Chapter 4
4
HOWELL
H e said yes! A few hours after our call, he’d texted me he was in for a date.
Asking Onno out had been unexpectedly hard and incredibly easy at the same time. It was scary to put myself out there and face the fear of rejection. I had given myself a stern talking-to before making that call to Onno.
But once I’d had him on the phone, we’d chatted naturally, even with his one-syllabic answers. He was cute and sweet and kind, and I loved his dry sense of humor. I wanted to hug him, assure him everything would be okay, and roll him in bubble wrap to keep him safe, but that wasn’t a topic for a first conversation.
Asking him out had been the first step. Now, I needed to make sure we had a date to remember. How long had it been since I’d had an official date? Jeez, it must’ve been before I’d gotten married, so at least fifteen years. After my divorce, I hadn’t planned on staying single, but I’d needed time to process and move on—code for nursing my wounded heart and probably also a little of my pride. Being dumped is hard on the ego, even if I could see all the reasons in hindsight.
But after that, I’d been open to dating again. Except I hadn’t met anyone I liked enough to ask out on a date. Hookups, sure, but not the official going-out-for-dinner-and-maybe-kiss-afterward thing. Until Onno, which was surprising since he was a guy. Back in college, a drunken bet with my gay roommate had led to us making out. I’d liked it enough to try it with two other guys, and it had been hot.
But since then, I hadn’t met a guy who’d made me want a repeat, so I thought those had been, for lack of better words, youthful experiments. And then I’d met Lori-Ann, and that had decided it. Straight it was.
Until now. And I was so out of practice, it wasn’t even funny. What could we do together that would be fun? Dinner? A movie? All that seemed so cliché. I wanted something special, something that suited Onno. I could think of only one guy to ask.
“Howie,” my former roommate— yes, that one —said cheerfully as he picked up. “How’s life?”
“Bubbles, I need your help.”
I could practically see him sit up straight. “You do? What strange calamity has befallen you that the most competent man on the planet needs my help?”
“I’m going on a date.”
He clapped his hands. “Oh, excellent.”
“With a guy.”
Long silence. “I’ll be goddamned. I just lost a five-year bet with Justin.”
“Why on earth would you make a bet with your husband about me?”
“He said you’d do at least one date or hookup with a guy before finding someone new. I assured him you’d only been bicurious in college and were now firmly established in your straightness as a fierce ally, but he told me I was wrong.”
I winced. “Sorry? Seems your husband was right.”
“And you couldn’t have discovered that earlier, like, before I met Justin, so we could’ve at least had one passionate night together? We never went all the way back in college.”
I laughed. “You always told me you were too much for me to handle. Something about you being a power bottom and me being too bossy?”
He sighed dramatically. “Yeah, I do admit we would’ve had compatibility issues.”
“Now that we’ve settled that, can we focus on my problem? I need you to tell me what to do for a first date with a guy. And maybe what to wear.”
“The latter is easy. Wear a white button-down shirt that’s just a little tight. It’ll show off your gorgeous body with all those big muscles. Pair it with nice jeans or, if you wanna go dressier, a pair of slacks, and you’re good.”
Okay, that was easy enough. “And what can we do? I asked him out, and I want to do something original. Something special.”
“Tell me about him.”
“His name is Onno, and he’s from the Netherlands.”
Five minutes later, I stopped talking.
“And you’ve only met him twice?” Bubbles asked.
“Yeah, and we FaceTimed once.”
“Howie, my friend, you’ve got it bad. But I have an idea.”
He wasn’t wrong, and his suggestion was gold.
Onno had needed a little time to recover from the hike, so we’d agreed to meet three days later. Dressed according to Bubbles’s instructions, I wore jeans and a tight white button-down. Considering what we were going to do, I’d probably have to chuck the shirt afterward, but it would be worth it.
Onno was waiting for me outside the bakery. When he spotted me, he took me in thoroughly. “You look amazing.”
“Thank you. I love your shirt. It makes your eyes pop.”
When I’d shared my suspicion that Onno had low self-esteem, Bubbles had told me to be liberal with the compliments.
Onno’s face lit up. “Thank you. I borrowed it from my brother. We’re the same size, and I didn’t bring that many clothes with me.”
“I can imagine. Are you ready to go?”
“Where are we going?”
I gestured at my truck, parked on the other side of Main Street. “To a little town called Berne. It’s about a fifteen-minute drive.”
“Do I need to bring anything? You didn’t tell me what we’d be doing.”
“Nope, you’re fine. And I’ll explain on the way there.”
I held out my hand, and he took it, his cheeks growing adorably red. “I still can’t get over how big the cars are here,” he said as we walked to my pickup. “We don’t have these back home.”
“No? Why not?”
“They wouldn’t even fit in most parking spaces or garages. The Netherlands is a tiny country that’s densely populated, so everything is small. Houses, gardens, roads, parking garages—everything is a hell of a lot smaller than here. Plus, gas is much more expensive. I can’t imagine this is a very economical car.”
I chuckled and held the passenger door open for him. “Oh, it’s not.”
He awkwardly climbed into the cab, but that wasn’t strange if he’d never been in a truck. I closed the door after him and got in myself. “I got this truck because I often have to haul equipment to the outdoor activities I participate in. Backpacks, tents, coolers, you name it. I can throw it all in the bed. I even have a rack that fits two kayaks.”
“That makes sense. So, what are we going to do?”
God, I hoped I’d gotten it right. “Well, you told me you were trying to do all kinds of things you’d never done, like kayaking and hiking, so I figured I’d continue that theme. No worries, it’s not something physical.”
He laughed sheepishly. “Thank you. I was about to get worried I would embarrass myself again.”
“It’s something I’ve never done either, so we’ll both be outside our comfort zones. We’re going to a pottery class where Clara, our instructor, will help us make a vase.”
I shot a quick look sideways. His face lit up. “Pottery? Oh, that sounds like fun. I’m not sure I’ll be any good at it, but it will be exciting to try.”
“I’ll probably suck at it because I have the artistic skills of a squirrel, but that’s okay. It’ll be fun to learn together, right?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
He put his hand on my thigh. Goosebumps pebbled on my skin at that simple contact, and my dick also made its interest known. Bubbles had been right. I did have it bad. “For being so intentional and thoughtful in coming up with an idea for our date.”
The warmth flooding me was unlike anything else. “You are so welcome. I’ve been looking forward to our date all week.”
“Yeah?” He removed his hand, and I missed it instantly. “What did you do this week? More kayaking and hiking?”
“I led an advanced three-hour kayak tour. That one was a challenge because of the rain, but we had a fun group, so that helped. And yesterday, I assisted with a rock-climbing outing.”
“You do rock climbing?”
“Not if I can avoid it. I know the basics, but I don’t have the body type for it. You need to be light and nimble, and that’s not me. But I’m excellent at belaying, so I’m the guy who holds the other end of the rope in case someone slips and falls. It’s not my favorite activity, since it involves a lot of standing and watching, but that’s also part of my job.”
“Rock climbing is something I won’t even try. I lack the necessary motor skills for that.”
“I’m sure you could learn if you put your mind to it, but if it doesn’t appeal to you, why would you? There are plenty of other fun activities you can do.”
He hummed in agreement. “What’s your favorite? Out of all the outdoor stuff you do, I mean.”
I didn’t need to think long. “Hiking. Heading into the mountains. Nature relaxes me, helps me find peace, and I love the physical exertion.”
“After I did the hike, I did some reading on it.” Onno laughed. “I know, I should’ve done that beforehand and prevented the blisters, but I didn’t. Anyway, I read some articles online, and it’s not as easy as it seems. And not as risk-free either. Which I’m sure you know since you do search and rescue.”
I let out a sigh. “Unfortunately, people underestimate the risks. Every year, we have to rescue people who get stranded because of inadequate preparation.”
“Like what?”
“Not bringing enough water or food, forgetting rain gear or cold weather clothing, not anticipating changes in the weather. Or they get lost because they can’t use a compass and have no clue where they are. Sure, we have rescues where people did everything right but an accident still happened. Two years ago, I had to rescue a fellow S&R volunteer who had slipped on a slick rock and broken his ankle. Freak accidents happen, and I never get annoyed over those. But it does baffle me how people can head into the mountains without any sense of the dangers.”
“I wouldn’t have known either.”
“No, but you didn’t go by yourself. You went with a guided tour and followed our gear list to a T.”
Onno chuckled. “I did. Joost drove me to REI in Seattle to get everything I needed. We don’t have the same shoe size, unfortunately, or I could’ve worn his boots.”
It spoke volumes about his character that he’d bought those things for a one-time outing. “We should go for another hike if only to make sure you use your gear again.”
He shot me an incredulous look. “You wanna go hiking with me again?”
“Absolutely. Now that you know you have to break in your boots, you could prepare. And we’ll take it nice and slow so you can enjoy the experience.”
He put his hand on my thigh again. “You are the sweetest to suggest it.”
This time, he left his hand there, and the warmth burned right into my soul.