Page 35 of Comeback
My head felt woozy and my heart swooned. I tried to remember Nicole’s warning to not get my hopes up, but it wasn’t exactly easy when a guy did literallyeverythingright.
I buckled Mackenzie into her seat and climbed into the passenger seat. Jack fired up the engine and we rolled off. We made small talk, asking about each other’s days since we last saw each other. I told him about how my work schedule was hard on acertain little one,and how I felt awful about putting Nicole out.
He frowned. “I can help out with that, you know.”
I knew what he meant: paying for daycare.
“Thanks,” I said shyly. “I’m just not ready for that.”
He nodded. “When you are, let me know.”
“Thank you, Jack.” I touched his shoulder, round and meaty beneath the fabric of his shirt. But I didn’t let my hand linger for long.
Before long, the marina came into view. With bright blue skies and a warm and shining sun, it was a beautiful day to spend on the lake. I wondered which one of the peacefully bobbing boats in the marina was Jack’s.
I kept waiting for Jack to slow down and turn into the marina, but we drove right past the last turnoff.
“Jack! You missed your turn!”
“No, I didn’t,” he said, shooting me a sneaky glance. “I don’t store my boat there.”
“O-kay,” I sang, “then where do you keep it?”
He grinned. He was hiding something. “You’ll see.”
The scenic route along Bluewater Highway grew even more beautiful as we left the marina behind. On our left, the crystal clear waters of Lake Huron shimmered as far as the eye could see. On our right, the trees grew taller, greener, and denser.
“Hey, what’s your last name?” I asked him.
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Why?”
My eyes narrowed. Why did he act like that was a weird question to ask? “We’re getting to know each other, aren’t we? Seems like I should know your last name.”
“Yeah, of course. Sorry.” He shook his head, as if he needed to snap out of a trance. “It’s Hathaway.”
“Jack Hathaway,” I said, testing out the sound of his name on my lips. “Hm. I like it. Sounds like a real manly name. With a name like that, you could be an action movie star, or a sports star or something.”
He quietly laughed. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Hm,I thought again.Can’t wait to find out what you really do for a living. Can’t keep it a secret from me forever, you know.
But I wasn’t in any rush to push the issue. The ride was so pleasant, I could happily spend all morning just driving around.
Eventually, though, Jack slowed and pulled off onto an unmarked road shaded by trees, bringing us closer to the lake. Through the thick cover of the trees, my eyes caught glimpses of an enormous stone house. Its lot was protected by a stone and wrought-iron fence.
“Can you imagine living out here?” I mused with a chuckle.
Jack grit his teeth and didn’t say a word. And when we finally reached that house’s driveway, which was guarded by a privacy gate, Jack slowed.
No way,I thought.He’s got to be joking.
He rolled down his window and tapped in a keycode. I half-expected the code to not work, then Jack would laugh at me and exclaim, “Gotcha goin’, didn’t I?! Wouldn’t it be crazy if I lived here? Yeah, right!” before he drove us back to the marina.
But lo and behold, the gate accepted his code and began to open with a mechanical whir.
“Shut. Up.” I laughed with disbelief. “This isyourhouse? Really?”
“Yep,” he said, looking almost embarrassed as he eased the car along a stretch of cobblestone driveway. The trees cleared, and his house came into full view—two-story, two-car garage, immaculate landscaping. It was grand. I was speechless.
