Part 21 (1/2)

At any rate, the depressing conversation had taken care of Jack's problem for the time being. Now instead of looking like an actor in an X-rated movie, he looked like the statues standing around in fancy museums.

He leaned over and swished the sand-coated energy bar through the water. ”Let me wash this off so you can finish it.”

”You are going to finish it.”

”I'll eat guavas.”

”You hate guavas.” She wasn't too keen on them herself.

She'd tried to pretend they were okay, back before her suitcase had come drifting in with an alternative food source.

”I love guavas now.” He held the dripping energy bar out to her. ”Take it.”

”Nope.” She backed up a step.

”Come on, Gen. Your mother packed these for you, not for me. Besides, you need your strength.”

”And you don't?”

”I'm used to going without food. Sometimes when I'm writing code I forget to eat for a day or more. I'm not even that hungry right now.”

”Liar.”

”Gen, let me do this for you. Please.”

”Why? Why not let me do this for you? Sure, my mother packed these in my suitcase, but you're the one who landed the plane without killing us dead. If you hadn't done that, n.o.body would be eating these energy bars. I want you to have half.”

He sighed. ”In all my life, I've never felt like somebody's hero before. Yesterday was the first time that I was a ...” He flushed. ”It sounds dumb.”

”A knight in s.h.i.+ning armor?”

”Yeah. Something like that. I want to keep that feeling a little bit longer. I know this isn't much, but it's something I can do, something heroic. Take the energy bar.”

”Okay.” She stepped closer and took it, knowing that he must be even hungrier than she was. ”Thank you, Jack. You really are a knight in s.h.i.+ning armor.”

He smiled. ”Don't overdo it.”

”But I mean it. You are.” As she started to take a bite, she saw the yearning in his eyes. Taking it back out of her mouth was a challenge when she was so ready to devour it, but she managed. ”I'll go somewhere else to eat this.”

”No, eat it here. I want to watch you enjoy it.”

”But you looked at it with so much longing. Now I feel really bad that I agreed to take it.”

”It wasn't the energy bar I was looking at.”

”Oh.” She felt warm all over when he said things like that.

”Now eat it.”

She bit into the bar, and although it was salty, and sand he hadn't been able to wash off crunched when she chewed, she'd never eaten anything so wonderful in her life. And she was absolutely certain that no man had ever given up so much for her as Jack had just now, by sacrificing his half of the very last decent thing they had to eat.

Annabelle felt like the most selfish person in the whole wide world. Matt and Lincoln were getting along great, and Matt had even let Lincoln drive the boat. Lincoln was eating up the attention.

Annabelle had kept herself a little apart, hanging out near the stern of the boat so the men could bond. And they were bonding to beat the band, which made Annabelle feel even worse about her son. Out of fear that she'd pick another loser, she'd deprived Lincoln of a daddy. She'd deprived Genevieve, too, but for a boy it might make more of a difference. Then again, maybe not.

Once they'd arrived in Honolulu all those years ago, she should have gone on a manhunt for a nice, respectable father for them. If she'd made sure that he wasn't very exciting in bed, then he wouldn't have been as likely to run out on her.

It was the exciting ones you had to watch out for. The boring ones were grateful to get any woman at all and so they stayed put. She'd just never thought of going after a boring man in order to provide for Genevieve and Lincoln's development.

Unfortunately, Matt might not qualify in the boring department. Every time Annabelle looked into those big brown eyes, she knew exactly why the c.o.c.ktail waitress had wanted to take him home to play Count the Bedsprings. The fact that he'd caught the waitress's attention pretty much put the guaranteed-to-be-exciting label on him. Annabelle had better steer clear of Matt Murphy.

But Lincoln sitting up there driving the boat, proud as could be, was heartwarming, and she'd never forget the sound of Matt laughing at something Lincoln had said to him. She could imagine how that made Lincoln feel, getting a man like Matt to laugh at those one-liners of his. Annabelle tried to be a good audience for him, but she knew he probably craved the sound of male laughter. Shoot, she craved it, too.

Now wasn't the time to be thinking of things like that, though. Now was the time to concentrate on Genevieve. Much as Annabelle liked knowing that Lincoln was enjoying himself with Matt, she sincerely hoped he wasn't allowing himself to be distracted. He needed to be concentrating on his sister.

With that thought, she reluctantly decided to interrupt the little rooster party they had going on in the c.o.c.kpit of this boat. She steadied the binoculars with one hand so they wouldn't hang loose around her neck by the strap and bang against her b.r.e.a.s.t.s as she climbed the steps to the c.o.c.kpit.

Matt noticed her first. Even without being able to see his eyes, she could tell he felt guilty about something, too.

”Hi, Annabelle. Listen, I don't want you to think that I was up here laughing because I've forgotten what this trip is all about.”

”No, Mom, he wouldn't forget,” Lincoln said quickly. ”Like, we were just trying to relieve the tension.”

She didn't know which amazed her more, that Matt was afraid she'd disapprove because he'd been laughing or that Lincoln was sticking up for him. ”I never thought for a minute that you were forgetting anything.”

”Mom, you should try driving this boat. It's unbelievable. The guys are gonna be all, You got to drive a boat?”

Matt picked up on the suggestion right away. ”Sure. Take a turn, Annabelle.”

”I didn't come up here so that I could-”

”Aw, come on, Mom.” Lincoln's voice turned sing-songy and coaxing, like it did when he'd tried to get her on a roller coaster. ”It's very cool. If you don't, then later you'll be all, I wish I'd tried it.”

”All right. And while I'm driving, maybe you could put your earphones on again and see if anything comes to you regarding your sister.”

”Uh, sure. Sure, I will.” Lincoln sounded eager to please as he started to get up. ”Matt, maybe you'd better take the wheel while Mom and me are switching places.”

Annabelle noticed that her son was using Mart's Christian name again, and decided not to bring it up. She'd kept Lincoln from ever being able to call a man Daddy, so maybe she shouldn't be so particular about what he called his new friend.

”Can I have the binoculars?” Lincoln asked as he slipped out of the captain's seat.

”You'll have to ask Mr. Murphy. They belong to him.”

”He's welcome to use them,” Matt said. ”And I wish both of you would call me Matt. I think the situation puts us all on a first-name basis.”

Lincoln gave her a look that said plainly See there?