Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
A week later, Dewey was kicking himself for not adopting a dog for the bowling alley. It had never occurred to him to stop in and ask if Lidia had any older, slower dogs that were friendly with strangers. He’d been too afraid of all the lonely faces and knew he wasn’t strong enough to stand up to Lidia.
Dewey had mistakenly assumed Theo would be safe, being a visitor and renting the Winnie. He didn’t think that Lidia would approve, but she must have decided Theo was a good match for Walter. Lidia rarely trusted humans and had strict standards when vetting prospective pet parents.
Her instincts were spot on, as usual. Theo must have spent a small fortune on Walter already. Somehow, a plush memory foam bed, high-end dog food, toys, and an array of argyle vests were delivered the morning after Theo adopted Walter. And the dog never left Theo’s side, waddling after him as he worked and flopping at his feet when it was time for a break. Theo kept treats and a leash in his pocket, but rarely needed them, Walter was already so devoted.
It was sweet and Dewey was a touch jealous as Theo and Walter returned from taking out the trash. He made a note to talk to Lidia after Theo and Walter moved on. The thought made Dewey pause and he got a sinking feeling as he imagined the bowling alley without Theo and his new sidekick.
Theo couldn’t be trusted not to break something or hurt himself in the workshop, but Dewey didn’t like the thought of them leaving. He didn’t know why because Theo was a handful, half the time. But now, Dewey secretly hoped that they weren’t in a hurry to move on.
Not that Dewey would breathe a word about it to a single soul. He couldn’t risk Cassie finding out. She had already told everyone within a fifty-mile radius that Theo was pansexual and was therefore reserved for Dewey. Just about everyone who came into the bowling alley had something to say about that, but Walter had given Dewey a slight reprieve.
Until Keith arrived at the alley and found out about the dog. “When’s the wedding?” he asked as Dewey passed him his shoes.
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
Keith nodded in Theo and Walter’s direction. Theo was snacking on a bag of apple slices Cassie had left when she dropped off their lunch and was sharing them with Walter. “You should get married before you start having kids.”
“Whatever,” Dewey muttered at Keith and went back to his phone and his search for a decent used soda fountain. The one in the snack bar was on its last leg and was too old to find replacement parts for.
“Is it too early to eat?” Theo asked as he walked over, clutching his stomach. “Those apples didn’t fill me up as much as I would have liked.”
“Probably because you gave half of them to Walter.”
Theo shrugged. “They’re good for his teeth,” he said, cocking his chin at the lunchbox. “What delight did she create for us today?” Cassie had brought them turkey sandwiches with white cheddar and pepper jelly the day before and Theo had been enraptured. He usually was, not that Dewey blamed him. Cassie was a genius and Dewey was always telling her she should have her own business.
He opened the lunchbox and blinked at the single foil-wrapped bundle. “Looks like meatloaf again,” he said as he gave it a sniff and nodded. “But there’s only one.”
“What?”
The sandwich was snatched from Dewey’s hand before Theo bolted. “Hey!” Dewey shouted as he came around the counter. “I get that!” he said and ran after Theo.
Dewey chased him down the steps and onto the lanes and they nearly spilled onto lane 2. “You can’t have it!” Theo said when Dewey grabbed him around the middle and reached for the sandwich. “It’s mine!” He was able to push Dewey away easily, he was too lightheaded and weak after their little dash from the counter and barely wrestling with Theo.
“That’s the worst proposal I’ve ever seen, Doobie,” Keith said from 6.
“Shut up,” Dewey barked, breathless as he set his hands on his hips and shook his head at Theo. “Give it back.”
“If you insist,” he said and lowered to a knee. Theo winked at Dewey rakishly, then held up the sandwich, offering it with both hands. “Please, take this sandwich and my heart, Brooks. But don’t eat my heart. That would be gross.”
There was a wheezing hoot from Keith as Cassie arrived, bearing another sandwich. “Well, that worked a lot better than I had planned,” she giggled as she waved it. “I was hoping you’d share and have a Lady and the Tramp moment and maybe spark something but Theo just ran with it!”
“Give me that,” Dewey said as he abandoned Theo on the lanes and snatched the sandwich from Cassie. He paused to give her a kiss on the cheek before storming into his office and slamming the door shut behind him.
Dewey ate his sandwich in peace and caught a quick nap while Cassie kept Theo and Keith distracted and entertained. She was gone when Dewey emerged, feeling somewhat rested.
“Think I’ll vacuum,” Theo decided and Dewey gave him a thumbs up on his way to the storage room.
“I’ll restock the candy in the snack stand.”
He had just finished and was closing the glass case when Dave Wells rushed through the front door.
“Everything okay, Dave?” Dewey waved warily at him.
“Where is he?” Dave asked, searching the alley until he spotted Theo with the vacuum. “I know it was you, you son of a—!” he said as he rushed at Theo.
“Hold on, now,” Dewey dropped a box of assorted candy bars and hurried around the snack counter.
Theo shushed and held out a hand, backing away from Dave. “I have no idea —” he started before Dave swept him into a tight hug, lifting Theo off his feet.
Dave twirled Theo, then set him down and grabbed his face, kissing him loudly. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, you beautiful, beautiful man!” He was crying as he pulled Theo into another exuberant hug.
“I really have no idea what you are talking about.” Theo held up his hands and looked at Dewey cluelessly as he was spun. “All I did was adopt Walter, remember ?”
“Right!” Dave gasped as he set Theo down. He nodded at Walter and then at Dewey. “Right, right, right! I’m still so happy about that! And Lidia is just…over the moon.” His head bobbled rapidly as he wiped his eyes, worrying Dewey.
“You okay, Dave? I’ve never known you to be happy about anything,” he said but Dave turned and glared.
“Mind your own business, Doobie.”
Dewey’s head cocked. He was even more confused. “Okay…”
“How was that, Theo?” Dave asked and Theo gave him a thumbs up.
“Wunderbar. Give Lidia my love.”
There was a watery laugh from Dave. “I sure will,” he said, then scowled at Dewey again. “You had better be extra nice to Theo or you’ll have to answer to me and Lidia.”
Dewey laughed and threw a hand at Dave as he left. “Get out before I make you,” he said with a bemused snort, glancing at Theo. “What the hell has gotten into him?”
“Couldn’t say, really,” Theo said with a look at Walter. “They must be really glad to be rid of you. Not sure why. You’ve been a perfect gentleman.”
“He’s great,” Dewey agreed, then went to get a better look when he saw a caravan of semis and construction vehicles drive past the parking lot. “What’s all of that for?” he wondered out loud.
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Theo said with a dismissive swat.
“Didn’t you hear?” Keith called, causing Theo to wince. “They’re rebuilding the shelter. It’s getting a bunch of upgrades.”
“Upgrades? Where did they get the money for all of that?” Dewey asked but Keith’s next turn was up and he had lost interest.
Theo shook his head. “I wouldn’t know.” He shrugged and swung back to the vacuum.
“Why do I find that hard to believe?” Dewey said but was drowned out by the vacuum’s motor as Theo wandered away from him. Walter was watching from the steps, content and looking as if he had claimed the bowling alley and Theo. “And why do I feel like I’ve been demoted?” Dewey asked Walter as he climbed the steps and headed back to the snack stand.
Like I’d care.
So far, Dewey hadn’t found a way to say no to Theo. Not because Theo was bossy or manipulative, but because Dewey was helpless whenever he stared into those bright, brown eyes or when Theo smiled. Those smiles went right to Dewey’s knees and they weren’t that strong to begin with. He’d probably hand over the keys to the bowling alley if Theo smiled just right at him.
Oddly enough, Dewey could almost be happy, pretending everything was fine while Theo spoiled Walter and cosplayed as an American. Dewey’s health just kept getting in the way and it was getting harder to hide that he was sick. Eventually, Dewey was going to have to make some drastic decisions, or he’d lose the bowling alley. Theo had become one of those drastic decisions as well, but Dewey wasn’t capable of doing the sensible thing when it came to him.
For one, Theo was incredibly hot. And he was really good company. Instead of being shallow and entitled as Dewey had expected, Theo was charming and entertaining. And he was kind to everyone . Theo might break more things than he fixed, but his heart was in the right place and he did his best to learn from his mistakes.
That was worth a lot in Dewey’s book and it was more than he could say about his brother or the kids he’d hired before Theo. It also helped that Theo liked to spend his time at Brooks Bowling. Dewey had to put his foot down to get Theo to take a day off because he took pride in doing his job—even if he wasn’t great at it—and he legitimately cared about the place.
But it really, really didn’t hurt that Theo was hot. And he smelled like heaven, even when he managed to work up a sweat. Dewey had experienced several crushes over the years. Some had seemed mutual and few had resulted in a handful of dates and sleepovers. But those crushes and almosts had quickly faded due to neglect. Usually because Dewey spent most of his waking hours at the bowling alley and he was too set in his ways.
That had been his reasoning in the past. But now, Dewey was acting like a fool in front of the entire town and probably killing himself in the process, just to keep Theo happy. And it was all fun and games, but what about later, after Theo and Walter had moved on?
All the jokes about proposals and weddings would fade and be replaced by the sting of shame and disappointment. Theo would be one more reason for people to pity “poor old Doobie” and they’d shake their heads behind his back, wondering what the hell he’d been thinking. Even though Dewey was thirty-six and almost two years younger than Theo.
They’d feel even sorrier for him about everything when it was too late to hide his illness. His parents, Roddy, the bowling alley, Theo… There were so many things that Dewey hadn’t been able to hold onto. A lot of it wasn’t Dewey’s fault and he’d done his best to be as strong as he could for everyone.
He just wasn’t as strong as everyone believed he was and Dewey dreaded the day when they found out the truth. They would understand, but they’d pity him even more and he’d look even more ridiculous for mooning over Theo like a teenager. He’d go from being someone people depended on and trusted to someone they felt sorry for and worried about, like Keith.
Dewey wasn’t worried about hanging onto Brooks Family Bowling in the financial sense. The property had been paid off long before Dewey was born. The alley made just enough to cover the cost of repairs and upgrades as long as Dewey was extremely frugal and only splurged when he couldn’t fix or make something himself. Eventually, Bryce would take over and he’d keep it up and running.
It was failing to hang on as caretaker past forty that would really hurt. Dewey’s grandparents had worked at Brooks until they were in their seventies and Gerry had worked until he had a stroke at fifty-eight. Dewey was only nineteen at the time, but he’d always imagined he’d grow old working at Brooks. Instead, he’d grow old in Brooks, watching from one of the tables as whoever Bryce hired ran it.
There were worse fates and Dewey did his best to be grateful for all that he could still do. But Theo would haunt him, a distant reminder of something he could never have and a person Dewey could never be. People would look back and shake their heads sadly at “poor old Doobie” for thinking he had a chance with someone like Theo and they’d say it was too bad he’d missed his opportunity to “see” if he was really bi.
Not that Dewey had ever needed—or wanted—proof. He knew what went on inside his head when he was jerking off and he owned a vibrator. He’d driven to an adult video store two hours away and had lied about buying it for his girlfriend, but he didn’t always think about women when he was using it.
Unfortunately, his attraction to Theo had been more than a confirmation for Dewey. It was more like opening a sexual can of worms that Dewey would have preferred to leave alone. But Cassie had pried it open with that stupid kiss and he couldn’t stop thinking about Theo and craving more. All those worms had been stirred up by proposals and discussions about sitting on beards and the taste of ass.
“Why me?” Dewey wondered once again, shaken out of his reverie when there was a loud growl from the vacuum before they heard a crack! and it stopped running.
“Mist!” Theo stared down at it, then cringed back at Dewey. “I have found the missing shoelace but I think I owe you a new vacuum.”
Dewey rubbed his temple as his head began to ache and grew heavier. “Just take it back to the workshop and put it on the bench. I’ll see if I can fix it.”