Chapter Fifteen #2
Interesting. As flirty as Trevor was, he wasn’t one to pick up men often.
I’d always attributed it to his unrequited love for Parker.
I knew, like anyone else, he had needs he met on occasion, but he never talked about it, and I’d never seen him with a man.
As long as I’d known him, he’d pined for Parker. “Do you like him?”
He snorted. “I liked his dick.”
“Enough for a repeat?”
He gave me a look that said I was crazy.
“Okay, so… what? You fucked him to get back at Parker?” When his eyes narrowed, I lifted my hands in surrender.
“No judgment. As long as you’re safe and happy, I don’t give two shits who, why, or how many guys you fuck.
I’m just trying to gauge where your head is at.
“You’ve had a thing for Parker for so lo—”
“Stop.” He lifted a hand, face screwed in annoyance, then sighed. His hand dropped to his lap, where he studied his nails before sighing again. “I’m thinking of putting in my notice,” he said in an insecure, un-Trevor-like voice.
I couldn’t have stopped my gasp for a million bucks. “What?” I leaned forward and lifted his chin so I could see his sad eyes. “You’re thinking of leaving Top Shelf?”
His glistening gaze made my stomach sink.
I’d known Trevor for years. I’d seen him in hundreds of situations and moods.
I’d seen him take on the rudest of customers without batting an eye.
I’d watched him flirt, be insulted, sass his haters, and stand by as Parker paraded his latest conquests through the club, but I’d never seen his spirit crushed.
Not once.
Something about the night of his party had broken my vibrant friend, and that made my heart ache.
“I don’t want to leave,” he whispered. “But at some point, I have to get the hint, don’t you think? And I can’t do it while I’m there. I’ve tried for years, and I’ve only gotten more pathetic.”
“The last thing you are is pathetic.” I wanted to disagree and tell him he shouldn’t quit his job.
That if he waited a little longer, Parker would come to his senses and see what a rare treasure he had in Trevor, but that would be nothing but pure selfishness on my part.
I loved working with my best friend, and not seeing him at work four nights a week would feel like losing a limb.
But as his friend, maybe it was time to prod him along and encourage him to move past the hold Parker had on him.
Perhaps it would propel him to a new and better chapter in his life.
Instead of begging him to reconsider, as a massive part of me wanted, I pushed my own feelings aside and focused on my friend’s needs. “But, maybe…” I said as I set down my beer. The thought of ingesting anything turned my stomach. “Maybe distance from the situation is the best course of action.”
His expression crumbled into misery as he nodded. “Yeah. Maybe.”
I placed my hand, palm up, on the counter, and Trevor set his on top for me to hold.
“If you leave, the place won’t be the same.
Top Shelf will never recover from losing its best bottle service boy.
” I meant it as a sincere compliment, not an ego boost, but a bit of Trevor’s typical spirited spark flared back to life in his eyes.
“Well, of course,” he said with a saucy wink. “No room is the same when I walk out, and I’ve worked at Top Shelf for years. I’m practically the mascot.”
That got me laughing and lightened the mood. Both of us had heavy things on our hearts —not bad things, but significant life changes have a reputation for being difficult, even when positive.
“Whatever you decide, I have your back a hundred percent, Trev, but I sure will miss the fuck outta you.”
He squeezed my hand, then blew out a long breath. Gratitude shone in his damp eyes. After blinking rapidly a few times, he let go of my hand and cleared his throat. “Okay, enough of all this serious bullshit. You need to tell me every surface you’ve fucked on in this bougie penthouse.”
As I was about to tell him to fuck off, the sound of the front door opening, followed by the whir of my mom’s wheelchair, reached the kitchen.
“Mama Nicole is home!” Trevor jumped up and ran out of the room. It’d been a few months since he’d seen her, and they’d always gotten along well—too well. They tended to spend their time together roasting me and laughing like besties.
“Trevor, my handsome boy,” she said. “How are you?”
I got up and followed the path he’d taken toward the front door.
He bent and placed a kiss on her cheek. “I’m great, but no one wants to hear about me. Tell me all about what it’s like living in this absolute palace,” he said, eyes glowing as he waved a hand around the foyer. Leave it to Trevor to have my mom charmed in seconds.
She beamed as she raved to him about how much she loved it and her new space. Her face glowed as they chatted. In the few days since we moved in, I noticed a lightness about her I hadn’t seen in years. Something about this penthouse injected her with a newfound happiness and excitement for life.
Was it merely a new location? After living in one home for over twenty-five years, was she thrilled to venture somewhere else? Perhaps it was the size of her room and bathroom or the building’s impressive ADA accommodations that allowed her easy access to every amenity they offered.
I’m sure a combination of factors led to her increased joy, but if I had to point to one factor, I’d say it was the absence of Kenny in her home.
Living with him caused her an immense amount of stress, and I suspected she’d been hiding it from me. Now that she didn’t have to live with the volatile unpredictability of his moods and actions, she was free to relax.
How did I miss the strain my brother caused her? Guilt gnawed at my insides but solidified the decision I’d been wrestling with. I needed to locate Kenny, sit with him, and discuss the plan for the house.
And that plan needed to be to put the house up for sale.