If I hadn’t known Jake as well as I did now, I would have missed the sudden tension in his shoulders. The usually confident and controlled man was reduced to stammering words and locked limbs around kids, and I found it strangely endearing. I coughed to get his attention and Jake quickly collected himself.
“Um, yeah, I do. See, look.” He fumbled with his keys attached by a carabiner to his belt loop and clicked on a small, red flashlight. It was tiny but extremely bright.
Harrison studied it. “That’s not big enough. You need this.”
“I have a bigger one, but I only wear it with my uniform.”
“You promise?” Harrison asked.
Jake smiled awkwardly. “Yeah, I promise.”
“Okay. Good.” Satisfied, Harris walked away to return the flashlight from wherever he got it.
Jake’s forehead wrinkled as he watched him go, and I couldn’t help but lean in.
“You’re awfully cute right now,” I said, planting a quick kiss to his dirty cheek. “Talk to you tonight.”
