Page 11 of Promise of a New Beginning
“What about Jack?” Elizabeth asked.
“You keep acting like there’s something there. There’s not; trust me,” Savannah said.
Elizabeth shook her head. “I still have the feeling there’s something between you two. He’s going to way too much trouble not to look at you.”
“She’s right,” Josie said. “When we were getting ready to leave the campsite this morning, I saw him sneaking glances at you every time you looked away.”
Last night, Savannah had felt something between them—a long, hard something—but for someone else to notice the connection meant that she wasn’t just making it up in her lonely little head.
“I’m here to get over a bad relationship, not to jump into a complicated one,” Savannah said.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Josie said emphatically. “I don’t know how I ended up in bed with Pratt. He’s a nice guy, you know. He’s just a little lost right now. Did you know that he’s an artist? He’s a sculptor. He has a degree in engineering, but he’s passionate about sculpting.”
“A moody artist. His personality fits him perfectly,” Savannah said.
“I don’t think he’s just moody. I think he really feels stuck. His parents are all over him to stop messing around with art and get a real job. I mean, he lives on his own, he has a studio, but he’s barely making it by each day, so they’re pushing him to give up,” Josie explained. “He came here to get away from them and to try to make a decision on his own.”
“What kind of parents would do that to their child? He’s not even a child. He’s a man.” Elizabeth took the bandanna off and tied it around her dreadlocks, creating a thick, snaky ponytail.
“Can I touch your hair?” Savannah asked.
“Of course. Go ahead.” Elizabeth turned around.
Savannah ran her hands over the dreadlocks. “I thought they’d feel prickly or overly dry, but they don’t. They’re like soft ropes of hair.” Touching them brought her back to Jack, who looked like he was made of hard edges and rough plateaus, but he was soft, his muscles strong yet tender. Remembering the way he’d cupped his palm around the back of her neck sent a chill up her spine.
She couldn’t think about Jack. It only made his ignoring her that much harder. She turned her focus back to Elizabeth. “My father would never do things that way. He’d give me an opinion but leave the decision up to me in the end,” Savannah said.
Josie jumped to her feet. “What I can’t figure out is what Pratt might be like if his parents weren’t doing this to him.”
“You’ve only known him a day. Give it time,” Elizabeth said. “Maybe he’s a really sweet guy.”
Savannah thought of Jack. “Or maybe he’s too broken to ever heal.”
“Thanks, Savannah,” Josie teased.
Savannah rose to her feet. “Don’t mind me. I’m just in my own little world today. We should probably bring the water back up or Les Stroud will come looking for us.”
Josie picked up the pot of water and they began their walk back up the hill. “So you guys don’t think I’m a slut?”
She said it so quietly that Savannah almost missed the question. She put her arm over Josie’s shoulder. “You’re no more of a slut than I am. You’re young and free. Why not enjoy it? As long as no one is getting hurt, why shouldn’t you enjoy each other? Even if it’s only for a few days.”
“Thanks, Savannah.” She looked at Elizabeth and grabbed that lock of hair and began fiddling with it again. “Elizabeth?” she asked tentatively.
Elizabeth turned to face her with a wide smile. “I’m all for sharing yourself with whoever you feel will bring you pleasure, until you find the one whose pleasure you could never live without. I get a feeling about these things, and I don’t think either of those two men are broken beyond repair.” She held Savannah’s gaze.
“Are you Jack’s personal dating consultant or something?” Savannah asked.
“No,” Elizabeth said. “I just see something between you guys. I don’t know why, but…” She shrugged. When the campsite came into view, Elizabeth grabbed their arms and stopped walking. She lifted her chin toward Jack and Aiden, sitting side by side. Lou and Pratt sat across from them by the fire, each manipulating a length of rope. It looked like Jack was teaching them how to tie a knot.
“Those do not look like broken men to me,” Elizabeth said.
Jack put his arm around Aiden and pulled him close. His deep voice boomed into the evening. “Great job! You’ll be a master survivalist soon.”
Aiden wrapped his arms around Jack’s waist and hugged him. Savannah wasn’t surprised to see Jack’s body stiffen. His arm hung in the air above the boy, as if the hug were a giant leap from his arm on the boy’s shoulder. He lowered it slowly toward Aiden’s back, as if he were almost afraid to hug him, and in the next moment, he pulled the little boy close. The sweetness of the moment in the dimming sunlight brought Savannah’s hand to her heart. Jack rested his head on the top of Aiden’s hair and caught all three women staring at him.
Chapter Seven
JACK HAD BEEN dreading the night since he’d woken up that morning. He knew that the minute he lay down he’d be barraged with memories of kissing Savannah, and those images would be chased by Linda’s trusting and disappointed face. He’d never cheated on her when she was alive—and now, two years after her death, he was nearly paralyzed with guilt over a single kiss. A kiss that had him thinking about plenty of other dirty things besides Savannah’s lips. He couldn’t push past the thought that he had carelessly crushed his wedding vows. Thinking of Linda brought his mind to Aiden and how good it felt to spend time with a child.
