by Sam Burns
She pushed his hand off and smacked his shoulder as she passed. “So sassy.”
He laughed. “You like when I’m sassy. Something about me being your big, gay best friend.”
Liam was dumbfounded. Brendan Quinn’s oldest son was gay?
Keegan turned back to him, and one corner of his mouth quirked up in a smirk that suited his face. “Didn’t see that coming, did ya? Poor pops. Two sons, two queers. He must have nightmares.”
Owen was gay? What were the chances? Liam was starting to think everyone he knew was gay. Then he considered Mickey and shook his head. Definitely not Mickey, and it would be best to focus on the subject at hand. “I haven’t seen any indication that your father is anything but proud of Owen.” He stopped to think a minute then added, “Except when he’s rude.”
Keegan laughed so hard he almost doubled over. “So always? Kid’s got a chip on his shoulder like nobody’s business.”
“Fair enough,” Liam conceded. “It probably explains why your father didn’t seem scandalized by my taking a guy home.”
Keegan shook his head. “Nah. Dad’s been dealing with ‘the gay’ since I was thirteen and still thought girls had cooties, but boys were pretty okay.” Then he seemed to consider something. “But why would he know anything about you picking up guys?”
Liam sighed, looked around to make sure they were alone, and then turned back to Keegan. “You have a few hours? Or I guess I should ask this: how much do you want to know about your dad’s business?”
Keegan put a hand up to forestall Liam saying anything. “Gotcha. Just tell me one thing. You helping this guy ‘cause you want to and you like him, or something else?”
“I like him. I want to help him.” Sitting down at the closest table with a huff, Liam looked up at Keegan. “And there are other reasons.”
Keegan sat down across from him, putting them back on the same level. “You gonna tell him about it?”
“If I can, at some point. Not today.” Liam hoped that was enough.
It seemed to be, since Keegan nodded. “I won’t bring it up. But I’m gonna tell ya, it’s not worth it. The job. Boy might be, job’s not.”
Keegan’s eyes unfocused, staring at a point just past Liam’s shoulder. It was a look Liam knew well. He’d seen it on soldiers before. There was something in Keegan Quinn’s past that haunted him.
Liam had come out of Afghanistan lucky. He had a few bad memories and a little shrapnel he would spend the rest of his life with, but only a few things worthy of nightmares, and as much of his sanity as he’d gone in with. Plenty of guys hadn’t been as fortunate.
He didn’t know Keegan Quinn at all, but he still recognized the signs. Keegan hadn’t come out of his war as lucky.
“I know, believe it or not,” Liam found himself speaking without thinking, something he’d been doing too often during the previous twenty-four hours. “Alex is something special. A job is just a job.” He wondered if he was talking about his job for Quinn, or his real job.
Keegan’s look turned warm and pleased. “Yeah. That’s it.” When Liam raised an eyebrow, he continued. “You’re nothing like one of Dad’s goons. You seem like a decent guy.” He leaned across the table and gave Liam a hard look. “Get the fuck out. While you can. Just quit and walk away. We’re not some Godfather cliché, and you’re not trapped in the job. Just don’t live this life.”
Liam was speechless, and he was sure his shock showed on his face. “I, um, I can’t disappear right this minute, but you’re right. And now there’s Alex to worry about.”
Keegan frowned. “Why do you have to worry about Alex? Dad’s not gonna hurt him. He wouldn’t.” He sounded a little like he was trying to convince himself.
“It’s more complicated than that,” Liam offered, giving him the look that said Keegan didn’t want more information.
As Keegan was nodding his understanding, they heard the front door open and Brigit’s voice call out a greeting.
She showed the band in and introduced them to Keegan. Alex’s eyes caught on Liam, seeming a little surprised to see him at first, but then giving him a shy smile before returning his attention to Brigit and Keegan. Jenna, who turned out to be the tall, dark-haired girl from the bar, was practically bouncing with pent-up energy. She introduced each member of the band to Keegan, and explained what they did.
When she arrived at Alex, Keegan gave him an amused smile. “Ah, our bassist. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Sage.”
Alex blushed and stammered out a response, glancing back to Liam as he did so.
A few minutes later, Jenna and the drummer were chattering away about the drum solo in the second number while they set up on stage. Liam hadn’t ever thought about how much work went into such a thing. The drummer was a tiny girl named Elsi, with long, dark, wavy hair and what seemed to be a permanent smile.
The guitarist, whom Jenna had introduced as her brother Jake, was as quiet as she was loud. He watched Liam with something akin to suspicion. Given the way Liam had come into their lives, he couldn’t blame the guy. It was only going to get worse as they got to know each other better. Eventually, they’d find out that everything they knew about him was a lie.
A tiny voice in Liam’s head whispered that if he were any kind of decent person, he’d get out of Alex’s life now, report to Casey that he wasn’t going to get what they needed, and leave the whole situation far behind him. He suspected Jake and that voice would be in league with each other.
The band finished setting up, and did a short warm-up while Jenna told Keegan what they were planning to perform for him.
Liam was curious to see if Alex was as good as Jenna thought. He was no great judge of music, though, so unless they were incredibly good or incredibly bad, he didn’t expect to be able to tell.
When they started, a number that seemed particularly appropriate to Jenna called “Look At Me,” Liam found himself pleasantly surprised. They certainly weren’t awful. A glance at Keegan confirmed his thought; the man looked surprised, and not in a horrified way. When they finished the first number, he asked for a second, and then a third.
When they finished that, he sat back and watched them for a minute before he spoke. “You’re really good,” he said, sounding surprised. He turned to Liam. “I figured this was just you trying to get into the hot guy’s pants.”
“Too late for that,” Jenna said brightly into the microphone.
Keegan had to stifle a laugh before turning back to the stage. “No covers? All your own stuff?”
Jenna did her best Vanna White impression, gesturing to her brother. “I give you Jake McKenna, musical prodigy extraordinaire. He started playing piano when he was five. Like, spontaneously.”
Jake just rolled his eyes at her before turning to Keegan. “I write the music. She writes the lyrics. Never messed with covers.”
“It’s good,” Keegan told him. “Very good. You okay to do an hour?”
Jake nodded. “Good for an hour. Okay for an hour and a half. After that it gets dicey.”
Looking annoyed, Jenna smacked his arm. “We can do whatever you need.”
Keegan tried, and failed, to hide his amusement. “An hour is good. More is great, but we’ll work that out in the schedule. I’m fully booked two months out for the weekends, but I’ve got a few nights that I can fit you in if you don’t mind playing a Tuesday or Wednesday. Then there’s a Saturday night in February. You do the weeknights I have for you between now and then, do well, and the Saturday is yours.”
Jenna actually bounced. “Yes!” she exclaimed without even looking to her bandmates.
“If you’ll give us your dates, we’ll make arrangements,” Jake said, side-eyeing his sister. “We’ve got a dozen other numbers we play pretty regularly, and a bunch we’re just not quite a hundred percent on.”
“That’d be because of me,” Alex offered apologetically. “I’ve only been playing for three years, and it takes me longer to get things right than them.”
Keegan seemed charmed
by Alex’s words. “That’s real honest of you, but don’t knock it. You’re what, twenty? Twenty-five?”
“Twenty-three,” Alex answered.
“See? Not so bad,” Keegan said, looking like even he didn’t believe that he was trying to reassure some kid he hardly knew. “You’ve got years to get better, and you’re not bad now. Not everybody can ‘like, spontaneously’ start playing piano when they’re five.”
“It wasn’t spontaneous,” Jake mumbled, leaning over to grab his guitar case. “I watched some guy do it first.”
“Yes, Jake,” Jenna said, placating her brother while patting his back. She gave everyone else a knowing look. “I’m sure anyone could have done it.”
He turned his head enough to give her a glare, but went back to packing up his equipment.
Keegan looked over at Liam. “You had no idea they were that good, right?”
“Not a clue,” Liam answered without hesitation. “But they are, aren’t they?”
Keegan nodded. “Yeah. They’ve got a future, if they can keep up with the bullshit that comes with the business.”
He looked up to find Alex giving him a shy smile, and his heart gave an unfamiliar flutter.
After the last of their equipment was piled into the back of the drummer’s minivan, Liam approached. He was immediately mobbed by the girls, who hugged him and thanked him for setting up the meeting. Even Jake gave him a nod and a quiet, “Thank you.”
“I was happy to do it,” he told them, and it was the truth. He’d be happy to help Alex and his friends any day of the week. He just wished he could do it without a growing queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Alex came up beside him. He was staring at the pavement and looked like he wanted to speak.
“Hey,” Liam said, feeling awkward.
“Hey,” Alex returned brightly, though his eyes didn’t leave the ground. “I don’t know what to say, dude. We couldn’t have even gotten into a place like this if not for you, let alone had a chance to play here. Jenna hasn’t stopped smiling since you called. Even Jake might have smiled once.”
Liam snorted and shook his head. “Yeah, I don’t think he likes me too much.”
“At the risk of sounding clichéd, he doesn’t know you.” Alex gave him a shy smile and then looked back down at the sidewalk.
“Oh jeez you two, you’ve already done the hard parts,” Jenna said, wiggling her eyebrows and heading for the passenger side of the van. “Just kiss him. Or better yet, take him home and get some.” She looked at Liam and jabbed a finger toward him. “Your home. No nookie on my couch.”
Jake and Alex shared a look before Jake climbed into the back of the van with the equipment and pulled it shut.
“You’re, uh, staying?” Liam asked. It seemed that he’d reverted to the level of awkwardness he’d maintained as a skinny, six-foot, gay teenager. He wondered if the feeling went away for people who kept dating into their thirties or forties.
Alex looked over his shoulder at Wilde’s. “I thought maybe we could get lunch.”
“Planning to use the last of your freedom party money?” Liam gave him a dubiously raised eyebrow.
Alex groaned and put his hands over his face. “You heard that, huh?” he asked, the sound muffled.
“A little,” Liam said. “So no. I don’t want anything from your mother either. But I’d be happy to take you to lunch. At least until you find a job.”
The hands fell away and Alex gave him another shy smile. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Liam took a step forward. “In fact, I hear there’s this great little place in Old Town that’s about to open for lunch.”
Liam took his hand, turned around, and they went back to the bar to ask for a table for two. Brigit was delighted.
“I’d be thrilled to find you two a table today,” she said with an amused smile as she snatched up menus for them. She motioned for them to follow her in, and headed for a dimly lit corner. They ended up at a table that would just barely fit two people and their food. “Will this be acceptable? I’ve always thought it was the best table in the house. Best opportunity for footsie and food sharing.”
“I think you just like to make me blush,” Liam shot back, to which she smiled and gave him an innocent shrug.
The menu she handed him was huge, and Liam was thinking that “bar” was entirely the wrong term for the place, despite the extensive wine and spirits list. Alex didn’t even glance at the thing, and Liam wished he were that kind of person. Instead, he slid it as far away from himself as he could, and pretended that it was a poisonous snake. It basically was.
He could really use something to settle his nerves. Being on a date felt like trying to swim against the current of a river. His hand slipped into his pocket and worried the smooth sides of the chip there.
“You okay?” Alex asked.
Liam nodded, then shook his head. “I don’t want to be this guy. There’s a lot of stuff you don’t know about me, Alex. Some stuff I can’t even tell you. And I hope that won’t be true forever, but I don’t wanna be the secretive boyfriend who might be an axe murderer on the side.”
“Are you an axe murderer on the side?” Alex asked.
He almost laughed, but he didn’t want it to be taken as an affirmation. “No, but I can’t say I’ve never killed anybody.” Alex’s eyes went round, and Liam quickly explained. “I’m a Marine. I did four tours in Afghanistan. Until I got injured and they decided I was done.”
“Oh,” Alex said in a small voice.
“Tell me you’re not a pacifist who can never look me in the eye again?” It hadn’t even occurred to him that was a possibility until he had said it.
He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t thought of it. One of his horribly failed dates had been with a guy who, upon finding out that Liam had been in Afghanistan, had spent the rest of dinner railing about politics and implying that Liam was a horrible person because of his choice to join the military. He really hoped Alex didn’t feel that way.
Fortunately, Alex shook his head. “Definitely not a pacifist. I mean, I’m not like, pro-violence or anything, but I’d totally fight if it was to protect somebody I cared about.” He paused, cocked his head, and looked at Liam for a long moment. “A Marine, huh? Explains the haircut.”
Liam ran a self-conscious hand through his high-and-tight. If his hair were thinner or blonder, a person could probably see his scalp through the back and sides. “Yeah. Never got out of the habit. Plus it’s easy to take care of.”
Alex nodded, then glanced up toward his hair. “Yeah, so I use the opposite logic. I figure it’s more work to get it cut, so I just don’t. It kind of just does this messy thing, which people seem to think I put effort into.”
“You do have that ruffled, sexy vibe people spend hours and tons of money trying to get,” Liam agreed. He grinned when Alex blushed.
“So we’re both lazy, and nobody’s a pacifist. Good start. Am I supposed to take my shoes off to do the footsie thing?” Alex failed at keeping a straight face as he said the last part, and they were still smiling like fools when the waiter showed up to take their orders.
After they had both ordered cheeseburgers, and no one had offered a diatribe on why anyone who wasn’t a vegetarian was a bad person, Liam realized he had forgotten all about the drink menu while ordering. First time for everything.
Their conversation didn’t flag as they waited for their food, running the gamut from things as serious as Alex’s experience playing the bass and how it had changed his life, or Liam joining the military, and how that had changed his, to the oh-so-important question of which gaming platform was best. It was entirely possible that there would be arguments about that one later.
When their burgers were delivered, Alex gave him a mildly dissatisfied look. “You know this is totally going to cramp Brigit’s style, right?”
“How’s that?” Liam asked him bemusedly.
“Come on,” he said with faux exasperation. “First there’s the criminal
lack of footsie happening here, and then we both order the same thing, so what’s the point of sharing food?”
“It’s not exactly the same,” Liam reasoned. “Onion ring?” he held one out as an offering.
Alex let out a very fake gasp and put a hand over his mouth. “Oh my god, I can’t believe this is happening.” He delicately took the ring from between Liam’s fingers, as though it was a precious thing. “Yes, Liam. I’ll totally eat your onion ring.”
He proceeded to do so—slowly, deliberately, and with a look of ecstasy on his face—while Liam put his head in his hands and tried to stop laughing.
“Glad to see our onion rings are to your satisfaction,” Keegan said, stopping next to the table and giving Alex a curious look.
Alex flushed and stuffed the rest of the ring into his mouth, which might have been worse than the previous slow tease.
“Sorry to bug you guys, but Brigit told me I have to talk to you before you leave.” Keegan seemed more amused than sorry, but Liam forgave him given the circumstances. In fact, Keegan was far and away Liam’s favorite member of the Quinn family.
“What’s up?” Alex asked after swallowing his onion ring and taking a drink of water.
Keegan grabbed a chair and pulled it up next to Alex. “Brigit said she heard you talking while you were setting up on stage, something about looking for a job?”
“Gotta eat and all that, you know? Cheesecake doesn’t pay the rent.” Alex gave a wistful sigh.
Keegan seemed momentarily confused, but he dismissed it with a shake of his head and plowed forward. “You know how to wait tables?”
“Not a clue,” Alex answered honestly. “But I’m totally willing to learn. And I like to think I learn pretty fast.”
Keegan nodded, not seeming surprised by the answer. “You come by tomorrow morning at nine with ID and all that, and we’ll do paperwork. It’s not the best job out there, but it can be decent money on busy nights.”
Liam wasn’t sure what to make of Keegan offering Alex a job without even knowing him, even if it did further the goal of getting closer to the Quinn family. Something about it seemed odd, but maybe that was just Liam’s professional paranoia.
