“Is he ...” I swallowed. “Is he still out there ... your father?” I whispered.

Jack shook his head and exhaled. “He shot himself. Ten years ago.”

We were silent. I couldn’t even begin to articulate the emotions careening through me as I thought of Jack as a small boy enduring such terror and pain. I was angry. More so knowing his father was dead. I wondered if Jack felt the same frustration that he could never lay this ghost properly to rest.

“I’m an Earl, you know,” he laughed, humorlessly. “He threatened her if she ever tried to divorce him. The public scandal would be too much. The bastard made sure before he killed himself to recognize me as his rightful heir. Even in death, he didn’t want to let us go. There’s a stately home and everything. The missing earl, that’s me, donated it to the National Trust. There’s one lawyer, one, who knows who I am now, and he’s in love with my mother, so my secret, and hers, is safe.” He snorted. “That was the one damned good thing that came out of it, she’s happy and safe now. But my God, it was hard for her being a single mom to me. When I was older I certainly didn’t make it easy on her. I had some demons of my own I had to work through.” Jack shook his head. There seemed to be another story there, too.

“And Mrs. Eversea?” I asked, softly. How wonderful they had picked her name when she had basically saved them. Saved him.

“My mum and her are still friends, as far as I know.” He shrugged and gave a small grin. “She made the best Digi Cake.”

“The best what?”

“It’s cake made with chocolate, syrup, crushed cookies and butter. A heart attack on a plate.”

“Sounds amazing.” I pulled my hand away from his hip and slid it through his hair, then across his face and down the side of his body and back to the beautiful artwork. Running my fingers over it, I followed every line and curve and ribbon, and then without thinking, I lowered my mouth and kissed every section of it. I ran my tongue over the angry raised ridges here and there like I could erase them away.

Jack was tense and still as he watched but didn’t stop me.

There was no pity in my actions. It was simply worship of the man who had been forged out of his past. I didn’t care if Jack wasn’t his real name, and I didn’t want to know it. He was Jack to me. I wanted to take away his pain. “I can think of another damn good thing that came out of it,” I whispered, noticing he was becoming aroused again.

“What?” he asked.

“You.” I took a deep breath and pushed him onto his back.

Jack tensed. His hand came to my hair. “What are you doing?”

“Show me?” I asked nervously and proceeded to make love to him the way he had to me.

“I don’t think ... I need to,” Jack stuttered out, and this time it was his hand, white knuckled, grabbing fistfuls of sheet.

T W E N T Y – N I N E

The next morning when I awoke with the bright sunlight streaming in Jack’s window, it was to find myself with Jack still wrapped fully around me, in a very similar position to the one we’d fallen asleep in. I smiled groggily, closing my eyes against the bright glare and reveled in the feel of us cocooned together.

My heart was floating somewhere far above me. I couldn’t remember the last time I had woken up with such buoyant happiness. I had to work later today, but perhaps Jack and I could kayak this morning, and I could see what other materials I could find. If I was going to start creating things again, I needed to start collecting more raw materials. And oh man, I was hungry. We never had gotten around to dinner or even eating the cheese and crackers Jazz packed.

My stomach chose that moment to growl, loudly. The sound was followed, immediately, by the bed vibrating as Jack laughed at me. I guessed he was awake. I reached my hand behind me and smacked where I expected his butt to be.

Quick as a flash, he rolled onto me, pressing me, belly down, into the mattress as his voice growled playfully in my ear. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” And then his stomach growled, too. I burst out giggling.

“I guess that makes us even.” He laughed and reached for his boxers. “Time for food.”

“I have no idea where my underwear ended up,” I said, looking around the bed and holding the sheet up to cover my nakedness.

“I ate it.”

“Ha ha. Seriously, these girls need confining, where’s my bra?”

Jack laughed and dropped to his hands and knees at the end of the bed then came up and snapped my bra at me, followed by my panties. “Nice color.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled, my cheeks flushed again.

He pulled his jeans on, and then came and pressed a lingering kiss to my lips before heading to the bathroom.

I dressed quickly, opened the French doors to the view, and inhaled the cool ocean air. Glad I had a moment in the fresh light of day to think for a second and compose myself, I thought about what Jack had told me last night. It was such a big secret, and he had trusted me with it. I was humbled at the same time my heart broke for him. It explained so much about who Jack was. The fact that, as a scared six-year-old boy, his instinct had been to fight his mother’s attacker rather than run and hide was a testament to his courage and strength of character. I had sensed all this about him, but knowing what I knew now, while it underscored what I felt for him, was no great comfort.

I took a deep breath and focused on the beauty laid out before me as Jack came up behind me and propped a chin on my shoulder. He snaked his arms around my waist, the warmth of his bare chest at my back. I smiled and leaned my head back against his.

“Hey, do you see the staked out squares down there in the dunes?” I pointed down to the left about twenty yards along the beach. “Someone found a turtle nest and marked it out. When those turtles grow up, they’ll always return to this beach.”

Jack nuzzled his face toward me and inhaled. “Keri Ann, will you consider coming out to California after I get done with this whole promotional tour thing?” he said to my neck.

His arms were tense around me, and I knew this was a really big deal of a question for him. Heck, for me, too. My heart danced around in joy, and I wanted to turn around and hurl myself into his arms shouting Yes! Yes! Yes!

But instead, I took a deep breath, and clearing my throat, said simply, “Yes, I’d like that.”

His shoulders relaxed at my answer, and he gave me a quick squeeze. “I’m going to investigate what I have left in my fridge from my personal shopper. See you downstairs?”

I exhaled. “Then will you drop me home? I was thinking of going for a kayak. You interested? You can use Joey’s.”

“Sure. After we eat I’ll drop you and bring the bike back here, then you can come get me. Work?”

I nodded.

“Oh wait!” Jack suddenly let me go.

I turned to find him fishing around in his jeans pocket, his brow furrowed. I mimicked his expression, wondering what on earth he was looking for.

He grinned as he pulled his fingers free and held his hand out to me. “Look what I found yesterday.”

I stared, dumbfounded. In his hand was a piece of red sea glass, about the size of a quarter. I swallowed and gently took the dull, frosted piece, holding it up to the light. “Wow,” I whispered, seeing small hints of amber in parts. “Do you realize how rare this is?” I glanced at him. “Sorry, I probably sound like a nerd.”