Eddie: Grime Doesn't Pay (The Brothers Grime Book 2)

by Z. A. Maxfield

  “And”—she asked shyly—“maybe some pale pink lipstick?”

  “Sure.” Eddie dictated a reminder about that too. “But maybe next weekend, I could take you shopping? I’m sure you’ll want to pick some things out for yourself.”

  “Oh, you don’t need to go to all that trouble. Phil will be here soon.” She smiled. “And he’ll take me.”

  Eddie met Reese’s solemn gaze. “Of course.”

  “Okay, Dot,” said Reese. He led her to a comfortable-looking chair. “Have a seat in the royal throne here, and I’ll begin the story, shall I?”

  Mrs. H. giggled like a girl. Eddie left the room, pausing to listen just beyond the doorway where they couldn’t see him. Reese’s reading voice was rich and animated. He and Dot attracted the attention of a couple of the other residents. Two of the caregivers stopped what they were doing to listen. Hammett’s odd word choices, the inflections, the archaic language of making cigarettes and telephone bells ringing held them all spellbound.

  As Reese got into his role, his Boston accent didn’t disappear entirely, but he made an effort to narrate the story without it. When he got to “‘Shoo her in darling,’ said Spade. ‘Shoo her in.’” Reese sounded enough like Bogey to fool Bacall.

  Everyone around him listened.

  Maybe Reese was right. Maybe books were sacred.

  Eddie asked one of the CNAs to let him out. Understandably, she had to bolt the door behind him. Once he was outside, Eddie speed-dialed his favorite number.

  “Hello,” Andrew answered.

  “You sound happy. What’s up?”

  “What do you mean, what’s up? My favorite person is calling me. How can I not be happy?”

  “I took Reese to meet Mrs. H.”

  “You did? How did that go?”

  “Better than I imagined. He’s reading The Maltese Falcon out loud right to a group of people now. He does a damned good Humphrey Bogart.”

  “He’s reading to them? Really?”

  “Hand to God. He started with just Mrs. H., but they drew an audience. I don’t know which of them is enjoying it more.”

  “Will you be coming by later?”

  “No. I called to say I’m sorry about that.” Eddie got to his car and leaned against the door. “Grime got a call about a job. I need to get to the warehouse as soon as I’m done here and suit up for that.”

  “What happened?”

  “Do you really want to know?” Eddie asked.

  “Of course I do. I’ll imagine something worse if you don’t tell me.”

  “Convenience store robbery.”

  It took a minute for Andrew to reply. He was probably absorbing the horror of it. “I saw that on the news. The cashier was killed?”

  “Yes. Place is a mess; refrigerator cases got busted up; there’s slushy and shit everywhere.”

  “And blood.”

  “Yeah,” Eddie admitted.

  “Did they catch the guys who did it?”

  “Dave says they might have some leads. There have been a bunch of convenience store robberies in the last two months. Same dudes. Same MO. This is the first time they ever killed anyone, though.”

  “How come, do you know?”

  “I don’t. Probably the clerk was armed, or he tripped some kind of alarm. Dave and the rest of the detectives have been working overtime on these guys. They’ll get them.”

  “Long night for you, though.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Stop by my place after, if you want. I made lasagna.”

  “Homemade?”

  “Yes.”

  “Sounds delicious.”

  “Bonus offer: if it’s real late, wake me and I’ll suck your dick.”

  Eddie snorted a laugh at that. “You trying to give me something to look forward to?”

  “You bet.”

  “I always look forward to seeing you. Dick sucking or lasagna or whatever.”

  “Oh! And prepare to be amazed. I’ve learned a new dance move.”

  “Without me?”

  “Well, I have a lot to catch up on, and you can’t spend all your time teaching me to dance.”

  “Not this side of paradise, anyway. What is your new move?”

  “You’ll have to wait and see, won’t you?”

  “Where’d you learn it?”

  “From my students.”

  “Your first graders? Now I’m seriously concerned.”

  “You should be,” Andrew teased. “Ever heard of Psy?”

  “No. Don’t even say it.”

  “Apparently he’s gone well beyond ‘Gangnam Style’ and—”

  Eddie wrapped his free hand over his eyes. “Don’t even…”

  “Did you know Hammer pants have made something of a comeback?”

  Eddie didn’t even know how to respond to that.

  “Eddie?”

  “I’m still here.”

  “You know I’m kidding, right?”

  “I hope you’re kidding. I hope you haven’t finally broken through the hard white shell of your dance phobia only to imprint on Psy.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “As far as dance is concerned, you were an embryo when we met. Don’t think you have to follow every Internet dance craze like a newly hatched baby chick.”

  “Did you just make a yolk?”

  “Ha-ha. Put on one of your dad’s Sinatra records, stat. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “Sounds great to me. But the Psy thing was fun. Lots of hip action. You’ll probably like it.”

  “Probably. That doesn’t make it right.” Hip action conjured an image of Andrew’s body that made Eddie’s cock sit up and give his zipper a nudge. “You’d better not forget the rules, B. Andrew Daley.”

  “The rules?” Andrew practically purred. “I thought I gave the rules, Mr. Vasquez.”

  “Not so fast, Mr. Daley.” Warmth filled Eddie’s heart. “On the dance floor, I take the lead.”

  Epilogue

  Lucy’s excitement couldn’t be contained when her uncle and her teacher picked her up on the last day of school. “Mr. Daley, what are you doing here?”

  Her eyes bulged when Eddie stepped out of the passenger side of his car.

  “Hey, pepita.” Eddie waved at Cece and held the door open for his niece. “All ready for the end-of-the-year picnic?”

  “Uncle Cha-Cha? What are you doing with Mr. Daley?”

  Andrew answered, “Today, I’m driving you to school, and then your uncle Cha-Cha will be using my car for the day. That way he can come to the picnic and drive home with us after.”

  “But how come?”

  “Three people don’t fit in my car.” Eddie turned and watched her try to puzzle this out.

  She sat quietly, staring at them. “Uncle Cha-Cha. Is my teacher your boyfriend?”

  Eddie and Andrew exchanged glances.

  “Yep,” Andrew admitted. “I’m your uncle’s boyfriend.”

  “No.” She said that just like her mother would have.

  “Yes.” Eddie laughed.

  “And guess what?” said Andrew. “Your uncle bought me a lunch box too.”

  “What kind?” She squirmed to see between the seats. “I got a new Avengers one.”

  “I got Mr. Daley a Batman one. It’s old-school.” Eddie held it up so she could see it. “See?”

  “Did your mom freeze your juice box when she made you lunch?”

  Andrew shook his head. “I made my own lunch. But I did freeze my water bottle.”

  “Uncle Cha-Cha showed me. Mama can put tuna in mine if she freezes my juice.”

  Andrew pulled away from the curb.

  Lucy remained silent—really, she was way too silent for a little girl her age—until they got to Taft. Instead of parking in the lot, Andrew pulled up to the curbside drop-off.

  “All right then, Lucy.” Andrew met Lucy and Eddie at the curb, where he gave Eddie the keys. Their fingers brushed and held for a second of sweet contact as Andrew’s keys
changed hands. Andrew’s eyes said, Wish I could kiss you. Eddie winked at him and fussed unnecessarily with his scarf.

  After checking he had what he needed, Andrew said, “Got my work, got lunch, got Lucy. I’m good to go.”

  “Okay, see you at the picnic later,” said Eddie. “I’ll be bringing my own lunch. You two can try to guess what will be on my lunch box.”

  “You got a lunch box too?” asked Lucy.

  “I can’t let you have all the fun, can I?”

  “Wait.” Andrew stopped Eddie from walking away. “I have something for you.”

  Eddie turned back. Andrew eyed him like he wanted to lick him all over. Surely that wasn’t a look anyone should be wearing around children. Eddie was about to remind Andrew of that when Andrew pressed something into his hand.

  He looked down and found a bright green Teacher’s Pet pencil with a shiny red apple eraser on it.

  “Uncle Cha-Cha.” Lucy squeaked with delight. “Hey, look! You got a Teacher’s Pet pencil too.”

  Afters

  I’m aware that you have a ton of books to choose from, and I want to thank you for reading mine!

  I’d really appreciate it if you’d leave a review wherever it makes sense to you, on Amazon or Goodreads or your favorite blog sites.

  Reviews really do make a difference to an author’s visibility in bookstores and on the web. That means you can help me get noticed by new readers every day.

  Thanks in advance for taking the time to help me out!

  Best wishes and happy reading,

  ZAM

  Bonus! Sneak peek: Gabe and Dave’s story…

  If you loved Eddie’s story, stay tuned for Gabe’s!

  Love can be life’s dirtiest job.

  Gabe has loved Dave for half his life. In that time, he’s seen one man after another come and go from Dave’s bed. Dave even had a thing going with Gabe’s cousin and business partner Jack.

  A crime scene cleaning business doesn’t involve happily ever afters, so it’s practically a miracle when Jack falls in love on the job, leaving Dave single and vulnerable. Gabe’s not above swooping in to see if he has a chance, especially since it seems like their other business partner, Eddie, has finally found love too.

  But just when he thinks he and Dave have a chance, life throws a tragedy their way. Gabe has to choose between being the friend he knows Dave needs, or being selfish. There’s only one course of action, but is Gabe going to play it safe and back off, when all he wants is to grab on and hold Dave forever?

  Read Gabe and Dave’s all new story coming September, 2019!

  In the meantime, enjoy this bonus sneak peek of the brand new, upcoming novel, Gabe: Partners in Grime.

  Chapter 1

  Gabe couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. The winds had been gentle. The sea, calm. Sunshine blanketed Dave and him with bone-melting warmth.

  Gulls wheeled overhead. Their plaintive cawing formed an important part of the soundtrack of the afternoon—a heady mix of nature, smooth jazz, and the occasional engine noise from a passing boat.

  He and Dave had taken off early to enjoy a rare phone-free, anxiety-free day on the water. After a bracing sail, they’d anchored in a sheltered inlet, where they’d eaten a nice picnic lunch.

  Now, with their bellies full of fresh sourdough, turkey, and Swiss sandwiches, fruit salad, and thick homemade choc-oat-chip cookies, they worked their way through a cooler full of Dave’s favorite Stone Scorpion Bowl IPAs.

  “Mother nature’s partial reinforcement schedule,” he murmured to Dave, who lay next to him on the deck, sunning himself.

  “Hm?”

  “Every time I’m tempted to sell the Hazmat Hero, we get a day like this one.”

  “Don’t ever sell her. She’s family.” Eyes unreadable behind mirrored sunglasses, Dave propped himself on one elbow to finish the rest of his beer.

  Gabe thumbed a drop of sweat off Dave’s flushed neck. “Got a little pink today. What did I tell you about reapplying sunscreen?”

  Dave’s lips curved. “You’re such a mother hen.”

  “Cluck, cluck.” Dave was right. He did seem to be that guy—the one who worried about mundane things while his friends were leading lives filled with excitement and passion.

  That was him. MBA. Accountant. Not exactly a thrill seeker, except when it came to Dave.

  “Okay if I touch you like this?” Gabe let his hand drift to Dave’s shoulder and down his arm. He wanted to lace their fingers together, but didn’t know how Dave would react. He had to wait for cues to Dave’s mood because for Dave, being “out” in public, in daylight—even on a boat in the middle of nowhere—could be frightening and even painful.

  “When we’re alone like this, you never have to ask.”

  Right. In secret it was all okay. And mostly, they didn’t talk about it. But that was Dave. There were lots of guys just like him in the world.

  This worried Gabe because only recently their friend Jack’s first love—a guy who’d forced himself to play straight all his life—had eaten his gun. That man’s tragedy had kicked off an internal explosion inside their tight knit group of friends.

  Gabe’s cousin Jack met Ryan and they had settled down. Eddie threw caution to the wind and went after his long time man-crush, a teacher named Andrew. And Dave got drunk and let it all hang out with Jack. Sadly, since Jack had just found someone, that turned out to be too little too late, which was good news for Gabe, because Dave finally started seeing him as a man and a potential lover.

  Gabe’s secret crush finally noticed him.

  Of course, he was rebound guy. The other thing they never talked about was Dave’s broken heart.

  Gabe sighed and rolled onto his back.

  For Gabe, who’d waited a lifetime for Dave to see him as more than a friend, just being with him was progress. Dave had gone from hopelessly closeted to hit and run fucking with Gabe’s cousin, to almost, almost ready to consider a facebook status change to “It’s complicated.”

  But another part of Gabe, the smart part, knew guys like him didn’t inspire that kind of radical change in a man’s life.

  No. If Gabe’s patience was going to pay off, it would be because he put himself in Dave’s way at exactly the right time, in the right place, and persisted until Dave simply couldn’t refuse him.

  He wasn’t about to test his luck by pushing for more.

  Sunscreen, on the other hand…

  He handed the tube of face-friendly stuff over. “Here. Humor me.”

  “All right.” Dave sighed and squirted some into his hand.

  “And let me use the spray on you. Even though it’s fall, and late in the afternoon, you can really get scorched out here before you know it.”

  “You take good care of me, Gabe.” Dave surprised him by cupping his face and bringing him in for a kiss. Their lips met. Tongues traced salty skin. They shared the flavor of beer and the warmth of a genuinely pleasurable afternoon. Gabe didn’t want to let go.

  Always. Gabe tightened his lips against speaking the word out loud.

  “Remember that time we went to Catalina a couple years ago?” asked Dave.

  “Yeah.” They’d gone snorkeling one summer, just Jack, Gabe, Eddie and Dave. They’d spent a great weekend swimming and fishing. Lying around on the boat and drinking beer. He and Eddie let Dave and Jack sleep below while they bunked under the stars in the cold damp of a Pacific Coast morning.

  Dave smiled faintly. “That’s when I first hooked up with Jack.”

  Gabe ignored the pinch of pain caused by Dave’s words. “Should I pretend to be surprised?”

  Jack laughed. “No.”

  “I like truthful Dave.”

  “I’ve never lied to you.” He caught Gabe’s hand. “I omitted the truth, though.”

  “It’s all right.”

  “No it’s not.” Dave leaned over him, looking down. The shadow he made cooled Gabe’s skin. “You and the guys, you’re my best friends. If I could be
honest with anyone, it should have been you. It’s just. What happened to Jack in high school—”

  “Getting bashed?”

  “That was hell.” The beating Jack took from his so-called friends in high school was still painful for all of them. Dave set his jaw. “I guess I have trust issues.”

  “That’s a normal reaction.” Gabe gave his hand a squeeze. “At least your issues don’t drive you like they used to.”

  “Guess not.” He glanced at their entwined fingers, then grew serious again. “I’d like to believe I’ve changed for the better.”

  “You have changed. But there was nothing wrong with you before. You were just scared.”

  Dave’s lips twisted. “I always get the benefit of the doubt with you.”

  “Does that affect your respect for me?”

  “Yeah.” Dave’s eyes sparkled. “You’re way too good for a shitheel like me.”

  If only…

  Dave stood, went to the side, and dove into the water. Rising up and whipping his hair from his face, he called, “C’mere, you. Water’s awesome.”

  Gabe thought about it before jumping in. The water had to be cold—about 65 degrees. And he’d have to apply sunscreen all over again when he got out. His hair would get wet, and weird, and curly. He’d have to pilot the boat home in damp trunks, when now, they were pleasantly warm, and thoroughly dry.

  On the other hand, he’d do anything Dave asked him to do.

  He splashed into the water, coming up right next to Dave. They treaded water together so they could kiss languidly.

  Dave tickled through the hair on Gabe’s chest. He brushed his hands over thickly muscled arms. Dave cupped his face and rubbed their cheeks together happily.

  As a former competitive surfer, Dave was the far stronger swimmer. Gabe had to work hard to keep his head above water. Not that it mattered. He was ready to drown, as long as Dave was there to hold onto him while he did it.

  After lots of roughhousing and getting thoroughly splashed, Gabe swiped hands over his hair and swam to the ladder. Dave follows him up and they fell on their towels, shivering.

  “I’m going below to get warm.” Gabe let the idea hang into the air for a second before he said, “You could join me.”