Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
“It doesn’t feel right to me.”
Dave stared across the booth at his brother, Cody. “What do you mean?”
Cody scowled. His hands had been clasped on the tabletop and now he slid them apart to allow him to lean in closer. “It’s your bachelor party.”
“So? Oliver’s a bachelor, too.”
“But I’m your best man.”
“Right. And Demetrius is Oliver’s best man.” Dave shrugged. “He’s invited me to Oliver’s bachelor party, so it just makes sense to include Oliver in my bachelor party. Why is it a problem for you?”
Cody sat back, dropping his hands to the seat beside him and huffing quietly.
“What am I missing?” Dave asked. “I thought you liked Oliver?”
Cody covered his face with his hands. “I do like Ollie. In small doses.”
“Okay, linebacker.”
A glare from between Cody’s fingers. “High school linebacker, and now small business owner.”
“Co-owner.”
Cody slapped his hands against the tabletop, still glaring. “What’s gotten into you today?”
“You’re not making any sense with all of this, that’s what’s gotten into me. Stop being dramatic and just tell me what you’re feeling.”
“Oh, you’re a therapist now?”
Margie approached the booth, a plate in each hand, her lips pursed and her brow furrowed.
“What’s going on over here? You boys are making quite the racket.” She set down the plates and stood, hands on hips. Her black hair was pulled back into a bun, and today she wore emerald green eye shadow with fire engine red lipstick.
“Sorry, Margie,” Dave and Cody said in unison.
“But, Margie, let me ask you this…” Cody added.
Dave groaned. “Really?”
“Margie is an uninvolved third party.”
“If this has anything to do with their wedding, I’m very involved because I’m the caterer.” Margie crossed her arms as she stared at Cody. “You’re not making changes to the finalized menu, are you?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“Then I have no opinion about it.” She smiled at Dave. “I’ll just be happy to contribute to a day filled with love.”
“Dear God.” Cody pulled his sandwich closer and took a large bite, saying around his mouthful of food, “You’ve known me longer than him, and you’re taking his side on an issue you don’t fully understand.”
Before Dave could say a word, Margie planted one hand on the tabletop, looming over Cody and pointing into his face. His jaw stopped working and his eyes widened.
“Don’t you tell me what I do or don’t understand, Cody Duran Bower.”
“Uh oh, she three-named you,” Dave whispered, sitting back and hoping to avoid any verbal shrapnel.
“I know what you’ve been going on about over here, and I’m not going to have it in my diner, do you understand?”
“But, I—”
“No. You don’t talk yet, Mr. Man. I talk now. This entire event, from planning to parties, to the ceremony and reception, are special to Dave and Oliver. These are events that you should have no opinion about. You are simply to help them celebrate in the best way possible.”
”But, the party should be for him,” Cody managed to say. “For him to bid farewell to his bachelorhood.”
“Same goes for Oliver.” Margie still hovered over him.
“Yeah, but Demetrius is planning—”
“And Demetrius will be happy to include Dave in his party as well, I’m sure.” Margie checked with Dave. “Isn’t that right?”
Her stare was intense and jaw set. Dave swallowed before responding. “Yeah. Um, yes. From what Oliver has told me.”
Cody shot him a withering glance before Margie turned her attention back on him.
“See? This isn’t a competition. It’s a wedding.”
Cody slumped in the booth and spun his plate a couple of times. “Yeah, okay.”
“All right.” She straightened up and ran her hands over her apron as if smoothing away wrinkles. “So, no more grousing about including your brother’s fiancé in your plans?”
“No.” Cody’s voice was sullen.
Margie gave a single nod, then reached for Cody’s shoulder. He flinched as if afraid she might strike him.
“Oh, for the love of pickle juice, I’m not going to hit you.” She squeezed his shoulder and ducked her head to catch his sad gaze. “You are a big galoot—”
“Galoot?” Cody frowned.
“And I have watched you grow into a man with a generous heart and a well-spring of courage. Don’t forget that as you help your favorite brother—”
“Aww,” Dave couldn’t help adding.
“—celebrate the day he proclaims his love to Oliver for your family and friends to see.”
“Yeah, okay,” Cody said.
“Good.” She released him. “Now that I’ve brokered this tiny bit of peace between you two—”
“A lot more still waiting in the wings,” Dave said quietly.
“I’m going to provide this lunch on the house.”
“You don’t have to do that, Margie,” Cody protested. “I can pay.”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to.”
“Thank you, Margie,” Dave said.
“You’re welcome. And just know I love both of you very much.”
With that, Margie returned to the kitchen.
They stared at each other in silence a moment, then Cody whispered, “What the hell just happened?”
“You got the smack-down from Margie, that’s what happened.” Dave took a bite of his own sandwich.
“Yeah, but at the end she was looking at me when she said she loved us very much, so I think that was meant for me.” Cody took another massive bite.
“Whatever, dude. You going to invite Oliver?”
“Yeah, I’ll invite Ollie. But he’s paying for his own food and drinks.”
“You’re really a piece of work.”
Cody smirked. “Thanks.”
“It wasn’t a compliment.”
“No? It sure sounded like one.”
“God, why did I ask you to be my best man?”
“Because our other brothers are jerks.”
“Good point.”
Their conversation shifted easily to other topics as they ate: Dave’s ineffective new team member at work, Cody’s recent dust-up with a family of skunks, and a 4th of July barbecue Demetrius’s Aunt Amelia was planning with her boyfriend Otis.
Once they’d finished eating, Cody left a generous tip on the table. But before they could leave, Margie stopped them and gave them each a strong hug, standing on her tip toes to reach them as they bent at the waist.
“You boys take care now.” Margie took Cody’s hand and leaned in close. “Anything hinky going on around town I should know about?”
“Nothing we’re aware of,” Cody replied. “If that changes, I’ll keep you posted.”
Margie gave a decisive nod before releasing Cody’s hand and turning to greet some new arrivals.
Once outside, they walked along the sidewalk to where Cody had parked his truck beside Dave’s Accord. To Dave’s surprise, Cody pulled him in for a strong hug. It was awkward at first because Cody was a couple of inches taller, but Dave relaxed into it and held him tight.
“I love you, little brother,” Cody said. “I didn’t mean to piss you off.”
“You didn’t.” Dave gave him a final squeeze before stepping back. “At least not yet.”
“Nice.” Cody stared off down the street a moment before meeting Dave’s eyes again. “I was thinking it would be nice to have one last party night with my little brother, that’s all.”
“Have we ever had a party night together?”
“I don’t know…probably not. Stop calling me out on shit, who are you, Roman?”
“Ouch, that one stung.” But Dave couldn’t help grinning.
Cody shoved his hands in his pockets and made a face.
“Yeah, okay, sorry. That was low.” He scuffed the toe of a work boot against the sidewalk, so much like the boy he’d grown up admiring, it made Dave’s heart ache a bit.
Silver now threaded Cody’s shaggy dark hair, and a few of the whiskers in his scruffy beard had turned as well. So much time had flown past them.
“Hey, big brother.” Dave put a hand on Cody’s shoulder.
“I understand what you were trying to do, really. And I appreciate it. But I’d like for Oliver to be part of my celebration, okay?
I’ve had my fun as a single man. I want to have fun with everyone I love, and that includes Oliver.
” He gave Cody a gentle punch to the shoulder.
“And you and I will just need to make more of an effort to get together, just us, going forward. Sound good?”
Cody grinned. “Yeah, that sounds good.”
With another brief hug, they got into their separate vehicles and left the downtown business area.
Dave drove through the neighborhood where he and Cody had grown up. He slowed when he passed their old family home, smiling at the flood of memories. Five boys and two adults in that house with one bathroom. How had their parents done it? How had any of them survived?
Once back in the apartment he shared with Oliver, Dave logged into his work computer.
He lost himself in the minutiae of data tracking and algorithms. Questions from team members popped up in chats, and he responded quickly.
He’d gotten so caught up in all of it, he started slightly when Oliver called his name down the hall.
“Hey, you’re home,” Dave replied. “Give me two minutes.”
After finishing up what he’d been working on and making sure a couple of files had been saved, Dave headed down the short hallway to the living room.
Oliver lay on the couch, head propped on a pillow as he scrolled on his phone.
He’d kicked off his shoes at the door and one sock had pulled slightly off his foot.
His comfortably faded jeans fit him well, and his t-shirt had rucked up a bit, exposing the red-gold hair across his belly.
The late afternoon sunlight streaming in the window shone off the lenses of his glasses.
“How was it?” Dave lifted Oliver’s legs so he could sit on the couch, then brought his feet across his lap.
Oliver dropped the phone to his chest. “It was all right.”
“Not a ringing endorsement.”
That prompted the grin Dave was aiming for.
“Well, it was just the first day, so a lot of finding my way around and feeling way too old to be doing this.”
Dave massaged the sole of one foot, the toe of the sock loose. “You’re not too old.”
“We’ll see.”
Dave gave his foot a shake. “You’re not.”
“Thanks.”
“What did you think of the instructors?”
“They’re good. The guy for my journalism class is pretty intense, but I met a nice kid in there.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Uh huh. They’re young, maybe twenty, and friendly. Their name is Robin.”
“They/them pronouns?”
“Yep.”
Dave switched his massage to Oliver’s other foot. “The next generation is so cool.”
“Right? Much cooler than us.”
With a grin, Oliver sat up and leaned forward to deliver a sweet kiss. “No one’s cooler than you.”
Dave gave him a longer, deeper kiss. When they parted, Oliver laid down again and Dave resumed his massage.
“You met Cody for lunch, right?” Oliver asked.
“That’s right.”
“What’s with the grin?” Oliver raised up on his elbows, eyes wide. “Did Lucia give Cody a parking ticket or something?”
“No, nothing like that. Cody was being…well, Cody—”
“Sassy,” Oliver cut in.
“Stop. He was getting loud about something he felt was important.”
“Me attending your party, I’m sure.”
Dave paused his massaging. “Did you learn interrupting techniques in class today?”
“Ouch. Sweet burn.” Oliver mimed zipping his lips.
“Thank you.” Dave continued, digging his fingers into the muscles. “Anyway, Margie came over and told us both to quiet down, and when Cody protested, she triple-named him.”
Oliver’s eyes went wide. “First, middle, and last names?”
“Yep.”
Oliver grinned. “I’ve always liked her.”
“Uh huh. Anyways, she picked up the bill for our lunches.”
“Oh, man, a free lunch, too? You’ve had the best day.”
Dave laughed. “I know.”
He released Oliver’s foot and extended his hand.
When Oliver took it, Dave pulled him upright again, holding Oliver’s hand tight against his chest as he leaned in for a long, deep, hot kiss.
Once they parted, Dave said, “The only way it could get better is if my fiancé agrees to go to a nice dinner with me, followed by some deliciously naughty fun, and then we fall asleep in each other’s arms.”
Oliver kissed him again. “Pretty romantic for a data analyst.”
“Oh, I’m full of surprises.”
“Really? Do tell.”
“All in good time. It will take years to reveal them all. Decades even.”
“Guess I’ll have to stick around.”
“Guess so.”
Oliver pulled his feet off Dave’s lap and sat beside him. “You said nice dinner. Nothing at all against Margie, but her food is every day comfort. Were you thinking of Antonio’s?”
“Actually, I was thinking of someplace new. Ember & Table, over in Creighton.”
“Wow, completely outside of the Hollow, huh? I’m intrigued, but I’m not familiar with the place. What kind of food?”
“I’ve only read about it online, but kind of a French and American comfort fusion.”
“Very interesting. Do we need reservations?”
“They don’t take reservations for parties under six.”
“All right. Guess I should change clothes.”
“Need some help?”
Oliver stood and took his hand, tugging him to his feet and leading toward the hallway. “Absolutely.”