Chapter 10 - Callum
I’d stuck my foot in my mouth. I knew I had.
I hadn’t meant to imply that Paxton was taking me out on a real date.
I was sure he was much too busy for that.
Besides, he probably had someone. Maybe it was Bartender Tommy.
Maybe it was someone else, someone who kept out of sight, laying low and avoiding his mead-making business.
But why would he want a partner who was so uninterested in his life’s work?
He didn’t seem like the type to compromise on that.
Besides, he wouldn’t have agreed to be my fake boyfriend if he had a real boyfriend at home. Would he?
Then I started to wonder if he was queer at all. We hadn’t discussed it. I mean, he had almost kissed me that one time—hadn’t he?—but the only real conversation we’d had on the subject was the one where I revealed I had a terrible ex-boyfriend.
Once he parked his truck around the corner from the cute local bakery, I took a deep breath and told myself to relax and stop overthinking. Just be up front with him, I told myself. Tell him where you stand. Tell him you’re interested.
Before I could figure out what to say, he led me into the bakery, holding the door wide so I could step in first. The cool air washed over me, scents of sugar and vanilla thick in the air.
My stomach growled. All I’d eaten was a bagel and some honey, not enough substance to keep me going for very long.
As we made our way to the counter to order, Pax turned to me. “What would you like? My treat.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“This is my planned outing. I’ll pay.”
I rubbed the back of my neck uncertainly, but conceded. “Whatever you say.”
He grinned and gave me a playful wink before nudging me gently with his elbow. “Don’t tempt me.”
We both ordered bagel sandwiches—eggs and bacon for Pax, lox and cream cheese for me—and took a seat once we got them from the counter. I saw the opening and decided to go for it as we ate.
“So, as you may have guessed, I’m gay.”
Pax raised his eyebrows at me. “Okay.”
“I mean, you’ve heard all about my terrible ex. Hell, you’ve met him.” When he nodded wordlessly, I continued. “What about you?”
His brow dipped in confusion. “What about me?”
Maybe he’s just not ready to come out yet, I thought. I chuckled softly, deflecting. “Weird exes?”
“Not especially.”
Come on, Pax, give me something to work with here. “Any exes?”
He shrugged and tried to hide a grin but his eyes sparkled with amusement. “None that are particularly worth mentioning.”
I nodded once as I huffed a breath. “You’re not helping.”
Pax batted his eyelashes at me coyly. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” He took another thoughtful bite of his breakfast sandwich, chewed, swallowed, and looked at me innocently. A beat passed. Finally, he cracked. “Okay, okay. Sorry. I don’t date a lot. But gender doesn’t matter when I do.”
The knot that had tightened in my chest loosened. “It doesn’t?”
He lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “Not especially.”
“So you’ve dated… men?” Why are you pushing this so hard? Take yes for an answer, my brain screamed at me. But I needed to be sure.
A slow smile spread across Pax’s face. “Yes.”
My face heated and I swallowed hard, nervousness threatening me. “Okay then.”
“My turn to ask the questions.” Pax said the moment his sandwich was gone. “Tell me something.”
“Tell you what?”
Another half-shrug. “I don’t care. I don’t know much. Tell me something about you.”
“I’d argue that you know a lot about me already. You’ve met my family, for fuck’s sake.”
“And you’ve seen how passionate I am about mead. That makes us even. How about hobbies?”
I thought for a moment. “Reading?” When Pax leveled a look at me, I laughed and shifted in my seat. “I’m learning Italian. Does that count?”
I was rewarded with a bright smile. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”
“How about you? Hobbies?”
“Gardening. I have a quickly expanding herb garden in the backyard. I use them for my experimental small-batch meads.”
An image of Paxton kneeling in front of an herb garden, hands in the dirt, wearing a sweaty T-shirt and smudged jeans flashed through my mind. Imagination-me may have leaned over to check out his ass. My face heated again and I turned my focus to the bakery counter. “Let’s get something sweet.”
“Deal.”
A few minutes later, we were strolling along Main Street with our desserts. Paxton had chosen a little chocolate tartlet, and I’d chosen a powdered doughnut with raspberry filling. It was a little less practical to eat while we meandered, I knew, but I didn’t care too much.
We stepped out of the bakery and headed in the direction of the bookstore. As we walked, Paxton picked the conversation back up where we’d left off. “So you’re a reader. What do you like to read?”
I took a small bite of my doughnut, causing powdered sugar to rain down on my shirt. With a sigh, I brushed myself off with my free hand, leaving white streaks behind. “I’ll read almost anything, but I prefer fiction. Sci-fi, fantasy, alternate histories, things like that. Escapism.”
“Interesting. I would’ve clocked you for a nonfiction guy. Travel journals, maybe.”
I laughed and shook my head, alternating talking with taking bites of doughnut. “I read a lot of travel-related pieces for work, so I think that’s why I prefer to let that part of my brain shut off when I’m reading to relax.”
“That’s fair. I’m going to confess I don’t read a lot.”
“No? Why not?”
He shrugged and finished his tartlet before speaking. “I’ve never found anything that really captured my attention.”
“That’s fair. I mean, there’s so much to read out there that we could probably find something for you to enjoy, but not everyone has to like every hobby. So other than gardening, how do you unwind?”
“Usually I just watch an episode or two of a comedy in the evenings. Something lighthearted. Unless it’s baseball season. Big baseball fan.”
“I believe that about you. You seem kind of sports-y.”
“Thanks, I think.” He gave me a light smile and I knew he wasn’t offended.
“It’s a compliment, trust me.” Just my type, I thought. Tall, athletic, smart. He was practically a dream guy.
He bumped his shoulder playfully against mine and grinned, making my breath hitch.
I put the last bite of doughnut into my mouth as we walked, stopping to peer in the window of a shop.
When I turned back to Paxton, he gave me a grin and reached out with his hand to graze my cheek with his thumb. My heart raced when he touched me.
“Sorry about that,” he murmured. “You just had…” He held up his thumb and there was a smear of raspberry jelly on it.
Heat flooded my face, embarrassment threatening to overtake me. He wasn’t flirting, I told myself. He was just being nice.
A beat passed and he slowly put the pad of his thumb up to his mouth to clean it off, in a slow, sensual movement.
My jeans got very tight very quickly. Another moment passed and he took a step forward, closing in on me.
My breath caught in my throat as he moved closer and he leaned his head in. I let my eyes close.
At that moment, I heard the jingle of a shop bell and the raucous sound of children bursting from a store and spilling onto the street, all chaos and noise.
I opened my eyes and we both looked in the direction the sound had come from.
A small band of preteens had just left Books, Beans, and Buns and were headed our way.
My stomach sank as Pax backed away and stuffed his hands in his pockets, his cheeks a rosy pink.
We walked Main Street for a bit longer before turning around and heading back to where he’d parked his truck, keeping the conversation light. Once we were inside, Pax turned to me. “Anything else you’d like to do today?”
Kiss you. I shook my head. “Not that I can think of. I should probably get back anyway. I need to start writing this article.”
“Yeah, of course.”
“And researching grant money,” I added.
That brought a smile to his face. “I’ll send you what I’ve found so far.”
“Perfect.”
It wasn’t long until he was pulling his truck up to the curb in front of my parents’ house and putting it in park, letting the engine idle. I wondered if he was planning to walk me to the door, but quickly realized I was being silly. This isn’t a date.
Before I could reach for the door to get out, though, Pax put his hand on my arm. “Wait.”
I turned back to him, eyebrows raised. “What’s up?” My heart pounded in my chest, wondering what he was going to say.
He reached over with his other hand and placed it on my jaw before pulling me close for a kiss.