At first, he didn’t move, but then slowly, he reached one skinny arm from his nest and I saw his hand scrabble for the phone. When he got it, he pulled it into his hiding place and put it in my hand there.
“Thank you.” I carefully moved my arm out from under the jacket and texted Lake. Then I chuckled. “You know you’re getting older when texting with one hand feels really odd.”
That made Rey shake with laughter, even though I couldn’t hear anything.
Within a couple of minutes, Lake, Theo, and Toby walked out of the house and went to the back of the car. They opened the door and grabbed the stuff.
“Jack? You want this thing in the back?” Theo asked.
“Yeah, go around though so they don’t see it. It’s supposed to be a surprise.”
“I’ll go distract them while you take the s’mores stuff into the pantry,” Toby said to Lake.
They went back inside.
We sat in silence for a few minutes, but now Rey was playing with my fingers like a little kid might. Eventually, I began to feel uncomfortable in the cramped space and shifted a few times too many.
“I’m sorry, but this car isn’t really big enough for a guy my size.”
“Should’ve moved the seat forward,” Rey snarked quietly.
I grinned. “True.” I grabbed some of his hair and tugged gently. “You ready to go inside?”
“Almost.”
“Okay.”
He cleared his throat and moved the jacket so his face peeked out. He didn’t look at me when he started to talk slowly. “I was fine for a few minutes. Then someone parked right next to us and looked at me.” He went quiet, then continued. “He was this big guy, crew cut and sort of…he reminded me of the guys who work for my dad.”
“Ah…” I squeezed his fingers.
“It’s so weird, because I don’t think at this point it’s about my dad or them anyway. It’s literally getting used to open spaces. But somehow this is…I don’t know.”
I thought for a moment. “Have the guys suggested therapy?”
“Yeah, a couple of times. I just…don’t know.”
“Sometimes it’s helpful to talk to someone like that.”
He sighed. “Have you?”
“Yeah, after the crash. Just because I wasn’t sure how to deal with the brain injury at the time. I haven’t even been diagnosed with PTSD officially, because it showed up after I left the Army.”
“Huh.”
“Just…if you need someone to talk to, you can rely on anyone in the house, I’m sure, but the fact is that none of us are professionals, and with a complex issue like yours…” I trailed off. Then I chuckled. “You know, I’m pretty sure someone here knows a therapist who wouldn’t mind treating you without ever learning your name. Not that therapists are allowed to spread your business around anyway.”
“Yeah. I’ll…think about it. I feel like…” He hesitated for a while. “I think it would be okay to try this again, but I need you to be there for me.” He turned his head so he could look at me from the corner of his eye. “You make me feel safe, Jack.”
My heart lurched in my chest, and I smiled tightly. “I’ll be there when you want to try next time.”
He searched my gaze for something, then broke eye contact and nodded. “Okay.” He took in a deep breath, then let it out in a long, noisy exhale. He slowly sat up and handed me my jacket. “Thank you.” Then, without looking at me, he added, “Your scent helped a lot.”
Without another word, he scooted out of the car, leaving me sitting there feeling dumbfounded.
I was in so much trouble. Yet leaving didn’t seem like an option.
Chapter 17
