Her eyes were shining a bit too brightly. He hated that this situation had upset her so badly. "Aw, honey, don't cry."
When words didn't work, he did the only thing he could think of to distract her, something he'd wanted to do since the day they'd first met.
He kissed her.
It started off slowly, an offer of comfort, something they both badly needed. Caitlyn's lips were every bit as soft as he'd always suspected, every bit as sweet as he'd hoped. When her hands swept up his chest to settle on his shoulders, he wrapped her in his arms tightly enough to let her know that holding her close mattered.
She immediately leaned in closer so that there wasn't room for even a breath of air between them, only a shimmer of heat that would soon reach critical mass. He lifted her and carried her the few steps to the side of the building and pressed her back against the smooth surface of the bricks. He was breathing hard and wishing like hell they were somewhere a lot more private than this alley.
"Damn, woman, you taste like temptation."
Caitlyn smiled, clearly pleased with his assessment. She cupped his face with her hands and pulled him down for another kiss. This time there wasn't anything sweet about it. It was all tongues and teasing, not to mention torment, because they couldn't take it any further. Not in this public place and not with Ricky waiting for them.
She knew it, too, because she was already slowing things down. The heat in her eyes dimmed and then faded away. "We need to go find Ricky."
"Yeah, we do."
He brushed a stray tear from her cheek. "But for the record, I don't regret this."
Her answering smile was all he could have hoped for. "Me, either."
He prayed that was true and would stay that way. At least she didn't protest when he put his arm around her shoulders on their way back to her car.
As he drove the short distance to the beach, she said, "I know you're relieved he called, but you can't be happy about how he acted. It would help me to know how best to support you in this if I knew what your plan was."
His laugh wasn't a happy one. "It would help me, too, if I actually had a plan. I hate to admit it, but I'm pretty much flying by the seat of my pants here. It's not like I've ever raised a kid before."
Caitlyn gave him a hard look. "Don't shortchange yourself, Jack. Children don't come with an owner's manual, and I suspect most parents are winging it most of the time."
"We're almost there. Any words of wisdom you'd care to share after your years of working with kids?"
They rode in silence for a short time. He liked that she was giving the matter some serious thought before offering her opinion. Finally, she said, "I'd say that you should be very clear that you are holding him responsible for what he did. Remind him that his actions caused a lot of worry for you, me, and most likely your mother if she's seen the note I left her. His taking off like this pulled you off the job and also forced me to cancel my next appointment."
Great. He'd been so focused on Ricky that it hadn't even occurred to him that she might have other obligations. "Is that going to cause you any problems?"
"No, I already called and rescheduled for tomorrow."
That was a relief. "Anything else?"
"I know it's tempting to yell at him, but I wouldn't. Instead, let him see that even though you're upset and disappointed in him, you're still calm and in control of your actions. From what you suspect about his background, that might make more of an impression on him. You want him to toe the line but without fearing for his life."
Jack poked and prodded that idea and finally decided that it sounded right. "Good thinking."
Suddenly, Caitlyn pointed toward the beach. "There he is! He's just sitting down at that farthest table."
Jack parked the car, and the two of them headed straight for one guilty-looking teenage boy.
Chapter 10
Ricky chose a picnic table that was some distance from the others in the area. If he was going to get his ass kicked for running off and then not answering the phone when Jack called, he'd rather have a little privacy. He sat on the side that let him watch the parking lot while he sipped his iced tea. It didn't do much to soothe his dry throat, which felt as if he'd been chewing on cotton balls.
Making that call to Jack had been one of the hardest things he'd ever done. He'd been half convinced the man wouldn't answer and almost as afraid that he would. Ricky still couldn't believe that not only had Jack answered after just one ring but that his first words made it sound like he was more worried than mad. Ricky wasn't sure what to make of that. He was also surprised that Caitlyn was with Jack.
Well, maybe not. There was something going on between those two even though they tried to hide it around him. It was no big deal. It wasn't as if Ricky had any special claim on Caitlyn. She was his teacher, that's all.
Even so, while he hadn't liked it much Saturday when the two of them were eyeing each other, he'd gotten over it. Well, sort of. He wasn't used to having three different adults all looking out for him, and he didn't like sharing the attention even if it was stupid to feel that way.
What was taking them so long? The fish-and-chips place wasn't all that far from Jack's house. Then he realized they were already there and headed straight for him. He'd been watching for the truck or the SUV. They must have come in Caitlyn's sedan.
Bracing himself for the worst, he stood up. Jack came around to his side of the table and put his heavy hand on Ricky's shoulder. "Sit and eat. I hate cold fries. We'll talk afterward."
Caitlyn sat down across from them both. "Thanks for the fish-and-chips, Ricky."
That cotton was clogging up his throat again, so Ricky settled for bobbing his head as he sank back down on the bench. Jack's broad shoulders took up most of the available space, but Ricky didn't feel crowded. Not much, anyway.
All three of them dug into the fish and fries. Ricky supposed they tasted good, but he couldn't have said one way or the other. He was pretty sure Jack would've let him know if there was a problem with them. The man wasn't shy about expressing his opinions.
Finally, they finished up the last of their food. Jack gathered up all their trash and shoved it back in the paper bags it had come in. He set them in front of Ricky. "Get rid of it. We'll be waiting right here when you get back."
The trash cans weren't nearly far enough away for Ricky's comfort, and all too quickly he was right back beside Jack and waiting for the yelling to begin.
"Start by telling me what you did wrong, Ricky."
What the heck? Jack's order was quietly spoken and not the full roar Ricky had been expecting. Not only that, the man sat there looking as if he had all the time in the world to wait for Ricky to answer.
So he did. "I took off without letting Caitlyn know where I was going or leaving your mom a note. I didn't call you, and I didn't answer when you phoned me."
Jack leaned forward with his arms crossed on the table and looked down over his shoulder at Ricky. "That about sums it up. Now, was there anything you did that was right?"
Wow, he wasn't expecting that question. Where was Jack going with this? When Caitlyn gave Ricky an encouraging nod, he decided he should try to come up with some kind of answer. "When I cooled off, I called you back."
Jack nodded. "And what else?"
"Seriously, I have no idea."
"You came here, a public place where you'd be safe until I got here." Jack leaned in close to bump Ricky's shoulder with his. "That was good thinking."
As much as he'd like to take credit for being that smart, he couldn't. "To be honest, I don't think that even crossed my mind."
Caitlyn joined the conversation. "Maybe not on a conscious level, but you did head for a place that was familiar to both of you."
Maybe. For sure this wasn't playing out the way he'd thought it would. Neither of them was acting all that upset about what he'd done. Maybe he'd been wrong, and they didn't care. No, that didn't feel right. If they weren't concerned about him, they wouldn't have come running the minute he called.
Caitlyn stood up. "I think you two have a few things to discuss and don't really need an audience. I'm going to go do some work on my laptop in the car, so I'll be fine. No need to rush on my account."
Jack abandoned his seat next to Ricky to walk around to where Caitlyn stood. He kissed her on the cheek. "We'll be along presently."