Truth or Spare (Princes Take New York #2)

Chapter 6

Chapter Six

“ D id you see that, Brooks? I hit three that time!” Theo hopped and waved at Dewey from lane 2.

Dewey held up a thumb, attempting an encouraging smile. “Yup.”

There was nothing to do at the moment so Dewey had instructed Theo to keep practicing.

What the hell is he doing here?

While he was far from the worst employee the bowling alley had ever seen, Dewey still had his doubts about Theo. The exhausting Austrian appeared to be having a grand time, but Dewey couldn’t shake how out of place the handsome foreigner seemed. While Theo was the exact opposite of rude or pretentious, his manners were still too polite and polished, and he was impressed with the oddest things.

“There are one-hundred bags in this box?” he had asked when Dewey showed him the storage closet and where they kept the trash bags, earlier that morning.

“Yeah… Twenty per roll.” Dewey had pointed at the corner of the box. He wasn’t trying to be a smartass, but he had a hard time believing it was Theo’s first encounter with a box of trash bags. “You pull one out and put it in one of those big square cans and you take bags that are full to the dumpster outside,” he said slowly and nodded in the direction of the dumpster.

“I see…” Theo’s head bounced as he processed. “And how will I know when it’s time?”

Dewey blinked back at him. “Time?”

“To refresh the trashcans’ bags,” Theo replied earnestly, checking his watch. He raised a finger. “I can set an alarm on my phone so I won’t forget.”

“Um… We refresh all the bags before we leave at the end of the night. But we keep an eye on them throughout the day and they get refreshed whenever they’re full. That’s gonna depend on how busy we are.”

“Ah! Got it!” Theo said as he rubbed his hands together. “How do we get the bags into the dumpster? I’ve been meaning to ask.”

“There’s a door on the side,” Dewey said. “You just open it and toss the bags in.”

“Ach so!” Theo whispered and nodded quickly. “I’m sure I can manage.”

Dewey hadn’t sensed a hint of sarcasm but he’d snorted and rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you can. Just don’t hurt yourself,” he added.

There was a soft hiss from Theo. “I can’t promise I won’t,” he said, once again without any sarcasm. “But I’ll get the hang of it eventually, boss,” he predicted.

Thankfully, Theo was able to take a test bag out on his own and returned unharmed. He did pinch his fingers and catch his thumb a few times while they were making their rounds in the workshop. Theo remained enthusiastic, though, and had yet to complain. No matter how menial the task was and despite his startled, pained yelps, Theo’s attitude remained just as bright and unstoppable as his smiles.

“How about another lesson?” Theo called from 2, shaking Dewey from his thoughts.

Dewey became alert, envisioning his arms around Theo and guiding him through the proper motions. He used to enjoy giving lessons and it was a great way to show off whenever he was sweet on someone.

Not that he was sweet on Theo.

Not at all. Dewey just appreciated it when a man smelled nice and had better manners and was smarter than a stump. And Theo liked to flirt and didn’t take everything too seriously, the way Dewey and everyone else in Oslo did.

But Theo was technically his employee, as bizarre as that seemed, and way too far out of Dewey’s league.

“Maybe later. I got an order of new balls to price and put up,” he said as he pointed over his shoulder at the office. “Keep practicing and call me if someone comes in?” he suggested and received a jaunty salute from Theo.

“I’m on it, boss!”

“Boss?” Dewey repeated to himself as he backed away, mystified anew as he watched Theo make another awkward attempt. The ball careened into the gutter but Theo spun and cheered before hurrying to the return to wait for it.

“I’ll bet he’s never called anyone ‘boss’ in his life,” Dewey said under his breath as he let himself into his office. He fell back against the door and groaned at the fourteen boxes stacked against the wall. They had been there for weeks because Dewey rarely sold bowling balls and rearranging the display case was tedious and draining. “No way out of it now,” he told himself and went to find the label maker.

Two hours later, Dewey was exhausted but satisfied with himself for finally tackling the sparse, dusty display case in the foyer and clearing all the boxes out of his office. He also tidied the shirt rack and discounted the older ones. They didn’t sell many bowling shirts or T-shirts either and they tended to gather dust.

Candy sold well, though, and the little snack counter by the jukebox was starting to look bare so Dewey went ahead and refilled the candy bars and bags of chips. By the time he was done, he was woozy and couldn’t do more than mumble out an “I’m good” when Theo had offered to lend a hand. “Be in here,” he said before closing himself in his office again.

They probably wouldn’t get more than a player or two until later in the evening, so Dewey dropped onto the sofa and toppled onto his side, resting a cheek on the arm rest. He groaned at his heavy, shaking limbs as he settled into a comfortable position, tucking his burning, aching hands between his knees.

How can I feel like I’m a hundred and like I’m a giant fucking baby?

Instead of dwelling on how pathetic it was, being that worn out after a handful of simple jobs, Dewey was grateful. He was caught up on tasks he’d put off for weeks and had an extra set of eyes on the alley, at last, so he could take a break and catch his breath.

He nodded off quickly and Dewey found himself back on lane 2 with Theo. Instead of chickening out, Dewey took Theo up on his offer and was rewarded with a kiss in exchange for a bowling lesson. One kiss turned into two and then they were making out on the bench.

Dewey would never have the nerve to kiss anybody in public, but he pulled Theo on top of him and their flies were open.

“Brooks…” Theo patted Dewey’s cheek gently. “Keith’s here,” he said softly and Dewey’s eyes snapped open.

“He might see us!” he said, grabbing Theo’s wrist and reaching for his belt with his other hand.

Theo laughed as he straightened and looked around the office. “See us?” His trousers were zipped and he looked amused as he rubbed his chin. “Were we committing a crime or were we up to something naughty ?”

“What?” Dewey rasped and cleared his throat. He gave himself a shake and waved it off. “Sorry. Got a headache so I closed my eyes for a minute.”

Theo offered him a hand. “No worries!” he said as he easily pulled Dewey up and to his feet. “Except, I forgot what I’m supposed to do when the pins won’t come down and Keith is waiting on 6.”

“On it!” Dewey clapped Theo on the back and quickly fled the office before he said something else incriminating. He waited until Keith was settled and Dewey was alone in the workshop to mutter “This is all Cassie’s fault.”

She had to go poking around and asking questions. And she was the one who said Dewey had a chance with Theo. Which was even more ridiculous than watching Theo handle a wrench or a bowling ball. Dewey knew his chances were just as slim as Theo needing a job at a bowling alley.

Which brought Dewey back to the question that had plagued him since Theo had first walked through the front door: What the hell is he doing here?

Why would someone who wore handmade shoes take a job for $20 an hour and agree to live in a Minnie Winnie? Dewey didn’t sense that Theo was in any real trouble and couldn’t imagine why he would be, but why the hell was he in Oslo? Dewey could easily believe that Theo was spontaneous enough to pick Oslo off a map because he was a fan of its namesake. But a sane man would have jumped right back on that Greyhound after getting a good look at this Oslo.

All of Dewey’s neighbors were decent and hardworking, but there was nothing to do once the sun went down and the town’s meager selection of shops and businesses closed. The bowling alley was the closest thing Oslo had to a nightlife, and aside from Dewey, Cassie, and a few folks in the next town over, there weren’t any other single people. They didn’t even have a theater and the closest Walmart was fifteen miles away.

Dewey suspected that Theo had never seen the inside of a Walmart either and couldn’t help but smile as he imagined how much of an adventure that would be. Of course, Theo would charm the whole store before he had left and would insist that the entire experience had been fascinating and magical. It would be obnoxious if Theo wasn’t utterly sincere and genuinely curious. And secretly, Dewey enjoyed the way Theo’s eyes grew wider and lit up every time he encountered something new.

As if he’d heard Dewey’s thoughts, Theo’s head popped around the setting machine on lane 1. “Hey, Brooks? Keith says that we put the syrups and the fizzy water into the soda machine,” he said as he pointed over his shoulder toward the snack counter and laughed.

“That’s right,” Dewey confirmed.

“Oh. Well, it would appear that the Coca-Cola is out of syrup. Keith says it tastes ‘like ass .’” His mangled American pronunciation of ‘ass’ never failed to tickle Theo. He giggled and fanned his eyes as he bit down on his lips. “I’m not going to be the one to tell him, but it definitely doesn’t taste like arse.”

“Don’t,” Dewey sighed as he gestured for Theo to lead the way back. “I’ll show you how to fix the soda machine, but let's let Keith live in ignorance, okay? He’d end up asking how you’d know and a hundred other awful questions,” he predicted, causing Theo to double over with laughter.

He laughed about that for the rest of the day while Dewey was left wondering what ass actually tasted like. Specifically, Theo’s ass. Which was definitely Cassie’s fault too.