RECLAIM MY HEART(38)

She blinked her way out of the heated memory and gazed up at the inky sky with its thick mantle of glittering stars. The wide swath of the Milky Way was clearly visible. Realizing she’d come farther than she’d meant to, she turned toward home.
They might have been kght an young and awkward, but what she and Lucas lacked in experience, they’d made up for in eagerness. One particular memory floated to the surface; in the back seat of his car, they had struggled out of their shirts, leaning forward at the same time and smacking their skulls together painfully. She chuckled out loud and was happy that she was alone with her thoughts. But her smile faded when she realized Lucas had made her feel that same intense giddiness several times since they’d come to Wikweko. A look here; a touch there. And most electrifying, that kiss he’d pressed to her hand at the café. He’d merely been thanking her, yet his lips had roused a firestorm inside her. She’d felt—
“No,” she firmly told the silky darkness. That had been nothing more than remnants from the past rising from the deep. Slivers of steamy memory that just happened to churn to the surface when he was simply showing his gratitude for her support.
Slivers from the past. Yes. That was it, exactly. Tyne lifted her left hand, the hard, cold diamond mocking her as it winked in the moonlight.
Movement on the shoulder of the roadway ahead had her squinting into the night. The large pack and bedroll the man lugged on his back made her smile. Jasper. She quickened her pace to meet him.
“You’re back,” she said, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Where’s my son?” She pulled back enough that she could look into his face. “You didn’t leave him in a hole somewhere in the woods, did you?”
Jasper laughed. “You’ve been talking to Lucas, I see.”
“Yes, I have.”
“You tell my nephew that Zach figured out the solution to that problem in half the time Lucas did.”
She clapped her hands together, her smile growing wide. “That’s great. I can’t wait to rub it in.”
He shifted the strap of his backpack. “We’re not far from my house. Come have a glass of iced tea with me. I want to talk to you about Zach.”
Walking a few blocks out of her way into town was a small inconvenience if it meant hearing how her son’s weekend went.
“He’s amazing,” Jasper told her. “Even before we pitched our tent, that kid understood there was more to our camping trip than merely having some family time. He’s smart, Tyne. And he’s confident enough to speak up about what’s on his mind.”
Smoothing her hands over her upper arms, she arched her brows. “Usually, his ‘confidence’ comes through sounding suspiciously like rebellion and disrespect.”
The elderly man nodded in response. “Well, don’t be surprised if he begins to temper that.”
“Oh?” She let her hands drop to her sides in a natural swing as she walked along beside him. “What did you do? Perform some sort of miracle out there in those woods?”
He chuckled. “No, no. Not me. Zach was the one doing the work.”
They made a right onto Water Street, the moon casting shadows over the paved sidewalk.
“He easily grasped the meaning of every tale I told him. He understood the broad themes, but he also picked out the fine details that many people miss the first time around.” The sole of Jasper’s hiking boot scuffed against the concrete. “He realized we were there on serious business and he embraced the opportunity to grow.” The overhead street lamp made his dark eyes shine. “It didn’t hurt that he really wanted to impress me. I have to say I was—and still am—amazed by how mature he acted.”
Tyne listened, teetering between feeling proud of her son and wanting to ask if he was sure he was talking about Zach.
“He’s been ready for this for some time, I suspect,” Jasper said quietly. “I think what he needed was someone from outside his small circle to look him square in the eye and t kthespeell him it’s time to grow up. Time to take responsibility for himself. Time to think about his actions before he makes them, rather than dealing with the disaster afterward.”
They turned down the alley that ran behind the row of galleries.
“Don’t be surprised if he’s pensive for a few days. He’ll probably want to spend time on his own.” Jasper let himself into the back door of his shop and flipped on the light switch. “We laughed a lot. Had a lot of fun. But we talked even more. About some very serious topics. I gave him a lot to think about, Tyne.”
She lifted one shoulder. “Considering the trouble he got himself in, someone had to.” She sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh, crap. Jasper, I promised him I wouldn’t say anything.”
He let his backpack slide to the floor. “Not to worry. He told me all about his legal troubles.”
She couldn’t believe it. “He did? But he didn’t want you to know.”
“Yes, but adults don’t keep secrets.”
They looked at each other and Tyne grinned. “You really got him to believe that?”
His onyx eyes flashed. “Let me put it another way. Keeping secrets gets a person into trouble.”
“Now that I believe.”
They went upstairs to Jasper’s apartment, and while he went to wash his face and hands and change into some clean clothes, Tyne made herself at home, pulling out glasses, filling them with ice, pouring the tea and settling at the cozy kitchen table.
Jasper returned to the kitchen looking refreshed and fastening the bottom button on his shirt. “So where were we? Ah, yes, we were talking about your extraordinary son.”