Chapter Twenty-Three
Alex sat on the couch, smiling at Joshua’s last message. Don’t work too hard next week. But when he glanced at the schedule on his phone, he got a surprise. Somehow, he’d lost track of time, and the Fourth was bearing down on them.
That meant only one thing. He grinned and scrolled through to Manda’s number.
“Hey. I was going to call you. How’s the hangover?”
Alex chuckled. “Gone, thank God.”
“Are you okay?”
He could hear her concern. “I’m fine, I promise. And I’m sorry if I worried you.” He hadn’t thought himself capable of such emotion anymore where Todd was concerned. “But to be honest, my main reason for calling was to tease you about Thursday.” He waited for the backlash.
Manda growled. “You’re still doing this? Dude, give me a break.”
Alex laughed. Ever since they’d been friends, he would tease her about her age.
Yes, they were born the same year, but almost six months apart, and he would always say how kind it was of her to ‘test drive’ the next age milestone for him.
From July onward, she became the ‘older woman’ and he knew it bugged the hell out of her.
“Aw, come on. This is what friends do, right?”
“Okay, changing the subject completely… will you be celebrating the Fourth? Or are you going to totally ignore the holiday as usual?”
Alex hadn’t even thought about it.
“All right, this is just off the top of my head, but see what you think. Why don’t you find out what Joshua’s doing? Because here’s a wild idea. Maybe the two of you could do something together?”
Alex shook his head. “You’re persistent, I’ll give you that. And Joshua will probably be doing something with his kids.” Not that he didn’t like the idea.
Actually? He liked it a lot.
Manda snorted. “Oh, come on. What are they gonna do, have a barbecue out in the back yard, let off some fireworks, then play games? How old are they? In their twenties, right?” She huffed.
“I’m just suggesting that you ask him, that’s all.
Maybe he has a few ideas. But you’ll never know until you ask.
” Her voice softened. “I’ll be honest. Since I spoke with you yesterday, I’ve been thinking about you. A lot.”
“Should I be worried?” he joked.
To his surprise, Manda didn’t laugh. “You need to change things up a bit. Between your job and the way Todd is still in your head, it just feels like you’ve gotten into a routine.
You’re single, Alex. Single, attractive…
available. That time when you said you were done?
I had this voice in my head screaming ‘nooooooo!’ You’ve just gotten used to being alone and it doesn’t have to be like that!
Not when you’ve got a handsome man there who would probably pursue you in a heartbeat.
” She chuckled. “Unless you want to do the pursuing? All I’m saying is, you need more in your life than work, teaching Joshua to cook, and phone calls with your BFF.
And if you really want me to spell it out, I will.
” She paused. “I’m only hesitating because… well, it’s personal.”
“Really? Since when has that ever stopped you? I’m sitting here, waiting on tenterhooks.” He snickered. “Coy is not a word I associate with you.”
“Fine! Then stop messing around, invite Joshua for dinner, then the pair of you just fu—”
Alex cleared his throat. “And we’re stopping right there,” he said emphatically. “Happy birthday for Thursday, Manda. As for your suggestion? I’ll take it under advisement.”
“Alex. Sweetheart.” Manda sighed. “Just think of Joshua as a big ol’ road sign put there by God, who’s trying to tell you something.
And the only way he could make it more obvious would be if he had a large red arrow fall out of the sky and land right above Joshua’s head, with the words, This One.
Enjoy. You’re welcome. There is nothing wrong with having fun.
And speaking of which, when was the last time you did just that? ”
Before he could come up with a response, she’d disconnected. Last Word Manda, as always.
Alex gazed thoughtfully at his phone. The one thing she’d said that had stood out like a beacon, had been the part about getting used to being alone.
Because he’d done just that. He’d licked his wounds, moved to Gillette, found a new hole to hide in, crawled in, and licked his wounds some more. And as for what his life had become…
Let’s face it. The high point of my week is Joshua coming here for a cooking lesson. Or meeting him for a coffee. Christ, if he suggested meeting to do our grocery shopping together, would I jump at that too? Fuck. That was just… sad.
Manda was right. It didn’t have to be that way.
And suddenly he was conscious of a desire growing inside him.
He wanted Manda to be correct in her assumptions that Joshua was interested in him.
And if he is? What then? He laughed at the idea of that big red arrow.
Maybe she’s right. Manda wasn’t suggesting he’d found a soul mate, for God’s sake—she was simply pointing out that they were two men who might possibly have some fun together.
He closed his eyes and pictured Joshua. The short brown hair streaked with grey, those warm brown eyes, the broad shoulders he’d held onto just recently, a pair of soft-looking lips that hinted at so much sensuality…
And beneath the surface was a warm, generous man, who’d had his share of heartache.
Who knew what it was to love someone and lose them.
Someone who had already seen the pain hiding inside Alex.
Could she be right? There was only one way to find out.
Alex opened his eyes and glanced at the time. Too late to call. It would have to wait until morning. And whatever happened, he was going to tread very carefully. He didn’t think for a minute that Joshua would willingly hurt him, but that didn’t mean Alex was about to make himself vulnerable.
Been there, done that… and had the scars to prove it.
~ 0 ~
Monday, July 1st
Joshua put away the breakfast dishes, gave the kitchen one last contented glance, then poured himself a coffee and retreated into his office.
Micah was already in his studio, working on this commission he’d received.
Not that Joshua had a clue as to what he was painting.
Apparently, all would be revealed later.
Greg was working on Micah’s laptop, putting together the handouts for Micah’s September show in Denver.
Joshua had to admit, he was damn good at it.
Joshua had joked that he didn’t need to look for a job because he already had one—Micah’s PR.
Greg had laughed at that, and said it was a satisfying job, but the boss’s idea of payment would probably be classed as illegal.
Naomi and Simon had borrowed Micah’s truck and had gone out for the day, not that Joshua blamed them.
It was way too nice a day to spend it indoors.
The whole week promised to be glorious. This was Simon’s final week with them for a while, as he wanted to go home and see his folks, but he’d promised to return in August, hinting at taking Naomi camping.
Joshua and Micah had exchanged glances, and it was obvious Micah was doing his utmost not to laugh at the thought of Naomi under canvas.
Not in a million years. There was a girl who liked her creature comforts. But when Naomi reacted with only a stunned expression, instead of her usual unfiltered tongue-lashing, Joshua had to admit it—Simon was definitely good for her.
Joshua sat at his desk, switched on his PC, and fired up the two monitors.
He was in the middle of designing a program for a company who wanted to control their robotic systems, and it was an interesting task.
Micah joked that he found it difficult to marry up the two sides of his dad—the man who could be a total geek, with the man who could grate off the end of his finger.
By the time ten thirty arrived, Joshua was ready for a break.
He went into the kitchen and as was his habit, put out mugs for him, Greg and Micah.
It was a pleasant routine he’d gotten into.
He left Micah’s coffee on the table outside his studio, giving his regular light tap to let Micah know, before taking Greg’s mug out to the garage where he was working.
Then it was back to his office—where his phone was vibrating.
Joshua smiled when he saw the screen. “Hey,” he said warmly as the call connected. “I was just gonna call you during my coffee break.”
Alex chuckled. “Great minds. It’s my break too.” He paused. “Look, you don’t have to say yes, it’s only an idea, but…”
When nothing else was forthcoming, Joshua snickered. “I think I’m gonna need some more information here.”
“Well, it’s just that I wondered… what you might have planned for the Fourth.”
Joshua frowned. “I don’t think we have anything planned. I mean, there’s usually stuff going on in Gillette, but… Micah will probably be painting. Not a clue what Naomi and Simon will be do—”
“Actually, my question really just concerned you. I thought you might like to do something. With me.”
“Oh. I see.” Joshua took a moment to digest that. Because this didn’t feel like it was an invitation to cook something, or a meet-up for a bagel.
This felt bigger. More… intimate. And damn he liked that.
“Like I said, you don’t have to say yes. I just thought it might—”
“Did you have anything specific in mind?”
A moment of silence. “Well, no. I mean, I was thinking of getting out of the house, mainly, but I’m not one for parades or stuff like that. Besides, I don’t really want to run into people who know me, who might want to talk about work.”
An idea glimmered in Joshua’s mind. “How does a picnic sound?”
“A picnic?”
“You know, food, beer, snacks, picnic blanket, the great outdoors…” Yeah, the more he thought about it, the more Joshua loved the idea. “When’s the last time you went on a picnic, Alex?”
“Dear God, I have no idea.”
That settled it. “Okay then. How about Thursday morning, I come pick you up, with a picnic basket all packed and ready.”
Alex laughed. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Nope. It’s gonna be a surprise.” Joshua had no idea if Alex was familiar with their destination, but the weather being what it was, it promised to be a perfect day out.
“Not sure I like surprises, but—”
“Do you trust me?” Joshua interjected.
Another pause, but not a long one. “Yeah, I trust you.”
“Then be ready Thursday morning. And don’t forget to pack sun screen!”
Alex snickered. “Yes, Mom.” A phone rang, and he sighed. “And that’s my cue. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Sure. Have a good day.” Joshua disconnected and put down the phone. He pulled up a browser window and typed the name. Bingo. It was open all year round. That was one less thing to worry about. Then he had another thought, and quickly composed a text to Alex.
Bring walking boots or shoes. He smiled as he clicked send. That’ll get him thinking.
A picnic. With Alex.
Whichever way he looked at it, this felt different. His stomach clenched and his breathing quickened a little.
This felt… exciting. Adult. And for the first time in a long while, Joshua felt like this was the right step to be taking.
He’s important to me. Joshua felt that all the way through to his bones. And maybe this picnic was what Alex needed to see they had the potential to be so much more than friends.
He glanced at Rachel’s portrait. He could almost hear her inside his head. You really like him, don’t you, sweetheart? He took a deep breath.
He’d passed that a while back.