudly. Heads were turning to look at him. “Oh, Eve, why did I ever doubt you. You were so right.”
I heard the rumbling laugh of Scott next to me. “Maybe it’s time for you two to get to your room.”
Standing and holding out his hand for me, Jack said, “That’s an excellent idea.” He pulled me to my feet, waited while I got my clutch, then slid his arm around my waist. Turning to Scott he held out his hand. Shaking hands, they promised to get in touch and Scott bade us goodnight.
Chapter 7
Jack kept his arm around my waist, which I found I didn’t mind at all. We said brief goodbyes to the group and he guided me out of the restaurant. Not through the door to the hallway, which I’d been expecting, but out the door to the veranda and the golf course. Only then did he drop his arm, but only to take my hand. We walked out onto the golf course, in no particular direction, just enjoying the dark stillness.
“Eve, take off your shoes. The golf course grass is the softest. You won’t believe how good it feels.”
I bent down and took off my shoes, holding them by the straps in one hand along with my clutch, the other hand having found its way back to Jack’s. In his other hand he was holding his canvas, slip-on shoes. He’d rolled up his pants to his ankles and he looked perfectly at ease. Like he belonged here. But I think he belonged wherever he happened to be.
The evening was just barely warm, a small breeze hinting at cooling off during the night. But it was still a luxuriously warm temperature for an October evening. The grass tickled the soles of my feet, but I also felt a hum of connection through my soles and up my legs as I stood holding Jack’s hand, drinking in the night. An impossible number of stars were overhead. In New York I never saw stars. It was too bright. And I was too busy to look up. I kind of wished we had a blanket we could lay on and just look up at the stars.
I felt a wave of regret that we didn’t have that blanket or the time to just watch stars. Tomorrow I had to get on a plane and go home. Alone. To my apartment. Alone. Having had this time with Jack…it had been…amazing. A gift. I hadn’t realized how lonely my life was.
But really, that was by choice. If my two options were loneliness or heartbreak, loneliness was much easier to bear. I sighed deeply, regretting all the things that could not be.
“I’ll bet I know what you’re thinking, Eve,” said Jack quietly, breaking the stillness.
I doubt it, I thought. “What do you think I’m thinking, Jack?”
I could hear the grin in his voice as he said, “You’re wishing you had more of that dessert.”
“No, I’m full. And there will be more amazing desserts in the future.”
“So, what was the heavy sigh all about?” His thumb gently rubbed my hand, warming me. I savored the connection, knowing that would soon be a memory as well.
I took a moment to answer, considering what I wanted to say and how best to say it. “This has been a work trip, but it also has been an unexpected break from routine. And mostly that’s due to you. So, thank you for that, Jack. You’re infuriating, but you have an amazing gift of making everything…better. More fun.”
We walked in silence as he processed what I’d said. Then he stopped and turned to face me. “Eve, I dreaded coming back to Scottsdale. I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I thought of it. And then I met you, and you helped me to get through the hard parts. So, thank you.” I squeezed his hand.
“You know what I like best about you, Eve? It’s that you see people. You see them and you care about them. Like your story about how you didn’t charge the sleepwalker because you didn’t want to embarrass him. You care. And that’s amazing.”
Unsure how to reply, I simply said, “Thank you. We should get back. I have a flight to catch tomorrow, and I should get some sleep.”
We turned around and headed back to the resort. Under his breath I could hear Jack singing softly.
“What are you singing, Jack?”
He gave a little sheepish shrug. “Sorry, I usually keep it inside.”
“What do you keep inside?”
I couldn’t see if he was blushing, but his body language said he was embarrassed.
“Um, I hope this doesn’t sound too weird, but I hear music. In my head. All the time. It’s like my life has its own soundtrack. Sometimes it’s stuff I’ve written, sometimes it’s other people’s work, and sometimes it’s songs that I have to hurry to get to paper and write down. It just happens on its own in my head.”
“Wow, that sounds…annoying. I like listening to music, but I also like being able to turn it off.”
“Oh, I can turn it off if I want. But usually I just enjoy it.”
