Page 61 of On Thin Ice

“Marshmallow.” Finn said it so fast Jacob did a double take.

“Is that even a flavor theyhavehere?”

“Obviously,” Finn said and marched right up to the register like this wasn’t the first time he’d done this.

Well, maybe it wasn’t only Jacob who got milkshakes when he was having a bad day.

He walked up to the register and then turned to Jacob. “Let me guess,” he said, green eyes glittering, “you want chocolate.”

“Why do I feel like that’s a bad choice all of a sudden?”

“It’s basic, is what it is,” Finn said. But he ordered the chocolate milkshake along with his marshmallow abomination, and before Jacob could grab his wallet or protest, he’d paid for both of them.

“Call it a thank you for dropping whatever you were doing,” Finn murmured as they waited for their shakes to be made.

“I wasn’t . . .well, truthfully, you saved me from Jackie and Krista kicking my ass at Mario Kart,” Jacob said.

Finn raised an eyebrow. “Jackie and Krista?”

“My nieces. Seven and ten. They’re much, much better than I am,” Jacob admitted.

“At everything or just Mario Kart?”

Jacob wasn’t particularly surprised that Finn had asked about them. Curiosity was partially responsible of course, but Jacob understood too how much easier it was for Finn to talk about something else than what was really bothering him.

“Pretty much everything,” Jacob said sheepishly. “They’re amazing and brilliant and beautiful, and just . . .” He trailed off when he realized just how doting he sounded.

Finn smiled. “That’s why you moved here, after you retired.”

“Yeah,” Jacob said. “Bryan’s a single dad, and I want to support him, right, but also . . .you have a chance to be with those little girls, you’re not gonna miss it.”

After they picked up their shakes they walked outside, Finn sucking noisily on his straw. “So what’s the next step in the ‘Jacob Braun feel-better plan’?”

“How do you know there’s a plan?” Jacob unlocked the door and they both slipped inside.

Finn rolled his eyes as he started the car. “There’sclearlya plan.”

“Fine, fine, there’s a plan, okay?” Jacob started the car.

It was only a five-minute drive to the overlook, but he drove it in silence, only listening as Finn gnawed at his straw.

If he looked over, he’d see it in Finn’s mouth and he really,reallydidn’t need to see anything in Finn’s mouth. It would feed the worst of his fantasies and they already felt out of control.

Jacob parked at the overlook, ignoring the sign that claimed it closed at dusk. Led Finn towards the low chain-link barrier and over it.

“Look at you, Braun,” Finn teased. “Such a lawbreaker.”

Hedidsound lighter, but Jacob also knew whatever had made him sound so much worse less than an hour earlier didn’t just evaporate.

You had to suck out the poison, first.

Metaphorically, he reminded himself.There will be noactualsucking.

“Hey, we’re not doing anythingreallybad,” Jacob said as they walked out towards the overlook.

“No? Disappointing.”

Jacob took a drink of his milkshake so he wouldn’t have to answer that—or defend himself.

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