Chapter 14
Drew
Apparently, Orion was known for its Fourth of July parade.
The little town went all out for the holiday, with a massive parade, a band, and even a float (which was really just a pickup truck decorated with cardboard and streamers).
Kids rode in the parade on their bikes, and the hockey camp always sent a group to represent in the parade.
Gabriel told Drew all about it and told him how his father had been the Grand Marshall of the parade many times.
“It’s Stan Schumacher this year, though,” Gabriel said sourly. They were sharing one of their rare moments at camp together, in the mess hall, while campers shouted over their lunches. It was crowded and noisy and hot.
“He’s the man who wants to buy the place, right?” Drew asked, leaning close so that he could whisper and no one else could hear.
Gabriel nodded. “I don’t like him. Do you think anyone would notice if I slashed the tires of his convertible before the parade?”
“I think that’s a crime.”
“Oh well.”
He winked, and Drew knew Gabriel was joking.
They had spent the night together every night since they first had sex a week ago.
They made love every night and fell asleep in each other’s arms. It was the closest thing to a real relationship Drew had ever had.
They were more than friends and more than friends with benefits.
They hadn’t defined what they were, but it was certainly a romance.
There were feelings there for each other, Drew was sure of it.
It would be hard to leave at the end of the summer, but they had known what they were getting into.
Each day counted, and he was determined not to waste any more of them.
Drew liked the volunteer work he was doing at the camp.
The kids were fun, and the counselors were nice, and there had been no more pranks or issues with a ghost, if it was a ghost. Whatever was going on had stopped for now, and he was glad.
He didn’t want to deal with pranks or ghosts, though Gabriel told him more than once that he could handle a ghost, if that was the issue.
He was excited for the Fourth of July parade. He wasn’t a particularly patriotic person, but he liked the small town of Orion, and he liked the community spirit they had. If they were coming together to do something, he wanted to be a part of it.
Most of the campers wouldn’t attend the parade, as their normal activities prohibited it.
A few of the counselors who had the day off would be there, and a small group of campers would represent the camp in the parade, along with Laurel Ackermann.
Don wasn’t going this year. He said his time with the parade was done, but Drew had a suspicion that Don’s health was bothering him again.
He was worried about Don, but he didn’t share those worries with Gabriel, because Gabriel had enough on his mind as it was.
Drew had been given permission to come late to work that day because there weren’t any early practice sessions on the rink.
He used the extra time he had to do a longer run than normal, shower, dress, and then go to Dune Grass Coffee Roasters for a latte.
He drank the latte outside, reading a David Baldacci novel, while he watched the passersby in their red, white, and blue outfits.
Fox, one of the baristas at the coffee shop, came outside to wipe some of the tables outside the shop. “Enjoying the book?” they asked.
Drew glanced up. “It’s good, so far.”
“You read a lot, I’ve noticed.”
Drew shrugged and smiled. “I enjoy it. I don’t have much time to read except during the summer because of my job.”
“What are you, a teacher?” Fox asked.
“Not exactly.”
Fox seemed to sense that he didn’t want to talk about his job, so they nodded and smiled and went back into the shop.
The parade was at 9:00 a.m. Drew had seen some big parades in his life. This one wasn’t big, but the locals had a lot of fun with it. It made Drew smile. The local Rotary Club sponsored the “float.” There were plenty of kids in the parade, laughing and waving and having a great time.
Drew had his first look at Stan Schumacher, the developer who’d made an offer to buy Orion’s Belt Hockey Camp.
He didn’t like the look of Stan, who had false blonde hair and too-tan skin and big white teeth that glinted when he smiled.
He wore a red and blue suit as the Grand Marshall of the parade, and was smiling his glossy white smile and waving a gloved hand.
Maybe Drew imagined it, but he thought that Stan looked right at him.
He had a chilling feeling that Stan might know who he was, but there was no reason to think that.
Stan Schumacher had never met him, and there was no reason to suspect that Schumacher knew his real identity or why he was in Orion.
He left the parade soon after that, uncomfortable because of how Schumacher had looked at him.
—
He couldn’t concentrate the rest of the day at the camp, and he let the campers free skate and scrimmage instead of providing actual coaching. They didn’t mind. Most of them were just there for the fun anyway.
He ran into Gabriel in the mess during lunch and told him about the parade and how he had seen Stan Schumacher.
“What did you think of that slug?” Gabriel asked. He was standing and shoveling a salad into his mouth. He rarely had time to sit and eat.
“I didn’t actually meet him, but it looked like he was staring at me. I didn’t like him,” Drew admitted.
“He’s a lousy man,” Gabriel agreed. “Be glad you didn’t meet him.”
“Do you think he knows who I am?” Drew asked, leaning in close.
“I doubt it. I don’t know how he would. It’s just my parents and I who know, right?”
“And Evan, the property manager at the house I’m renting.”
Gabriel nodded. “Evan DeVries, right? He wouldn’t tell. He’s a good guy. My friend Aubrey has had a crush on him forever.”
“Really?” Drew said, smiling. “Evan said something similar.”
“That he likes her?”
Drew nodded.
Gabriel swallowed a massive bite of salad. “I think we have a mission for the summer,” he said.
“Setting them up?”
“Obviously.”
Drew changed the topic. “You’re going to the fireworks tonight, right?”
“If I get out early enough.”
“Do you want to go with me?” Drew offered.
Gabriel beamed. “I would love that.”
Drew would get off work around dinnertime, and Gabriel would be free later, after 8:00 or 9:00, which was fine because the fireworks wouldn’t start until after 10:00. They made a plan for Gabriel to meet Drew at his house, and they would go to the Lake to watch the fireworks.
Six hours later, Drew left the camp and drove back to his house, where he showered and changed into a white polo shirt and sky-blue linen pants, with white canvas shoes. He looked preppy and could’ve easily fit in on Nantucket.
He had a few hours to kill before Gabriel could join him, so he walked into town, hands in his pockets and a tote bag over his shoulder.
He had bought the tote bag the other day at one of the local bookstores, because he needed something to carry his books in.
It was made of plain white canvas, with a screen-printed design of Orion’s famous lighthouse.
Wanting to stay away from the heavy holiday traffic, he went down to the Fish District and got a seat at the bar of Lakeside Biergarten.
He hadn’t been back since his first date with Gabriel, but he’d liked the place.
It was moderately busy for the Fourth, and they had several specials to celebrate the holiday.
He ordered a sandwich and coffee and sat sipping the coffee and reading his book. He didn’t mind reading in loud atmospheres; when a book was good, it completely engaged him.
“Hey, it’s you,” a voice said, drawing him up from the pages.
He looked up and saw Aubrey Wozniak, Gabriel’s best friend, facing him across the bar. She wore a Lakeside Biergarten T-shirt and a star-spangled headband.
“It’s me,” Drew agreed.
“You’re the guy Gabriel was on a date with a few weeks ago,” Aubrey continued. Clearly at work, she started to dry some glasses.
“I am.”
“You don’t talk much, I see.”
“No, I do, I’m just surprised by you.”
“I’m a bartender. My job is talking.”
“A bartender only in the summers, Gabriel says. A teacher for the rest of the year.”
“So he’s told you about me.”
“He has. Has he told you about me?”
She paused with her glasses and slung her towel over her shoulder. “Not much, actually, which surprises me. Normally, he tells me everything about whatever guy he’s seeing, but he’s being pretty tight-lipped about you.”
“Interesting,” Drew said.
“Is it?”
“Yes.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m pretty sure he’s crazy about you. More coffee?”
“Thanks.” He slid her his mug. “Do you think you should be telling me this?”
She poured coffee from a carafe and returned his mug. “Sure. Why not?”
“Because you’re one of his best friends and I’m the guy he’s seeing.”
She smiled slyly. “So you are seeing him.”
He frowned. “Didn’t you already know that?”
“Like I said, he’s been very tight-lipped about it all. I think that means he likes you a lot, if I know anything about him.” She leaned closer. “Don’t break his heart, okay?”
“I don’t plan on it,” Drew said. He admired Aubrey’s protectiveness over Gabriel. In another circumstance, her bluntness would be offensive, but he cared for Gabriel and could tell she did, too. “I like him,” Drew said, “and we know what we’re doing.”
She sized him up. “You seem older. How old are you?”
“Thirty-one.”
“Hmm.”
“He knows how old I am, and I know how old he is. I promise I’m not taking advantage of him.”
“I trust him, and if he trusts you, so do I.”
He did the mental math. “Okay. Thank you.”
“He’s a prize,” she said. “You’ll be sorry if you let him get away.”