Last night, he’d simply been trying to take away the pain he’d seen in her eyes, the hurt she’d tried to hide with that defiant chin, unaware of the tears that had leaked from her eyes after his lame response to her question. He’d hated himself for putting them there, especially when he did care. And he couldn’t deny feeling a little proud at Cass’s rousing cheer and his parents’ delighted laughter at finding him and Jen kissing. “Did you see?” Jake jabbed his elbow into Sam’s arm. “Ow.” Sam rubbed his bruised muscle. “See what?” “The whale.” Jake pointed to the window in front of their table, where their parents, Jen, Cass and Tommy were peering at the Icy Strait. “Kind of like trying to spot the Loch Ness monster, I guess.” “There it is!” Tommy pointed to a spot much farther than where they’d been looking. His mom focused on it with her binoculars.
