Chapter 19
“It’s really coming along,” Will said, shading his eyes as he looked up at Enzo’s figure, perched on the highest corner of the scaffolding.
Enzo had a cap on, turned backwards, the edges of a maroon bandana peeking out from under it. He’d lost his shirt sometime in the first few hours of work, the tail of it tucked into the back of his paint-stained shorts.
“Yeah, it really is,” Enzo said, leaning back a fraction and taking in the semi-finished mural.
He was working on the fine details now, the white crests of the waves and the surprisingly evocative expression on Nathaniel’s face, even buried under his thick beard, as he hung onto a loose spar, desperately trying not to be sucked under the swells.
“Come take a break,” Will called up again. “I’ve got water and some food.”
“I can take a few minutes,” Enzo said, wiping his face and beginning to climb down. “But Joy just told me they were hoping to do a little ceremony during the Fourth of July festivities. I’d like to be almost done by then.”
“Will you be ready for that?” Will wondered. From his perspective, he thought the mural was probably almost done. But every time he said so, Enzo would roll his eyes and list off a dozen or so things he still needed to work on.
“I think so,” Enzo said. “At least the bulk of it will be ready anyway. Joy and Mom are already talking about having a big-deal dedication during the Sweethearts Festival next year. I’ll have to make sure I’m around for that. But for this, yeah, I think so.”
He leaned against Will, tilting his head for a kiss, which Will was happy to give him.
He didn’t mind he was damp and sweaty. Frankly he’d have pressed him to the wall he’d just finished painting and kissed him thoroughly, if they’d had time.
But Enzo had only said he had a few minutes, and his priority had to be to get some water and some food into him.
“I got water and some chicken salad inside. Come in and cool down—”
Enzo opened his mouth, no doubt to argue about how little time he had for a break, but Will took his hand and began to tug him towards Cherry’s door. “I know,” he said. “You only have a few minutes. But you gotta take care of yourself in this heat.”
“How can I?” Enzo asked. “When you do such a good job of it for me?”
Will rolled his eyes but led him through the empty room and behind the counter.
Kate was working on prep for the day, slowly pouring ice cream mix into the big industrial ice cream machine. “Hey,” she said. “I’m finished with the chocolate and the vanilla, and then I’ll work on the cheesecake next, for the Fourth of July specials.”
Will nodded, distracted by his boyfriend next to him. “Sure thing. I’ll be done in a few.”
“Right.” Kate shot him a knowing look. “You just take your time.”
“Do you think,” Enzo said, slipping into the desk chair with a happy sigh as Will closed the door behind them, “that she really thinks we’re going to christen your desk?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.” Will flushed a little, just thinking about it. Remembering how many times he’d seriously considered it. Before they’d even had sex. The very first time Enzo had even been in here and he’d said, maybe we should go on a fake date.
He’d wanted him bad even back then.
“So you are gonna do some Fourth of July specials?” Enzo asked as Will pulled out two bottles of water and an ice-cold Gatorade, blue raspberry flavor, because one of the things he’d learned about Enzo was the faker the flavor, the more into it he was.
Made Will shake his head.
Made him love Enzo even more. Because now he knew those things about him.
“Yeah. The berry cheesecake, we’re testing that today. I was working on how to top the shake and I thought, what if I did a little cheesecake wedge, dipped in chocolate, nestled right on top of the glass? Right along with the other fresh berries?”
“You’re not one to go the easy route, are you?” Enzo asked, brown eyes twinkling as he took a long sip of water. Then picked up the fork and dug into the container of chicken salad that Will had slid in front of him.
“Not really,” Will admitted. “I fell for you, didn’t I?”
Enzo’s grin was blinding, and Will wanted to see it every day for the rest of his life.
Maybe it was early, but he knew Enzo was the man for him, deep down, in the same place where he’d known this was the right building for Cherry’s. That the tuxedo milkshake would be a bestseller. That the cherry brown butter brickle would be a special flavor he’d want to keep.
That the Fourth of July special—the glass striped with different berry compotes and filled with a cheesecake milkshake and topped with the little chocolate covered wedge of cheesecake—would mean they’d be busy every single moment of the long holiday weekend to come.
“You sure did. That does sound delicious, though. Not that you were really worried that it wouldn’t be.”
“True,” Will said. He rested a hip against the edge of the desk. “We’re going to be packed, with all the extra tourists, but you let me know when Joy’s celebration is, and I’ll make sure I’m available.”
“You’re sure?”
“Kate’s capable. She should be able to handle things for an hour or two.”
“Probably she could handle things for longer than that,” Enzo said cautiously.
Will looked over at him in surprise. “You think so?”
“She’s pretty good, Will. You hired her.
Then you trained her. She couldn’t be anything less.
” Enzo had looked worried when he’d pointed it out, like he hadn’t wanted to interfere with Will’s business.
Will understood his concern; after all he’d just got done telling his parents to stop telling him how to run his business.
Was Enzo different?
Well, sort of. He did trust that Enzo wouldn’t say something if he didn’t believe it. If he didn’t believe Will needed to hear it.
He wasn’t saying it because he had ulterior motives either.
Though Will supposed, he could. Because Enzo would want him to come along to his jobs sometimes.
Frankly, Will wanted to come along to his jobs sometimes.
He didn’t want to be what his dad said—only hanging around Indigo Bay, waiting for Enzo to come home.
“You have a good point,” Will agreed. “I’ll definitely be relying on her more.”
“Yeah?” Enzo tucked his free hand around Will’s waist, pulled him in close.
“Yeah,” Will agreed. “Can’t let you have all this mural fun by yourself, anymore. Besides . . .I’m getting too used to sleeping beside you to stop now.”
Enzo smiled, sweet and devastatingly sexy, both at the same time. “Even with how my hair looks in the morning?”
“Especially with how your hair looks in the morning.” Will meant it, too. Every time he woke up and looked over, Enzo’s dark curls spread out across the pillow, he felt an unexpected surge of joy and peace.
“I guess you’re stuck with me, then,” Enzo said, grinning, and yeah, he sure was, and there was no denying how happy he was about it.
Will leaned in farther. “Yeah, I guess I am. You know what? Thanks for saying something. Sometimes I get . . .I get too possessive of this business. Too worried about it.”
“Well, it’s yours,” Enzo said matter-of-factly, like he understood. And maybe, more than anyone else, he would. “You worked for it and planned for it and made it happen. Just you. I don’t blame you for not wanting to let it go. Even to someone as capable as Kate.”
He’d thought he’d have to explain all that and hope that Enzo might understand, but he hadn’t needed to, at all.
“Told you, I get it,” Enzo continued. He pressed a kiss to Will’s shoulder. He picked up the Gatorade. “I gotta get back to work. Sadly this mural isn’t gonna paint itself.”
“Alright. Me too. I gotta bake some cheesecake.”
“Don’t stop overachieving, yeah?” Enzo teased.
“I won’t.”
Enzo gave him one last brief kiss, and then he was gone.
Will finished his chicken salad at a bit more of a leisurely pace, checking his phone for email. He was just about to put it away when it rang.
Before, every time he’d looked at the screen and seen it was his mom, he’d dreaded answering. But he did feel like before they’d left, he and his parents had finally gotten to a better place.
“Hey, Mom,” he said, setting his phone on the desk, flipping it on speaker. “Great timing. You caught me grabbing a quick lunch.”
“Oh, honey, you work too hard. It’s almost two in the afternoon.”
“Yeah, and these Fourth of July specials don’t make themselves,” he said. “How’s it going on Tybee?”
“I just called to tell you, actually.” Carla hesitated and Will tensed, suddenly worried what that might mean. What was she going to ask him for now? But instead of asking for anything, she continued, “It’s actually going well. Brewer’s really stepped up.”
“Brewer lives to step up,” Will pointed out, but he meant it well. Brewer was great at everything he’d ever set his mind to, so it didn’t really surprise him that he’d figure out how to be great at the nitty-gritty realities of opening a store, too.
“He does, but I was afraid this was too much for him. He was . . .well, things were a bit chaotic,” Carla said diplomatically. Will didn’t miss how she’d said that things were a bit chaotic, not Brewer himself.
Will didn’t think Brewer had been chaotic a day in his entire freaking life.
“But they’re not now?”
“Oh, there was a guy he hired to work at the store, who ended up teaching him a lot of things. I was impressed. And Brewer was very impressed.”
“He must be something, if even Brewer was impressed. And if Brewer managed to listen to him.”
“Brewer isn’t that difficult.”
“Mom,” Will chided.
“Okay, he can be. Only because he doesn’t usually get his hands dirty.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, I just wanted you to know that I’m glad you didn’t come. You have Cherry’s—and Enzo—and it’s right. You should focus on those, right now.”
“Thanks, Mom.” He hadn’t expected this phone call. Hadn’t even imagined that he’d get it. But getting it meant more than he could put into words.