Shannon left, and Jack and I were led through the now emptying foyer between Sheriff Graves and another officer, and then outside and into the back of a waiting black limousine.
I swallowed as I slid over on the cool leather seats, careful not to tear the beads on my dress. “Whoa. Where did you get this? A bit fancy for the Lowcountry isn’t it?” I looked around the interior.
Jack laughed. “I wasn’t sure if I’d need room for your friends on the ride back.” He slid in next to me.
Sheriff Graves poked his head in. “I’ll ride up front with the driver … give you all some privacy on the way to the airport.”
“Wait, what? Airport?” I stared at Jack as the sheriff closed the door.
“Don’t be mad, okay?”
“I can promise you if you start any conversation with that phrase, it’s a racing certainty I will be. What the hell, Jack? Are you leaving already? I thought we were going to face this stuff together? It’s not fair you won’t be in Butler Cove if the Tom Price’s of the world start coming to harass us. They’ll only focus on me! Please don’t. And stop smiling. I’m serious as a damn heart attack right now.”
My heart pounded and my cheeks throbbed. But unlike what usually caused these crazy physical reactions in the presence of Jack, this time I was mad.
Jack’s smile broke free into a bellow of laughter.
Smacking his knee, I made to move across the vehicle to the bench seat.
He grabbed my wrist tightly.
“Let go,” I whined.
“No.” He laughed again. “Just let me explain.” He leaned forward and pressed a button. Then talked into the darkness. “Hey, can you drive around the island a few times? Our flight’s not scheduled for over an hour, and Keri Ann needs to get changed.”
“Sure thing,” came a voice. “Overtime?”
Jack smiled. “Of course.” He released the button then he turned on a dim sidelight so we could see each other better. At least, I assumed that’s why he did it. A John Legend song poured softly into the interior.
Smooth.
“Get changed?” I asked, belatedly recognizing a small duffel I’d bought for a camping trip to Hunting Island a few years back, sitting on the seat. “How did you get that?”
“Jazz might have been in on it …” He winced.
My mouth dropped open.
Wait. “Our flight?”
He nodded. “I wasn’t sure when the story was going to drop so I asked Jazz to help me in case you needed to get out of the spotlight at a moment’s notice.”
A fizz of nausea swirled low in my belly. “Where to? God, never mind. And what about them having to deal with it? Is this what you usually do? Of course it is. It’s how I met you. Is this what …” I swallowed. “I can’t just leave! Is this how we’ll have to be? How will I work, keep a job?”
Jack reached for my hand again, and I wrenched it free lurching away from him. “How will I go to school?” A strand of the dress caught and snapped, tiny jet beads poured down over my feet. “Shit.” I tried to grab the strand and stop them, making it worse. Tears pooled in my eyes.
“It’s okay, we’ll fix it.” Jack’s hand closed over mine where I held the dress. And he moved to the edge of the seat opposite me, spreading his knees and leaning forward.
“Okay,” he said gently. “Let go, I’ve got it.” His hands took over from mine and tied a small loop knot in the strand, stopping the flow of beads. Then he reached down to the floor between his feet and carefully picked them all up. I reached down to help. “I’ve got it,” he said again.
I watched him, looking at his bent head, his soft hair, his strong hands making sure he had every last one. I fought a battle with myself to reach out and touch him. I knew I was panicking again about being with him. I just couldn’t see what our relationship would look like.
“You can’t always swoop in and buy my art, you know.” I cleared my throat. “And if I can’t afford to go to school, or we lose the house, you can’t step in and save me. You know that, right?”
He sighed. “It’s just money, Keri Ann. Do you have any idea how much money I make? It’s meaningless unless I do something meaningful with it.”
“I can’t, I won’t owe you like that. We are not doing a repeat performance of that auction tonight, as fun as it was.”
“You have too much pride, you know that? And you wouldn’t be owing me. If you were my wife, for example, why would you owe me?”
The breath I was taking as he spoke stuttered and hiccupped in my chest. Shock flooded my system, making me lightheaded.
Jack continued picking up tiny beads. He transferred a handful into the inside breast pocket of his jacket.