“I’ll get the coffee brewing,” Jack says. “You want some?”
Hell yes. I want everything Jack is offering, even if he doesn’t know it. I trail after him toward the cabin like a lost puppy. Like if he gets too far away from me, the spell will be broken, and he’ll suddenly realize who I am. I can’t have that. I thought this place would basically be a forest prison, and instead I’ve found the best gift I could possibly imagine.
I practically bump into him as he turns suddenly at the cabin door.
“Whoa there,” he says, strong hands on my shoulders. He might still have fish guts on them and I can’t bring myself to worry about it.
“Sorry,” I say, flustered by my strange neediness.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, fine.” This close to him, I can’t quite make myself look him in the eye.
“You stay out here,” he says.
“Why?”
“If the lines start spooling out, someone needs to be ready. You wanted the full experience, right?”
More than anything.
“Uh, yeah.”
“Good. Now go take a seat, and I’ll be right back.”
His big frame disappears through the door, and I feel like I’ve lost something.
However long I’m up here, I’ll spend as much time as I can with Jack. Roberta was right. Alaska will be good for me.
