Tea and Destiny by Sherryl Woods Read Free Book Online

would turn her into a heartbreaker in another couple of years. An unfamiliar stirring of tenderness welled up inside him and he got the first inkling why some adults got so hooked on parenting. It was the firsttime he’d experienced the impact that youthful, carefree laughter could have on a jaded heart.
    The water was calmer on the gulf side of the key. The setting sun was hovering at the edge of the horizon, a huge orange ball ready to dip below the endless sea of blue. Already there was a chill in the air, which made Hank glad he’d thought to grab his jacket from the truck on the way over. When he spotted Jason, however, the teenager was huddled at the end of the dock wearing jeans and a T-shirt. He could practically see the goose bumps standing out on his skinny arms.
    Hank walked to the end of the dock and put down his gear. Jason didn’t acknowledge his presence with so much as a glance. Only a slight stiffening of his shoulders indicated that he was even aware that Hank had joined him.
    “Catch anything?” Hank asked.
    Jason said nothing.
    “Sorry I’m late. I got held up at work.”
    The apology was met with silence. Hank’s earlier feelings of guilt were rapidly changing to impatience. “Jason, I’m talking to you.”
    The boy turned a sullen gaze on him. “So?”
    “I expect you to answer me.”
    “Why should I?”
    “Because it’s polite.”
    “It’s polite to keep your promises, too. Ain’t that right?”
    Hank held on to his temper. He recalled what Ann had said about these kids having been mistreated by far too many adults along the way. “Yes, that is right. I’ve explained, though. I am sorry I got held up.”
    “Right.” He sounded skeptical and angry. Years of rejection had obviously taken their toll.
    Hank tried again with a more neutral topic. “I understand I’m borrowing your room.”
    “It’s Mom’s house. She can do what she wants.”
    “But it’s your room and I appreciate your letting me use it. I like the posters.”
    Jason ignored him. Hank had no idea what else to say in the face of all that pent-up hostility, so they sat on the dock in silence until Jason reeled in a good-size snapper.
    “That’s a beauty,” Hank said. Jason almost managed a smile as he unhooked the fish and plopped it into a bucket of seawater. “You’re good at this.”
    Jason shrugged, dismissing the success. “There’s not much to it.”
    “I don’t know about that. I haven’t caught anything yet.”
    After another instant of suspicious silence, Jason suggested grudgingly, “Maybe it’s your bait. What’d you bring?”
    “Shrimp.”
    “That should be good.”
    “You fish a lot?”
    “Some.”
    “Who taught you?”
    “I just did it. All the guys in Key West did.”
    “That’s where you’re from? Key West?”
    Jason nodded, then said, “Why don’t you just say what’s on your mind?”
    “What?”
    “Don’t you want to know how I got here?”
    Hank knew at once he was treading on treacherousground. As he had earlier with Tracy, he felt out of his depth. “If you want to tell me,” he said finally.
    “I was in jail,” Jason said bluntly. His expression was defiant, daring Hank to react badly.
    “Mom bailed me out,” Jason added. “Then she brought me here.”
    Hank had to swallow his shock. He didn’t want Jason to see how troubled he was by his belligerent announcement. Was Ann out of her mind, though? What on earth had possessed her to take in some kid who was in trouble with the law?
    “What did you do?”
    Jason glared at him. “Who says I did anything?”
    “There usually aren’t too many innocent people in jail, at least not for long.”
    “Okay, so maybe you’re right.”
    “And?”
    “I stole a car. So what? It was no big deal.”
    “Grand theft sounds like a big deal to me. Why’d you do it?”
    “I needed to get to the store.”
    His sarcasm set Hank’s teeth on edge. Again he swallowed his irritation and repeated, “Why’d you do