CHAPTER NINETEEN #2
She giggled and nodded, making her ponytail bounce around her face. “I’ll take your orders back to the kitchen and bring out more coffee in just a minute. Can I get you guys anything else?”
Once everyone agreed they just needed more coffee for the time being, she bounced away, and Asher had to shake his head.
He’d met a lot of people in Mission Grove, and they all just seemed so damn cheerful.
How anyone—let alone an entire town—could be that consistently happy boggled him.
Yet, he loved how even though he was an outsider, they’d all made him feel welcomed.
He wondered how long it would take before Kimmy knew his breakfast order by heart.
“So,” Cameron’s mother began, pausing to take a sip of her juice before turning to look at her son. “How was the sex last night?”
“Fuck,” Nico breathed as the coffee he’d been about to drink missed his mouth completely and spilled down the front of his gray T-shirt.
Natalie held both hands over her face and shook her head.
Mr. Stone shot his wife an indulgent grin, though his cheeks had turned an alarming shade of red. One more thing he had in common with Cameron, along with his chocolate-brown hair and love of polo shirts.
“Mom!” Cameron protested. “That is so inappropriate. ”
“There is nothing inappropriate about sex.” She turned to Asher with a cheeky grin. “Unless you’re doing it wrong.”
Maybe he’d feel differently if Sarah had been his mother, but he didn’t feel nearly as uncomfortable discussing their sex life as Cameron obviously did.
“I’m confident I’m doing something right.
” Curling his arm around Cameron, he peeked around him to his mother.
“We were late for breakfast, weren’t we? ”
The entire table erupted into laughter, all except for Cameron, who turned to bury his face in the crook of Asher’s neck with a groan. “I thought you were supposed to protect me, not make it worse.”
Damn, he’s cute.
Cameron would have his balls if he heard him say it.
According to him, puppies and toddlers were cute.
An elderly couple holding hands in the park was cute.
Paper machete hearts, second-grade plays, and a girl with her first crush were all cute.
The word had no business being applied to a grown man, but Asher couldn’t think of a better one right then.
“Relax, Cam.” Natalie flipped a curl over her shoulder as she leaned back in the booth. “You know how mom is. If you react, it’ll only get worse. Remember what happened when I brought Aiden to meet her for the first time.”
Asher didn’t know the story, but when Cameron pulled away from him and offered his first genuine laugh of the day, he really wanted to hear it.
Another part of him, a protective part he hadn’t known existed, rankled at the mention of Natalie’s ex-boyfriend.
He had never met the jackass, but he’d hurt Natalie, and for that Asher felt inclined to hurt him .
“Mom asked if he gave good head,” Cameron explained.
“Since I don’t have the right anatomy for that specific activity,” Natalie added, “you can see where there was some confusion.”
Cameron leaned into Asher’s side, looking a lot calmer and less like he might have a stroke. “The guy’s face goes completely white, and he’s looking and back and forth between me and Nat. I thought he was going to pass out, to be honest.”
Sarah tried to speak, probably to say something in her defense, but Natalie talked right over her. “Aiden turns to Cameron and blurts out that he’s not going to suck his dick just to date his sister.”
“Idiot,” Mrs. Stone muttered, but she seemed content to let her children finish telling the story.
“Crawfish,” Cameron said. “We were having a crawfish boil, and Mom was making a joke about sucking the heads. Aiden spent the rest of the afternoon explaining how he wasn’t homophobic, but he was straight. ”
Sighing, Natalie shook her head as she lifted her coffee mug from the table. “Needless to say, not the best first impression.”
The story kept everyone laughing until their food arrived, and Cameron seemed glad to have the spotlight off him. Asher, however, wanted to know more about the man, and he didn’t know when he’d have another chance to ask.
“Tell me,” he said about halfway through his pancakes, “what was Cameron like as a kid?”
Natalie and Nico both lifted their hands and pointed to Cameron at the same time.
“You’re looking at it.” Chuckling at the glare Cameron aimed his way, Nico shrugged. “It’s true. Smart, kind of nerdy, but really sweet.”
“Cameron has always had a tender heart,” Sarah added. “He came home crying once in the fifth grade because they wanted him to dissect a fetal pig. I tried to explain to him that the poor thing was already dead, and he wouldn’t be hurting it, but it didn’t make any difference.”
“It was a baby pig!” Cameron practically shouted, all fire and indignation.
“That wasn’t even as bad as the bug collection.” Elbows on the table, coffee cup between his hands, Mr. Stone smirked. “You know the kind where they pin them to a corkboard? Not Cameron. ”
“I couldn’t just kill them,” Cameron grumbled. “That was so wrong.”
“So, he made different habitats for all of them in mason jars.” Mr. Stone laughed and shook his head. “I had to haul twenty of those damn jars up to the school.”
Cameron grumbled some more, but a tiny smile curled his lips. “I got an A.”
Yes, Cameron really did have a tender heart, as well as a protective nature. Asher also realized Cameron loved animals.
“Why don’t you have a dog or a cat?” he asked.
If Cameron found his question odd or out of place, he didn’t show it.
“I don’t have the time. I’m at work for ten to twelve hours a day, and that’s when things are slow.
When I do make it home, I don’t have the energy to walk a dog.
” He cut off a piece of his country-fried steak and slathered it in white gravy. “I’m allergic to cats.”
Asher nodded, but didn’t say anything. They’d revisit the topic later, because despite Cameron’s protests, Asher hadn’t missed how his eyes had lit up at the mention of having a furry companion.
Things settled after that, and for the rest of the meal, they mostly talked about their plans for the day.
Cameron’s dad needed to start preparing for the chili cook-off.
He’d brought home the first-place ribbon for the past four years running, and he wanted to keep the streak going.
Sarah and Natalie had plans to hit up the vendors down by the Boardwalk.
“I can’t wait to see what you two come up with this year.” Natalie bounced in her seat a little as she turned her attention to Asher. “Cameron and Nico have won the pumpkin-carving contest every year since high school.”
Sarah beamed with pride. “They’re very talented.”
As a tattoo artist, Nico would have an advantage, but Asher had never seen Cameron’s creative side. “Then, I look forward to it as well.”
“Oh, well, I was kind of thinking…” Trailing off, Cameron glanced at Nico, guilt and contrition written all over his face.
“It’s fine.” Nico grinned and waved his hand. “I’ll see if Derek wants to partner up this year. It’ll be fun to kick your ass.”
It took about two seconds for Asher to analyze the conversation, and once he did, he shook his head. He’d never carved a pumpkin, and while he could create entire worlds from his imagination, that was where his artistic capabilities ended.
“No need to break up the dynamic duo. I’ll just watch.”
Cameron’s hand found his under the table, and he laced their fingers together. “Are you sure?”
“Really,” Nico assured him, “it’s not a big deal. ”
“I have lots of talents.” Catching Cameron’s eye, Asher winked at him. “Carving pumpkins into something legible isn’t one of them.”
“Actually,” Kimmy interrupted as she sashayed up to their table, “Mr. Bingman had a family emergency out of town, and the panel is looking for a replacement judge. My mom heads the panel,” she added when Asher frowned. “She’d love to have a celebrity judge.”
“I’m not a celebrity,” Asher muttered at the same time Cameron said, “That’s a great idea.”
Sarah nodded firmly. “Then it’s decided.”
“Great! I’ll call mom in just a minute.” Popping a hip out to the side, Kimmy surveyed the table and grinned. “So, who’s paying?”
All eyes turned to Asher. From the gleam in their eyes and the smiles on their faces, he knew they didn’t honestly expect him to pay, but he didn’t mind. They’d welcomed him like family, and it was the least he could do to repay them.
Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out his wallet, squeezing Cameron’s hand under the table when he opened his mouth to protest. “I am.”