I finish lunch at 12:15, and need to be back in the office by 12:30. I couldn’t focus on work because my mind was so preoccupied, so I took an early lunch break. I’m regretting it now, because the rest of the work day will just seem to be that much longer now.

Ideally I’d need a three-hour lunch break, long enough to have a few stiff drinks. I’ve got Jane back on my side--though she’s still angry with me--but Jack is another matter. I definitely owe him a bigger apology than what I owed Jane. I’ve tried to contact him, but it’s clear he’s avoiding me.

The problem with my situation is that telling him the truth won’t exactly fix things. Even though I wouldn’t change the decisions I made--even if he comes around and agrees with what and how I decided--it’s not as if what I did to him is easily forgivable. Hell, if the roles were reversed, I would have a really difficult time forgiving what I did, too.

I start walking up the hill back toward the office. My hands are shoved into my coat pockets, and I can see my breath in front of my face as I exhale.

Noah’s been asking about his dad now. He’s not old enough to ask complicated questions, but he’s also not old enough to understand why he hasn’t seen his dad again. It’s not that I’m keeping Noah away from him. Jack is just so angry at me that he’s keeping his distance.

I’m dreading the moment when Jack arrives again, meets me with an icy stare, and demands to spend time with Noah. With Noah, but not with me. I wouldn’t deny him that, but it would hurt.

I enter the office through a side door that goes directly into the break room. I still have about 10 minutes left before I’m back on the clock. I see three of the younger secretaries--Lisa, Maya, and Allison--all gossiping with each other. They don’t even look at me when I come in, so I cross my arms and listen to them, waiting for them to acknowledge me.

“He’s so tall,” one of them whispers. “Like, really tall.”

“Who’s so tall?” I ask.

They nearly jump in surprise, and when they turn toward me, their faces all burn red. I know exactly who is so tall. Jack.

“He’s here?” I ask.

“It’s no wonder Noah is so handsome,” Maya says, grinning.

“I missed him?” I ask.

“He’s still here, I think,” Allison says, pointing. “In the main lobby. He said he’d wait for you to come back.”

My heart pounds in my chest. Now, if he’s angry at me and rejects me, it will be the office gossip for the next several weeks. “Noah’s hot Dad hates Elisabeth! I wonder if he’s available then?”

I grit my teeth. I’m going to make him understand. But outside of the office...just in case.

I get my breathing under control and storm out of the breakroom. I march through the cubicle maze and into the main lobby.

When I open the door, I see Jack sitting in one of the chairs. He’s got his beanie stuffed into his jacket pocket, and his hair is mussed up. But even with hat hair, he still manages to look handsome.

He stands up when he sees me. His lips stay pressed together, but as I take a few steps closer, he smiles and scratches the back of his head. “Elisabeth…”

“Can I explain?” I say. “Before you say anything?”

“You don’t--”

“I need to,” I say, cutting him off.

I look behind me, and I see that Maya is sitting at the reception desk. Her break is definitely not over yet, but she’s here to eavesdrop.

“Can we go outside?” I ask.

I turn back to Maya, who frowns.

“Yeah,” he says.

He opens the door, holding it for me, and I walk past him. His smell hits me as I walk by. He smells like fresh pine, topped off with a masculine whiff of musk.

When the door shuts, we’re out on the sidewalk in the cold. Though I’ve been in Alaska long enough now to not notice the cold as much.

“Jane already told me,” he says.

“Told you…?”

“She told me why you did what you did,” Jack says. “So I understand. I get it.”

I sigh. “You haven’t heard it from my side, though.”

“I get it,” he says. “I really do. It kills me, Elisabeth, that you couldn't trust me. But I understand, too. It’s not like we knew each other. Not really. What if I put Noah’s life in danger?”

I bite my lip. Is he really going to be this understanding? I was ready for a fight.

He slicks his hair back and puts his beanie back on. “I don’t know what to do about Aldus. I know what I want to do, but--”

“What would Aldus do if he knew about Noah?” I ask.

Jack shakes his head, and I see his chest heave. His face starts to turn red. “Every time I ask myself that question, I feel ready to go after him.”

“All I had keeping us safe,” I say, “was distance and Aldus’s ignorance. I wasn’t on his radar anymore.”

Jack nods. “And now you are. Because of me. That’s why I feel I have to do something.”

“Be a father,” I say, “that’s what you can do.”

“Aldus tracks me,” Jack says. “If I stay here too long, he’ll get suspicious.”

“What is he afraid of?” I ask. “Why does he hate you so much? Doesn’t he already…?”

Jack laughs. “Why would a billionaire asshole like that be afraid of a fucking lumberjack? Is that what you mean?”

I blush. “I didn’t mean it like that, but yeah.”

“It’s a long story,” he says. “I’m guessing you have to get back to work, though.”

I reach into my purse and check my phone. “Shit, I’m late.”

“I’ll let you go,” he says. “I’m not mad at you anymore, in case that wasn’t already clear.”

I nod. “So, are you free tomorrow?”

“I’m here for you and Noah,” he says. “I don’t know how long I can stay without putting you in danger, but I’ve always got time for you two.”

Shit. I was worried he was going to be furious with me, but now I’m worried that he can’t stay. I’ll have to get him to tell me what Aldus has against him, and why he’s so afraid. Maybe we can think of some kind of solution together.

“Well,” I say, “I gotta go then. You like to fish?”

He nods. “I’m a lumberjack.”

I laugh. “Tomorrow morning, you can go fishing with Noah and me.”

“Sounds good.”

We both stand there, looking at each other. His blue eyes burn into me, and I awkwardly stuff my hands into my coat pockets.

“Come here, Elisabeth.”

My mouth hangs open as he leans toward me. He leans in toward me, and I rush to get my hands out of my pockets. How is he going to kiss me if I’m all clamped up like that?

When I smile, he goes in.

Our lips press together, and in contrast to the biting cold, his lips are warm against mine. When his tongue slides into my mouth, it’s hot as a furnace. He grabs hold of me, though I can barely feel him through my coat. I mostly can just feel the size of him, and the pressure of his embrace. My tongue dances against his, and his taste fills me. I kiss him for all I’m worth, not wanting the moment to end.

And then I hear a door open behind me. I pull away from Jack and look back. It’s Maya.

“Oh!” she says, faking surprise. “I...was going to make a phone call.”

“Weren’t you just on break?”

She smiles. “Important call…”

She’s staring at Jack.

Fuck this.

I grab hold of Jack and kiss him again. Harder than before. Let Maya watch, what do I care? She already saw it once, and if she thinks I’m embarrassed, it will be even worse.

Jack laughs a bit as I press against him, but he stops laughing when I grab his ass and squeeze.

When we finally break our kiss, I look back to see Maya is just glaring, with her arms crossed.

“What about your phone call?” I ask.

She scoffs at me, turns, and goes back inside.

* * *

“You almost ready?” I ask Noah.

He nods. Of course he’s ready. A three-year-old doesn’t get ready on his own. Almost every element of Noah getting ready is my responsibility.

Jane is sleeping in. I need some time alone with Noah and Jack. Jane doesn’t like fishing anyway.

The last time I took Noah fishing, he was barely two--too young to really know what was going on. Now that he’s closer to four, I think he’ll really be able to enjoy it this time. Especially with his father.

There’s a knock on the door. I rush across the room to open it, and see Jack standing tall, leaning against the doorframe. He’s smiling, and his white, perfect teeth are gleaming.

I kiss him without even thinking about it, and when I pull away, Noah is staring up at us. He looks confused. He’s never seen me kiss anyone.

Jack smiles. “You ready to go fishing, buddy?”

“But you’re a lumberjack,” Noah says.

Jack laughs.

Noah is having trouble separating “Jack the Lumberjack” from Jack the man. It’s the perception a lot of young kids have, where they think a person’s job is what they are, and that’s all they are. I remember when I first realized that my first grade teacher had an actual life and didn’t live at school. Noah is having a hard time understanding that Jack isn’t just a lumberjack.

Jack spots the fishing poles I’ve packed, and he picks one up. “See, buddy, now I’m a fisherman.”

“I wanna be a lumberjack,” Noah says.

“We’re all going to be fishermen today,” Jack says. “You, me, and Mom. We can be a lumberjack later.”

“Okay,” Noah says.