by Jerry Cole
The other man sneered, but was cut-off when Eve swept in, looking stunning in her gown with her hair done up.
“Is everybody ready in here?” she asked, bright but nervous. She had a martini glass in her hand already, which Jack supposed he wasn’t surprised about.
“Yeah, though shouldn’t we be asking if you’re ready?” Jack asked, laughing and deliberately turning his back on the sneering cousin. “You do have bride’s people to do your bidding.”
She waved him off. “They’re doing last checks on things. Plus, I can’t just stand around anymore. It’ll make me insane.” She glanced at her phone, which had materialized from the folds of her skirt. Trust Eve to find a wedding dress with pockets. “All right, then, fifteen minutes until go time.”
“We’ll be ready.”
She nodded, took a huge sip of her martini, and flounced out, curls and skirts bouncing with every step. Eve had always walked fairly gracefully in heels, where Anya tended to look unsteady at best, and Jack was thankful that he had talked Anya out of wearing stilettos.
The next few minutes went by in a blur as Anya’s mother entered and began shooing people into position. She looked like she needed a drink more than Eve did. Anya came in behind her mother, looking stunning and icy, which Jack knew meant she was incredibly anxious. He had seen that expression on her face when they were being shot at, and he had seen it when he was competing in the final baking competition. It was a beautiful wall of ice she threw up to disguise the butterflies in her stomach. Jack sighed and maneuvered his way through the crowd over to her.
“Do you need a bucket?” Jack asked, standing beside Anya at last. The weather, shockingly, had held out, and the chairs for the ceremony were set up outside. Anya was waiting in one room, Eve in another, and they were going to come out last and walk down the aisle together, after the wedding party and their respective parents were in place. The whole thing was well-choreographed and straightforward, which was good.
She shook her head. “No, no I’m good. My mom offered me a margarita, but I think if I’d tried to drink that, I would need a bucket.”
Jack reached over to rub her back, and she leaned into him a little.
“You’re ready for this, though?”
Anya looked up at him for a second and then finally grinned, looking radiant. “I’ve never been readier for anything in my life.” She squeezed his arm. “Thanks… for everything. I know I’ve said it a lot, but seriously. Seems like you’ve spent these last few years bailing me out of every conceivable situation.”
“Hey, you kept me from bleeding out a few times. I think we’re on even footing.” He bumped her hip playfully, though he wasn’t sure she could feel it through the masses of tulle and satin and lace. She had a fascinator on instead of a veil, and both she and Eve were going to wear the little capes they had bought to match their dresses since there was just enough wind to be chilly.
Jack himself was now wearing his charcoal gray suit and burnt umber vest, and looking damned dashing if he did say so himself. Less like a hipster lumberjack and more like a gentleman, as Eve put it. It seemed like ages ago they were all wearing fatigues and uniforms all the time. He hadn’t seen Anya in civilian clothes for the first year they’d known each other. He shook himself, coming back to the present before he started thinking too hard about things far more unpleasant than a wedding.
The music started, and Anya’s mother came in, looking emotional and flustered. She began to shoo everyone out in their assigned order. Jack would be last, pairing up with one of Eve’s college friends, and then Anya’s parents would come out. The processional began, and there was no turning back now.
“Thank you for stepping in and handling the catering issues, Jack. I do appreciate it,” Anya’s mother said quietly from behind him. “I knew we should have hired a different company after Mr. and Mrs. Hong died…”
Jack bristled on Luke’s behalf, despite the fact he barely knew the guy. “It wasn’t the caterer’s fault. He had two people bail on him with no warning.”
“He should have been more careful in his hiring, then. Or maybe he should pay his people better. Regardless, I’ll be expecting a discount on our final bill when all of this is said and done. There’s no reason your friends should have had to step in.”
Jack was about to argue further, but then his turn came up, and he went silent as he and Jillian made their way down the aisle to their positions. Jillian was wearing a burgundy dress and dark brown stole, while the rest of the bridesmaids wore various fall shades to match the theme. It was far more practical than the usual bridesmaid dresses he’d seen, and the women had picked whatever they thought looked good on them. The men were all in gray suits with waistcoats of different shades.
Once in position, Jack looked around at the assembled guests, smiling and happy, as Anya’s parents came down the aisle, followed by Eve’s mother and stepfather. His gaze was drawn away from them a second later by the sight of Luke watching the wedding from a shaded corner of the barn. He was in a server’s uniform and seemed to be assessing something, but then their eyes locked.
Jack raised his eyebrows, and Luke blushed and hurried back around the corner of the barn to where the side door was for the kitchens. Jack filed that little reaction away in his brain, wondering if maybe there was more going on than he had initially realized.
The music got louder, and his attention was drawn to Anya and Eve.
Chapter Five
“I really can never thank you enough for this.” Luke murmured, not looking up from where he was packing the dishes to be washed back at the catering hall. “I’m still embarrassed that it was necessary.”
“Don’t worry about it. It isn’t like you set out to have two people quit on you. I remember food service in high school and how flakey people could be about shifts.”
Luke sighed and rubbed at his face with his elbow. “Yeah. I suppose that’s true. I don’t know how my parents did it.”
Jack hesitated. “How long have you been running the company on your own?”
“Around six months now, give or take. I worked with them when I was in high school and college, but I didn’t really want to ever run the place. It just kind of… happened. They died, and I didn’t want to sell the business… especially when my career wasn’t going anywhere fast.”
“Is it just money troubles?” Jack forged on, knowing he was pushing this probably too far. He didn’t know this man at all and Luke didn’t exactly seem the type to spill his guts to a stranger, but Jack had done enough shots that he was ready and willing to push some boundaries.
Luke froze for a moment, then finally answered. “Yes. I’m not an accountant, and I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Jack watched the other man carefully, noting the huge dark circles under his eyes and his gaunt face. “Luke… if… if you got a loan… could you hire enough people to run the company without working yourself to death?”
“In theory.” Luke didn’t look up from packing the dishes, but Jack could see his back tense through his shirt. “But I don’t think any bank is going to be willing to give me a loan given the current state of my business.”
Jack paused again, thinking through his next words carefully. “I think you’re wrong, but regardless… I wouldn’t mind loaning you that money. I got a pretty substantial cash prize from the baking competition and the cookbooks and advertising, and I invested it, but—”
“Thank you, Jack, but you don’t know me. You shouldn’t be taking a gamble like that.” Luke sounded stiff, and maybe, almost offended.
“What if I want to?”
Luke snorted but didn’t respond for a moment. “I’ll be okay. I just have to get through this.”
“I respect that, but it kind of seems like you haven’t even really had time to mourn your parents. Like, from what I keep hearing, you just picked up their work a week after the funeral…”
Finally, Luke sighed and looked up from the dishes, face tense. “I appreciate y
our help, Jack. I do. But please understand that I’m doing the only thing I can do, and believe me, I’ve looked at my options. Short of suing the fucker who killed my parents… I don’t… there’s not much else to be done.”
“So why haven’t you sued him? Wouldn’t that bring in some money?” Jack knew that he was going way too far now. This was whiskey and bourbon and gin talking. And probably some of that weird, layered gelatin shot. He still wasn’t sure what the contents of that thing were, or even where the row of them had come from, but man did it taste good.
Luke shrugged and went back to the dishes. “It would.” His voice was quiet
“I’m sorry, this isn’t my business. I’ll stop prying.”
“It would bring in money, but I’ve spent almost a year barely keeping my head above water. I hoped that the prosecutor would charge the guy with murder, he’d be convicted, and I’d find a lawyer to bring the civil case after that because it would be… easier. But the prosecutor won’t charge the case, and I just… don’t have the energy to fight with them.”
Jack nodded slowly. “So, you need a lawyer.”
“Yes.”
“I can help find someone for you? Anya and I know more than a few, and I’m sure one of them will know someone who could help bring a lawsuit like that.”
Luke paused again and looked up. “Why? Why help me like this? Why do you care? I’m the caterer at your best friend’s wedding. Why are you so worried about someone like me?” His chin had a stubborn set to it now.
Jack was taken aback for a moment. “I… honestly? I like to help. I don’t think anyone can look at wrongs and problems and say ‘someone should do something’ and then not help if they’re able to themselves. It’s hypocrisy, and I hate it. And you seem like a nice guy.” He knew he was babbling, but he didn’t want to spit out the other reason. Under the layers of dried mashed potatoes and cake frosting, Luke was fairly attractive. On the thin side, no question, but not bad-looking at all. And he had the kind of take-no-shit attitude that Jack always fell for. But he wasn’t about to tell the other man any of that, because he had no clue if the guy was single or gay.
Luke just kept staring at him, expression wary. He didn’t respond for a while.
Outside, the wind was pounding against the sides of the barn, and the rain was falling harder. It was going to be a cold, wet run to get all of the dishes into the truck.
Jack swallowed hard and shivered, though whether because of the strangely intimate moment or because of the actual, bone-chilling cold in this part of the barn near the doors, he wasn’t sure.
Finally, Luke spoke. “I can’t accept the loan, but I will accept the assistance finding an attorney.”
Jack grinned with relief. “Great! I’m really glad.” He realized that, somehow, they were standing a little closer to each other than they had started, and Luke was looking at him with an intense expression, face scrunched like he was trying to make a decision but couldn’t. He was leaning closer.
Jack took a small step that put him solidly in Luke’s personal space, and leaned down slightly, but kept enough space between them that Luke could move away if Jack were misreading this. He didn’t think he was. Something in the air had shifted.
Luke stared into Jack’s eyes for a long, painful moment, then put a hand on Jack’s shoulder and leaned up.
Jack closed the gap, and there was an instant crackle like static before a lightning strike.
Luke moved in closer and put his hand on the back of Jack’s head, and parted his lips slightly. Jack quickly took advantage of the invitation. He tasted like coffee and mint and cloves and smelled like cooking food, and it was an incredible feeling. He had never been shy about what he wanted from other men, and he never had felt deprived, but for some reason, this felt far more intense and important than any other kiss he’d had before.
They broke apart a moment later, and Luke’s eyes were blown wide. He was also blushing slightly.
“I…”
“Don’t you dare apologize for that. We both wanted it,” Jack murmured, not letting the other man move too far away, afraid this was going to become an awkward, one-off moment. Jack knew he was drunk and Luke was so tired that he may as well have been doing shots with the wedding party, but this was something, and he wasn’t going to let Luke run away. Not after that.
Luke opened his mouth to argue, thought better of it, closed it, and nodded. “Yeah… yes, I guess so. Just… I don’t want you thinking I’m…” he trailed off.
“That you use your job to pick up random dudes like it’s some kind of taffeta-covered live-action dating app?” Jack laughed.
“Basically.” Luke blushed an even deeper red. “And I don’t want you doing this because you pity me.”
Jack snorted. “I feel bad you’re in a shitty situation you had no control over, but trust me, this isn’t pity. I wanted to grab you and kiss you when you were being a dick about the cake the first time we met.”
“I wasn’t being a dick! I was trying to make sure you weren’t going to show up with some monstrosity and expect me to fix it!”
Jack kissed him again, closemouthed this time. “I know, and I appreciate that you just wanted Anya and Eve’s day to be as close to perfect as possible. Honestly, people don’t question me very often anymore. It was kind of a turn-on.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “My God, your ego.”
“I think you like it. I think you like that I’m kind of an arrogant asshole because you’re kind of an arrogant asshole,” Jack deepened his voice, and Luke shivered. The shorter man still had not moved away from him, and Jack could feel the warmth from Luke’s body as a pleasant contrast to the cold drafts coming in from outside.
“Maybe you’re right. But for now… I’m exhausted. I need to load all these dishes and get back to the hall to have it unloaded and washed.” He sighed. “Nate and I can finish up in the morning. You have my number, though?”
Jack nodded. “I do. Maybe we could do dinner?”
Luke hesitated, and Jack’s stomach dropped, but then he nodded slowly. “I think I’d like that.”
“Good.” Jack kissed Luke one more time, then reluctantly moved away so they could both get back to cleaning up.
Luke drove off in the rickety catering truck fifteen minutes later, and Jack gratefully fell into a spare bed in Anya’s parents’ back room a few minutes after that. He was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow.
Chapter Six
“Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait.” Leslie Gerard sat across from Jack and Anya in a coffee shop near Pike Place. She was physically tiny and originally from Honduras, but she had grown up in the United States, gone into the Marines, come out, and become one of the most tenacious lawyers in all of Washington state. She was, in short, exactly the kind of person to take on the Walford clan on their own turf. She and Anya apparently worked out at the same gym and maybe dated for a while before she met Eve. Jack had become friends with her around the same time.
“I told you it was a fucking mess, Les.”
Leslie’s eyes were huge. “I just… the prosecutor isn’t even trying to charge Brett Walford for manslaughter? Or DUI? Like… what the fuck? I just assumed that maybe the civil stuff was handled out of court or something. This dude obviously deserves damages. Holy shit.” She took a swig of her eggnog latte.
“Does that mean you’ll help?” Jack asked, looking hopeful.
“Oh, Jack, my friend, every lawyer in this city who hasn’t been bought off by the Walford's would be thrilled to help with this. It is a clear-cut case of a drunk, rich fucker killing two totally innocent, hard-working people and there’s a dirty prosecutor involved. I will be honored to help with this mess. Though I do wish Luke had come with you. I need to talk to him.”
“He’s working night and day keeping the business from folding, and he won’t accept help,” Anya sighed. “He was the caterer at my wedding, and you saw how stressed the poor guy was.”
“The guy in the suit wit
h bags under his eyes that could have stocked an entire luggage store for a year? Yeah, I saw him.” Leslie huffed. “That’s not gonna work. I’m going to need his cooperation on all of this and to do that he’s going to need to free up some time. I’m sure my firm could loan him some money.”
“Maybe just tell him what the situation is? I don’t mind loaning him the money myself.” Jack said.
Leslie looked at him sternly. “We’ll get him the money through a bank or my firm. You loaning him money as an investor could get complicated and weird really quickly. Especially if you’re lusting after him.”
Jack choked. “What?”
“Don’t play innocent, I know you. You have a crush on this dude, and you’re trying to help him so he’ll like you because you have several different layers of hang-ups around relationships.” Leslie pinned him down with a glare. “I know you’re not trying to manipulate him or anything like that, and you genuinely want to help, but I’m not putting this dude into debt to you if you’re trying to bang him. That would be so ethically wrong it isn’t even funny.”
Jack winced. “Yeah, okay, you’re right. I didn’t realize how awful that would be in his position. I don’t want him to date me because he feels obligated.”
“Exactly. You want him to date you because you’re a wonderful guy who I’m sure gives amazing head.”
“LESLIE!” Anya shot coffee out of her nose.
The other two laughed and grabbed a wad of napkins to corral the mess.
“Anyway, I’ll read him the riot act about getting a loan, assuming he’s willing to work with me.”
“I think he is. I get the feeling he’s been in survival mode for so many months he’s just lost any kind of perspective.” Jack was tense and fidgety, which was unusual for him. He wasn’t the kind of person who got twitchy about much of anything.
“I swear to God he looks like he hasn’t slept since they died.” Anya nodded.
“He's running a decent kitchen, at least. The food at the wedding was excellent, and everything seemed like it went okay despite the problems.”
