Jack took her hand in his and didn’t let go until they reached the rack of canoes. Working together, they pulled down a deep green one, taking care to grab three oars … one for spare … and Jack’s survival backpack.
“I think we have a real shot of winning this thing,” Nora sang as they pushed away from the docks. “No one is following us, and if it wasn’t for my need to hide as a kid, would we even know where to go yet?”
Jack chuckled as he rowed them farther onto the lake. Nora let him do the work because he insisted. Besides, he didn’t mind pulling his weight like this because, after all, Nora had found the first clue, and she was also giving him the direction he needed to get to the right spot in the woods.
“I’m not sure about the waterways, but I think that if we hide the canoe there, in that line of trees, we are close enough to walk.”
Jack nodded and aimed for the narrow embankment. It took them no time at all to hide the canoe under fallen tree limbs and leaves. Jack pulled one of the flashlights from his backpack and handed it to Nora.
She raised a brow at him, one hand pointing toward the quickly setting sun. “It’s still pretty light out.”
“In about twenty minutes, we won’t have any sunlight, especially not in the trees like this. It’s better if we’re prepared before we lose light. Besides, we’re on the clock.”
“You got it.” She grinned, waving the flashlight around. “You’re really good at this survival stuff.”
He chuckled. “Survival stuff, huh? I guess I am. I taught a few survival lessons with the gym teacher at the high school.”
“Did you?”
He nodded, smiling. “Oh, yeah. I did. I loved it too. Good thing I get along with Thomas Hanson, but it was still a good experience for me. The kids were awesome too. They were really eager to learn.”
“They are growing up in a town that has spotty electricity and internet. I bet they were overjoyed to learn some good skills to help with that.”
“You know, you might be right. I forgot that the electricity thing isn’t actually normal beyond this town.”
“And to think it basically brought Jade and Parker together.”
He laughed at that. “I’m sure they would say something else was responsible for bringing them together. Like us, for example. I don’t know about you, but I think we found each other because of books.”
She giggled. “But the town will all think that we are together because of their machinations and the scavenger hunt. I do like what you said, though. That we came together because of books.”
Jack reached for her and held her hand despite the fact they had to hike through the woods and climb over fallen trees and thick underbrush. Jack didn’t care. He wanted to keep touching Nora until she asked him to stop … and with any luck, that would never happen.
“Jack,” she started, her tone shy, which was not unusual for her around him now.
“Yeah, love?”
“I was wondering what you meant earlier when you brought up your sibling. It sounded like there was a story there.”
He winced. “Yeah, there is a story there.”
“Oh,” she sighed.
The silence between them stretched on and on in the falling darkness. Jack didn’t want to revisit his past, but he did want to share every part of him with Nora.
Then share about me. Keep your sister in the past.
Jack wanted to point out that he had suggested telling Nora about his shifter side, but now that they were in the dark woods, the lion probably figured it was his shot to convince Jack to shift for the woman.
It wasn’t going to happen like this.
When Jack told her about his lion, it would be when he was sure she wasn’t going to run for the hills the second she learned of shifters’ existence. She would probably take it in stride, given that so many people in town were shifters. There was a chance she already knew.
The real reason he didn’t want to share that part of his past with her was hidden under the shifter stuff.
If he told her about his past, he would have to tell her about RJ Phillips, and he wasn’t ready to get into how that persona was created. He wasn’t ready to share why he was hiding in Half Moon Key. Surely, Nora wouldn’t be very impressed if she knew he was cowering.
Hardly manly.