They were moving away now, and that was a relief. But that last comment of Julian’s cinched it. Regardless of what happened or didn’t happen between them that evening, Jack was determined to have a word with Ellery about his own experience trying to befriend Julian.
He gave them a couple of minutes and then he rose and started out from behind a tall Celtic cross, only to realize they hadn’t gone that far after all.
He took a hasty step back as a man shouted, “What’s that?”
A woman cried, “Where?”
Jack looked around, trying to see the source of their alarm.
“Over there. I see a figure.”
“It’s just the mist.”
“No. No, look. It’s a figure.”
Jack also saw a figure. He saw a man—dressed like a pirate, naturally—pointing—pointing—
At him.
The pirate yelped, “By that stone coffin! It’s moving. It’s trying to hide!”
Ellery, sounding like he was standing practically right next to Jack—because he was, in fact, standing practically right next to Jack—said uneasily, “I think they mean us—”
His words were cut off as Julian kissed him.
And here Jack had been thinking the night couldn’t get much worse.
“I can’t believe you’re really here,” Julian whispered when their lips finally, finally parted.
Ellery opened his mouth to say—well, who the hell knows what? Jack couldn’t take it. He stepped forward and both Ellery and Julian jumped as if they’d finally seen that long-awaited ghost.
“I didn’t see you there, Chief!” Julian gulped.
Jack ignored him. “Man overboard?” he asked Ellery.
He was joking, of course, except he wasn’t finding this funny and so he didn’t sound like he was joking.
Ellery clearly didn’t see the humor. He quit gaping and snapped, “What the heck are you doing lurking there, Jack?”
“Trying to avoid the two of you.” Jack snapped back, “And I wasn’t lurking. I tried clearing my throat.”
He’d have had to bang a dinner gong to break that up.
“I-I thought you were a yellow-crowned night heron…” Julian faltered.
After an astonished moment, Ellery started to laugh.
Jack did not like being laughed at. He especially didn’t like Ellery laughing at him. But yeah, he got it. The whole damned situation was ludicrous, and he fully owned his part in it. He should have spoken up the minute those two walked into earshot. He couldn’t understand why he hadn’t.
He said stiffly, “Apologies. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
Ellery did a doubletake and opened his mouth as if to say something.
Jack turned and walked away.
