Page 7 of Trash and Treasure
“I thought this trail would be good to start with since I didn’t know how much hiking you’d done,” Mico explained as he pulled into the parking lot. A glance reassured him that Jack had worn sensible boots that looked broken in enough to be comfortable. “It’s pretty flat, only a couple of miles long, and has some nice views.”
“Sounds great,” Jack said, with a look of excitement.
Bright sun, pleasant temperatures, and a blue sky made Mico’s heart beat just a little fast—as well as how close Jack stood as they walked toward the trailhead. He took a deep breath, loving the balsam scent in the air, and felt more contented than he could ever remember.
Does Jack have that effect on me? Can he feel it too?
Mico had never put much stock in stories about “fated mates,” thinking them to be a fantasy sold to gullible teenagers. He didn’t know what kind of shifter Jack was or whether that kind of bond could exist if the couple didn’t share the same type of animal. Still, the sudden, deep attraction he felt to Jack made him wonder if there might have been something to those romantic stories.
They walked in companionable silence for a while, and Mico thought Jack might strain his neck with how he swiveled his head from one side to the other, taking in the forest and the lake just beyond the trees. The light filtering down through the pine branches dappled Jack’s fair complexion and played up his blue eyes.
“If you need sunscreen, I brought some,” Mico offered. “You probably burn easily.” Even though Mico tanned quickly, he had learned the hard way that he could still get a painful sunburn if he wasn’t careful.
“Thanks. I’ll need to reapply later,” Jack said. “It’s usually not a problem since I’m asleep for most of the day.”
“That must make it hard to get to know the town,” Mico replied, grateful for a safe topic for conversation.
Jack shrugged, navigating sure-footedly around rocks and tree roots. “I found the library—that’s the most important thing, next to the grocery store. I usually eat dinner at the café, right before my shift. Saw some other restaurants I’d like to try, eventually. For a small town, Fox Hollow seems to have all the essentials.”
“My boss said that the town tries to make sure that no one has to leave just to get the basics, which is nice in the winter, or so I’m told. And all the places I’ve eaten have been surprisingly good.”
Jack shivered as a cool breeze came from the lake. “Nice to know. I almost got frostbite on my ears once, so I try to bundle up when it gets cold.”
Raccoons didn’t hibernate, and apparently, neither did Jack’s shifter side. That just made Mico more curious, although he couldn’t help being nervous about having that conversation. He decided to bring the discussion back to safer territory.
“You’ve been to the library? They do a great job getting new releases and holding a bunch of community programs. Wait until next summer—the library teams up with the Fox Institute and the schools to do a summer arts festival. It’s a lot of fun.”
“Must be—everyone raves about it,” Jack replied, pausing to take a closer look at a stand of ferns near the trail and then to peer closely at a rotting log covered with moss and mushrooms. “I met Liam, the head librarian. They still have a few displays up from the festival.”
Mico swallowed hard, knowing his was one of those exhibits. “Oh yeah?”
Jack nodded enthusiastically. “I liked all of it, but I was really fascinated by the stuff made from odds and ends. It was called ‘trash and treasure’ and the artist took all this stuff that most people would never look at twice and made beautiful things with it. I can’t imagine how clever someone would have to be to do that.”
Mico had signed his pieces with only his last name, which Jack had no way of knowing. He cleared his throat. “That’s great, you liking the pieces. Not everyone gets it.”
Jack shrugged. “I imagine that’s true about all kinds of art. I never could figure out what made the Mona Lisa so special, but to each his own.”
Mico couldn’t help smiling at Jack’s easy acceptance of artistic differences and his praise for the exhibit. “I heard that the artist will have a bigger display next year. It’ll probably take all that time to get ready,” he said, having just had that conversation a few days ago with Liam.
“I’m glad. He should have stuff in galleries. It’s better than a lot of things I’ve seen in museums.”
“Really?” Mico hated the way he choked a bit with excitement. “So you like going to those places?” His last boyfriend had been bored stiff when Mico tried to take him to an art show; just one of many reasons things didn’t work out.
Jack sniffed with mock offense. “I might be a baker, but I can appreciate art that isn’t edible.”
“Do you watch that baking show?”
Jack’s smile broadened. “Do you? I might be a bit obsessed. Some of those showstoppers they bake are amazing. I’ve picked up a lot of ideas for my recipes from that program.”
Mico chuckled. “It’s nice to have on in the background. I can’t cook anything fancy, but I enjoy looking at food.”
The first trail took an hour, and Mico gradually relaxed into how natural it felt to banter with Jack. The conversation ranged from TV shows to movies to music, along with a friendly debate over favorite superheroes.
When they came back to the parking lot, Jack took the sandwiches out of the cooler, and Mico grabbed two waters from his pack. They sat at the weathered picnic table and dug into fluffy chicken salad croissants that Mico would have termed “lunch” instead of a snack.
“These are fantastic. Thank you. I’ll bring the snack next time,” he said and then froze. “I mean, if you want to do this again.”
Jack’s pale skin didn’t hide a blush. “Yes, I’d love to. And I was hoping today wasn’t over quite yet—unless you need to get ready for work?” His hand brushed against Mico’s as he reached for a chip from the open bag in the middle of the table, and Mico felt a tingle at the connection.
