Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
M aybe this hadn’t been a mistake after all.
When Frank suggested that Saint help Val with the tavern, Val hadn’t known what to expect.
Mainly he’d worried things might take an awkward turn, and they’d end up working in silence, straining their newfound friendship.
That was most definitely not the case with Saint.
Val couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed this much.
Val wiped a tear from his eye. “Holy shit.”
“I thought I was back in the middle of Hell Week! I started doing push-ups and expected a mouthful of sand.” Saint laughed and shook his head.
“It took me a solid minute to realize I was on my bedroom floor, and the ocean sounds were coming from a Bluetooth speaker on my nightstand. When I realized it had been Leo—because let’s face it, who else could program my TV to shut itself off and my phone to start playing Spa Radio—I had to laugh. ”
“You were so high on meds. It must have scared the shit out of you.”
“Um, yeah. That’s how I ended up on the floor.” Saint shook his head, amused. “I’ve also got enough fish-shaped snacks to get me through the year.” He motioned over to his bag in the corner. “Brought a bunch with me.”
Coming from Leo, it was sweet. “Bet he doesn’t do that for everyone.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Saint said, his smile wide. “If you get snacks from Leo, it means he likes you. If you get more than one fish-shaped snack, it means you’re family. Never thought I’d be so moved by a pantry full of Swedish Fish and Goldfish crackers.”
Val chuckled. He understood Saint’s need for camaraderie.
Val had been a part of the same kind of fellowship when he’d been a firefighter and then the fire chief.
The people you worked with weren’t just coworkers.
They were family. You had to be able to trust one another because having someone’s back meant the difference between life and death.
“You’re lucky to be a part of such a diverse and inclusive company,” Val said as he applied mud to a seam. “Not enough of those around.”
“It must have been rough for you at work after you came out. How did they take it?”
“Not well. It was pretty volatile at first. Some of the guys felt betrayed. I talked to them individually and told them I was the same guy I’d always been and that what I did outside the firehouse and with whom had nothing to do with how I did my job.”
Val had done his best to remain calm and objective. To pretend it hadn’t hurt like hell when men who had been so close to him looked at him with disgust or disdain.
“We’d been together a long time, and after a while, most of them came around.
Even if some of them couldn’t accept I was gay, they agreed I was good at my job.
The few who wanted nothing to do with me were transferred.
I had a few incidents with a couple of the guys that turned into investigations. It was a mess.”
“Holy shit, actual investigations?”
“Yeah. And it wasn’t just the people I worked with who had issues. There were other incidents.”
“Other incidents?”
“Let’s see. There was the time some guy paid a couple of thugs to follow me.
” Val snorted. “It happened to be the night Frank and four of his guys from the club were waiting for me. We were going to a bar for a few drinks. It didn’t turn out so well for the thugs, and they gave up the guy who hired them in a heartbeat.
Then there was the guy who took a baseball bat to my truck.
Another guy threw chocolate milk at me during a press conference, and at a charity event for children, a woman threw eggs at me. Like I said, it’s a long list.”
“Unbelievable.” Saint shook his head. “Wait, do you think it could be one of them?” Saint asked. “Maybe the guy who sent those goons after you is the same one behind all this?”
Val shook his head. “That was years ago. I think he’s working construction now or something.”
“Maybe we should let Mason know, just in case.” Saint removed his phone from his pocket and called Mason.
Val didn’t think it was necessary, but he wasn’t going to keep Saint from doing what he thought needed to be done. Security was his job, after all.
“Hey, Mason….Yeah, good, thanks…. Listen, I was just talking to Val, and there were several incidents a few years ago around the time he came out. Could you have Jack look into it? See where those people are now and what they’ve been up to…
. Great. Thanks.” He hung up and returned his phone to his pocket. “Worth a shot, right?”
“You’re right. Thank you.”
After a beat, Saint spoke again. “I’m sorry you went through that.”
Val shrugged as he continued to apply mud to the wall.
It didn’t hurt as much anymore. “I knew what coming out meant, but I couldn’t keep pretending to be something I wasn’t.
The time that followed was the hardest of my career, but I refused to stand down, no matter the shitshow that came my way, and when things got really bad, and they wanted to force me out, I called Frank.
By then, he’d already made a name for himself with Sapphire Sands and had one hell of a client list. He called in a few favors, and I got a team of fierce lawyers that wiped the floor with them. ”
“I heard about that. It was impressive.”
“You know what else is impressive?” Val said as he took a step back to admire their work.
“How much we got done today. I didn’t think we’d get as far as we have.
” He smiled brightly at Saint. “We’ve done good.
” Val removed his phone from his pocket and brought up his food delivery app.
“I think it’s time for your first payment.
What are you in the mood for? Pizza? Subs? Steak?”
Saint let out a sigh. “So this is what it’s like to have a Sugar Daddy.”
Val snorted out a laugh. “Don’t think my pension qualifies me for Sugar Daddy status.” He motioned around him. “Especially not with all the money I’ve poured into this place.”
“What about Splenda Daddy?
“ What ?” Val barked out a laugh. “That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Is it, though? I mean, you’ve been around Ace.”
“You are absolutely right.” Val shook his head as he scrolled through their options. “I know he was a Green Beret, but it’s also Ace. How does he work executive protection when it requires so much standing still in silence?”
“I guess that’s part of the mystery that is Ace,” Saint chuckled.
“Hm, mystery? Is that what we’re calling it?”
Saint laughed as he wiped his hands on one of the wet cloths, which was funny considering he had white smudges from the mud all over him.
“So, what are you in the mood for?”
“I’m good with anything. Probably something that would be easy to eat without a table.”
“Duly noted. How about Philly cheesesteak subs? There’s an amazing place nearby that delivers.”
“Sounds good.”
Val put his order in on his phone, then handed it to Saint. “Their cookies are also insanely good. I always order one.”
“Well, don’t mind if I do.”
While Saint put in his order, Val cleaned up a little. The floor was covered in tarps to protect it from all dirt, dust, and grime. It might not look like much yet, but it had come a long way.
“Here you go.” Saint walked to him and handed him his phone back.
They washed up at the sink in the kitchen, and twenty minutes later, they had their food.
They sat on the lids of the huge mud gallons.
Not exactly the most comfortable, but Val was pretty sure they’d both faced far worse in their careers than uncomfortable seating.
“So, Hell Week,” Val said before sipping his beer. “I’m guessing it’s called that for a reason.”
“Oh yeah. The Navy isn’t spending money on SEAL operational training without knowing you’ve got what it takes, which means making it through Hell Week.
It’s where the majority of candidates drop out.
It’s brutal. Five and a half days of freezing your ass off in cold water with little to no sleep while performing under heavy physical and mental stress. ” Saint shook his head.
“Were you ever worried you wouldn’t make it?”
Saint snorted. “All the time, especially in the beginning. It’s a shock to the system, and you have to ask yourself, ‘How badly do I want this?’ Because you think you know what it will be like, you hear stories, but experiencing it is a whole new level.
” He took a sip of his beer and smiled. “Making it was one of the proudest moments of my life. I didn’t know what I could do until that week. ”
“You must have really wanted it.”
Saint’s expression turned sinful. “I can be pretty relentless.”
Val cleared his throat and sipped his beer, pretending he didn’t know what Saint meant. “This is better than I remembered,” he said, motioning to his sub. Good grief, he was such a dork. “Thanks again for helping me out.”
“You’re helping me just as much. I’m not great at sitting still and doing nothing.” Saint finished his sub and stood, the napkin on his lap falling to the floor. He bent over to pick it up, and Val couldn’t stop staring at Saint’s ass.
Just friends . Friends . We’re friends .
His friend had a really fine ass.
Throwing his trash into one of the empty food bags, Saint grabbed the other bag and looked inside.
“Shit.”
“What?”
Saint frowned. “There’s only one cookie.”
“Oh.”
A mischievous look came onto Saint’s face as he pulled the cookie out of the bag. “Guess you don’t get any.”
“What? You’re not even going to offer to split it with me?” Val chucked his wadded-up sandwich wrapper at Saint, who expertly batted it away with a laugh. Then he sobered up and stared at Val.
“No. No, I’m not.”
“Wow.”
“I would if this were an average cookie, but it’s not. It’s a warm, gooey, chocolate chunk, macadamia nut cookie, so…sorry bout ya luck.”
“And who said you get the cookie?”
Saint shrugged. “I did. I got to it first.”
“Is that so?” Val stood and held back a smile; his gaze locked on Saint, who quickly stepped back.
“What are you doing?”