Promise Canyon (Virgin River #13)(78)

"I was afraid of that," Denny said. "I grew up on the beach."

Jack leaned his elbows on the table. "Then why on God's green earth would you hang around a place like this?"

Denny seemed to think about his answer. "How good are you at confidences?"

Jack straightened, got a serious look in his eye and held up his right hand. "On my mother's grave, I haven't let slip more than twenty-percent of the time. And never under enemy interrogation!"

"At least you're honest," Denny said.

"I like to talk--I can admit that. But the fact is, if I know it's a secret, I'm good."

Denny just stared at him for a long moment and then he burst out laughing. "I'm crazy, right? I'm going to tell you a secret when I don't even know you? And you're a bartender? You could tell everyone in the closest three towns!"

Jack straightened. "Well, that's not likely," he said. They don't hang out here so much anymore, he could have added.

Denny just chuckled. "Okay, here's the basic fact. My mother never got married. I grew up thinking the guy who lived with us since I was born was my biological father. He split when I was little. We weren't that sorry to see him go. My mom died about six months before I went to Afghanistan, and before she died she told me the guy was not my father." He gave a shrug. "This wasn't bad news."

"Oh, man, I'm sorry, Denny," Jack said from the heart. "Was it sudden?"

"No, it wasn't sudden. She was sick for years--she had cancer and would go into remission, have a flare-up, go into remission and... Well, when it was getting to be the end she knew it. She had lots of time to think about it. She wanted me to know who my real father was. He's around Northern California. He was a marine."

"Seriously? Have you found him yet?"

"Not yet," he said.

"Well, maybe I can help. I know most everyone. Around here, anyway. And most of the military folks around here at least stop in to say hello."

"I appreciate that, man, I really do. But here's the thing--I thought I'd figure out on my own where he is, what he's like. Two things here, Jack? Is it Jack? That's your name?"

"Jack, that's right."

"Thing is, Jack--maybe I find him, meet him, and I don't like him. Maybe he's not a real big improvement on the guy I thought was my father and was relieved to learn wasn't. What if he's a jerk? What if he beats his wife or something? I can walk away and he'll never know. And the other thing--what if he really doesn't want to know he has a son from a little fling twenty-five years ago? What if he's a mayor or something? A priest or police chief? What if it would really upset his life to have some long-lost son pop out of the woodwork, huh? Because I could understand that, too."

"I get what you're saying, kid--especially if he's a loser. But what man wouldn't want to know about his own son?"

Denny shook his head. "A man who never had the first idea might be a little upset about it, don't you think?"

"Maybe for five minutes," Jack said. "But once he thought about it, he'd be glad for a second chance."

"You think?"

"That's what I think," Jack said.

The door to the bar opened and Mel came in. She held a little hand in each one of hers--David, almost four, and Emma, almost three.

"Hey there," Jack said, coming around the bar. He crouched to pick up Emma and with one strong hand, lifted David onto a stool. "Were you two good today?"

"They were excellent," Mel said. "We have a new addition at the clinic--Cameron put up a swing set in the backyard for our kids and his twins. I don't know why we didn't think of it sooner. So," she said, jumping up on a stool next to her son, "may we please have some juice? Please?" she said, nudging David.

"Please, Dad," he said in a very adult way.

"Pease!" Emma said, clapping.

"And maybe a short beer," Mel added. "Just a little less than half. Then I'll go home and feed the kids."

"We have some mac and cheese ready to roll," Jack offered. Then he looked at Denny and said, "Denny, this is my wife, Mel--she doesn't cook. And Mel, this young man is just back from Afghanistan. Denny Cutler."

"How do you do?" she said. "Welcome home. Marine?"

"Yes, ma'am. How'd you know?"

"I don't know," she said. "Jack's like a marine magnet. They all end up here eventually."

"I can see why," Denny said, lifting his beer. He looked at Jack and said, "Somehow I didn't really see you with a young family."

"No one did, pal, including me. I was forty when I met Mel, and I was nowhere near interested in marriage and children, but she trapped me."

She laughed at him. "This is utterly untrue," she said. "I was running for my life."

"All right, then, I trapped her. Whatever, it ended up working out just fine."

"So, Denny," Mel said, "did you just move here?"

"Sort of," he said. "I came to look the place over on the recommendation of a friend and I like it. But there's one problem--I was recently discharged. I need a job. Any line on a job around here?"