too, and that everything was going to be okay.
Carrying the ice cream churn I’d picked up last week. It’d turned out the mechanism was busted, and I hadn’t decided yet what to do with it.
He’d clearly cleaned it—the metal hoops gleamed with a polish they probably hadn’t had when it was brand new—but I didn’t understand why he even had it.
“Happy birthday,” he said, hauling it up to the counter, grinning at me…
And then turning the handle on the top freely and easily.
He’d fixed it.
I wanted to kiss him.
So much for a gift he could give me in front of Dad—if we’d been alone, he would’ve been naked in five minutes.
Less, maybe.
“You fixed it,” I said, overwhelmed by how thoughtful he’d been.
Wes shrugged. “It wasn’t a huge job. Just needed to be pulled apart, cleaned, greased, and put back together again.”
“It would’ve been a huge job for me,” I said. “I had no idea where to start.”
“YouTube was surprisingly instructive,” Wes said. “And the old pamphlet was tucked between the liner and the wood when I pulled it out, there were diagrams. Didn’t take too much to figure it out.”
“You’re incredible,” I murmured, turning the handle again slowly.
“I agree,” Dad said as he strode into the kitchen. “We’re talking about Wes, right? He’s amazing. What’d he do?”
“Fixed this.” I demonstrated the working churn for Dad.
Dad smiled at both of us, and that flash of the future came back to me again, and it hurt.
It hurt that I couldn’t have it.
“I hope you thanked him,” Dad said.
“It’s a birthday gift,” Wes explained. “The least I could do.”
“I still hope he thanked you,” Dad insisted. I smiled at that. He’d raised me to have manners.
“Thank you,” I said automatically, looking up at Wes. “For everything.”
“You keep saying that,” Wes responded, reaching out to touch the churn, the closest thing he could do to touching me while Dad was watching. “And you’re still welcome.”
Dad’s whole face lit up. “I’m so glad to see my two favorite boys getting along.”
Wes blushed to the tips of his ears, presumably at being called Dad’s favorite.
“Time I made breakfast,” he said. “Since I know you have plans with Hayden, Mr. Lewis.”
“You don’t need to make breakfast,” Dad said.
“The faster you two eat, the faster you’re out of the house, the faster I can get to work,” Wes teased.
23
Wes
The look on Mr. Lewis’s face had been priceless when I showed him the picture of Hayden stepping into the local gay club—infamous by Otter Bay standards, although probably quaint by standards in New York.
He’d still handed over the keys with a grin, and I knew he approved of me taking Hayden with me. He’d wanted us to be friends.
Mr. Lewis had gotten a little more than he bargained for, but I wasn’t quite brave enough to tell him that yet.
I wanted to. I even had this little fantasy scenario in my head where I sat down with him and told him how I felt, that I thought Hayden was amazing, and that…
That if he wasn’t okay with that, I’d leave.
But it wouldn’t change how I felt about Hayden.
And that was the part I kept getting stuck on, the fear that I’d have to leave.
This was so much worse than coming out to my own dad. This wasn’t coming out.
This was admitting that I’d found someone, one soul in the entire world, who meant more to me than anything else. Even this job that I loved, even Mr. Lewis himself, who’d been more like a second dad to me than an employer.
Today wasn’t the day to think about it. Today was probably my last day with Hayden. He’d need tomorrow to pack so he could go home early on Monday.
I looked up from the car as I heard the front door open.
“You’re wearing the jeans!” I said as Hayden walked over, excitement welling up in the pit of my stomach.
He was wearing them. For me.
“They’ve softened a little bit now that I’ve worn them a few times.” Hayden shrugged. “And, y’know, you’re, uh. You’re worth dressing up for.”
I wished I could risk kissing him, but I had no idea where Mr. Lewis was, and I kind of expected him to be watching us leave.
“You’re adorable, don’t ever let anyone tell you you’re intimidating again,” I said. “You’re a giant teddy bear.”
Hayden snorted. “Don’t tell anyone,” he said. “I still need some people to be a little scared of me.”
“You gave your staff a surprise vacation with full pay,” I said.