If Ellery was being completely honest, part of what he enjoyed about Jack was the lack of any kind of emotional demand. He found Jack handsome, for sure he liked spending time with him, but he was uneasy about moving their friendship to the next level.
He did not have good luck with relationships, and was afraid to jeopardize his friendship with Jack.
“So then don’t,” he told his reflection.
His date prep complete, Ellery checked the time. Nearly six. He was aggravated at the butterflies swarming through his stomach. Or maybe it was the pastrami he had for lunch. He grabbed his jacket, bundled up Watson and took him next door to deliver him to Sandy’s daughter’s care, and by the time he arrived back at the Crow’s Nest, Jack was standing outside the locked front door, peering through it.
Jack had changed from his uniform to jeans and what looked like a white Aran sweater beneath his sheepskin jacket. His hair looked damp, and Ellery caught a whiff of herbal aftershave.
He glanced around at the sound of Ellery’s approaching footsteps, and smiled, his teeth very white in the gloom.
“I thought you forgot.”
Ellery smiled back, his heart lightening, his earlier angst forgotten. “No, just leaving Watson with his babysitter.”
They grinned at each other, maybe a little self-consciously, and Jack said, “Do you need anything from inside?”
“No. I’m ready. Where are we going?” He fell into step beside Jack as they headed down the street toward the harbor.
“I was thinking maybe we’d take the ferry to Point Judith.”
“Really?”
Jack nodded. “It’s about thirty minutes each way, but there’s more variety of places to eat.”
“Sure,” Ellery said. More variety and more privacy. He got it. He was pretty sure most of Pirate’s Cove believed their police chief to be one hundred percent heterosexual. He had no intention of dating anyone in the closet, but so far this was just dinner out. No need to strike a pose.
As though reading his mind, Jack said, “People like to talk, and that’s fine. I’m used to it, but you’re still an unknown quantity for a lot of folks. I don’t want…” He hesitated.
“I think most people have figured out I’m gay.”
“Oh, yeah.” Jack agreed so readily, it startled Ellery. “That’s not what I mean.”
“Then what do you mean?”
“I think part of the problem with what happened with Sue was everyone was speculating about us, about whether we were a couple or not, and it created pressure. I’m not even sure why. I liked Sue, but there weren’t any romantic feelings on my part.”
So, did that mean… What did that mean? That Jack had no romantic feelings for Ellery and didn’t want people to think he did?
“Sure.” Even Ellery could hear how doubtful he sounded.
Jack seemed to choose his words. “I think it would be nice to see where this goes, but I don’t want to turn you into the topic du jour. More than you already are. Does that make sense?”
Actually, it did. And actually, Ellery appreciated both the honesty and what was, at least partly, a chivalrous gesture.
“Yes. It makes sense. And…I’d like to see where this goes too.”
Once again, they gazed into each other’s eyes and smiled.
* * * * *
They dined fireside on the patio at Spain of Narragansett, a large and casually elegant restaurant that specialized in Spanish and Mediterranean seafood.
The meal started with Clams Casino and a couple of glasses of white wine, and Ellery decided Jack had been right to get them off Buck Island for the evening. This was the most relaxed Ellery had ever seen him.
“I don’t think I told you how nice you look tonight,” Jack said after they toasted to “Happy memories.”
Ellery grinned. His black jeans and sweater were a far cry from the faded Levi’s and chunky sweaters he typically wore. “It’s my eyebrows. I trimmed them, so I look less crazy.”
Jack chuckled. “That was one of the things that surprised me about you. You don’t look like someone with a sense of humor.”
Ellery snorted. He knew what Jack meant, though. More than once he had been described in a review as “broodingly handsome,” which, given how totally UNbroody he was, was especially embarrassing. “Laughter is the best medicine. I really believe that.”
Jack’s mouth twisted. He nodded. “Laughter and Scotch.”
“I’ve never seen you drink Scotch.”
“I don’t. Not anymore.”
Hmm… There was backstory there for sure, but the suddenly bleak look in Jack’s gaze warned Ellery this was not the moment to probe.
Their meals arrived then. Shrimp and saffron paella for Ellery. Rack of lamb for Jack. Jack, who turned out to know his way around a wine menu, ordered another bottle, this time a rich Viognier.
It had been months since Ellery had enjoyed this kind of leisurely, luxurious meal with a friend. The food was great. The service was great. He was enjoying himself even more than he’d hoped.
“How long would you say it took before you stopped feeling like an outsider?” he asked Jack.
“In Pirate’s Cove?” Jack considered. “About a year, I guess.” He added, “But as far as the village is concerned, we’re always going to be outsiders.”
“You think so?”
“Yep. I do. If you weren’t born on the island, you’re an outsider. That’s not to say you won’t be welcome. You are welcome.” Jack added ruefully, “More so than me.”
“I am?” Ellery was skeptical.
“Definitely. Partly, that’s because your family roots stretch all the way to the island’s bedrock. Partly, well, you fit in here.”
Ellery laughed.
“Yeah, but I’m not kidding,” Jack said. “You’re restoring Captain’s Seat to its former glory. That makes a lot of people happy. You joined the theater group, you joined the Monday Night Scrabblers, and you’ve done a good job turning the bookshop into a much-needed social center.”
“That last is mostly Nora’s doing,” Ellery admitted.
Jack shrugged. “Regardless of whose idea it was, the Crow’s Nest—you—are weaving yourself into the community fabric.”
Ellery thought that over. He sort of liked the idea, although he wasn’t sure Jack was correct. After another swallow of wine, he asked, “Would you say Pirate’s Cove has, er, dark undercurrents?”
Jack’s eyebrows shot up. “Dark undercurrents? I take it this is not an oceanography question?”
“Not an oceanography question.”
“Okay, well, I’m not exactly sure what you mean.”
Neither was Ellery. “It’s hard to put into words. Sometimes I do kind of feel like everyone in the village except me is in on a secret.”
Jack said wryly, “That’s a full-time feeling when you’re a cop.”
“Is it? Hm. I bet it is.”
Jack studied him. “Anything in particular spark this sense of unease?”
Sense of unease was a good way to put it. Except, Ellery hadn’t had a sense of unease until Brandon began uttering cryptic comments. And his disquiet was more to do with Brandon than any village undercurrent.