Chapter 8 #2
“I know. I want to know all the silly answers.” I slid my hand over his on the table and played with his long, slender fingers, loving his soft skin and hoping my calluses weren’t too much of a turnoff for him.
I’d tried not to think about what a young, sophisticated, intelligent guy like him found attractive about an older, ordinary, average guy, but I didn’t really care when he smiled at me.
“Okay, maybe bumblebees? They’re so cute and clumsy. How about you?”
“Bagworms.”
“Bagworms? That’s a thing?”
“They’re pretty cool, actually. Although, a whole bunch of them can totally consume a juniper or other conifer in, like, a few hours. But yeah, they build a strong bag out of silk and pieces of leaves and sticks to protect themselves. The males turn into moths, and the females lay eggs and die.”
“As usual, the females get screwed.”
“As usual? I don’t know, there are species where the females eat the heads off their prey.”
“Evolution is a thing,” he said with an amused smile. “Okay, here’s a silly one… which fictional pet would you want for your own? Gary the snail, Garfield the cat, or Santa’s Little Helper the dog?”
“The snail, obviously. Easy-peasy, no attitude.”
Francis giggled. “They’re slimy though.”
“I bet you’d pick Garfield, huh? You like a little attitude.”
He flexed his claws at me, and we both laughed. I hooked his chair with my foot and slid him closer. He stretched his legs across my lap, and we continued sharing silly trivia with each other for the next two hours.
Two dreamy hours of being in Francis’s orbit.
“Shoot, Francis, I’ve gotta go. I need to do one last check on my reptilian friends, as you called them.”
He linked his fingers around my neck and smiled at me, gazing up with those eyes. “This was fun. You’re fun. We should agree on our next date.”
“Absolutely. Unfortunately, I’m on shift the next two days, and when I’m off, I’ve got a crew coming out to start on my pond.” I couldn’t wait. We’d had several postponements, both my issues and the company’s issues, but it was finally happening.
“A whole pond? That sounds amazing.”
“Yeah? Think you’re ready for a tour of Chez Warren?”
He chuckled. “Chez Warren. Maison De Reve. We’re bringing French sensibilities to Soggy Bottoms. Oops, I mean Froggy Condoms. I mean Foggy Basin.”
“Do you sit around all day coming up with new ones?”
“They just come out. I don’t know what to say. The real name is the last thing that is on my tongue when I speak.”
He said tongue, and all I could think of was how much I wished we had time for a long make-out session, but tortoises wait for no man.
“Fire Boy, my eyes are up here,” he said with a laugh, and then he slid across to straddle my lap.
“You call me Fire Boy, but Francis—”
“I don’t care that you’re older than me.
Wearing this hot uniform, playing with trucks and hoses...
those are boy things. You even collect dinosaurs.
” I rolled my eyes, but he caught my face between his palms. “And you’re fun.
You like to have fun. You bring fun into my life, and it’s been a long time since I’ve felt like I wanted to have fun. ”
“Fire Boy it is, then.” I gripped his hips.
“You’re the most fun I’ve had in forever.
But I love that we’re talking about real stuff, too.
I want it all, Francis. The fun and the real.
I’ll take whatever you want to give, okay?
And if you just want to be held when the world is on fire, I’ll be your Fire Boy. ”
His saucy smile faded into something warm and genuine, like I hoped he would be with me. Saucy was fun, but I wanted the real Francis, too. Baggage and all.
We shared a sweet kiss that we both tried hard not to let get out of hand, even though he was sitting on my lap. When we came up for air, he fanned himself.
“I could kiss you all night,” he breathed.
“But your dinosaurs need you.” He climbed off my lap and rearranged his loose cream linen pants.
He’d paired them with a long-sleeved black fitted shirt with a wide neck.
I’d seen him in everything from his painting attire to khakis and polos, but this look—relaxed, sophisticated, and sexy as hell—was my favorite so far.
He took my hand and led me to the front door.
“Hey Kendall? I hope I didn’t overstep with Kimo. This project is for both of us.”
“Not at all. Although, I’m not sure putting you two together is good for me.”
Francis rolled his eyes. “Fine. I was worried, when you were late? I thought maybe…”
My eyes bugged out. “No way. I’ll always tell you if I’m not okay. Promise. Now, I’ll let you know what my schedule is like tomorrow. Is that okay? Can I text you?” I stood on the top step, leaning in, not wanting to leave.
“You can text me anytime,” he said, leaning against the door. “And if you happen to text me pics of Fire Boy Hijinks, I won’t be mad about it.”
“Only if you send me pics of Saucy Neighbor Shenanigans.”
“Hmm, not sure there will be any shenanigans. There will be Zoom meetings with my upcoming retreat folks, a couple of interviews, and the rest of the time I’ll be readying the guest rooms. I think I’m going to do some more quotes on the walls over there.
It was fun. Nice to be able to flex my artist side. ”
“You’re so fucking good at this, Francis,” I said, stepping back up to the door. “You were meant to make this place happen. I can feel it.”
His smile turned soft again as he gazed up at me. “Thank you. Thank you for saying that. My cousins are kind of treating me like I might break at any minute, and my mom, she’s my ride or die no matter what crazy scheme I come up with, so I appreciate the vote of confidence.”
“Ride or die, huh?”