"Everything okay, kid?"
Ricky realized he was breathing far harder than the short sprint across the street would account for. He forced what he hoped was an innocent smile. "Yeah, everything's cool. I just thought I saw someone I knew as I crossed the street. It wasn't him."
"Did you find your friends?"
"I did. We hung out for a while, but they had somewhere to be. I told your mom I'd be home for lunch, so I decided not to go with them."
Jack had turned his attention back to the traffic in front of them. "You could've called her to let her know you had a change in plans. She would've understood."
"I never thought of that."
That wasn't a lie, but the real truth was that he couldn't wait to get back to the house where he was safe and didn't have to worry about who might be waiting around the next corner.
They had ridden in silence for a few blocks when Jack cleared his throat. "Ricky, there's something I've been meaning to ask you … well, actually, tell you … and I'm hoping you won't mind."
Ricky figured he knew what was coming next and could've let Jack off the hook. However, it was fun watching the big man squirm a bit. When he didn't say any more, Ricky took pity on him.
"So where are you taking Caitlyn tonight?"
"Out for dinner and then maybe some dancing." Jack jerked his head around to stare down at Ricky. "You knew?"
"I guessed. It wasn't hard." He gave in and laughed. "It's been a real hoot to watch you trying to act all cool around her, like you're only interested in how I'm doing on my assignments."
Jack shot him a disgusted look. "What gave me away?"
"Maybe the way you drool whenever she walks into the room."
"Watch it, kid." Jack punched Ricky lightly on the arm. "Do you want to get out and walk? Because, you know, I could accidentally back over you a couple of times."
"Nope, I'm good." He leaned his head back and made himself comfortable.
However, it was time to settle the matter since Jack was still looking a bit twitchy. "I can't imagine what she sees in a guy who is pushing thirty and lives with his mother."
"Hey!"
This time there was a bit of temper in Jack's protest. "But I'm okay with you and her as long as you don't get in the way when I'm having my lessons."
"Really?"
Ricky couldn't believe that his opinion really mattered, but evidently it did. "Yeah, really. Just make sure you treat her right, or you'll answer to me."
They both knew that Ricky didn't stand a chance against a guy like Jack, but he meant every word. He was sick to death of seeing the women in his life treated poorly.
Evidently Jack took the threat seriously, because he wasn't smiling when he said, "Message received and understood."
Chapter 12
Jack parked the SUV in front of Caitlyn's condo. He'd gotten there a little too early and had driven around the block twice before finally deciding it was time. Despite telling himself over and over again that he had no reason to be this nervous, he couldn't seem to calm down. Even if it had been a hell of a long time since he'd been out on a date, he still remembered the basics. He'd even ironed his shirt and dug his dress pants out of the back corner of the closet.
The restaurant he'd chosen was nice without being over-the-top fancy. He wanted to impress Caitlyn, not overwhelm her by trying too hard. Hell, maybe this whole thing was a mistake. She was a nice woman, one who deserved a guy who had his life together. Not an ex-soldier with a bad knee and no idea what he'd be doing a year from now.
Okay, that wasn't true. As long as Ricky and Marlene needed him, Jack would be right where he was. Besides, it was too late to back out now.
The march up to her door didn't take nearly enough time for him to calm his nerves. After one last long breath, he pushed the doorbell. He shifted from one foot to the other as he waited for Caitlyn to open the door. When she finally did, his pulse kicked straight into hyperdrive. What if Ricky had been right about that whole drooling thing?
Caitlyn was starting to look a bit nervous to the point she looked down as if to make sure her clothes were in good order. God, he'd only been with her fifteen seconds, and already he was screwing things up. It was time to regroup and try again.
He held out the small bouquet of roses and lilies he'd bought for her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare, Caitlyn, but you look amazing."
She took the flowers and immediately held them close to her face to take a deep breath. "Thank you, and these are lovely. Come on in while I put them in water."
Caitlyn disappeared around the corner into what must have been the kitchen. Unsure if he should follow, Jack hovered near the front door and studied the living room. She'd furnished it with nice-looking furniture that was both stylish and comfortable looking. It was the kind of room where he could picture his mother and her friends enjoying a cup of tea, but he also could see him and Ricky chilling out watching football and chowing down on pizza.
In short, it was like Caitlyn herself-attractive and a definite pleasure to be around.
The woman in question returned with the flowers in a vase. She set them on the coffee table. After arranging them to her satisfaction, she rejoined him by the door. "I'd say you shouldn't have, but I love fresh flowers."
Before he could say anything, she gave him a quick kiss. "Thank you."
It was tempting to see if she'd be interested in heating that kiss up a bit. But considering their dinner reservations were in half an hour, now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. They had plenty of time to reach the restaurant, but only if they left soon.
"I don't mean to rush you, but we should probably get moving. I hope you like seafood."
"I do, especially crab and prawns."
That was a relief. At least he'd done one thing right. "That's great."
Caitlyn picked up a small purse and a shawl in the same soft blue as her dress. As she moved, the skirt swirled and drew his attention to her legs. Jack had never seen her in anything except slacks, and right now he was thinking that was a damn shame. He'd always been a leg man, and hers were now officially right up there on his own personal all-time-greatest-hits list.
He stood back and let her lead the way out the door and waited as she locked up behind them. A few seconds later, they were in his SUV and heading for the restaurant. Neither of them had said a word since leaving her place. While it wasn't exactly an uncomfortable situation, it could be if the silence dragged on for much longer. Jack had never had the gift of gab that his brothers did. Tino, especially, had an uncanny talent for charming the ladies. Maybe Jack should have called him for some tips before setting off tonight.
No, that wouldn't have accomplished anything except to give Tino another reason to give him grief. Besides, he shouldn't need any help finding something to talk about with Caitlyn; he'd never had the problem before. Of course, up until now, most of their conversations had been about Ricky. Maybe that was a safe place to start.
"In case you're wondering, Ricky is down with us going out tonight."
Caitlyn immediately turned to face him, her eyes wide. The dim interior of the SUV made it difficult to read her expression clearly, but he hoped she looked surprised and not angry. "You actually asked his permission?"
Maybe that had been a mistake. "Sort of. I let him know we had plans for tonight. I didn't want him to find out and think we were sneaking around behind his back." He glanced in her direction again. "Just so you know, I promise that what happens between us stays between us. Having said that, with a kid like Ricky, trust is a fragile thing. I can't expect to earn his if I don't offer him mine."
She finally nodded. "All right, I get that. So what did he have to say on the subject?"
Jack grinned. "He said it was okay as long as I didn't cut in on his time with you helping him with his lessons."
That startled a laugh from her. "Fair enough. Anything else?"
Might as well go for broke. "He said if I wasn't good to you, I'd have to answer to him."
Before she could respond, Jack went on. "I don't know how many kids with a background like Ricky's that you've dealt with, but here's the thing. Like I said, they don't let themselves get attached to many people. I'm taking it as a good sign that he cares what happens to you."
"Then I'm flattered that he feels protective about me."