“Are you sure?” Morris leveled a look at her, and Makayla suddenly looked less smug.
“How many of those things can one man have?” Makayla demanded.
“As many as one needs when he’s dealing with the likes of you, Tigger.” Morris drilled his finger against Makayla’s ticklish rib, and she swatted his hand away with a laugh.
“I thought all my children had become adults. What happened?” their dad said as he pushed back his chair. “Is it time to grill?”
“Yep. And we need mutant beanpole here to get down Mom’s blue bowl from the top shelf.” Makayla tweaked Morris’s ear. “Why don’t you whip us up some margaritas too?”
“Did someone bring limes and ice?” Morris asked.
“Strawberries too if you want to mix it up.”
Augustus grinned as Morris rose to his feet. “We need to even the numbers around here. Where’s your boyfriend? And Joe?”
“Yeah, where are the other guys?” Morris liked Sierra’s husband, but his job kept him on the go and Morris rarely got to see him. And Makayla’s Victor had become a close friend.
“Both will be here after dinner,” Makayla said. “Joe’s flying back into National in an hour. And Victor is volunteering at the shelter today.”
Morris slung his arm around his twin as Augustus moved around them and disappeared into the hallway. He’d debated mentioning Theo to Makayla, but as much as her interest in his dating life annoyed him sometimes, she was still his best sounding board. “So I met this guy last weekend.”
“Uh-huh. I take it that you don’t just mean someone you ran into at a con, but someone who interests you.” Makayla looked up at him, her gaze curious. “So what makes this guy different?”
Morris wasn’t entirely sure. He’d managed to have a few quick conversations with Theo over the last week. Several text debates. It seemed like they didn’t have a damned thing in common, but Theo drew him in. He was so easy to talk to. “Other than the fact that he’s not a geek, he’s also not my usual type. He’s more laid-back.”
“That’s probably a good thing.”
Morris eyed her suspiciously. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Lately, your usual type doesn’t tend to stick around too long,” Makayla replied with a shrug.
Sadly, she had a point, another reason not to let his attraction to Theo get past a friendship level. Odd, he could picture a friendship with Theo quite easily, but the idea of anything more made him nervous. The last guy Morris had been with hadn’t been bad. They’d liked each other. The chemistry had sizzled at first, but there hadn’t been enough in common to keep the relationship going. Maybe that’s what was holding him back. Or the guy before him who’d been awesome at first, until Morris realized he thought being a geek was something Morris needed to be rescued from or cured of. That hadn’t ended well, and the memory still burned.
“Yeah, probably better not to scratch that itch,” Morris said with regret. He wouldn’t want their proximity to each other to be awkward later on. “He’s my new neighbor.”
“The one who’s lived there for almost two months and you never saw?”
“Yep, he owns a restaurant. I get the feeling he’s there a lot. He wants me to come over this week to cook some French-sounding thing.” The idea still intimidated him. What was the point of learning to cook when he had a microwave?
Makayla laughed and pushed Morris after their dad. “Go, have fun, and relax. You worry too much about things like this. What-ifs get in the way of living.”
“Don’t you remember the guy who tried to completely make me over?” Morris stopped again, frowning at her.
“It wasn’t his dislike of geek culture that was the problem. He was just an asshole,” Makayla countered. “There was nothing about you that needed fixing other than your obsession with Nerf guns and self-inflicted exile at your art table.”
“We’re very different,” Morris insisted. He heard the sounds of his family coming from the kitchen and his mom asking about his whereabouts. “He doesn’t even know about Doctor Who.”
“So? Neither do I, and you still talk to me. Seriously, relax dude.” Makayla nudged him affectionately in the side. “Go, do something different. It’s good for your neurons.”
Morris halted and shot her a suspicious look. “What’s wrong with my neurons?”
“You’ve gotten into a rut. You know it and I know it. A cute new neighbor will shake things up a bit, and the fact that you might not have the same interests isn’t always a bad thing. Then you can really get to know him instead of getting comfortable. Relationships take work, dude, and commitment. The only thing you’re committed to is your work.”
Morris hated to admit she was right again. She could be insufferable about it. Unless there was a show, he rarely left his house now. He was going to become the crazy cat man. It wasn’t out of introversion or fear of going outside. There was so much to do. Maybe it was time to cut back on a couple of deadlines before he burned himself out. “Fine, I’ll go and check out my cooking lesson, but if I burn the house down, I’m moving in with you and Victor.”
“Don’t even joke like that.”
Chapter Six
THIS WASN’T a first date with Morris.
It helped Theo to tell himself that. Because having a boyfriend was not in the cards right now. Morris seemed leery of dating, too, and Theo didn’t want to pressure him. This was a chance to feel each other out and to discover what they did have in common instead of everything they didn’t. And maybe consider the idea of having a hot fling.
It was a damn good thing it wasn’t a first date because Lincoln was home. Theo sighed as he took down the sea salt and black peppercorns. How could he seduce a guy with his kid brother around? He hadn’t considered that. But he had to find a way because this was their new normal, and Theo didn’t want Lincoln to think for one moment Theo considered him a burden.
The doorbell rang and Lincoln’s bedroom door banged open before Theo could respond. “I’ll get it!”
Theo tossed a hand towel over his shoulder and shook his head. Any other time and he’d have to drag Lincoln out of his room to interact with them. One hint Theo could be flirting with their new neighbor and Lincoln was determined to be underfoot to keep an eye on him.
“Hey, I wasn’t sure what else I should bring,” Morris said from behind him.
Theo looked over his shoulder with a grin. Morris juggled a bottle of wine, a six-pack of beer, and a two liter of soda. “Just yourself, but thanks anyway. Go ahead and stick the beer and soda in the fridge.”
Morris surveyed the neat array of ingredients laid out on the counters and island. “That is a lot of food. I can eat, but I don’t think I can eat that much.”
“Theo likes to cook for the week on his days off,” Lincoln said as he took a seat at the table. “There’s something wrong with him.”
“Hush, you.” Theo snapped the towel at him, wishing his brother would shoo. “I don’t always feel like leftovers from work, and I definitely don’t want to make a full meal when I finally get home.”
Lincoln gave him a cheeky grin. “So you reheat leftovers at home.”
“How was your day with Laila?” Theo asked, ignoring Lincoln’s teasing. Maybe it was a lot to cook, but once it was all started, he’d have a nice amount of time to spend with Morris before dinner was ready. He’d been looking forward to the break in his routine all week.
“Good. She swam circles around me and wore me out. Then my mom and sisters stuffed me silly with food, my dad and I plastered everyone with margaritas, and I ended up falling asleep on the couch like I was visiting from college again. It was like that through the whole holiday. By the time I made it back home on Tuesday, I felt like I needed a break from vacation.”
Theo chuckled, though he didn’t entirely feel it. The last time his entire family had been together like that was when Dustin and Robin had come home from school for an Easter holiday before their parents passed. Neither one of
them had bothered to come home this year, and they all felt the additional missing spaces.
“I’m glad your sister harassed you into it, then.” Theo exchanged a glance with Lincoln and saw the wistful look in his eyes. He wished he could ease the ache for him, but hell, he didn’t even know how to do it for himself. “So, you ready to get your hands dirty?”
Morris tied his hair back and eyed all the ingredients on the counter. “I don’t even know where to begin.”
Theo shot him a grin and tossed him an apron as Lincoln began to inch his way toward the hallway. “Where do you think you’re going, squirt? I thought you wanted to chaperone me. You can’t duck out now and hide in your bedroom.”
“How much trouble can you get into while sautéing?” Lincoln shook his head and backed up. “I get enough of kitchen chores at the restaurant.”
“I forgot you said your brother lives with you,” Morris said with a hint of curiosity in his voice, but to Theo’s relief, he didn’t ask. He wanted this to be fun and lighthearted. Morris tied on Lincoln’s Think Geek apron. “What’s this about a chaperone?”
“My brother thinks it would be wildly inappropriate for me to flirt with you.” Theo scratched his stomach as he tried to remember why. “So, you are more than welcome to start things by flirting with me first.”
Morris glanced away, his shoulders drawing together. He appeared disconcerted and a little shy. It intrigued Theo because he’d seemed completely confident at the show and at the restaurant with his friends. “Flirting’s never been my strong skill, especially with a guy like you.”
Theo tied on his own apron as he mulled that comment over. There was some history there. “Adorable non-geek?”
Morris laughed and his shoulders relaxed. “You say that without the slightest trace of embarrassment. I’m many things, but adorable is not one of them.”
Morris clearly never looked at himself in the mirror while doing that little peeking through his lashes bit. “No… I’d classify you as damn sexy.” Theo stole a glance at Morris’s long legs and wondered if he wore anything underneath his kilt.
“It’s the kilt. It brings all the boys to the yard,” Morris said as he washed his hands. “So that’s a mirepoix?” he asked, thrusting his chin out toward the ingredients on the counter.
“This is.” Theo swept his hand toward the cutting board. “Two parts onion to one part celery and carrot. Only I changed the menu from what I originally intended. It’s too hot for soup.”
“What’s on the menu?” Morris poked the meat that had been marinating all night and was now resting on the counter.
“Pork belly with gravy, roasted vegetables, and rolls.”
“Mmm.” Morris patted his stomach with a soft smile of appreciation. “Between you and my mama, I’m going to get fat and lazy this summer.”
“I’m sure Laila will help you swim it off.” Theo eyed Morris. For a man who sat at an art table most of the day and routinely ate frozen meals, he was remarkably lean. Swimming must pay off. Theo preferred a good game of basketball himself.
“True,” Morris said with a laugh. “So what do we do first? It looks like you already started without me.”
“I marinated the meat overnight to really get the flavors in there. First we want to get the pork belly going since that’s going to roast on low heat for a while.” Theo rubbed his hands together. It was a new recipe, and he was dying to try it. If it came out as good as he thought it would, they’d have a new special at the bistro. He flipped on the oven. “You start by rough chopping the celery and carrots while I get the garlic ready.”
Morris located the knife block and drew out a blade. “What’s a rough chop? I’m guessing it’s not the pretty little strips or neat dicing.”
“You’ve got it, big chunks. About the size of your thumb.” Morris had really nice hands, too, large, capable hands with long fingers. Theo watched as Morris started on the carrots and celery, rocking the knife slowly to avoid cutting himself. “How’s the comic going?”
Morris paused and stole a glance at him. “Good, spent most of this week laying out the pages for the next installment. My time with Laila always inspires me.”
“You based your heroine off her?” Theo asked as he broke a garlic bulb into individual cloves. “I noticed they have the same name.”
“Yeah. She was in an accident when she was four and it injured her spine. She still has some limited feeling, but she can’t use her legs.” Morris’s expression grew thoughtful. “She’s one tough girl. She’s taught the whole family about living life and not letting circumstances limit you. Honestly, I think she’s the most fearless person I’ve ever met.”
“Some people deal with tragedy by avoiding it,” Theo said, looking with new respect at Morris. “They can’t handle it, so they distance themselves from their family at a time when they all need each other the most.” He paused as he realized a bitter edge was creeping into his voice, and he lightened it as he continued. “I’m glad she’s doing so well. Probably helped to have an uncle by her side rooting for her.”
“I never thought of it that way.” Morris smiled at him. “I don’t often talk about her to guys I just met. Some have said the stupidest things. Like how I must be so uncomfortable around her. Or they assume she’s incapable of anything or that it affected her brain. Bullshit like that.”
Theo thought back to the strained smiles of friends and acquaintances, the awkward condolences, and how quickly the subject was changed anytime his parents were mentioned. He was sure their hearts were in the right place and they thought they were being kind, but in fact it was a little isolating when he had no one to vent his feelings to. They’d died, but people acted like they’d never existed at all. Remembering the good times, wanting to talk about it, didn’t mean he wasn’t moving on.
“It’s terrifying when something like that happens and you don’t want to show your fear ’cause you’ve got to be strong for them,” Theo said thoughtfully as he pressed the flat of a blade against the garlic bulbs to pop the skins. It was crazy. He barely knew Morris, and yet he was finding it easier to talk to him than to people he’d known since he was a kid.
Morris began chopping again, his expression thoughtful. “You get it. You know, that’s why I agreed to let you buy that picture. I could tell you got it.”
“Yeah, I do. Maybe later I’ll tell you why, but let’s not bring the mood down.” Struck by how intent Morris was at his task, Theo gave in to impulse and leaned over to brush his lips over Morris’s cheek. His scent was earthy, of shea butter and sun-warmed skin. Theo liked the way he smelled, the way it mixed in with the scent of onion and garlic, scents that reminded him of home and work he loved.
Morris gave him a narrow-eyed, considering look, but before he could comment, Theo pulled back. “For now, toss those carrots and celery into the roasting pan, then start the onion.”
“Do you want to see me cry? Is that it?” Morris demanded in a teasing voice as he popped a carrot into his mouth and then scraped the rest of the vegetables from the cutting board into the pan.
“I promise to kiss your tears away if you do,” Theo replied with a perfectly straight face as Lincoln sauntered back into the kitchen to grab a soda.
“I heard that.” Lincoln wrinkled his nose at his brother.
Theo exchanged an amused glance with Morris. “Morris started it.”
“I did?” Morris raised one eloquent brow.
“You absolutely did. You, my friend, flirt with your eyes, not with your words.” Theo dumped whole garlic cloves into the pan. He glanced at Lincoln, who popped the soda can top as he watched them. “Checking in on me?”
“Somebody has to.” Lincoln took a sip of the soda.
“Just wait until you get a date, bro, just wait.” Theo began tying small bundles of thyme together. “Everything you do to me, I’ll do to you, then see how you like it.”
Red colored Lincoln’s cheeks. “I’d have to get a girl to look at me first,” he muttered
.
It had been an awkward year for Lincoln on top of the trauma at home. A sudden growth spurt left him with gawky, ungraceful limbs. He’d get used to it, but the in-between period sucked. “It’ll happen, I promise you,” Theo assured him.
“Seriously,” Morris said, looking over his shoulder and blinking against the sting of the onion. “I was like you, a little shy and too tall, and braces on top of it. Be comfortable with yourself, that’s all I can say. The rest will follow.”
“Please tell me you have a picture of yourself with braces.” Back in high school, Theo had shifted between a love for country rock and Savage Garden and dressed accordingly. Then there had been his emo days. There was bound to be photographic evidence somewhere.
“Oh hell no. Look up insecure geek in the dictionary and you’ll see a picture of me as a teenager.” Morris stepped back from the chopping board. “How’s that?”
Theo checked the vegetables while Lincoln shifted from foot to foot and glanced over his shoulder as if torn between staying or disappearing again. “Perfect. Add it to the pan, and I’ll lay the meat on top.”
“You know what this needs? Yeast rolls,” Morris said after he tossed in the onions. “You should’ve said something. I would’ve grabbed some while I was at the store.”
Theo shook his head as he drizzled olive oil over the vegetables and mixed it in before adding the thyme. “Don’t you say you do everything for your comic? All the coloring and lettering? Same principal applies here.”
“You’re making them yourself?” Morris’s chuckle carried a thread of disbelief.
“We’re making them,” Theo replied, sliding the roasting pan into the oven. “Then we know it’s good.”
“Wow, you haven’t baked in a long time.” Lincoln peeked into the oven before Theo shut it. “That looks good. What’s for dessert?”
“There I will fully admit I got lazy.” Theo ruffled Lincoln’s hair. “There’s ice cream in the freezer.”
Lincoln grimaced and moved his head away. “What is it with you and desserts? You cook everything else. Is it so hard to whip up something sweet?”
A Little Side of Geek Page 6
