Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
E zra toed off his shoes as he entered Chaz’s home. The side door led to a small half bath and a coat closet. Chaz steered him up a short flight of stairs. Everything about this moment blew Ezra’s mind. Ezra had never expected to be allowed to gain entry, and seeing the open layout of the cottage had Ezra realizing he was with a Chaz and not a Chauncey.
The living area had two distinct areas, and they each had amazing views of the water. Ezra was drawn to the floor-to-ceiling windows and watched as people played. Jet skis and boats whizzed by, creating rooster tails with their speed.
“We can go outside if you’d like. The deck is sheltered from the wind,” Chaz suggested from the kitchen. Ezra jumped, embarrassed at being caught gaping. He ignored the rest of the space and returned to where Chaz was. The counters were well-used with knife marks on the surface. The coffeemaker had a place of prominence, while other appliances were shoved away.
“Whatever you think is best. I can help prep vegetables,” Ezra offered.
Chaz shook his head. “Nah, it’s fine. Take your bag around the fireplace. The spare bedroom is behind there. The upstairs has my bedroom and the full bath. Change into something less restrictive.”
Ezra glanced down at his outfit. His clothes were fine. He could undo a few buttons on his shirt, but other than that, he was comfortable. “I’m okay.”
The glare Chaz leveled at him burned. It was any wonder Ezra didn’t get singed. “Throw your backpack in the spare room then.”
Ezra bobbed his head and walked around the fireplace. It had two sides for viewing. The room on the other side was cozy with a TV and two easy chairs. A closed door made the space even more intimate. Ezra supposed that would be his room. As he peered inside, the smell of mustiness hit his nose. The dark panelling and dark furniture screamed ominous at him. Maybe Chaz was making a statement, saying he wasn’t welcome. Setting his backpack on the bed, Ezra tugged off his white button-down shirt and changed into a blue T-shirt. This was as relaxed as he got.
Ezra returned to the kitchen and tried to sit down at the bar to watch Chaz work. Unsure and nervous about being in someone else’s space, Ezra wandered around, chattering to fill the void. “So, what about you? How did you join SPAM?”
“Get the door, would you?” Chaz asked, his hands full with burgers on a plate. Ezra rushed to the wide patio doors and slid them open. He shivered as he was buffeted by the stiff wind.
Ezra rubbed his arms at the sudden drop in temperature. “Couldn’t we do this inside?”
“What’re you talking about? It’s a perfect night to eat outside. The mosquitoes can’t bother us. If you’re that cold, I can find you a sweater.” Chaz set the burgers on the barbeque and patted them once. Ezra never understood grilling and wished he could be as competent as Chaz.
“If you don’t mind.” Trying to enjoy a meal while shivering was not fun. If Chaz was willing to share, Ezra would jump at the chance. Even if it meant being surrounded by Chaz’s scent. Ezra’s heart sped up as he imagined Chaz holding him. What a dream. Even though it would never come true—people like Ezra never got the hero. Ezra sighed and let his fantasy float away. This was a one-off so he could better understand what SPAM operatives did.
While Chaz was off selecting him a sweater, Ezra finished bringing everything the patio table. He snooped in Chaz’s fridge and was surprised at the amount of healthy selections Chaz had. He made Ezra feel gluttonous.
Ezra carried the beers when Chaz appeared, holding a bright blue hoodie. “Oh, that’s a nice one. You didn’t need to go to all this trouble.”
“Sure, I did. Did you find everything you wanted? Do I have skeletons in my closet? Bodies in the garbage?” The fact the sweater was a ruse so Ezra could snoop unbothered was diabolical.
“You have real food in your fridge! How can you be a man?” Ezra accused him. He shuddered as he pictured his own. Bread, some eggs, and a few condiments. Nothing like Chaz.
“How can you consider yourself one if you don’t?” Chaz snapped back. He pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed deeply. “This is just going to lead us down ridiculous alleys. Did the search satisfy you?”
“Yeah, I didn’t do much else other than bring the condiments outside and grab us some beers, if that was okay?” Ezra nudged a beer toward Chaz. “Seriously, you didn’t need to put me up. I know you didn’t want to.”
“No worries. Better you than April haranguing me all the time.” Chaz led them outside, and with the sweater on, Ezra was much warmer. Chaz fussed with the burgers while Ezra sat watching the lake.
“I don’t understand this animosity toward April. She seems nice enough, but I haven’t met her in person.” Ezra snuggled deep into the hoodie, the pine scent and something else allowing Ezra to relax. Being with Chaz was a dream. This evening had all the hallmarks of a date, though Ezra would never presume.
“April in person is mythical. She’s like the Polkaroo,” Chaz said wisely. Ezra widened his eyes as the point hit. It was true. April was the human form of a Polkaroo.
“You never told me how you were recruited.” Ezra leaned forward and stared intently at Chaz.
“I was in Toronto for a school trip, and I ran into Mr. Smith on Yonge St. and gave him some directions to a theatre. He said he saw a spark in me and offered me a position in SPAM. I laughed at him.”
“And yet, here you are, a retired agent with benefits.”
“Yep. One of the best and worst decisions of my life. I didn’t have the full powers of a true superhero, but I had enough to make me intriguing.” Chaz plated the burgers and brought them to the small table.
“April talks about the agents, but she says the superpowers are just in the agents’ heads. She keeps everything so close. Says she doesn’t want to taint me or whatever.” Ezra flung himself backwards. He was tired of April's coddling. He was better than she thought.
“She’s a little protective. Can you blame her? All her agents are…different.”
“I’d like to show her I can do this. That I am a great asset to her and the team.” Ezra sighed.
Chaz covered Ezra’s hand and squeezed gently. The touch, the way Chaz’s face turned soft, made the evening glimmer and fade around the edges. It was destroying Ezra’s resolve. “You’re going to be fine. So far, you’ve done an excellent job.”
Ezra smiled at the compliment and turned his attention to the meal. The burger smelled delicious, and the potatoes were fluffy and crispy. “Damn, Chaz. This is amazing.”
“Thank you. Barbequing is fun. Never thought that charring meat would be relaxing, but here we are.” Chaz doctored his burger, and Ezra dove in.
He bit into the juicy meat and moaned, almost missing the odd look Chaz gave him. Ezra continued to make yummy food noises as he ate, forgetting he was a grown man having dinner with another grown man.
“Ezra.”
Ezra paused briefly and met Chaz’s dark gaze. The glow of interest in his hazel eyes set off a swarm of butterflies in Ezra’s belly. He swallowed the bit of food, unsure of the next step. “Sorry.”
“Why’re you sorry?”
“I’m acting like a complete Neanderthal, which is not how I normally am. I am meticulous and neat. And I have boundaries, I promise.” Ezra dabbed his mouth with a napkin. “You were saying something?”
“Nope, just appreciating the man enjoying my meal.” Chaz took a bite of his own dinner and groaned. “I love fried potatoes. How can you sit here and not bask in the setting sun with barbequed food and good company?”
“I can’t. This is the epitome of a perfect night.” The butterflies in Ezra’s belly fluttered violently at Chaz’s offhand compliment. He wished he had the nerve to go beyond flirting, but he wasn’t sure what Chaz thought. It was bad enough he’d coerced Chaz to join him on this wild goose chase. “What’re the winters like?”
“Not bad. The road gets snowed in, and sometimes the wind off the water is wicked. But if you keep yourself well-stocked, it’s fucking cozy as hell. You should try staying in the winter sometime.” The invitation was dropped so casually Ezra froze. Did Chaz mean it? Did he want Ezra to come up for a weekend? That seemed a little quick, but Ezra was willing to throw caution to the wind. Maybe he needed to ask for clarification.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Awesome. Want another beer? I’ll bring the dishes in and be right out.” Chaz gathered the plates and condiments, swatting Ezra’s hand when he tried to help. Ezra sat back and tried to not think of what might happen next.
The whole evening was beginning to feel like a date, and Ezra didn’t know how to react or what to do. This was business, right? Ezra was only here because of the mysterious Bigfoot people who went up to the Bruce. It was just easier for everyone that Ezra stayed over.
“You have a weird look on your face. What’s up?” Chaz set the open beer in front of Ezra before spinning his chair to face the bay. He rested his feet on the deck rail as he relaxed.
“Are you hitting on me?” Ezra hadn't meant to ask that. Ezra had planned on waiting to see where the evening led before sussing out a reason, but his mouth decided to change course.
“If you have to ask, then no. I am not hitting on you.” Chaz’s response was what Ezra expected, but not the one he’d hoped for. Ezra’s heart sank a little. Maybe he was too eager. “Let’s talk business.”
“Okay.” Ezra opened his notes app and pulled up his file regarding April’s mission and his own additions with the men phoning him. “Apparently, there’s a chance someone is trying to pull off a Bigfoot sighting along the Bruce trail. We’re supposed to meet them at a trailhead near the Bruce Peninsula National Park. I wonder if the Bigfoot and these guys are connected.”
“April told me because I’m the cleanup guy. I have to stop them from posting their shots on social media. Bigfoot doesn’t exist in Canada, and we have to continue that charade."
“Wait, what? Charade?” Ezra cocked his head and studied Chaz to see if he was lying, but the smug look said otherwise. “How? Explain!”
“It’s a need-to-know sort of thing.” Chaz waggled his eyebrows and grinned. “We have to stop these guys from doing what now?”
“Scaring people on the trail and making sure pictures don’t end up online. That’s not the sort of thing we wish to promote.” Ezra read from the file. “Ontario is the worst spot for Bigfoot. Especially this far south. Ugh, I don’t get people.”
“We don’t have to get them. We just stop them. And we do that by having a little chat.” Chaz grinned.
“The bad guys just stop doing their thing by you talking with them?” Ezra wished he could have that confidence, but he wasn’t as charismatic as Chaz.
“No. Obviously not. I wish it worked like that.” Chaz stared up at the sky, exposing his neck. Ezra itched to touch the skin and see what it felt like, but Chaz said this wasn’t a date. “Shit will hit the fan in some fashion. This is a SPAM operation, of course.”
“Huh, and how are we preparing for that then?” Ezra swung around to face Chaz, fascinated by this new insight about SPAM. It was completely different from what he'd discovered on his own as a teen. “Is this how it works for all SPAM field missions? You get the basic file and go from there?”
“For a member of SPAM, you ask a lot of questions. But basically, yes, this is the way it goes. It’s better that we don’t have all the pertinent details, like names. We don’t want to be biased.” Chaz stretched his arms above his head, drawing Ezra’s eyes. The definition of his muscles, the tanned skin. Yeah, Chaz wouldn’t flirt with him. He was way too comfortable with himself, and Ezra wasn’t worthy of such a delight.
“I work in an office. I do background checks and help April find resources here.” Ezra had been trying to get further up the ladder, but he wasn’t having any luck. Maybe when another Canadian office opened he’d have a chance, though there were rumours of an office in Nipigon.
“Right. So tomorrow, when we talk to your phone buddies, we’ll try to get more information from them, let them hang a tiny bit, and liberate all their paraphernalia from their persons,” Chaz said. “Does that work for you?”
“I guess? It seems so… bland.” Ezra blew out air as he fumbled with speaking his thoughts.
“Well, that’s how the cookie crumbles. You’ll find your feet as time passes.” Chaz sat up and rested his elbows on his knees. The look he gave Ezra was filled with sympathy and kindness, less heat than before. Which made sense. Ezra was a baby bird, not an equal.
“You never did tell me what your weird quirks are?” Ezra asked, prolonging the evening. He didn’t want it to end with Chaz feeling sorry for Ezra. “April tells me people who join SPAM have them, but I don’t think I’ve ever read or seen evidence of these outlandish powers? I’d say it’s just a myth.”