by Lucy Hawkins
A muscle twitched in Hank’s jaw. “Yes.”
“Okay, so when you were with the Jaguars, how much were you making a year? How much?” he pressed, when Hank hesitated.
“Something like half a million a year. I wasn’t a starting player or anything. I was lucky if I played five minutes a game.”
Alex let out a low whistle. “That’s not a small amount of money. Half a million a year for say, six years if you went all four years to college. That’s like… three million bucks.”
“Yes.” Hank drew out the word.
“All I’m saying is you could totally use the money you made during your football career to build up a business and make more money.”
“No.”
The word was so forceful that Alex physically recoiled. “No? Why not? It’s a good idea!”
“I’m not saying it isn’t a good idea. In fact, it’s a great idea. But no.”
That didn’t make any sense. If it was a great idea, then why wasn’t he doing it? “Is it a failure thing? You don’t want to fail at this? Cause if it is, you’re going to do well. I mean, even if we start out small it—”
“I don’t have the money,” Hank bit out. “I barely have the money to pay off the mortgage Aunt Norma took out on the inn when she got sick.”
Well. That was certainly unexpected. “Um… Where’d it all go?” he asked hesitantly. “I’m—I’m not going to judge you or anything. I hope you know that.”
Hank didn’t seem like the kind of person who had many vices. He didn’t gamble, didn’t smoke, and it would take a hell of a lot of alcohol to burn through three million dollars.
Sighing, Hank walked around the island and took a seat beside Alex. “You know that my brother and I lived together in Jacksonville. He came to stay with me after he got out of prison for a series of carjackings, but he cleaned up, got a job as a line cook, wanted to be a chef. Things were going great. We lived together for three years, and it was perfect.”
The strangled note in Hank’s voice told Alex it wasn’t going to stay that way.
“Daniel needed a car,” Hank continued. “He came to me and asked if he could borrow some money. I was doing really well, so of course I said yes. I told him to take my bank card and withdraw as much as he needed. That was the last time I saw him. He completely cleaned out the account. Fortunately, I had a smaller account that had some money set aside, but for all intents and purposes, he took everything I had.”
Anger coursed through Alex. How could anyone take advantage of someone like Hank? Hank was the epitome of a good person. He helped pull off impossible weddings and took his brother in. Hell, he was even great with kids, having consoled more than one screaming toddler who’d come to stay at the inn.
And yet something inside him wasn’t surprised that Daniel had done what he had. Though they’d only interacted a handful of times, there had always been something off about him. Alex couldn’t put his finger on it, so he’d dismissed it at the time, but now he knew. Daniel was untrustworthy. Why else would he have spent a year hiding from Hank?
“Why did he do it?” he asked. Maybe there was a reason. Some explanation that would magically make it all right.
Hank shrugged. “I don’t know. I promised not to ask him when I wrote to him.”
“Are you serious right now? You have a right to know why he stole from you. I mean, it isn’t like he took a couple hundred out of your wallet. He stole every single bit of money you made, and you don’t even want to know why?”
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. If their situations were reversed, if Taylor had taken everything he had and then vanished for a year, he would be furious. Answers were only the first thing he’d demand from her.
“Of course I want to know why.” Exasperation tinged Hank’s voice. “I’m still angry and hurt, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get over that. But he didn’t grow up like I did. By the time I came here, he had already aged out of the system. He was trying to make ends meet any way he could.”
“I understand that. I really do,” Alex said, trying to keep his fury at bay. “But you said yourself he had turned a new leaf. If that were really the case, he wouldn’t have stolen three million dollars from you!”
“Stop,” Hank said firmly. “Right now. The business between me and Daniel is our business.”
Our business. Not yours. The implication hung in the air, and Alex felt as though he’d been punched in the stomach. Once again, he was on the outside. Just the boyfriend who could be strung along with sweet words and touching actions. Not anymore.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, measuring each word as he spoke. “Be that as it may, as your boyfriend and business partner, I’d like to think I have some say in this. If you don’t know why he stole from you in the first place, who’s to say he won’t do it again? And this time, it’s not just your money on the line. It’s mine. It’s this inn. It’s everything you and Norma worked for.”
Perhaps it was cruel bringing up Norma, but Hank needed to understand the severity of the situation. He might believe that his brother was reformed, but until they had proof of that, Alex was going to withhold his approval.
Hank sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “He’s my brother. Yeah, he’s made mistakes. Ones that have cost me. But I want to believe he’s changed. I’m not going to trust him with any of the financial stuff, but he needs someone to take a chance on him. How much trouble could he be working here?”
Alex resisted the urge to point out that Hank had already given Daniel a chance, and he’d blown it. They were already talking in circles, and bringing that up would just make matters worse.
“Well, if he steals from us, a whole lot of trouble. The clients who book us for weddings… they’re not exactly dealing with small budgets. This is about more than just us, Hank.”
“I know.” Reaching over, Hank took his hand. “I can’t ask you to trust him. I don’t expect you to overnight. And yeah, there are some questions I want answered. But right now, he needs to know he has someone in his corner. Someone rooting for him. If I hadn’t had that with Norma all those years, who’s to say I might not have ended up the same way?”
“You never would have,” Alex said gently. “You’re too good of a person.”
“So is Daniel. When we were younger, our parents used to get really drunk, and they… well, they weren’t good people when they were drunk. Daniel used to take me to the park and push me on the merry-go-round so I didn’t have to see it.” Hank stared at their hands, lost in thought. “Looking back on it now, he sheltered me from a lot more than just that. There were bruises… But they never hit me.”
Alex’s stomach rolled. He wished there were a way to go back in time so he could comfort young Hank. He couldn’t imagine living in that kind of hell. Sliding off the stool, he stood in between Hank’s legs and wrapped his arms around him. Hank had endured so much, and yet he was still such a gentle man who loved to bake and sang horribly off-key when he was drunk.
“I wish your aunt was still around. I want to thank her for taking care of you the way she did.” The more he heard of Hank’s life, the more grateful he was to the one woman who’d helped him feel a sense of normalcy in his life.
“She knew,” Hank said. “Maybe not when I was in high school. I was a little shit. But afterward… She knew how much I appreciated what she did for me, all the sacrifices she made.”
Hank rested his head against Alex’s chest, and they stayed in that embrace for what felt like hours. Holding Hank felt right. Like this was where he’d belonged all along. He’d just been too angry to realize it.
His phone buzzed, and Alex reluctantly pulled away to check his message.
“It’s my mom,” he said with a sigh. “She needs me to pick up some stuff on the way home.”
“Why do you not sound super thrilled about that?”
Alex pressed his lips together. “It isn’t that I don’t love my mom and my sister. I do. They’re both great
, and they’ve been nothing but supportive of me. But I’m twenty-eight. And living at home, I feel like I’m sixteen again. Mom always wants to know where I’m going and what I’m doing, and I hate being accountable to her.”
“Well,” Hank said slowly. “You could always move in here.”
“What?”
“Think about it. You’re already here all the time anyway. You work here. And you spend half your nights in my bed. Move to the inn. The commute time is great.”
He wanted so badly to say yes. The word was on the tip of his tongue. But he’d moved in with Grant four months into dating without really knowing who Grant was. And this was where it had gotten him.
Logically, Alex knew Hank was nothing like Grant. He wasn’t cruel or cold. He didn’t make cutting remarks or judge Alex for being, well, Alex. Instead, he was patient and thoughtful, someone Alex could see himself being with for a long time. Still, the thought of taking this next step made his stomach turn, especially with the whole mess with Daniel going on. So much could go wrong, and then where would Alex be? Not only homeless but jobless to boot.
“I don’t know,” he said.
Hank frowned. “Is it something I can fix? You’d have your choice of guest rooms. It would be perfect.”
At least he would have his own space. As much as he loved spending time with Hank, he didn’t think he was ready to move into a small room with him.
“No, it isn’t that,” Alex said. Hank looked so confused that Alex wanted to reassure him it wasn’t anything he’d done. “It’s just… Things moved really fast with Grant. Really fast. I didn’t take the time I should have to get to know him, and we both know how well that ended up. I’m…” He forced himself to breathe. “I’m scared, okay?”
Hank rubbed his bicep then pulled him close again. “That’s perfectly normal, especially after what you’ve been through. Just give it some thought, okay? You don’t have to make a decision today. I just thought it might be better than living with your family.”
What had he done to deserve a man like Hank? “It would definitely be better than living with my family.” He leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Hank’s lips. “I’ll think about it. I promise.”
Twenty-Three
Hank
The lunch rush had mostly cleared out by two, so Alex washed up the dishes while Hank and Daniel plated lunch for the three of them. Hank had left Daniel in charge of the menu for the day, and the result was a delicious chicken parmesan that the guests had loved. He set his plate and Alex’s on the bar and waited until they all sat down to dig in.
Every now and again, he would glance between his brother and boyfriend as though doing so would facilitate conversation. It didn’t. Normally, Hank didn’t have a problem with silence. Before Alex came along, on slow days, he might go hours without saying a word to anyone. But this was different. Thick, almost tangible. It seemed no one knew what to say to one another.
Hank cleared his throat. “The chicken parm is really good, Dan,” he said.
“Thanks,” Daniel said, his mouth still full. “My boss in South Carolina taught me how to make it. The secret is adding a little bit of brown sugar to the sauce.”
“Huh. I’ll have to try that next time.” He looked over at Alex, who picked at his plate. Gritting his teeth, he turned back to Daniel. “So how long were you in South Carolina?”
Though Daniel had been back a few days, they’d not had much of a chance to talk. Daniel had flown back down to South Carolina to pick up the rest of his things and put in his notice at the restaurant.
“About seven months. I moved around a bit after um… after I moved out.”
“After you left,” Alex said. He didn’t look up from his plate.
Daniel’s cheeks flushed. “Yeah, after I left. Spent some time in Mexico, then went out west for a bit.”
What were you doing there? The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t ask. The no-questions-asked policy was becoming harder and harder to keep.
“So, how’d you live?” Alex asked. “I mean three months is a long time to go without income. Unless, of course, being a line cook pays better than I think it does.”
The implication hung in the air. Had he used Hank’s money get by those months? But that didn’t make sense. Daniel had taken nearly three million dollars from him. Unless he’d gambled it away, there was no way he could have burned through it that quickly. There’d been no need for him to get another job, especially under a fake name.
“I found a used RV that I lived out of for a while,” Daniel answered, his voice even. “It was pretty tiny—one of the ones built in the eighties that got, like, three miles to the gallon. Not very efficient on the road, but when I parked it, it did well enough.”
“That must have been a few grand, yeah? And then you have food and gas on top of that.”
“Alex,” Hank snapped. Enough was enough. Whatever misgivings Alex had about Daniel, Hank wasn’t going to let him talk to Daniel like this.
“No, it’s okay. I did some odd jobs here and there. Eventually made my way back to South Carolina when an old buddy of mine said he was leaving the restaurant and the job was mine if I wanted it.” An easy smile spread across Daniel’s face. He always had tried to charm his way into people’s good graces. “I’ve been working there ever since, until Hank reached out to me.”
“And now I’ve brought him on board to help out in the kitchen, and here we are,” Hank said quickly. The last thing he needed was for Alex to find out he’d told Daniel he would eventually have free rein of the cooking side of things.
“Hank says you’re in charge of the wedding planning?” Daniel said. “Sounds like a lot of responsibility.”
“Fortunately, I don’t shy away from responsibility.” Alex smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Hank stepped on Alex’s foot hard enough for him to get the message—Leave Daniel alone.
If looks could kill, the one Alex threw his way would have had him dead and buried. But when he spoke again, his voice had lost some of the biting edge to it. “I handle everything from color schemes to floral arrangements to seating charts. Sometimes the couple will already have certain pieces put together, so it’s up to me to incorporate them into the mix. Like, if they have the florist picked out but not the color scheme, or the cake but not the overall theme.”
“Sounds like you juggle quite a bit.”
Alex shrugged. “I can handle it.”
Please, Hank begged silently. Please, just give him something to work with. He’s trying so hard, and you’re being an ass.
“Alex thinks we should consider adding catering to the services we offer,” he said aloud, desperate to change the subject.
“Thought,” Alex said. “I thought we should add catering. But you’re right. We don’t have the money to hire extra staff right now.” He stared straight at Daniel.
“That’s enough.” Anger coursed through Hank’s veins.
This wasn’t his Alex, the man who’d drunkenly lip-synced Britney Spears. The man who’d spent four hours finding the perfect baby shower gift for Hazel. The man who was playful and teasing. This Alex was cruel and cutting. Hank could understand his mistrust, given his history with Grant, but this was different. He hadn’t even given Daniel a chance before passing judgement on him.
Daniel set his fork down. “I think I’m going to go for a walk. It’s a gorgeous day out, and it would be a waste to stay inside all day.”
He pushed away from the table and stood up, refusing to look at Alex. Hank didn’t speak until the front door closed.
“I want to make one thing abundantly clear,” he said, his voice dangerously soft. “I care about you. A lot. When I’m with you, you make me feel amazing. But I will not tolerate this behavior toward Daniel. Yeah, he did a shitty thing. But he did it to me. He didn’t take anything from you. This judgement ends. Now.”
Alex’s eyes had gone round with surprise. He swallowed hard
and nodded. “Okay,” he said softly. “I know he’s your brother and you love him, but I just… I don’t want you to get hurt again, Hank.”
He sighed at the tenderness of Alex’s tone. “I know. You care about the people close to you. But I know Daniel. Things are different this time. I can feel it.”
Leaning over, Alex pressed a kiss to his lips. “I certainly hope so. Cause if they aren’t, I might actually kill him.”
Hank looked toward the door. “I should go find him. Talk to him. At least try to assure him you don’t hate him.” He hesitated. “You don’t hate him, do you?”
“No. I’m just incredibly wary.”
“Understandable. Can you man the phones until I get back?” Alex nodded, and Hank climbed off the barstool. “I’ll be back soon.”
He caught up with Daniel by the willow tree near the lake. Daniel had a handful of rocks, and he flicked his wrist sending one skipping across the surface of the water. It bounced three times before sinking, ripples shimmering in the summer sun. The air was hot and sticky as Hank stepped under the shade of the willow and leaned against the trunk.
“I don’t blame him for hating me, you know,” Daniel said, flinging another rock toward the water. “I would hate me in his shoes too. Hell, I hate me in my own shoes.”
The guilt in Daniel’s voice tugged at Hank. “He doesn’t hate you. At least, he says he doesn’t. Alex… He has trust issues. And for good reason.”
“Yeah, I kind of figured he might when he insisted on his own room in the inn, even though he spends every night in yours.”
“It’s his ex. Grant.” His lip curled as he said the name.
In truth, it wasn’t his story to tell. But he needed Daniel to understand Alex wasn’t a bad guy. He was just protective.
“Alex had a fiancé named Grant when he lived back in Manhattan. Grant was some hotshot doctor or something, I don’t really know. Anyway, turns out, the entire time they were together, Grant had been cheating on him. Stood him up the day of their wedding.”
