Chapter 10 Bryce
Bryce
“You okay?” Casey Joe asked me as Dizzy beelined toward me.
I cleared the chunk of carrot from my throat. “Yeah, just took me by surprise,” I replied as the short, round fireball who looked just like her sister opened her arms and wrapped me in a tight hug.
“There’s my Brycey,” she cooed, leaning back to look up at me and pat my cheek.
“Dizzy?” I couldn’t help the shock. “What in the heck are you doing here?”
True, she and my parents didn’t live far away from Haven Grove, but I hadn’t expected her to show up at Jack’s social club.
“Heard about this fancy little cake place a while back. When Barb told me she’d moved here, I knew I’d need to come visit and check out the cake.
” Dizzy gestured toward the older woman who’d arrived with her and was chatting with Lance and Hudson.
“But when she told me about this Lemon Drop Social Club, I all but ran my fat ass over here.” She slapped her backside.
“And let me tell you, that’s not easy when your legs are as short as mine. ”
I gave her another hug. “Well, it’s good to see you.
Let me introduce you.” I turned toward Casey.
“This is my roommate, Casey Joe. He’s helping me renovate the gym.
” Something weird pulled in my gut as I spoke the words, like I wanted to say more about Casey, but not knowing if I had that right.
“Casey, this is my aunt, Delores. She was Dezzy most of her life, but my sister always called her Dizzy, and it’s stuck ever since. She’s my mom’s sister.”
Casey Joe, for all his grousing and cursing, was the type with manners instilled deep down, and he offered his hand for a shake. “Nice to meet you,” he started, but Dizzy slapped his hand away and wrapped him in a hug.
His slight grunt and the way his wide eyes stared at me over her head made me smile. He liked people to think he was gruff, but my spitfire aunt had just hugged the fight right out of him.
“So good to meet you,” Dizzy said. “If you’re friends with my Brycey, you’re fine by me.”
Casey Joe mouthed, “Brycey?” over my aunt’s head with a grin.
I huffed and rolled my eyes. “Come on, you can meet everyone else.”
We made our way to Hudson, Lance, and Barb. Before I could even make introductions, Dizzy interrupted.
“This is my friend from way back in elementary school, Barb Jackson. I believe you know her from renting an apartment over an ice cream shop?” Dizzy patted her friend’s shoulder.
Greetings were given, and I introduced Hudson and Lance to my aunt before motioning for Henry and Jack to join us. Another round of introductions was made, niceties exchanged, and Dizzy hooked her arm in mine.
“Okay, let’s take a look at these cake options,” she said as she pulled me toward the food.
Jack absolutely glowed as he described his cakes to Dizzy and Barb. Everyone took slivers of cake, and we all made our way to a table. Dizzy and Barb raved over Jack’s cake. The kid was seriously adorable the way he blushed and preened under their kind words.
I noticed Casey Joe going to town on the carrots, peppers, and dip—leaving the cake untouched for the time being. The way his knee bounced, and his hand shook didn’t escape me. I knew him well enough by now to recognize a cigarette craving.
Grateful no one at the table had gotten cocktails since I had a feeling Casey would have struggled to abstain from both alcohol and nicotine, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a rubber band.
“Meant to give this to you earlier,” I said, hopefully quietly enough only he could hear. I purposely didn’t linger at his ear, but the man’s scent was intoxicating all the same.
Casey looked at the rubber band, glanced up at me, and scowled. But after shoving another carrot in his mouth, he yanked the stretchy band over his hand. It fit snuggly on his wrist, and he immediately snapped it.
“Ow, fuck,” he growled.
“What’s wrong, dear?” Dizzy asked.
Casey Joe’s cheeks pinked. “Sorry.” He held up his wrist. “Tryin’ to quit smokin’. Been chompin’ on Dum Dums like there’s no tomorrow, thought I’d maybe try this to help redirect the cravings and avert the rotten teeth.”
Dizzy nodded. “I’ve heard of that working for many people. Good for you. It’s never too late to do what’s best for your health and well-being.”
Casey Joe stared for just a moment too long before shaking his head as if to reset himself. “Yeah, guess so. At least that’s what my doctor says. Smokin’ bad, veggies and exercise good.” He forked up a bite of cake like a petulant child just daring someone to say something to him.
“Oh, if you’re trying to shape up and get healthy, you’ve found the perfect guy for the job.” Dizzy beamed at me. “He’s the best.”
“We’ll be fitting in some workouts once the gym is ready,” I said in hopes of satisfying my aunt without provoking a tirade from Casey.
“Speaking of the best,” Dizzy went on as if I hadn’t even spoken. “A friend of a friend has a cousin who has a nephew—”
I groaned. “Not this again.”
Dizzy shushed me. “This one is better than the last, I promise.”
Running a hand over my face in hopes of some patience, I said, “The last one spent the entire dinner regaling me with stories of every single man he’d ever dated and extensive reasons they were wrong for breaking up with him.”
Dizzy waved me off. “Never you mind that, this guy is perfect for you.”
“Have you even met him?” The way her cheeks pinked answered my question before she could. I groaned again and rolled my eyes.
“You deserve to meet someone, fall in love, and be happy.”
“I am happy,” I argued. My aunt meant well, but she had a long track record of setting me up with people simply because we were both gay. So far, she’d mentioned about twenty guys, and actually attempted three set-ups. In the end, all three had stolen hours from my life I’d never get back.
One guy was attractive, but a fence post had more personality.
The second guy had been very sweet and easy to talk to, but he’d been looking for something a lot more serious and permanent than I’d been ready for at that time.
The third guy was the storyteller.
Dizzy was oh-for-three—and none of the other seventeen had even come close to making the cut based on the details she’d provided—and I had very little faith this current guy would turn out any better.
“But are you?” Dizzy crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “You aren’t getting any younger.” She patted my arm. “I just want someone else to love you as much as we all do.”
I sighed. “Yes, I am happy.” It wasn’t that I was against meeting someone and falling in love. I actually wanted that to happen if it was meant to be. I just didn’t think I had it in me to lose another evening of my life to one of Dizzy’s well-intentioned-but-terrible set-ups.
“When was the last time you went on a date?” my aunt pushed.
Damn woman was like a kid picking at a scab.
“I—”
Casey Joe cleared his throat. “Haven’t had a whole lot of time for goin’ out since we’ve been workin’ so much on the gym, but I promise I’ll take him somewhere real nice when we’re all done.”
Almost gave myself whiplash as my eyes flew to Casey.
Shit.
Did he know how that sounded?
“Oh,” Dizzy said, eyes wide as she glanced back and forth between us. “I didn’t realize…”
Casey shoveled another bite of cake into his mouth. “We’d planned on keepin’ it quiet for the time bein’. Small town gossip and all that. You know how it is.”
What the hell was he doing?
I tried to catch his attention.
Abort! Abort!
“Well,” Dizzy said, leaning in to whisper like she held the world’s most important secret.
“You don’t have to worry about me. I can keep my mouth shut.
” Then she did a little shimmy in her seat.
“Ohhh, this is so exciting. I just knew the moment I saw you two together there was something special between you.”
Casey chomped down hard on another carrot as he gave a hesitant grin.
I forced a smile and tried not to snort at the look of amusement and wonder lighting up Lance and Hudson’s faces. “Appreciate it if you keep it quiet for now. We’ve got a good friendship, and we don’t want to mess that up if this doesn’t work out.”
“Oh, of course.” Dizzy nodded solemnly.
There.
I set us up with an out.
We could “break up” a bit down the road, tell Dizzy we’d decided we were better off as friends, and she’d be none the wiser.
When my aunt turned to Jack to ask something about the brown butter caramel cake, I gripped Casey Joe’s elbow and gritted out, “Can I talk to you a second?”
He glanced at where my hand held his arm, but shrugged, and popped another carrot in his mouth.
I stood, hoping Dizzy was too into Jack’s description of browning butter, and walked toward the side of the Roadhouse. By the time Casey Joe sauntered his way over, I was pacing by the steps to Jack and Henry’s apartment.
“What the actual fuck, Case?” I asked.
“What the fuck, what?” Casey asked.
“You just told my aunt we’re dating.”
“Yeah, so?” Casey Joe shrugged. “Got her off your back, right?”
“You don’t care that anyone within earshot now thinks you’re gay and dating me?” I wasn’t in a full-blown panic.
Yet.
He shrugged again and gave tiny snaps to the rubber band. “First of all, if we were datin’, I wouldn’t necessarily be gay. I could be bi or pan.”
I sighed and ran a hand over my face. “Okay, that’s true. Sorry.”
“Second, this town knows I have two queer sons. They know my best friend is bi. The whole damn town knows my shit history. Them thinkin’ I’m bi and datin’ you wouldn’t even be a blip on the radar of my life.
” Casey leaned up against the wall of the Roadhouse and propped himself up on a bended knee with a huff and shake of his head.
“Woulda made things a lot easier way back then,” he muttered.
“What?”
“Nothin’. What’s got you so worked up?”
“Dizzy thinks we’re dating!” I hissed, gesturing wildly toward where we’d come from.
“Damn, here I thought I’d get a fuckin’ thank you for haulin’ your ass out of what sounded like another shitty blind date.” He tapped a big boot against the wall and snapped the rubber band again and again. “Sorry if I fucked things up. It didn’t sound like you wanted her to set you up.”
I moved in closer and took his wrist. Rubbing a thumb over the bright red skin, I sighed. “I didn’t. I appreciate the save. But now she’s going to expect us to be a thing, and I don’t want to put you in that situation.”
Casey stared down at where my thumb absently caressed his wrist. “How bad can it be? It’s not like she lives here. We can tell her we decided we’d be better off as friends.”
Unable to tear my eyes away from where we touched, I nodded. “Yeah, I guess. We’ll give it a bit, and then we can tell her the next time we see her.”
Just as I started to drop Casey’s wrist, he gripped my forearm, his big hand heavy and warm against my flesh. “Would it really be that bad?”
“Huh?” Every brain cell was MIA.
“Datin’ me,” he said, leaning in close enough I could smell him—citrusy and fresh mixed with something uniquely Casey Joe. “Would it be that bad?”
His words punched me in the gut, taking my next breath as my mind tried to process his words.
Fuck no, it wouldn’t be that bad.
Not at all.
This cranky man with no filter had somehow become one of the most important parts of each and every one of my days. I’d be more than okay with the two of us trying to make something of the connection we’d already established.
I shook my head.
Clearing my chaotic thoughts? Answering his question?
Honestly, I wasn’t sure.
“Damn right it wouldn’t,” Casey mumbled, his breath fluttering over my ear before he pushed off from the wall and walked back toward the gathering.
With every single part of my brain scrambling to make sense of what had just happened, I followed.
And arrived just in time to hear Aunt Dizzy say, “Well, you boys will just have to come to dinner soon.”
Fuck.