Dirty Thoughts - Megan Erickson Page 0,57
Here? Wow, he moved fast.”
Cal chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. “You know the kid I mentioned? Who works for us?”
“Yeah.”
“His name is Gabe, and he’s got a younger brother, Julian. He and Asher met at the garage and seemed to . . . uh . . . hit it off, I guess.”
“Well, that’s really great. Asher doing okay, then?”
“He’s getting settled. He said he likes it here, that it’s quiet. He and Brent get along real well. I guess because Brent’s still basically a fifteen-year-old kid.”
Jenna smiled. “Yeah, I guess he is.”
Cal looked away, squinting into the sun. Jenna stared down at her painted toenails. Her car’s engine dinged. A bird chirped. How much more awkward could this be? Just give him the damn granola and leave, Jenna, she told herself. But instead, she stood there, unable to get her feet to move. Cal didn’t seem eager to do it either. She wondered how long they could stand five feet from each other without making eye contact.
She glanced up, noting the hood of his truck was up. “Something wrong with it?”
“Huh?” He finally met her gaze, brows drawn in.
She gestured to his truck’s hood, and he glanced behind his shoulder before turning back to her. “Ah, no, nothing’s wrong. I don’t drive it much in the summer. Usually ride my bike. But with Asher . . . I wanted to make sure everything was okay with it, now that I know he’ll be in it with me.”
Did he even listen to himself speak? He was spending his Saturday off from his job of fixing vehicles to fix his own vehicle to ensure Asher rode in something safe. Her throat tightened and her eyes stung. God, if only Cal could see that he had so much to give. If only he wanted to. If only he was willing to see how much he was getting back.
But he didn’t, and the sooner she got that through her thick skull, the better they’d all be.
She turned around. “I’ll just get the granola . . . ”
A truck turned down Cal’s driveway, rumbling on the stones. Three people sat inside, a man and two teenagers. The driver waved at Cal through the windshield, and then the passenger door opened. Asher hopped down, leaned back inside to say something, and then shut the door behind him.
The truck made a sloppy three-point turn and then headed back the way it came. Asher walked toward Jenna, his smile bright. He wore a pair of red Converse, shorts, and a T-shirt. “Hey, Jenna!”
“Hey, buddy, I finally got around to bringing you the granola bars.”
“Sweet! Thanks!”
Jenna reached inside her car and handed the container to Asher, who looked at them eagerly. “Check it out, Cal.”
She turned to look at Cal, but his eyes weren’t on her or the granola; they were zeroed in on Asher, and he didn’t look happy. “What’s that on your neck?”
Asher’s head shot up, his color draining, and he clapped his hand around his throat. “What?”
Cal took a step forward, his posture stiff, head tilted. “What’s that on your neck?”
Asher’s eyes darted to Jenna, but she was confused. “Cal, what—”
“Is that a hickey?”
Asher’s mouth dropped open. “Cal—”
“You said you were going over there to play soccer with Julian and his friends.” Cal’s voice was getting louder. “So how the hell did you get a hickey?”
Jenna began to sweat. So apparently this day could get more awkward. Really, the possibilities were endless with Cal around. “Cal, how about you guys go inside—”
He turned to her. “Do you not see that on his neck?”
She squared her shoulders. “Actually, no, I didn’t notice, but I think confronting him in the driveway might be a little much.”
The front door to the house slammed, and Jenna and Cal both turned to look at it. While they’d been arguing with each other, Asher had taken the granola and run into the house.
Jenna sighed. “Cal, for God’s sake . . . ”
He speared his fingers in his hair and then ran his hands down his face. “Shit.”
“Are you sure it’s a hickey? If he was playing soccer, then maybe—”
“Asher’s gay, Jenna.”
She clamped her jaw shut and blinked. She turned around, eyeing the dust that was still settling from the truck that had just left. Then she turned back to Cal. “Okay, I think I’m missing something.”
Cal pointed in the direction that the truck had left. “I’m pretty sure Julian is too. He and Asher . . . I don’t