Love Is for the Birds

23. Jack

THE NEXT DAY, JACK JUMPED OUT OF BED AND HURRIED TO get dressed, determined to be Teddy’s dog walker and bottle washer for as long as it took to win her over. He literally slid through the door at Sweet Somethings imitating Tom Cruise.

“Hey,” the girl he saw with Teddy yesterday yelled. “Don’t knock over my Halloween decorations”

He put his hands on his hips. “You obviously don’t have an eye for talent”

“You’re the hunk,” the girl said as if she knew him.

He stuck a hand out and introduced himself. “Thanks, I guess. Who are you, and what have you done with the proprietress?”

Teddy walked out drying her hands on a dish towel. “I see you met Brooke”

“I have.” He nudged Brooke. “I’ve got a pair of wire clips in the car if you want me to remove the nail from your nose.”

“And I’ve got an ice cup in the freezer if you want me to pierce your ears.”

“You win.” Jack made a field goal sign with his arms.

A few tendrils of hair fell around Teddy’s face. Under her Halloween apron, she wore jeans and a tight tee with Lady Gaga’s picture on it. That girl knew how to fill a pair of jeans. Then she smiled at him, and he pressed a hand to his heart.

What was his excuse for being here? Oh yeah, walking Pickles. He wove through the aisles of the shop following the smell of caramel to the back porch.

“Make yourself at home,” Teddy said.

He decided to take his own advice. Act as if you’re the biggest bull in the herd, even if you’re not.

“I didn’t expect you today,” Teddy followed him out to the back porch. Brooke tagged along.

“I didn’t want you to go a single day without seeing my handsome face.”

Teddy laughed, filling Jack with the strength to keep on going.

“What are we doing today? Saving sea turtles? Fixing the board-walk? Picking up trash? You name it.”

“We’re making caramels and toffee.”

“Spare me a moment out on the beach?” Jack asked with a lowered voice.

“No need. Stay here.” Brooke frowned. “I’m used to grown-ups talking about me behind my back. I’ll save you the trouble. I’m Dot’s daughter. I’m on probation for shoplifting. My grandmother thought I needed to come back to live with my mother.” She opened up her arms and showed her palms. “That’s my story.”

“And I’ve given her a job.” Teddy blurted out the words. “She’ll work here after school.”

“And, I have no idea who my father is.”

“Whoa, this I didn’t know.” Teddy wrinkled her brow.

“I like to reveal the sordid aspects of my life slowly.”

“Thanks for the update.” He elbowed Brooke. “I feel perfectly safe, especially the shoplifting part.”

Brooke grinned. “Someone dared me. Stupid mistake.”

“You’ve got that right.” He smiled. “All the same, I’d keep an eye on the cash.”

“I told Teddy you’re a hunk even if you do dress like a cowboy from West Texas.”

He lifted both hands for high fives, and Brooke slapped his palms so hard they stung.

“Remember, you’re the one with a nail in your nose.”

“It’s sterling silver, and Teddy told me I needed to remove the piercing if I wanted this job.” She touched a finger to the silver ring. “Take a good peek. This baby will be gone tomorrow.”

“Teddy is right about that. And now that we have learned all there is to know about you, I will let you two get back to work.” Jack turned to Teddy. “How about I come over this afternoon, and we can take Pickles for a walk?”

Out on the beach, he took Teddy’s hand and released Pickles from her leash. Usually, cars crowded the beach, a practice Teddy disliked. Today, with no traffic on the beach, she could let Pickles run free. The lack of traffic made the beach good for walking, but bad for business in Bird Isle. Pickles raced off, which meant she circled them, ran to the water, came back, and repeated.

“Hey, you’re some girl taking on a teenager like that.”

“She took to you like chocolate to toffee.” Teddy gave him a playful shove.

Cute twinkles flashed in Teddy’s eyes. He took that as a point in his column. “I imagine it’s just a phase,” he said, as if he really knew anything about teenage girls.

“How do you know so much about kids?”

“I remember my teen years.”

“With a pierced nose?”

“Not so much different from a cowboy hat, I suppose.” Though his father would have had plenty to say about the nose ring. “What do you know about Brooke’s father?”

“Nothing,” Teddy said. “I thought about asking Dot, but if she wanted me to know, she’d tell me.”

“You probably ought to let her know that Brooke is talking to complete strangers about not knowing her father.” If he were in this position, he would want to know now.

“Good point.”

“Mind if I go with you to talk to Dot?” He checked his watch. 3:15. Dot usually took a break mid-afternoon.

He and Teddy drove over and found her sitting at her desk, papers stacked neatly in piles.

“Aren’t you two a sight for sore eyes?” Dot peered over the top of her glasses. “Coffee? Beer?”

He shook his head.

“We left Brooke at Sweet Somethings.” Teddy made a checkmark in the air.

“You’re quite trustworthy, considering you just met her.” Dot’s face filled with a broad smile. “You’re a good friend. Thank you for believing in her. She needs that.”

“She took a liking to Jack right away.”

“She said I was a hunk.” He assumed a body builder pose.

“Ha. I guess you are.” Dot lifted a picture of Brooke from her desk. “It’s just been hard not having a father.”

“That’s why we’re here.” Teddy touched Dot’s shoulder. “I would never pry into your private life, but Brooke mentioned she didn’t know her father. I had the feeling she wanted to find out.”

“I know. She keeps nagging me.” Dot motioned for them to sit.

“Do you want to tell us what happened?” Teddy scooted closer to Dot.

Dot turned her face to the window overlooking the wharf. “I just thought her life would be better if she never met him. He didn’t want the responsibility.”

“She’s growing up. The subject will come up again.” He hated secrets. Especially one like this.

“I don’t know if I should tell her. Whatever I do seems to be wrong.”

Dot bit her lower lip.

Whether death or abandonment, he recognized the pain in her eyes, a longing, a hurt that bubbled up at the most importune times.

“Whatever I can do,” Teddy said. “Just wanted you to know.”

Dot gazed out the window. “Maybe one of these days I’ll talk to her father, see what he says.”