by Witt, L. A.
Somehow, I had the presence of mind to shut the door behind us.
After that, the only thing I thought about for the rest of the night was Jesse.
Chapter 23
Jesse
“I just don’t get how everything fits like a dream on the way down.” Simon gestured at the rental van. “And then it doesn’t fit after we’ve sold almost everything and have even less crap and—”
“Simon.” I patted the air with both hands. “Calm your tits.”
My boss glared at me, but he did push his shoulders back and take a few deep, cleansing breaths.
“It fits on the way down because we spent three weeks packing everything perfectly into boxes.” I nodded toward the stack of not so perfectly packed crates crammed with shelves, racks, stands, and leftover merchandise. “Now we’re all tired and we just threw it together, so no, it’s not going to fit as nicely.”
“Oh. Okay, I guess that makes sense.” He took another breath like he was going to comment further, but then he abruptly turned away and coughed into his elbow.
A few feet away, Dexy and Lydia froze, heads snapping toward him as they nearly dropped the crate of books they’d been hoisting into the van.
When he coughed again, harder this time, I arched an eyebrow. “Simon . . .”
“I’m fine.” He sounded raspy. Had he been already and I just hadn’t noticed?
I pointed at him. “Tell me you’re not sick.”
“I’m fine.” He put up a hand. “I’m just a little scratchy.”
“Scratchy like the air is dry?” Lydia paused to help Dexy drop the crate unceremoniously into the van. “Or scratchy like we’re all going to be sick as dogs by the end of the week?”
Simon didn’t answer.
Lydia and I looked at each other, and we both groaned. Goddamn it. Simon always went down with the con crud first. If he was already coughing, then I had maybe two days before my life started getting miserable. Always worked out that way. If we made it home without Simon showing a single symptom, then we were all good. The second he started sniffling or coughing, it was just a matter of time before Lydia, Ian, Dexy, and I were sick too. In that order. Which meant we already had it, and I’d probably given it to Garrett, too. Fan-fucking-tastic.
Speaking of whom, Garrett strolled up to the van right then and glanced at each of us in turn. “There anything I can do to help?”
I was about to tell him we were good, but Lydia piped up with, “I don’t suppose we could send you for coffee, could we?”
I glared at her, not sure how I felt about her conscripting my man for coffee detail.
Garrett, however, just smiled. “Sure. What does everyone want?”
We each gave him our order, which he jotted down in the notepad app on his phone since everyone wanted something crazy complex. Simon tried to give him the shop credit card, but he waved it away.
“My treat,” Garrett said with a smile. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He paused, giving all the boxes a look. “Do you need my truck for some of this?”
Simon scowled at the boxes. “We . . . might, actually.”
“Okay.” Garrett nodded. “When I come back with the coffee, should I just pull in here?”
“That would be awesome.” Simon smiled, looking for the first time all morning like he might not lose his mind. “Thanks. I really appreciate it. The coffee and the truck.”
“No problem.” Garrett gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, and with that, he was gone in search of coffee.
We all watched him go, and after a moment, I realized Simon was humming, which he didn’t usually do. When I glanced at him, he stopped but smirked. The second I turned away, he started again.
And then I recognized the tune—“Jessie’s Girl.”
I smacked his arm. “Shut up.”
He snickered. “What?”
“Simon.” Lydia clicked her tongue. “Really? Get back to work.”
He gave her a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am.”
As he continued organizing crates, she rolled her eyes before turning to me. “For the record,” she said with a smile, “I really like your man.”
“Oh. Well.” I wiped my brow and sighed dramatically. “What a relief.”
“Hey, it should be. You know what happens when you’re dating someone we don’t approve of.”
“Fair point.”
She sobered a little. “To be serious, though, he seems like a really good guy, and Hunter and Levi were raving about him this morning. So, I approve.”
I knew about Hunter and Levi, but I motioned toward Ian and Simon. “And they do too?”
Lydia smirked. “Oh, you could say that.”
I arched an eyebrow.
She laughed. “Ian was practically swooning over him, and I think I saw little floaty hearts over Simon’s head too. Can’t blame ’em—he’s hot.”
“Oh, you three don’t even know the half of it.” I suppressed a shiver at the memory of last night. A weekend of exhaustion couldn’t begin to temper the heat between us when we were alone, and once we’d made it back to our room, we hadn’t stopped until neither of us could move. I was lucky I was useful at all for loading the van right now—there wasn’t a muscle or joint in my body that didn’t ache.
Worth it.
Garrett returned not long after with coffee and his pickup. I made sure the van was packed and divided the overflow between Ian’s car and Garrett’s truck. Then I went back in and did one last sweep to make sure we hadn’t left anything at the booth.
After Lydia had finished checking out with the con organizers, we all hit the road. Dexy rode with Lydia in the van, and Simon joined Ian in his car.
I, of course, rode shotgun with Garrett, happily sipping the coffee he’d brought me, while he patiently wove through Portland traffic.
“Hope you didn’t mind me ditching you this morning,” I said.
“Nah. It gave me a chance to run through the booths that were doing some last-minute clearance. I, uh, might’ve spent some more money.” Christ, he was adorable when he looked all sheepish like that.
“Oh yeah? What did you buy?”
He gestured over his shoulder.
I craned my neck, looking behind the seat. There was a plastic shopping bag, and a familiar logo peeked through the opening. Facing Garrett again, I said, “You bought more cards?”
He nodded, smirking even as he blushed. “I thought I’d try my hand at building a deck with some of the newer expansions. You know, so I can whoop your ass or Levi’s.”
I blinked. “I am not even joking when I say I’m getting hard right now.”
Garrett laughed and put his hand on my thigh. “Well, then. Mission accomplished.”
I chuckled. “So I guess that’s a yes if I ask if you want to get together with everyone for another Magic night.”
“Yes. Definitely.”
“Good. Because Levi texted me this morning and said he had a blast playing against you, and Hunter definitely wants a rematch.”
Garrett shot me a wide-eyed look. I thought he might’ve been a bit starstruck. “Seriously?”
“Mm-hmm. But Hunter says if you touch his Royal Assassin again, he’ll make you regret being born.”
Garrett barked a laugh. “Oh. Game on.”
I just snickered. After I’d sipped my coffee again, I sighed happily. “Ahh, it’s been a fun weekend, but now I guess it’s back to the grind.”
“Back to the grind?” He chuckled. “Seems like your normal shifts will be a cakewalk after the con.”
“They will, but the cons are fun.”
“True. Well, I’ve still got a couple of days off. My sister’s coming up to visit and stay tomorrow night.”
“Yeah?” I studied him, suddenly kind of uneasy. “So, I’ll see you after she takes off?”
He glanced at me, then squeezed my leg. “I was hoping you’d have dinner with us. I think you’d like her.”
“Oh. So you’re . . . You don’t mind me meet
ing . . .”
“Of course not.” He patted my thigh. “If you’ve got time. I know your schedule’s a bit tight when you get back.”
“I can make it happen. Simon owes me a few favors, so just let me know when and where, and I’ll be there.”
“Great. I’ll see what she wants to do and text you the time and place.”
“Sweet. I’m looking forward to it.”
* * *
As I sat down beside Garrett at Rockin’ Surf and Dockn’ Turf, I was shocked at how obvious the resemblance was between him and his sister. They had the same sharp features, the same dark hair—though his had grayed a lot more than hers—and the same mischievous eyes. He’d told me she was three years younger than him, but she looked closer to my age than his. I wasn’t sure if that was because she just looked younger than she was, or because the last couple of years had aged Garrett faster than they should have.
“Jesse, this is my sister, Fiona. Fiona, my boyfriend, Jesse.”
She shot him a look I couldn’t read, but then put on a smile and extended her hand across the table. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too. But . . .” I gestured at her hand. “I probably shouldn’t. I’ve got a cold.”
“Oh yeah. I can hear it in your voice.” She grimaced sympathetically. “Poor thing.”
“Eh.” I shrugged as I took a tissue from the pack in my pocket.
Garrett shot me a concerned look. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah.” I dabbed at my nose. “Just this stupid con crud.”
“Con crud?” Fiona arched an eyebrow at her brother. “Did you go to a Comic-Con without me?”
“No, no.” He rested his hand on my leg under the table. “I went to a Wolf’s Landing con with him over the weekend.”
She perked up a little. “Oh? I didn’t realize you were into the series.”
“I wasn’t. But Jesse got me interested.”
Her eyebrows quirked in a way I couldn’t quite read, and her eyes flicked toward me. “Oh.” There was slightly less enthusiasm in her voice now. “So you’re a fan?”
I nodded. “I work at a comic book shop. We sell a lot of Wolf’s Landing stuff, so I don’t think I could not be into it if I tried.”
She laughed slightly more than halfheartedly.
“He introduced me to more than the series,” Garrett said with a grin. “Would you believe I spent an evening playing Magic with Levi Pritchard and Hunter Easton?”
Fiona’s eyes widened. “Uh. No.”
I took out my phone and scrolled to a photo. When I showed it to her, her jaw dropped.
“Hey!” Garrett craned his neck to look at the screen. “I didn’t know you took a picture.”
“My boyfriend was playing Magic on a bed with a half-naked Levi Pritchard. Yeah, duh, I took a picture.”
Garrett chuckled, and when he saw the photo, he grinned. “Send me that one, would you?”
I thumbed a couple of keys. “Done.”
“Thank you.”
Fiona smirked. “Oh Lord. You introduced him to Levi? I’m surprised he hasn’t fanboyed himself to death.”
“You’re not the only one,” Garrett said into his drink.
I grinned. “It was pretty cute, watching him introduce himself.”
Garrett side-eyed me, blushing.
I flashed a toothy grin and elbowed him playfully. “What? It was!”
He rolled his eyes.
As I turned to Fiona, ready to joke about her brother’s ridiculously adorable starstruck face, I paused. She was watching him, and she wasn’t as amused. Still smiling a little, not hostile or anything like that, but something was knitting her brow. The way she absently thumbed the edge of her menu added to the obvious uneasiness.
I couldn’t decide if she didn’t like me or if there was something else going on. I didn’t ask, though. That was between Garrett and his sister.
So, while Garrett started telling her about the con, I popped a cough drop in my mouth and tried to ignore the tension.
Easier said than done.
Chapter 24
Garrett
With my sister in town, the day promised to be busy but pleasant. Though my apartment wasn’t much to look at, she’d never been to Bluewater Bay, so I planned to drive her around. Showing someone else around seemed like a good way to learn the town anyway, and I wasn’t going to complain about spending some time with Fiona for once.
First things first—breakfast.
“I can already see why you like it here.” Fiona looked around Main Street as we headed toward the Sunrise Café. “It’s so much quieter than Seattle.”
“That part definitely has some appeal. Being within spitting distance of Scott is nice too.”
She shot me a smirk. “You two stoners have been hanging out, haven’t you?”
I laughed, my cheeks heating up. “Maybe.”
“Uh-huh.” She rolled her eyes.
I held open the café’s door, then followed her inside. Despite our banter, there was a knot of uneasiness in my stomach, and I didn’t like it. There was some distance between us that hadn’t been here when she’d arrived yesterday. I knew Fiona—she had something on her mind and didn’t want me to know about it. Or she didn’t know how to say it. Either way, it was going to stay wedged between us until she either brought it up or let it go, and the latter happened about as often as Halley’s Comet putting in an appearance.
The worst part was I was pretty sure I knew what she was thinking about.
The shift in her attitude had happened while we’d been having dinner with Jesse. I hadn’t noticed exactly when, only that she’d been different when we’d left the restaurant than when we’d arrived. We’d still chatted and caught up, but there was something . . . cool. Not quite cold, but chilly.
As we sat down, ordered coffee, and perused the menus, I stole glances at my sister, trying to get a bead on her. I knew the problem had to do with Jesse. I just couldn’t figure out the angle. What wasn’t sitting right with her?
It wasn’t that I was dating. She’d been surprised to hear that I’d met someone, but not put off or anything. She’d seemed excited to meet Jesse. So something about him had rubbed her the wrong way. Hell if I knew what.
The last thing I wanted was a confrontation. I didn’t see my sister very often now that I’d moved out here, and I didn’t want to ruin her visit. But goddamn, this frosty edge to her mood was going to drive me insane.
“Everything all right?” I asked finally.
She met my gaze across the table, eyes wide with innocence. “Of course. Why?”
“Don’t bullshit me, Fiona.” I inclined my head. “You’ve been keeping me at arm’s length ever since dinner last night.”
She pursed her lips and broke eye contact.
“If there’s something on your mind, just say it.”
Staring into her coffee cup, Fiona pulled in a long breath through her nose. “It’s about Jesse.”
“Yeah, I figured. What about him?”
“Well.” She chewed the inside of her cheek, studying me uneasily. “Don’t take this the wrong way, okay? I’m just concerned about you.”
I made a go on gesture.
Fiona straightened, pulling in a breath. “Are you really into him? Or is he filling the void Sean left?”
The question hit me in the gut. So it’s not just me. But I played stupid anyway. “Come again?”
She swallowed. “He’s a nice guy, okay? But he’s . . . familiar. And that worries me.”
I fidgeted uncomfortably. “Familiar, how?”
“Familiar like Sean.” She drew back a little like she thought I might get pissed. “Some of his personality quirks, you know? I mean, the second he walked in, I thought of Sean. And when he opened his mouth, my first thought was that he sounded just like Sean.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek, but didn’t know what to say.
She tilted her head the way she always did when I was being dense. “You don’t
hear it?”
“I . . . Well, kind of. But . . . so what?”
The head tilt stayed, and she doubled down with an eyebrow lift.
“What?” I tried not to sound irritated, but I was. “Yes, they have some similarities, but—”
“They’re not just similarities, Garrett.” She exhaled. “It’s not that he’s identical to Sean. He’s just . . . They’re the same type, you know?” When I didn’t respond, she went on. “You know damn well you used to have a very distinct type. Every guy you dated was this super manly tough guy. And don’t think any of us missed how you used to ogle that same kind of guy when you were a teenager. That’s how we all figured out you were gay in the first place! Honestly, the whole family was a little worried you’d marry an ex-con or a guy from a biker gang or something.” She gave a soft, sad laugh. “So we were all surprised when you brought Sean home because he was so obviously not your usual type.”
I almost laughed myself, but not quite. The shock and confusion on my family members’ faces the day they’d met Sean had been priceless. “He kind of surprised me too. He actually annoyed the shit out of me at the office when we first met.”
“I know.” She nodded. “And really flamboyant guys were . . . Well, I always got the impression they did annoy you. So when you started dating Sean . . .” She played with the handle on her coffee cup. “I mean, you were so obviously in love with him, and we all adored him. We were just surprised is all.” She swallowed before she met my eyes. “And . . . the thing is, Jesse’s that same type.”
I gnawed the inside of my cheek. I sure as hell couldn’t argue. Though he was less so than Sean had been, Jesse was definitely flamboyant. He couldn’t give two flying fucks what people thought of how he dressed, how he spoke, how he moved. I’d admired that about Sean, and I admired it about Jesse. The fearlessness. The unabashed comfort in their own skin. In that respect, Jesse hit a lot of the same notes Sean had, but he wasn’t Sean. I didn’t want him to be. I told myself it was that confidence that drew me in, and I’d convinced myself the familiarity had just been us settling into a solid relationship.
