Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 66022 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66022 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
“Thanks. I miss her. We were married a long time. We grew up together really. It’s kind of a miracle we even stayed together, given we were so young when we tied the knot. Both our parents figured we’d divorce. Maybe we stayed together just to spite them.”
Will was startled by this admission, if that’s what it was.
Jack grinned at him. “We’re creatures of habit. We get used to a thing and then don’t think about it much. Babies come, and responsibilities, and we put one foot in front of the other and do what we have to do. We make decisions, or fail to make them, and then we have to live by that. I’m not saying it’s right or it’s wrong, just human nature.”
He shook his head and unwrapped his sandwich, lifting it for a bite. Will was silent, pondering what the hell Jack had meant by his speech, easily the longest one he’d given of a personal nature in the few days of their acquaintance. Was Jack saying he hadn’t really been happy in his marriage, but had stayed in it out of habit? Out of duty? Will found himself wildly curious, but didn’t dare ask. They weren’t friends, after all.
Jack swallowed and gestured toward the food on the tray. “Aren’t you going to eat?”
Will, who had completely forgotten about the cheese and crackers, gave a small laugh. “Sure I am. Would you like some cheese and crackers? A slice of apple?”
“What kind of cheeses are those?”
“This one’s a Brie. It’s an especially good one I get from a gourmet shop in the city. It’s got a rich, mushroomy flavor and a silky interior texture. This one is goat cheese. It has a strong flavor and goes very well on these black pepper biscuits.”
He noticed Jack was watching him with a small, amused half-smile. Embarrassed, Will added, “I must sound like a pompous ass. I don’t mean to. I just love fine cheeses.”
“No, no. I’m interested, really. I don’t know much about cheese, except for Swiss, Cheddar and American, but I’m up for new things. I find I’ve become more adventurous as I grow older, rather than less so. Emily’s passing made me realize just how short life is. We have to seize every moment and not be afraid to experience something new—even goat cheese.”
Will laughed and stuck his hand into the box of imported crackers. He smeared some of the soft, pungent cheese over the cracker and held it out. Jack took it and popped it into his mouth. He raised his eyebrows as he chewed, nodding.
“It’s delicious,” he pronounced. “I do believe I’ll take another.”
Will was ridiculously pleased. He prepared another cracker and Jack again popped it into his mouth. He lifted his bottle of Coke and tilted back his head as he drank. Will had a sudden, almost uncontrollable desire to lean forward and lick along the curve of his throat.
He willed the erection rising in his pants to subside. This was insane. He had a crush on someone as straight as an arrow. What an idiot he was.
The heart wants what it wants. Ruefully, he grinned inwardly, recalling Woody Allen’s infamous line about falling in love with his girlfriend’s adopted daughter. Stranger partners had come together, he thought, foolishly nursing a tiny bud of hope that sprang out of nowhere in his heart.
He saw Jack was again watching him, that curious half-smile on his face. Will held his gaze, wondering if there was the slightest spark he could cup with his hands and shield while it grew, willing it to blaze into a fire of passion between them. For a long moment they stared into one another’s eyes. Will was captivated, though he knew he should turn away.
Jack was the first to break contact. He reached into the paper bag and pulled out a plastic baggie of homemade oatmeal raisin cookies. “Want one?” he said, dispelling the strange erotic mood that had settled over Will. “I made them myself.”
Chapter 3
Jack sat staring at the TV. Or rather the TV was on and he was sitting in his favorite recliner, a can of seltzer beside him, an open paperback on his lap, his body facing the screen. But his mind was far away, drifting for some reason back to senior year in high school, before one night’s indiscretion turned his world upside down.
Before that year Jack and Luke had been nearly inseparable. Friends since seventh grade, they spent every possible weekend at one or the other’s house. They tried out for the same sports teams and studied together for tests. They stayed up late into the night talking and trying to teach each other to play guitar, which neither of them did very well, but both enjoyed.
Though they didn’t necessarily share any deep, dark secrets, there was an easy understanding between them. Jack always knew he could count on Luke to watch his back and be there when he needed him. They even talked about going into business together someday, though neither had much idea what they wanted to do.