They made their way back upstairs a short while later. Jethro had moved to the couch and Harry was sprawled out beside him getting his ears scratched. Lyra laughed at the sight. Harry lifted his head at the sound of her voice then laid it back down closing his eyes lazily.
“Jet, you are spoiling my dog. And he shouldn’t be up there. What if his nails puncture the leather?”
Jet smiled benignly. “Oh, he’s fine. He can’t hurt anything.”
Lyra folded herself into the armchair he’d been in earlier; Jonah took the other.
Jet looked at her expectantly.
Lyra knew what he was waiting for. “It is totally amazing. I loved it. I could have lain there all night.”
Jet smiled delightedly, his chest swelling with pride.
Jonah tutted and rolled his eyes.
Jet ignored him. “Would you like some hot chocolate, Lyra, or a latte? I just got a fantastic cappuccino maker. In the city, there was a coffee shop on every corner, but I’m telling you, I could give Starbucks a run for its money now.”
“Sure. That sounds great.”
Jethro gave Harry’s head one more pat and got to his feet. Lyra and Jonah followed him to the kitchen. Jet pulled an industrial looking black and silver machine from the corner of the counter and began pulling things out of the cabinet overhead. Jonah retrieved the milk from the fridge and within minutes they had steaming, frothing cups of delicious mocha cappuccinos.
They took their drinks back to the living room sipped them in front of the fire. Jonah got up occasionally to throw on a log or poke at the coals. Jazz played softly in the background. Lyra felt completely at home. She silently but fervently thanked her mother for arranging this.
Jonah drove her home around ten o’clock. The porch light was on, as was the one that lit stairway, which Lyra could see through the window. Her parents were home.
Jonah walked Lyra to the door. She unlocked it, let Harry in, and turned back to Jonah. His eyes were serious as he watched her. “Thank you for letting me come over to your house. I had a wonderful time.”
“You’re welcome. I had a good time too.”
“Can I see you tomorrow?” she asked, hoping she wasn’t pressing her luck.
“Don’t you have things to do?”
“Nothing that will take all day. Sundays are pretty laid back around our house. Sometimes we go to church, but I doubt we go tomorrow since my parents went out tonight.”
Jonah eyed her curiously. “What church do you go to?”
“Christian Covenant. It’s nondenominational. Do you want to go?”
“Um, no, thank you.” There was the slightest hint of sarcasm in Jonah’s tone.
“Do you ever go?”
“I haven’t been to church in years,” he answered in a hard voice.
Lyra sensed she’d touched upon a sore subject. She didn’t want the evening to end on a bad note so she moved on. “Okay. Well, like I said, we probably won’t go tomorrow anyway. Do you want to go for a hike? We could take the trails that circle the town and Mirror Lake, or we could go ice skating. Have you been to the Olympic rink yet?”
His expression had softened while she had been talking. He was evidently relieved she didn’t push the church issue. “No, I haven’t, but the hike sounds better to me. Do you want to start around eleven?”
“Perfect. We can get to the trail from the one that runs behind our backyards. I’ll meet you down there at eleven.” Lyra was happier than she ever remembered being. She’d had a fantastic evening with him and she was going to see him tomorrow. Could life get any better?
Yes, if he kissed her again.
But he didn’t. “Fine. I’ll see you then.” And though that sadness behind his eyes never seemed to disappear completely, he smiled down at her, wished her sweet dreams, and turned to leave.
Lyra let herself in the house, flipped off the porch light and headed upstairs. When she got to the second floor landing, her parents’ bedroom door opened. Her mom poked her head out. “Oh good, sweetie, you’re home. Did you have a nice time?”
Lyra’s smile was so wide she wondered her face didn’t break. She kissed her mom and hugged her tight. “I had a great time! Thanks so much, Mom.”
Olivia laughed and returned her embrace. “You’re welcome. I want to hear all about it tomorrow. See you in the morning, okay?”
“Okay. Goodnight. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Lyra lay awake for a long time afterward going over everything that had happened. She thought that Jethro Carsen liked her. As she was leaving, he had gotten up and, taking her hands in his, urged her, “Come back very soon, Lyra. And bring Harry here. We’re old pals now.” She had promised she would.
Jonah was still an enigma. Though she had learned several things about him, she felt she had not even skimmed the surface. She’d have to look up some information on that Mensa group—and brush up on her astronomy. Then she thought about him listening to her play her cello from outside. It was getting too cold for him to be standing around out there at night. Surely he would agree to come over to hear her if she invited him.
She rolled onto her side and hugged her pillow. What about that kiss? She got goose bumps just remembering it. Jonah was so beautiful. He had the face of an angel. He seemed perfect to her in every way. If he liked her even a tenth as much as she liked him, she would be happy. She had told him she loved him. Cold fear trickled down her spine. She hoped that hadn’t been a mistake. She just really thought he needed to hear it, though. She wondered if anyone had ever told him. Jet obviously loved him. He looked at Jonah like a proud papa. Jonah had to see that he was loved by Jet. The comment Jonah had made about his own father that day on the mountain, though, made her wonder if his parents had been cruel to him. It would certainly explain a lot. Lyra couldn’t imagine her parents being deliberately mean or abusive to her. She was fortunate indeed to be the daughter of Gordon and Olivia Grant.
Lyra hoped one day Jonah would open up to her completely. She sighed and closed her eyes. Everything would work out. She had to have faith that it would.