Page 86 of Finding Jack
“Hi, boy,” I said, scratching him around his ears.
“Hey, you stole my new boyfriend,” Ranée complained.
“Fair trade since you stole my old one.”
“I did not!” she yelped as Sean made a Scooby-Doo sounding, “Ruh-roh.”
“Fine, you didn’t. But Shep is still my new friend.”
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Sean said. “Jack sent something for you.” He dug a package from his duffel bag and handed it to me. It was flat and rectangular, wrapped in plain brown paper. I opened it and smiled. It was an 8 x 10 framed picture showing a flannel-shirted Jack from behind. He was sitting cross-legged at the edge of a cliff, his man bun on full display. Transcendent Seagull perched next to him, its head tilted thoughtfully as they stared out at a vista.
“Did Jack make you take this?” I asked Sean.
“Yep. What is it with you guys and seagulls?”
“Long story. Hang on. I need you to take a picture of me too.” I walked out to our tiny balcony and set the framed photo on the edge. Then I whipped my hair into a messy bun before I sat cross-legged in front of it and stared at the photo the way Jack and the seagull had stared into the distance. “I think you know what to do, Sean. My phone is on the table.”
He snorted. “Hang on a second.” I heard him rustling behind me, then, “Got it. You guys are so weird.”
I rose and took my phone back, smiling again when I saw the picture within a picture my re-enactment of Jack’s photo had created. “Perfect.” I sent it to Jack.
He responded immediately.Perfect.
Sean shook his head and moved the pizza to the counter and pulled down plates. He’d visited often enough to know where to find everything. We sat and ate, and I fought the urge to yell, “Tell me about Jack!” in between each of his sentences. I did such a good job of resisting that I rewarded myself by eating an extra slice before I excused myself at the earliest possible moment to go sulk in my bedroom.
I’d only been burrowing under my comforter for about five minutes when Ranée knocked and walked in.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because Jack wasn’t with Sean.”
“I’m a little bummed, but it’s not a big deal.”
“That’s not what your face said when you saw that dog.”
I waved my hand as if brushing away her concerns. “Who can be sad about a cute puppy? It’s all good.”
She flopped onto my bed. “I don’t think so. I think you were more than a little bummed. I’m not here to make you admit it or play I-told-you-so. I just want you to think about something, okay? My grandma told me once that you should make every important decision by playing eenie-meenie-miney-moe.”
“Um, no thank you?”
She rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t finished. She said the moment you realize what you’re getting on ‘moe’ will tell you how you really feel about it.”
“Like thatFriendsepisode where Phoebe tricks Rachel into thinking she’s not pregnant so Rachel can see what she really wants?”
“Exactly. And when Jack didn’t come through that door, I think it told you what you really want.” She stood up and straightened her shirt. “I’m going to go hang out with Sean some more. He says Shep is trained, but I’d keep your closet closed and your best shoes up high.”
She left, and I stared at the door as she shut it behind her. A text buzzed my phone, and I opened it.
Jack. Of course.Did you want it to be me with Sean?
I set my phone down. I couldn’t answer. I wouldn’t lie, but I didn’t want to tell him the truth.
Saturday morning I got up to make breakfast. “Want an omelet?” I asked Sean as he lay on the couch. Shep had been curled up on his chest, but he hopped down and ran to me, his tail wagging.
“If you’re already making one. Thanks.”
