Page 52 of Jack

“And she was fun. Smart. She laughed at my jokes.”

“I thought she was smarter than that.” Stein grinned.

“Oh, you’re hilarious. But yes, I . . . there were sparks. Something. And . . .” Here went nothing. Still, better for him to say it than Doyle. “I kissed her.”

Steinbeck’s grin vanished. “You didn’t.”

“It was an impulse. But to be fair, I thought she was older—at least Doyle’s age.”

“Not Boo’s best friend. Which made her too young?—”

“She wasn’t too young, technically, but she was still in high school.AndBrontë’s best friend—I suddenly saw her as twelve.”

“What was it that you used to call her?”

“Pigtails.”

“Oh, that—that’s bad.”

Jack nodded. “I couldn’t end it fast enough. I ignored her the rest of the trip, and ever since.”

“Until yesterday.”

He met Stein’s eyes. “The problem is?—”

“You’ve never forgotten her.”

He lifted a shoulder. “Tried. Failed. And hated myself for that. And now . . .”

“And now she’s back, and hot and smart and definitely not in high school.” Stein shook his head. “This is what we called a major snafu?—”

Shelly returned. “Try this size.”

Stein took the jacket. “So, what are you going to do about it?”

“There’s nothing to do. Four days until the wedding, and then I hit the road, so . . .”

“Mm-hmm.” Stein stood still as Shelly smoothed his shoulders. “This is a good fit.”

She nodded, appreciation in her gaze.Oh brother. She worked the jacket off him. “I’ll get your order ready.”

Stein stepped off the podium. “Unless youdon’thit the road.”

“Um—”

Jack’s brother held up a hand. “There’s a season for everything. Maybe Aggie’s demise is a sign. You go back, take the bar?—”

“And spend my life being strangled by the legal system?”

“Hey, you’re the one who went to law school.”

“Not sure why.” He got up.

“I know why.” Stein headed for the dressing room, stepped behind the cloth curtain, his voice rising from within. “It’s because you’re a Boy Scout, trying to change the world. Always have been. I blame Grandpa and all that time you spent with him fishing.”

“He did like to tell stories while we waited for the walleye to bite.”

“Yeah, legal-eagle, crime-fighting, evil-versus-the-good-guy stories.” Steinbeck pushed back the curtain, now in his street clothes. “It’s what made Dad run for mayor all those years ago, and after Dad retired, Grandpa turned his sights on you.”