Page 29 of Comeback
Jack gave the stones a look and smiled, but politely declined. “No, thank you.”
“Iinsist.” She thrust the tray into his abdomen with some force. “Listen to your heart. Take whichever one speaks out to you—and choose carefully.”
I rolled my eyes. I knew exactly what was going on.
“Um.” Jack gave me a side-eyed glance. “Okay.”
He humored her, examining the stones under the porch light. He turned them over one by one, taking his time, until at last he picked one out—a deep green stone, flecked with spots of rusty red. “This one. I love this one.”
Nicole pursed her lips begrudgingly.“Oh. Bloodstone.” Something about her reaction told me she wasn’t pleased.
“And what’s the deal with bloodstone?” I asked.
“Bloodstone,” Nicole recited, “is named so because of its red splotches, which look like blood splatters against the green jasper.”
I gulped. Blood splatters? So far, this wasn’t sounding good. “And … what qualities does it represent?” I asked.
“Sacrifice. Loyalty. Courage. Family. Faith,” she said. She poked her finger into Jack’s sternum. “I strongly suggest that youkeep this stone with youat all times, so you alwaysrememberandembodythose attributes.”
“Oh, uh, okay. I will,” he said. “Thanks, Nicole.”
“Don’t mention it.” Nicole trudged back inside, her feet stamping on the wooden deck.
Jack raised an eyebrow. “Is it just me, or was that whole exchange kinda weird?”
“She’s really into crystals. She’s kind of a hippie.”
“Yeah, I can see that. The vegan thing makes a little more sense now.” He chuckled and opened his fist, looking at his stone. “I do like this one, though.”
“Itispretty,” I agreed.
He held the stone up, close to my face. “It reminds me of your eyes. That’s why I picked it.”
My gaze fell to the ground. “Jack …”
He stepped closer and lifted my chin. His thumb grazed my face as he brushed a stray lock of hair away. “When can I see you again, Emma?”
“I don’t know—I really don’t have any free time at all. When I’m not working, I’m with Mackenzie.”
“Then when can I see youboth?”
We stood so close now, I could feel the warmth of his giant body radiating against mine. The faint scent of his cologne, like oak and honey, teased my senses.
“Tuesday is my next day off,” I said quietly.
“Perfect. We can spend a day out on the lake. Does Mackenzie like fishing?”
“I don’t know. She’s never been.”
“So it’d be her first time?” His eyes lit up. “That’s even better. She’ll love it.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a phone, and passed it to me. “Here. Give me your number.”
Part of me wanted to resist, to play hard to get or something, until he’dcompletelyproven himself. But the other part of me had to fight off a smile as I tapped my number into his phone, my pulse thumping in my neck. I handed the phone back to him.
“Jack …” I muttered and trailed off.
“Yeah?”
I stared into his eyes. I didn’t know what to say. Isowanted him to be real, but I didn’t know how to tellhim that without scaring him off.He stared back at me, his eyes wrinkling with a smile. He wrapped his large hands around my waist and pulled me closer, our bodies meeting from thigh to chest, a tension thrumming between us.
