at all the businesses,” Blade said, “so I figured Dante could give you a quick tour of the Stella’s kitchen before we move on.”
Dante strolled out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on his apron, and waved the prospects behind the counter. That left me and Blade alone at the table, and I was grateful for the break.
Blade sighed and stretched his arms overhead, then took a long sip of his coffee. “Seems like these kids will do fine.”
“Yeah, I think so,” I agreed.
The rest of the day was to be spent showing the prospects around the other businesses—Ballast and Ankhor Works, primarily, and then having them spend a relaxed evening at the clubhouse with the rest of the members. Just to see how they fit in. It was going to be busy, and while I was looking forward to it, I still felt a little restless. It’d been a few days since I’d seen Priest, not since we’d acknowledged our mutual desire outside of the clubhouse… and then decided to keep it under wraps. Now that I had a moment with Blade, I couldn’t keep the lid on my curiosity.
“So,” I said. “How’s—how’s Priest been?”
Blade wrinkled his nose, then shrugged a little. “He’s fine, I guess.”
“You guess?” I asked.
“Well, you know,” Blade said. “As far as I can tell, things may have changed.”
He glanced meaningfully at me, then took another sip of his coffee.
Back in the kitchen, the prospects were intensely focused on whatever Dante was explaining—potentially the difference between the proofing box and the walk-in?—so it was clear we’d have a few minutes to ourselves. So I sighed and nodded.
“You’d be right about that,” I said.
Blade nodded. He was clearly itching to say more but pressed his lips together like he was holding back. Under the table, I nudged his foot with mine.
“Just say what you want to say,” I said warmly. “Prez to prez.” If anyone deserved to have an opinion on whatever was developing between Priest and me, it was Blade.
Blade sighed and wrapped both hands around his mug of coffee, then turned a little in his seat so he was facing me. “You know I want both of you to be happy,” he said.
“There’s a but coming, isn’t there?” I said with a smile, hiding the twist of nerves in my chest. If Blade didn’t think that Priest and I exploring this was okay, I’d have to seriously reconsider. He was my co-president, after all, and if we weren’t on the same page, the leadership structure of the whole club was in danger.
“Not a ‘but’,” Blade said. “I’m invested in both of you being happy—I’m not necessarily invested in things working out one way or another. But I want to make sure that we two are communicating about what a change in your relationship would mean for the club.”
Some of my nerves settled. That was a valid concern, and one that I should’ve brought up with Blade earlier, when I realized this wasn’t going to go away as easily as I’d hoped. I’d been so caught up in my own feelings, and how to navigate the changing waters with Priest, that I’d left my presidential duties on the back burner. That was the benefit of having a co-president: we helped each other pick up the slack.
“You know,” I said, “this is why Ankh chose you to be president. You’ve got it, Blade, right down to your core.”
Blade grinned. “Stop trying to distract me.”
“I’m not!” I said with a laugh. “I’m being honest. We should’ve talked about this earlier.”
“I trust both of you,” Blade said. “But—I have to make sure that you know that the club comes first.”
“I do know,” I said. “And Priest does, too. I think that’s part of the reason my feelings are changing, you know? I haven’t been interested in anyone in so long in this way, but with Priest… I know our priorities are the same. I know I can trust him. At this point in my life, I can’t imagine being with anyone who isn’t as connected to the club as I am.”
“He’s family,” Blade said, nodding with understanding.
“Right,” I said. “This feels more like… a progression, rather than something new. If that makes sense.”
“It does,” Blade said. “Really.”
“But I want to make sure it’s okay with you, too,” I said. “Not just as co-president, but as a member. My relationship with Priest has always been different than yours.”
Priest had always been a friend to me—one of my best. But