Chapter 39 – Luke
LUKE
By the time he left The Ridge in the late afternoon, Luke was so excited to see Jack that night that he surprised himself.
Can't help it, don't care. This feels good.
He had one more errand to run, driving out to Dale and Evan's place.
They were going to take Marley for the night, and Luke was going to help them put away their snow-removal equipment for spring.
The drive out was beautiful. Spring was coming on fast, with the valley turning green and snow melting off the high peaks.
Dale and Evan's property sat at the end of a long gravel drive, surrounded by ponderosa pines. The house was modest yet well-maintained, with a barn, a greenhouse, and what looked like at least twenty acres stretching toward the mountains.
When Luke pulled up, Dale was already outside, waving. Evan appeared from the barn, moving more slowly but steadily. Luke inhaled the smell of pine and wet, freshly cut grass.
He was happy to help, but they'd never asked him for anything before. Were they getting to a point where they couldn't manage like they used to? They were both strong at the gym, but he made a mental note to keep an eye open.
"You're sure it's not too early to put all this away?" Luke asked them. "We could still get another good snowfall."
"Probably will," Evan said cheerfully. "But Dale's got his reasons."
Dale shot Evan a look that said shut up, but there was warmth in it.
They worked together for the next half hour, hauling the plow attachment, organizing chains, and storing shovels. Luke watched them move around each other with the ease of forty years. Evan talking, Dale listening, both knowing exactly where the other was without having to look.
At one point, Dale reached for a chain at the same moment Evan did. They touched and took a moment to squeeze each other’s hands.
"Still handsy after all these years," Evan said with a grin.
Dale smiled and kept working.
When Dale went inside for a moment, Evan told Luke the real motivation.
"It probably will snow again, but I need to make room for this," he told Luke, showing him a photo of a big blue Ford F-150 pickup. "For our anniversary."
"Sweet!" Luke said. "He's gonna love it."
"I don't trust his old Dodge anymore. If it's not the brakes, it's the transmission." Evan pocketed his phone. "Forty years. Figured he deserves something nice."
"Forty years is... that's incredible."
Evan looked at him with those quiet, assessing eyes. "You planning to stick around? With Jack?"
The question caught Luke off guard. "I... yeah. I hope so."
"Hope's good. But it takes more than hope." Evan picked up a coil of chain. "It takes showing up. Every day. Even when it's hard."
"You guys make it look easy."
"It's not." Evan's voice was matter-of-fact. "But it's worth it."
Luke nodded, and Dale came back out with two beers and a Diet Coke. He handed them around.
They clinked cans.
"Tell me again how you two met?" Luke asked.
Evan's face lit up. "San Francisco, 1980. I was visiting from Denver, and he was there working construction. We met at a bar in the Castro."
"It was a different time," Dale said quietly.
"Different world," Evan agreed. "We thought we'd stay there. Big city, gay mecca, all that. But then..." He trailed off, a heavy sadness passing over his face. "Dale’s family had land here, so we came back. Best decision we ever made.”
"Even with all the snow?" Luke joked.
"Especially with the snow," Evan said with a grizzly grin. "Keeps the riffraff out."
They all got the plow, chains, and shovels stored away in no time.
"You just turned 40," Evan said. "And we're about to have our 40th anniversary."
Luke blinked. "That's... wow."
Evan grinned. "It goes fast."
"Any advice?" Luke asked. "For making it work that long?"
Dale looked at Evan. Evan looked back.
"Don't keep score," Dale said, brushing a bit of straw off Evan’s shoulder. "Don't go to bed angry. And don't forget why you started."
"And get a good truck," Evan added with the faintest smile.
Luke laughed.
On the drive back into town, Luke thought about what he'd seen. Dale and Evan, still together after forty years. Still choosing each other. Still holding hands when they thought no one was looking.
It was possible. A long life. A good life. With someone you loved.
He thought about Jack. About how they'd almost lost each other. About how they were finding their way back.
Forty years.
Could they have that? Could they build something that lasted, something solid and real and worth protecting?
Luke didn't know.
But for the first time, he knew he was going to try.
After a shower at home, he stopped to pick up ingredients for pasta, sauce, a salad, and a crusty bread roll. Nothing special or fancy, except for a particular olive oil Jack wanted to try in his new cast-iron skillet.
He arrived at Jack’s new house right at 7, and Jack was pulling into the carport ahead of him. Looked like another long day. He thought of Dale casually brushing straw off Evan, one in a million little moments between them.
In the kitchen, Jack put the grocery bags on the counter, and they exchanged a quick hug and a kiss.
“You’re just getting home? How’s your day?” Luke asked.
“Better now,” Jack said, pulling Luke back into a longer hug and giving his back a little rub. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve been looking forward to this.”
“Same! You hungry?”
“I will be by the time we get this ready. Do you have everything you need for your recipe? I’m afraid I don’t have much here yet…”
“Not a problem! I think I got everything, including this olive oil you wanted. Skillet?”
The new skillet was, of course, unseasoned, but neither man gave it a thought.
The recipe said to sauté the garlic, onions, and pepper over medium-high heat, so Luke started down that path, anticipating the rich smells that would soon replace the fresh coat of paint and the lemon-scented cleanser that still permeated the place.
But when the simmering oil and spices should’ve begun producing the appetizing aroma, a cloud of black smoke rose from the skillet.
“What the heck?” Luke asked, looking for a glove or towel to grab the pan by the handle. “Do you have something…?”
“Oh, shit! Where would that be?” Jack said, grabbing the knob to turn the heat down, but inadvertently turning it all the way up, which sent a flash of flame and even more smoke. “Nice!” he said, giggling rather than panicking.
Luke ran into the bathroom, emerged with a towel wrapped around his hand, then grabbed the skillet and put it in the sink. He turned the water on it, causing a new plume of smoke and steam to fill the air.
They looked at each other with big WTF eyes as the smoke alarm went off, loud enough to wake the dead and make them really pissed off.
A mad scramble followed to find something Jack could stand on to reach the alarm, while Luke opened doors and windows, waving the towel wildly.
When the insanely loud chirps finally stopped, Jack and Luke looked at each other again, Jack on the foot ladder and Luke waving the towel, and burst out laughing.
“Oh, my God… next, the fire department will show up,” Jack said, stepping down and over to Luke, pulling him into another hug. “What a mess! I’m so sorry.”
“Not your fault! Oh, my God… What a way to break in a new kitchen!”
Jack’s laughter softened into a sweet smile, and he leaned in for another, longer kiss that belied the sexual attraction that remained despite this bit of comic relief.
“Oh, my God… Well, what do we do about dinner now?”
Luke ordered a pizza, and the delivery boy showed up as they were still airing out the place.
“You’ve got a hot mess here,” he said, taking in the scene and no doubt smelling the smoke. “When’s the wife coming back?”
Again, Jack and Luke cracked up.
“Wife?” Luke said, beaming.
“Oh, she’s not, son,” Jack said, also amused. “She’s not.”
Pizza, snuggles on the couch, channel surfing… and eventually another amazing round of sex that was sweeter and slower… were they becoming more comfortable with each other?
Afterward, in bed but before they were close to sleep, Luke snuggled his head against Jack’s chest and smelled the faint, stubborn trace of burned garlic and smoke.
“We still smell like a fire hazard,” he murmured.
Jack laughed quietly and tightened his arm around him. “Next time,” he said. “We order first.”
Luke smiled into his skin. Next time.