Saving Grapes - Madeline Kirby Page 0,31
He came over to tell me he’d found my father. I guess he didn’t want to talk about it on the phone.”
It was Thom’s turn to stick his head in the shower. “What are you going to do?”
Ben finished rinsing the soap from his face before he answered, “It’ll be up to him. Chuck is going to contact him, let him know I’m open to a meeting. We’ll go from there.”
“Wow. What if he says no?”
Ben shrugged, “I’ll have to accept it. But at least I’ll know I tried.”
Chapter 11
IT SEEMED to Ben that time had never passed so slowly. He called his cousin Donna to make a dinner reservation for Thursday and find out if there was any kind of dress code. He hoped not, because his wardrobe didn’t run to fancy.
Thursday did manage to arrive, though, and Ben shut down the computer and headed upstairs to get ready for his date. Thom had been jumpy all morning, so Ben had finally suggested that he go down to the worksite to check on progress and get some fresh air. Thom was probably nervous about their date. Ben smiled as he stripped off his work clothes and stepped into the shower. He was a little nervous too, but mostly he was excited and looking forward to going out with Thom. Maybe if they went on a few actual dates, Thom would settle down and start taking Ben seriously.
He shaved carefully, not wanting to cut himself. He loved Thom’s dark five o’clock shadow and the way it felt rough against his skin, but his own beard was light brown and not as thick, and he always felt like it just made his face look dirty. He looked down at the thatch of hair at his groin. He thought briefly of trimming it, but Thom didn’t manscape, and seemed to like running his fingers through it when they were lying in bed together after – no, best not to think about that right now! He needed to get ready for their date. Plenty of time for that later.
Getting ready for this date – a real date – was a lot more fun than the last time. He definitely wanted to look his best tonight. His charcoal dress slacks, white dress shirt, and a black V-neck sweater – it was the dressiest outfit he had, and Donna had said it would be perfect for dinner at The Inn. He gave his hair a final look in the mirror, checked his face for toothpaste drips and missed whiskers, and took a deep breath. Time to pick up his date.
He crossed the hall to the master bedroom where Thom was getting ready and knocked on the door.
“Just a minute!”
“Everything okay in there?”
“Yeah, I’m just not sure—” The door opened, “Is this okay?”
Thom was wearing black jeans, a pale blue dress shirt that matched his eyes, and a dark grey sport coat. “You look amazing,” Ben told him. “You clean up real nice, sweetheart.”
Thom flushed and looked away. “You look pretty spiffy yourself.”
“Yeah?” Ben smiled, holding out his hand for Thom to take. “You ready for our date?”
Thom nodded, taking Ben’s hand. “Let’s give Cable’s Bend something to talk about.”
“That’s the spirit.”
Thom drove, and Ben leaned back in the passenger seat, watching him. Thom’s hands were confident on the wheel and gear shift, and Ben was starting to get a little turned on, thinking about where he planned to get those hands after dinner.
Thom glanced over at Ben. “What?” he asked.
“Nothing. Just admiring the view.”
Thom rolled his eyes.
“What? You are looking exceptionally handsome tonight. I’m glad you left the stubble – very sexy.”
Thom blushed. “Well, you said the other day that you liked it…”
Ben perked up. “You left it because I like it? Nice. Are you hoping to get lucky tonight?”
Thom just smiled a little and shook his head.
“Can I flirt with you at dinner?”
“Could I stop you?”
“Probably not,” Ben grinned. “Have you been to The Inn before?”
“Not for dinner. I went to a party on the grounds once. It’s supposed to be really good. The chef is some temperamental genius who got tired of the big city. He cooks what he wants and the menu changes all the time.”
“Sounds exciting.”
“It’s not for picky eaters. I heard that one time someone asked for a substitution and the chef came out and read them the riot act. Something about his dishes being perfectly balanced works of art and if they didn’t like it they could