Jimmy nodded again. “Good luck with your pig, Vance,” he said, truly meaning the words. “I hope she ends up okay.”
Vance winced even as he nodded. “Thanks. Me, too.” Yanking open his door, he headed out the front, then paused and turned back to peer at him. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Okay?”
Smiling, Jimmy nodded. “I’d like that.”
Appearing pleased, Vance nodded again, then grabbed a set of keys from a glass bowl near the door and headed outside, shutting the door behind him. With a wave, he was gone.
Jimmy stared at the door, leaning against the table for several minutes. Sighing, he tore his focus away from the door and slowly peered around Vance’s home. The single floor ranch home was comfortably appointed with wood and tile floors with area rugs to break up the space. The furniture was modest, yet appeared comfortable and complemented each other. Everything seemed well taken care of, too.
As much fun as it would be to check out Vance’s home, Jimmy resisted the urge to explore every nook and cranny of the man’s space. Barely. He knew it would be so very telling, but at the same time, an invasion of the man’s privacy and a breach of trust. Instead, he did as he’d promised and put away the food.
Chapter Seven
Vance stared at his phone, then lowered it and tapped it against his leg. Rubbing the back of his neck, he tried to decide if it was too early to call. He hated the uncertainty, having become accustomed to making decisions and being in control.
Guess dating doesn’t get any easier, no matter what age you are.
On the one hand, he really wanted to hear Jimmy’s voice, to make certain he’d made it home. On the other hand, he was worried that nine in the morning was too early for his night-shift working date. Plus, he really wanted to thank Jimmy.
The man had not only put away the food, but he’d also cleared and wiped the table as well as rinsed the dishes—which he’d left stacked neatly in the sink. Even the counters had been wiped clean. It seemed Jimmy had a bit of a neat streak in him, perhaps from his years of working at the bar, which required that everything be kept clean and tidy.
Don’t want to wake him if he’s still asleep though.
“Just because I have to be up,” Vance mumbled before a yawn overtook him. He rubbed his eyes lightly, then his temples, trying to stimulate some thought.
“Hey, boss,” Brand called, announcing his presence in the pig barn. “You talking to yourself again?”
Hearing the man’s teasing tone, Vance rolled his eyes. “Very funny,” he called back. Then he lifted a hand, hiding another yawn. The idea of a nap sure sounded damn fantastic.
“Here. Thought you could use this.” Brand appeared on the other side of the stall’s half-wall. Resting one forearm on the wall, he held out a plastic travel mug with the other. “Heard you were up all night, and it didn’t go well.”
Vance took the coffee from Brand as he took in his buddy’s sad expression. The man had obviously heard that they’d lost the sow, which would explain how his friend knew to find him in the small, specially designed stall. The wood walls had a couple of heat lamps attached to the wall—high enough so it wouldn’t be a fire hazard, but low enough to keep the piglets warm. Plenty of fresh, clean straw was strewn over the wood beams of the floor with a thick layer of wood chips for insulation.
“At least we saved most of the piglets,” he murmured before taking a sip from the cup. When the hot liquid flowed over his tongue, he tasted strong, bitter coffee tempered by some kind of mint creamer. “Oh, that’s good.” He took a much larger gulp. “Thank you.”
Brand nodded, his gaze straying to the corner where eight newborn piglets were piled together in a sort of nest made from the straw. Currently, all the piglets were sleeping—thank god. The last one had drifted off not too long ago after their third feeding of the evening. The little ones didn’t eat much at a time, but they needed to eat often.
“I already made up a schedule for all the hands to take a turn at piglet monitoring and feeding. It’s in your inbox,” Brand told him. “I’m here to relieve you, so you can review it, then go take a nap.”
His dark-eyed gaze swept over Vance, and Vance could see the questions in his eyes. The man was mulling over something. Vance lifted a brow and met his friend’s gaze.
“Just spit it out, Brand,” Vance ordered heavily. “What’s the problem?”
Brand cleared his throat, looking a bit discomfited. “Only you seem to know when somethin’ is buggin’ me.” He curved his lips into a wry smile as he met Vance’s gaze. “So, Wayne says you came to the stall, and he thought he caught a whiff of wine on your breath. I thought, naw... that can’t be right, cause the only time you drink wine is when you go trollin’, but you were here, so—” Brand snapped his mouth shut, his brows furrowing as he kept flicking his gaze between Vance and the piglets and back again.
Vance took another sip of the coffee, trying to keep his expression neutral. Was he ready to share having Jimmy over for supper with Brand? What would his friend say? How would he react?
Remembering where he’d met the man and who with, Vance suddenly knew the answer to all those questions.
Meeting Brand’s gaze, Vance stared at his friend. He smiled.
Just that fast, Brand’s jaw sagged open. His brows shot up. A shit-eating grin split his lips.
“Ha, ha!” Brand cried, whooping.
The sound of mewling and whuffling drew both men’s attention. Vance lifted his hand and shushed Brand. “Don’t wake the damn things,” he grumbled, shaking his head. “They need their sleep.”
Brand sobered... at least a little. He still grinned widely. “So, tell me,” he demanded in a soft voice. “Did you have someone over? Who? Where did you meet her? How come you didn’t tell me?”
Vance snorted, lifting his hand as he shook his head. “One question at a time,” he grumbled. “I’ve had no sleep, and you’re making my head spin.”
Brand didn’t appear at all contrite. He waved his hand in a come on motion. “Spill.”
“As long as you promise not to shout again.”
His friend rolled his eyes.
Figuring that was as good a promise as he was going to get, Vance murmured, “I had Jimmy over last night. Made lasagna, so yes there was wine involved.”
Brand wasn’t completely accurate. While Vance’s normal drink of choice was vodka, there were times when wine was a better option. In Vance’s opinion, vodka didn’t go well with Italian.
Holding Brand’s gaze, Vance wasn’t surprised to see his buddy’s lips part in surprise once more. He’d expected such a reaction. He even anticipated the confusion that next filled Brand’s eyes.
“Wow, really?” Brand whispered. He tilted his head, his gaze sliding to the pigs. “That’s... I’m kinda shocked.” Refocusing on Vance, Brand added, “Not cause he’s a dude, but because you said you hadn’t exchanged numbers or whatever Saturday. You said it was a just a bit of mutual fun.”
Vance took a deep breath, taking the scents of clean straw, wood chips, and heated air into his lungs. Blowing out the breath just as slowly, he thought about how to respond. In truth, it was really simple.
“I couldn’t seem to get him out of my mind,” Vance admitted. “All day Sunday, thoughts of him kept popping into my head, distracting me. Drove me nuts.” He leaned against the stall wall and rested the back of his head against it. “In the shower that night it finally hit me.”
Remembering that moment, when he’d given in to the memories of Jimmy on his knees and he’d jacked off to them, Vance recalled how it had given him an orgasm nearly as powerful as when Jimmy had sucked him. In fact, his blood began to heat and flow south even now. He shifted his position, rolling his head so his temple pressed against the wall as he attempted to dislodge the thoughts.
“What hit you?”
Snapping his eyelids open, uncertain when he’d even closed them, Vance focused on Brand. “That if he were a w
oman, I would have asked for his phone number, and I would have called her already.” Scoffing lightly, he added, “So I headed back to the club in search of him, got his phone number, and set up a date.”
“And you made him lasagna.”
Vance nodded.
Brand grinned suddenly. “Got any leftovers?”
Snorting, Vance nodded again. “Sure, man.” Of course, that would be what his buddy cared about. “Always thinkin’ with your stomach.”
Brand just shrugged, completely unabashed.
“Come over whenever your shift here is done.” Vance pushed away from the wall, stumbling a step as fatigue flooded him once more. Even the tasty coffee Brand had brought wasn’t going to help him stay awake much longer. “I’ll check the schedule, make certain no changes need to be made, then send it out to everyone. That’ll also let me know about when you’ll be comin’ so I can set my alarm and take a nap.”
God, a nap sounds so damn good.
“Will do.”
Vance exited the stall, walking slowly around Brand as his buddy filed into the stall. He glanced to the right, down the aisle that ran through the rest of the barn. Spotting Todd halfway down with a clipboard, he waved at the man, who waved back, then he turned and headed toward the exit.
“Hey, Vance,” Brand called, leaning over the half-wall to peer at him, his expression surprisingly serious. When Vance lifted a brow in silent question, too tired to speak, Brand ordered, “You make sure you call Jimmy before you take a nap and don’t forget to leave a message.”
Lifting his hand in a thumbs up, Vance resumed his trek to the barn’s door and made his way back to his house. He took off his coat and hung it up, then headed to the bathroom. After relieving himself, he washed, splashed some water on his face, and hung his head over the sink with his eyes closed.
Once Vance had mustered enough brain power to go to his office, he sat behind his desk and booted up his machine. He opened his email and found the excel file Brand had mentioned. After reviewing the names and times of each four-hour shift, Vance checked his calendar which indicated men’s days off work. He made a couple changes, then saved the file and forwarded it to all the employees, marking it urgent.
With that done, Vance pushed to his feet, then headed to his bedroom. He stripped until he was nude, then climbed into bed. After setting his alarm to wake him up in three hours, Vance pulled up the covers, then Jimmy’s number.
Before he could second-guess himself, Vance pushed the dial button. He listened to it ring. After hearing the fourth tone, he mentally prepared a short thank you message.
“Hello?”
Hearing the soft sound of Jimmy’s sleep-husky voice, Vance felt his blood heat in his veins. His stomach muscles quivered as his dick took an interest. “God, you have a sexy bedroom voice.” The words were out of Vance’s mouth before his brain even processed them.
“Vance?”
Hearing the concern in Jimmy’s tone, Vance closed his eyes and mentally winced. “Yeah, it’s Vance. Sorry, sweetheart,” he hurriedly continued. “My brain isn’t firing on all neurons right now.”
Jimmy soft laughter sounded so damn good in Vance’s ear. “Are you just getting up, too?”
“No,” Vance admitted. His own voice had lowered an octave, coming out a low rumble, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. “Just getting in, actually. About to take a nap.” Pushing forward, knowing he was tired enough to fall asleep while on the phone, Vance offered, “I just wanted to call and tell you thank you.”
“Oh, wow. You were up all night?” Jimmy sounded concerned. “Is that normal?”
“No, it’s not, but it does happen every once in a while.” Clearing his throat, Vance added, “I’m the foreman. I live on sight, so I always have to be available, or make certain Brand is. He’s my right hand.”
“Yeah, that totally makes sense.” Jimmy sighed, the sound of cloth rustling through the line. “I take it things didn’t go well?”
“Afraid not.”
Vance took a few minutes to share how they’d lost the sow, leaving out the nasty bits of internal bleeding and twisted intestines, then told him about the eight piglets they’d saved. He explained to Jimmy what it took to care for the newborns, impressed that he sounded as if he paid attention, considering the questions he asked.
“So you’re just getting in?” Jimmy asked again. “I’m so flattered that you called me before crashing.” His voice was soft in Vance’s ear. “Thank you.”
“I wanted to make certain you got home okay,” Vance admitted, feeling his body flush a bit from embarrassment. He cleared his throat. “And thank you. You didn’t need to rinse all the dishes. That was really amazing of you.”
“Well,” Jimmy began, drawing the word out. “It was no big deal. Really.”
“It was a big deal to me,” Vance countered softly. “In the past, I’ve never”—he paused, thinking back over the years—”never dated or been with someone who would do something for me that was just to make my life easier.”
“You’ve been dating the wrong kinds of people,” Jimmy whispered.
“I agree,” Vance replied just as quietly. “But I’m hoping that’s changed now.”
When there was a long silence from the other end of the line, Vance felt a spike of unease surge through him. Jimmy was so much younger, he realized. He also worked in a gay bar where dozens of handsome men came onto him on a daily basis.
What if he wasn’t ready to settle down?
Wait a minute. Isn’t that the kind of thing that Jimmy’s ex had always accused him of?
Jimmy had always attested to wanting fidelity, so the important thing Vance had to decide was... did he trust the man?
To his surprise, Vance found that he did.
That meant he needed to figure out what he’d said wrong. On top of that, he needed to be honest. He’s always considered himself a straight-shooter, and he hoped his propensity for bluntness would work in his favor now.
“Jimmy? I would very much like to follow through on the plans we discussed.” His heart began to thud in his chest. “I realize I’m older, and I come with complications. But I’m not so stupid as to throw away the chemistry between us just because dating you won’t be easy.” He hesitated a few seconds, then stated, “If you’re not interested in seeing if a relationship with me is possible, then I’ll accept that, and I won’t bother you again.”
“You’re straightforward,” Jimmy commented, his tone uneasy.
“After the issues with my ex-wife, I find I don’t like games,” Vance admitted.
Vance sighed, resting his free hand over his forehead as he forced the tension from his body, one muscle group at a time. However Jimmy responded, he would have to accept it, then go from there. Vance had learned a long time ago not to stress over that which he had no control.
“I’m attracted to you, too, Vance,” Jimmy began slowly. “Aaaand... I can’t say as I’ve ever met someone quite so... forthcoming.” He scoffed softly. “It’s really, really refreshing. And I like it.” After another few heartbeats of hesitation, he continued, “So I’m going to return the favor. I agree we have fantastic chemistry between us, and I’d like to see if a relationship with you could work, but I do have some reservations.”
Furrowing his brows, Vance tried to keep his sluggish mind concentrating on the conversation. “What reservations, sweetheart?”
“Your son. That you’re not out to him.” Jimmy sighed, the sound of bedding rustling coming through the line again, indicating that perhaps Jimmy rolled over. “I don’t want to come between you and your son. What do you think he would say?”
Vance winced, rubbing the back of his palm over his forehead. “My son is fifteen. Mostly he lives with his mother.”
Clearing his throat while gathering his thoughts, Vance turned his head and stared at his nightstand where one of his favorite pictures of Mark rested. He was twelve at the time and holding a pig tha
t was almost as big as he was. There was the happiest grin on his face. Vance rarely saw that carefree smile anymore.
“Over the last couple of years, he’s been adopting a lot of Darlene’s bigoted, entitled comments and attitude. It would be... difficult. Of that I’m certain.” Groaning, he admitted, “I don’t want to lose my son, either, but it seems to be headed in that direction anyway, because I don’t like the man he’s becoming, and I’ve held my tongue long enough.” With sadness flooding him, he admitted something he hadn’t even told Brand. “Whether you’re in my life or not, Jimmy, I will be taking him to task for his behavior. It’s long past time.”
Chapter Eight
“Wow, he really said that to you?”
Jimmy sat in his living room, open and empty take out cartons sitting on his coffee table. Oliver Kostroma sat on the other end of the sofa, mirroring Jimmy’s position, and staring at him in shock. His friend from grade school had always had his back, even coming out as bisexual in their junior year of high school when Jimmy announced he was gay, so Jimmy wouldn’t face persecution alone.
Nodding, Jimmy admitted, “Yeah, Vance really said all that.” He rubbed his palms over his sweatpants-clad thighs as he shook his head in wonder. “I just... I’ve never met anyone like him, but—” He paused, furrowing his brows as he struggled to sort his thoughts.
After getting off the phone with Vance, telling the man to get some sleep, and they would talk again soon, Jimmy had immediately called Oliver. He’d only needed to tell his friend that he was having man trouble, and Oliver had told him he would be right there. Oliver had even said he’d bring breakfast sandwiches from Muldoons, their favorite hangout for junk food, and he’d ordered Jimmy to put the coffee on.
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