Page 8 of The Long Way Found

Marco considered this and nodded, satisfied for now.

After dinner, Mara and Patty cleared the table. Mr. Ellis, Julio, and the kids drifted into the living room. Luke stayed behind, stacking plates.

Jack stayed too.

For a moment, they were alone in the dining room, the chandelier's low amber light casting soft shadows.

"Hey," Luke said quietly. No need to play coy or dredge up old heartache. Right? Maybe later. "It's really great to see you. I'm glad you're here."

Jack looked at him, and something shifted in his expression—a softening, a lowering of the guard.

"Thank you. Same here."

They reached for the same plate, and their hands touched. Jack quickly pulled his hand back, as if he had touched a flame.

Maybe it was nothing.

Maybe it was not.

"Boys!" Patty called from the living room. "Coffee's getting cold. Don't make me come get you."

They walked to the other room, but Jack stopped.

"I'm afraid I need to get back to prep for my meeting with the dean tomorrow," Jack said. "It's been a long day. Thank you for the lovely welcome back."

He hugged Patty and waved to the others as he headed for the door.

Luke followed him outside. The snow had stopped, and the night was cold and clear. The moon hung low over the mountains, bright enough to cast long shadows.

"I hope you really did have a nice evening," Luke said.

"I did." Jack's breath clouded in the air. "Patty was sweet to invite me. And Mara was … passively hostile? But I guess I have it coming, given how much she loves you.”

"She's a mama bear. But I can handle myself now."

They stood there, close enough to touch but not touching, the space between them tangible yet fragile, like a bubble that wouldn’t take much to pop. Luke’s expression shifted from a polite smile to a hopeful query.

“Good luck with the dean tomorrow. If you’re free, let’s have dinner so you can tell me all about it.”

“Just us?” Jack asked.

“Just us,” Luke answered.

Jack reached out, his warm hand settling on the back of Luke’s neck. To Luke, it felt heavy and deliberate, especially when Jack’s thumb stroked his curls there.

This contact couldn’t have been accidental, Luke decided, as Jack held his gaze for a beat, then another.

"I'll text you tomorrow," Jack said.

Luke watched him walk to his Jeep, watched him drive away, and kept watching until the taillights disappeared around the corner. He replayed the touch and could still feel Jack’s warmth on the back of his neck, even in a night so cold he could see his own breath. His body still carried the glow from their brief time together on the porch, and he had started to get hard even in the frigid air.

All that from one touch, Luke? Wow.

Then he went back inside, where Mara was waiting, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised.

"So," she said. "That was interesting."

Luke just smiled.