Yeah, he remembered that, but he shook his head and glanced up at the sky crammed with stars in the inkyblack night. He hoped she'd let it drop. He should have known better.
"We put our most valuable treasures in a coffee can, and we were supposed to dig it up in fifty years."
She laughed and Jack returned his gaze to her profile.
"I can't remember what I put in there." She thought a moment then snapped her fingers. "Oh, yeah. A fakediamond ring you'd won for me at the fair. A pink fuzzy barrette Steven had found someplace and given me.
You put some Matchbox cars in there, and Steven put some of those green army men." She looked over at himand a frown creased her brow. "There had to be more."
"Your diary," he said.
"That's right." She started to laugh, but it died on her lips. "How did you remember that?"
He just shrugged and rose to stir the logs on the fire. "Good memory, I guess."
"Did you dig it up?" He didn't answer and she moved to stand next to him. "Jack?"
He pushed a log with the toe of his boot. It snapped and shot red embers up into the darkness. "Me and Steve."
"When?" she asked.
"About a week after we buried it. We had to know what was in your diary. It was killing us."
She gasped. "You guys invaded my privacy. Abused my trust. You were horrible!"
"Yep, and as I recall, your diary was boring as hell. Steven and I thought we were going to read all kinds ofjuicy stuff. Like who you had a crush on or if you'd kissed a boy. Or what really goes on at those girly slumberparties you were always going to." He shoved his hands in the front pockets of his Levi's and shifted his weightto one foot. "As I recall, it was mostly filled with stuff about your damn cat."
"Mr. Skittles?" Her mouth fell open and she grasped his arm through his jacket and turned him to face her. "Youread my private thoughts about Mr. Skittles?"
"I hated that cat. Every time I walked into your house, he hissed at me."
"That's because he could tell you were up to no good."
Jack laughed and looked down into her face as the firelight danced across her cheeks and nose. Where DaisyLee was concerned, he'd always been up to no good. He grabbed her hand to remove it from his jacket, but heheld it instead. "You don't even know the half of it."
"Sylvia told me she showed you her bottom in the fifth grade."
He had seen quite a few bottoms by the fifth grade. "It wasn't as good as yours." He brought her hand to hismouth and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. He looked into her eyes. "Your bottom was always the best."
She blinked once and her lids lowered to half-mast. Her lips parted. She wanted him every bit as much as hewanted her. It would have been so easy to slide his other hand behind her head and bring her mouth to his.
Desire twisted in his groin and urged him to grab her up and hold her against him. He dropped her hand.
"I've missed you, Jack," she said. "I didn't even realize how much until I came back." She took a step forwardand raised onto the balls of her feet. She ran her palms up his jacket to the sides of his neck. "Did you ever missme?" She placed her soft lips against his, then asked, "Even a little?"
He stood completely still, staring into her dark eyes. His chest burned as he breathed in her exhaled breath.
"Even when you didn't want to miss me?"
The dull throb of desire settled heavy in his groin, and he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away. "Don't dothis, Daisy."
She looked up at him. "Matt Flegel asked me out."
Shit. "Bug?"
"He never liked when you called him that."
"Are you going to go out with him?"
"Do you care?"
He looked right into her eyes and answered as if he didn't want to punch Flea in the face. "No. I don't care whatyou do."
"Then I'll probably go out with him." She turned on her heels and bid him goodnight over her shoulder as if shehadn't just tried to kiss him and get something going. He watched her disappear into the tent and he turned backto the fire.
She could do whatever she wanted, he told himself as he took a seat. So could he. He hadn't had sex since he'dhad it with her on the back of the Lancer. Maybe that was his problem. Maybe he needed to get laid to get herout of his head.
He waited until the coals burned to ash before he entered the tent. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, hediscovered that Nathan had taken the sleeping bag on the far side, which left Daisy asleep in the middle. Whatshe thought of sleeping so close to Jack, he didn't know. She seemed okay with it because she was out.
Jack took off his boots and jacket and crawled into his sleeping bag. He put his hands behind his head andstared up at the ceiling of the tent. He could almost hear her breathing. Almost hear a soft hush of breath passher lips.
He turned his head and looked at her through the darkness. Her back was to him and her blond hair spilledacross her pillow. He'd made love to her. He'd made a child with her, but he'd never spent the night with her.
Never seen her sleep.
His last thoughts as he fell asleep were of her, wondering what she'd do if he hooked his arm around her waistand pulled her into his chest.
When he woke, the ceiling of the tent was awash in predawn light. He figured he'd gotten about five hours as hegrabbed his jean jacket, shoved his feet in his boots, and headed out of the tent. Early morning shadows clung tothe campground and the buttes surrounding the lake. He built a fire and put coffee on to percolate. The sun roseover the water as he poured his first cup. Nathan was the first to join him. His son's hair stuck straight up inback, and he wore a big blue sweat shirt, jeans and his sneakers. Nathan grabbed a bottle of juice and a bag ofChips Ahoy and the two of them walked to the shore.
"Today before we leave," Jack said as he blew into his coffee, "we'll go after some channel cats."
"My dad and I went deep-sea fishing once." Nathan ripped open the bag and held it toward Jack, offering him acookie. "Have you ever done that?"
"Thanks." Jack took one chocolate-chip cookie and bit into it. "I try to fish in the Gulf at least once a year. Nexttime I go, maybe you can come along."
"Tight." Nathan stuck the bag under one arm and polished off two cookies before he spoke again. "My dad and Iused talk about stuff."
Jack took a drink and looked out over the lake, at the morning sun lighting up the surface like glass. Hewondered if Daisy had told him that she had a hot date with flea. It wasn't his place to ask. "What kind ofstuff?"
"Stuff a guy can't talk to his mom about."
"Like?" he asked and ate his cookie.
"Girls."
Ah. "Do you have something on your mind?"
Nathan nodded and took a drink of his juice.
"Maybe I can help you out. I've known a girl or two."
He looked at his toes and his cheeks turned pink. "Girls are complicated. Boys aren't that complicated."
"That's true. Girls are contrary as hell. They tell you one thing and expect you to get the meaning to somethingelse."
He turned and looked up at Jack. "You said you and dad used to look at porn. So, what I want to know is..."
blinked a few times then asked, 'Where do you touch girls? I saw a diagram in health class, but it wasconfusing. Boys aren't confusing. Everything we have is just hanging out there."
Whoa. "We're not talking about a girl's emotions are we?"
He shook his head. "My friend stole his mom's book about sex. It sounds like you have to touch a girleverywhere at once."
Nathan looked so serious. And he'd come to Jack. Not Daisy. "Any girl in particular you're thinking abouttouching?"
"No. I'd just like to have it all figured out before my first time."
"You want to be an expert right out of the chute?" Jack thought Nathan was a little young to be worrying aboutsex. Then he thought back to the NBBC and he realized Nathan wasn't too young at all.