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Chapter 10.
"So are you ever gonna tell me what happened between you and Kate?" Claire asked Jack later that morning when he dragged himself out of bed and into the kitchen for coffee.
He had a vague recollection of drifting off some time after sunrise, staying out until almost midday.
He forced a laugh for her benefit. "What makes you think something happened, Claire?" he insisted, leaning against the island as he sipped his coffee.
She cocked her head to once side, giving him a Look. "Jack..."
"We already did this, Claire," he reminded her, stalling for time. It was really none of her business. "I—" He stopped, relaxing when a familiar chime rang through the apartment.
Saved by the doorbell.
"I'll get it." He pushed himself upright, almost splashing the hot liquid onto himself in his haste as he slammed his mug down on the counter and made a beeline for the door.
He smiled when he glanced through the peephole and saw Kate waiting on the other side. She looked as tired as he felt.
Up close, he could still see faint traces of make up around her eyes. "Hey."
"Morning."
She held up her arm, showing him his tuxedo jacket, draped over it. "I came to give this back to you. I figured you might… need it," she finished with an awkward laugh. It was a transparent excuse and they both knew it.
He grinned, pleased. It saved him having to find a reason to visit her. "Thanks."
His fingers brushed her elbow as he took it back from her, sending a thrill of electricity up his spine, and all of a sudden, all he could think about was finding a way to touch her again.
He was still trying to think of something to say when Claire poked her head out of the door that separated them from the kitchen. "Is that Kate?" she asked.
Kate was the first to break eye contact, shifting her focus to her. "Hi, Claire," she greeted her. "I have these for you." She waved the sandals that she'd borrowed. "Thanks again for lending them to me."
"I thought I heard your voice," Claire told her, coming towards them. "How was the ball?"
She accepted the shoes, shooting Jack another Look, her lips pursed in disapproval as she added, "I haven't been able to get a word out of Jack. Anyone would think it was a state secret the way he's carrying on."
At this, Kate's gaze strayed back to his; he watched the corners of her mouth lift as she tried not to laugh. "It was... nice," she told her.
Claire rolled her eyes. "You too, huh?" she complained. "Honestly, you pair... I'm almost nine months pregnant – the highlight of my day yesterday was actually managing to get out of bed without calling for help – is it too much to ask for a few details?"
It wouldn't be if it were really details about the ball that she was after.
He set his jacket down on the hall table, next to a pile of mail that he was yet to sort through. "You wanna go grab a cup of coffee or something?" he asked Kate, picking up his keys.
She grinned. "Are you buying?" she teased him.
"If I say yes, does that mean you'll come?" he teased her back, only half kidding.
She pretended to consider this. "Okay," she agreed.
Claire rolled her eyes again, this time at their flirtatiousness. "Would you guys just get a room already?"
She flashed him a sly grin. "Or is that what you did last night?"
He opted to feign deafness rather than take the bait, but while he was dying to see her reaction to this suggestion, he was careful to avoid Kate's eyes as he ushered her into the hall. "Come on."
To Claire, he added, "We're going out – don't wait up," before closing the door on her incredulous expression.
"So she's been harassing you all morning, huh?" Kate asked once they were seated in the same booth at the same diner as the night before.
He laughed. "Yeah," he agreed.
"She wanted to know if I…" He trailed off, self-conscious as he realised what he was about to say. They hadn't talked about the kiss – kisses. He still wasn't sure what any of it meant.
"If you what?" she pressed with a grin, oblivious to his discomfort.
He debated making something up to escape the conversation, but it was too late for that now. "If we kissed," he finished, cringing as the smile slid from her lips.
"What did you say?" she asked in a soft voice, all traces of amusement gone from her tone. She wanted to know what it meant too.
"I didn't," he confessed.
"A gentleman never kisses and tells," she teased him, flashing him another awkward smile.
She stared down into her mug. "Jack? Why did you really ask me to the ball?" she asked after a moment.
He'd known that it was coming as soon as he mentioned the kiss, but that didn't stop the question from rattling him. It was something that he'd tried not to think too much about, afraid to put a label on his burgeoning feelings for her.
What did she expect him to say? More importantly, what she did want him to say?
"I told you – I needed a date," he reminded her, settling for the safest answer, even he knew it was a cop out.
He could tell by her expression that it was the wrong one.
She tore open another sachet of sugar, tipping it into her coffee, trying to sound casual as she said, "So that goodnight kiss… that was just you being polite?" She did her best to act like she was kidding, but he could hear the edge of hurt in her voice. "All part of the service?"
Of course that was what she was hinting at. "Kate—" he began but she cut him off.
"It's okay if you're not ready for another relationship, Jack," she insisted, though he wondered if she really believed this, "but I don't think I can handle being somebody's charity case. I know I said we should humour Claire…"
"That's definitely not what this was about," he assured her. His sister might have introduced them, but it had stopped being about her the first time she left them alone to get better acquainted.
She nodded to show that she'd heard, but she didn't look convinced.
Was she really going to make him say it? "I like you, Kate," he confessed, even though he wasn't sure that 'like' was a strong enough word for it. When he wasn't with her, he was thinking about her. "You're beautiful, smart…" He smiled as he remembered how much he'd enjoyed her company the night before, "fun…"
She was amazing – everything that he could ask for – but he didn't know if he could put himself out there again, and risk losing her as a friend. He'd come to rely on her more than he should.
The time that he spent with her helped to fill the void that his divorce had left him with, especially now that Claire's due date was approaching. She couldn't take care of him forever. Eventually she would want to move out and get a place of her own.
And when that day came, he didn't know what he would do if things went back to the way they were before.
"Can that just be enough for now?"
She ducked her head to hide the furious blush that had crept cheeks, and he knew that he'd finally gotten something right. "I like you too," she agreed.
Next chapter: Jack gets called away to a conference and asks Kate to do him another favour... ;)