He had only to look at Caroline’s face to realize how mortified she was, and how deeply satisfied he felt. He couldn’t blame her. They were behaving recklessly. And neither of them were reckless people. Which made this incident all the more profound, in his opinion. Jack picked up the flashlights from where they had fallen on the grass and switched them on. He handed her one and slid his hand beneath Caroline’s elbow. Then escorted her around the side of the house, where they could now see his mother standing perplexed on the stone patio. “Did you find what might have cut Bounder’s foot yet?” she asked. Jack shook his head. He looked at Caroline, saw she appeared equally unsettled. The knowledge only deepened his pleasure. Maybe they were on to something here, although he doubted it was true love. True love, from what he had been able to tell and experience, did not really exist except in movies, books and the minds of those willing to substitute emotion for cold, hard fact.
