When Jonah got home, Jet was in the kitchen stirring a pot on the stove that was billowing steam and filling the house with a delicious aroma.
Jonah breathed in deeply. “Mmm. That smells so good. What is it?” He walked over to lean over Jet’s shoulder.
“Potato soup. Thought you’d want something warm and filling after spending the day hiking.”
“You were right; I’m starved. But is that all we’re having—just soup?”
“Well, the soup’s got cubed ham in it, and I have cheese and chives to stir in at the last. And I picked up some bread from the grocery’s bakery. It’s in the oven now.”
Jonah smiled appreciatively at his uncle. “Man, that’s going to be awesome. I’m going to go wash up.”
When he got back to the kitchen, Jet was ladling the soup into bowls. The bread and soup toppings were already on the table. He brought their soup over and they sat down.
“So, how was your day with Lyra?” Jet inquired, a twinkle lighting his eye.
Jonah was buttering a piece of bread and didn’t meet his uncle’s curious gaze. “It was okay.”
Jet waited several seconds, then sighed. “Teenagers! A meteor could fall from the sky and all you’d say was ‘it’s okay.’ You could get a full four-year scholarship to Yale and you’d say, ‘Well, that’s okay.’”
Jonah smiled despite himself.
“C’mon. Have a little sympathy for an old man. I’ve been home alone all day; you spent yours with a pretty girl. Tell me about it.”
Jonah blew on a spoonful of soup. “It was fine.” He glanced up apologetically. “I mean, I had a good time with Lyra—and Harry. The area we went hiking at is beautiful—very remote. And Lyra’s good company. She’s not one of those real chatty girls. She’s pleasant to be around.
Jonah concentrated on his soup while Jet watched him closely.
“So are you going to go out with her again?”
“I didn’t ‘go out with her’ today. It wasn’t a date or anything.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes.
Jonah exhaled loudly, pushed his bowl away, and leaned back in his chair, running his fingers through his hair. “Jet, I did something really stupid. I don’t know what to do. There’s nothing I can do, but I still don’t know what to do.”
Jet set his spoon down and waited.
Jonah got up from the table and paced restlessly. “Today we came across this little bear cub that had fallen over the side of a cliff and was stranded on this little outcrop of rock. Its mother was in a rage trying to get to it. I…I…,” he broke off and glared at Jet. “I rescued it ….and Lyra saw me do it.”
Jet kept his silence, moved by the tender heart of his nephew.
“That’s twice now she’s seen me—you know…first with the wood chopping and now this.” He took off pacing again. “And, as if that wasn’t enough, I spoke to her—mentally. This is bad, Jet. We shouldn’t have come here. I was much more inconspicuous in the city; it was easier to hide what I am. I’d even be better of at Edenvale, though you know I don’t want to go there…What should I do?”
Jet regarded Jonah for a moment before speaking. “What do you think Lyra will do with the knowledge she has about you? Do you think she is trustworthy?”
Jonah sank back into his chair. “She’s curious of course. She wants to know about it, but she’s polite enough not to push. I don’t think she’s going to go running around telling everyone she knows. But it’s dangerous for her to know.”
Jet shook his head. “I don’t think she’s in danger simply because she’s seen you do some extraordinary things. You can have friends, Jonah. You just have to choose discreet ones.”
Jonah looked at Jet with a knowing expression.
Jet stared back resolutely. “You have been with me six years, Jonah, and nothing has happened. You aren’t capable of hurting another person. I know what you think, but you’re wrong. You choose to do good, therefore you are good. If you chose to use your gifts for wrongdoing that would be another matter altogether, but you don’t. You never have.”
Jonah shook his head, but knew arguing with his uncle was pointless. They would never see eye to eye.
“So,” Jethro exclaimed, grabbing their bowls and taking them back to the stove to refill. “Now that’s settled, when can I meet Lyra? I’m anxious to get acquainted with the young woman who has so quickly and effectively broken through all of your carefully constructed defenses.”
He returned to the table with full, steaming bowls and smiled happily at Jonah.
Jonah rolled his eyes. “It’s not like that, Jet. And I’m not going to encourage her.”
“Unattractive, is she?”
“No, she’s very pretty,” Jonah returned defensively.
“Ah. But she’s nosy you said?”
Jonah’s voice rose a fraction. “No, I just said she was curious.”
Jethrow contemplated his nephew a moment.
“So, she’s pretty, you enjoy her company, she obviously likes you, but you’re not going to encourage her. Is that right?”
Jonah smiled slightly around a mouthful of soup. “That’s right.”
Jet shook his head, disgusted. “Youth is wasted on the young. It truly is.”