by Shawn Lane
“He’s not a boy and he’s not mine.” Edward blew out a breath. “Yet.”
Jude and Rex were already there, on the patio, sitting by the heat lamp and drinking gingerbread martinis, courtesy of Edward, of course.
Edward bit his lip as he finally spotted Jim’s car pulling up outside. He continued to watch as Jim gave the tacky plastic reindeer a wary glance as he passed it on Heloise’s lawn. Edward couldn’t help but smile. Jim looked gorgeous, of course, wearing jeans and a charcoal-colored pullover sweater. It would be tough to keep his hands off the man.
Heloise peered over his shoulder. “Oh, nice, Eduardo.”
He rolled his eyes. “Please. Behave.”
The doorbell rang, but before he could get it, Heloise hurried to the door, causing Edward to groan.
“Merry Christmas,” she called loudly.
“Uh. Hi.”
Edward gently pushed her out of the way. “Hi, Jim. Come on in. This is Heloise, naturally, and this is Jim.”
Heloise grabbed both of Jim’s hands. “Now let me see. I’m somewhat psychic, you know.”
“That’s psycho. And you are not. Pay no attention to her, Jim.”
Heloise gave him a look. “Eduardo tells me you dumped him years ago in LA.”
“Uh.”
“Heloise.”
She ignored Edward and addressed Jim. “You appear to be steady now. Have a good job, have you?”
“I’m an attorney. I start at a local firm after the holidays.”
“So you’ll make good money.”
“Oh, for Santa’s sake,” Edward said. He pulled Jim away from her clutches. “Let’s go outside and you can meet the guys. Gingerbread martini?”
Jim smiled for the first time since he’d gotten there. “Yeah, sounds great.”
Edward glared at Heloise, who gazed serenely back at him.
“Yes, I would like one, Eduardo,” she said.
“Okay, fine. But you drink yours inside by the Christmas tree.”
She smiled. “Spoilsport.”
He pecked her forehead and sent her in the direction of the living room. Then he took Jim by the arm and led him to the patio, where he made introductions.
Jim looked dazed as he shook first Jude’s hand, then Rex’s, wearing his cowboy hat and all. “Nice to meet you both.”
“At least he’s polite,” Jude murmured. He patted a chair beside him. “Come sit down, love. I don’t bite. Let Edward bring you a drink.”
Jim sat in the offered chair and Edward hurried inside to prepare Jim and Heloise’s drinks as quickly as he could. He brought hers into the living room first.
“Relax,” she told him, immediately taking the drink. “You’ve already hooked him.”
“How do you know that? And don’t give me that ‘psychic’ stuff.”
She shrugged. “The way he looks at you. He’s smitten. Don’t worry.”
Edward scowled. “If he survives you guys, he’s probably a keeper.”
She chuckled as Edward hurried back to the kitchen to fetch Jim’s martini.
“Here you are,” he said somewhat breathlessly as he handed the glass to Jim a moment later.
“Thanks. How did your bartending thing go today?” Jim asked.
“Bartending thing?” Jude asked with a raised brow.
Edward sat in a chair next to Jim. “Thanks to you, Ryan and Chris decided to see if I could be their bartender.”
Jude smiled. “Excellent news. And?”
Edward shrugged. “It went well.”
“And?” Jude prodded.
“No decision was made. I suspect Mabry wasn’t as onboard with the idea as Ryan. In any case, I have the job there with or without the bartending. Next week I start on the lunch shift, blah blah blah.”
Rex smirked. “Mabry really has a stick up his ass, doesn’t he?”
“Pretty much. But he’s okay. I’ve had worse bosses.”
Rex turned to Jim. “So, got any pets?”
Jude chuckled. “That’s my man, trying to get business.”
“As a matter of fact, I have a cat. Butters.”
“That is too cute. Mine is Sebastian,” Jude said. “Bloody bastard, actually.”
“Butters is pretty mellow,” Jim said. “But when he’s due for a checkup, Rex, I’ll give your office a call.”
Rex nodded and the conversation turned to other things. Edward ended up making several more martinis, and because of that, Jude and Rex stayed pretty late. When they finally left, it was after one in the morning.
“Want to stay over?” Edward asked Jim as they stood outside, waving goodbye to the other guys. He had his arms wrapped around Jim from behind. Jim smelled faintly of toasted marshmallows.
Jim laughed. “With Heloise right there?”
“We could just sleep, you know? Cuddle together.”
Jim pulled away and looked at Edward. “We haven’t done that yet. Spend the night together.”
“I know.” Edward kept his gaze steadily on Jim. “Too soon?”
Jim shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
“You could leave the same time as me when I go to the restaurant. That way you won’t have to face Heloise.”
“Not to mention be home to feed Butters.”
“That, too. And then I wouldn’t have to worry about you driving home after all those martinis.”
“Are you worried?”
“Can’t help it. I mean, I know you stopped a while ago, but I care about you. I always have.” Before he could allow himself to be embarrassed by the admission, Edward took his hand. “Please?”
Jim smiled. “Okay, sure. I like your friends, by the way. They seem cool. In fact, so far I’ve liked everyone I’ve met. I really like it here.”
“I’m glad. But we’d better get inside before we wake the neighbors and you find out there are some people that aren’t so cool.” Edward laughed. “At least when disturbed in the middle of the night.”
They reentered the house and Edward led him down the hallway to his bedroom. Jim just took off his sweater and pants while Edward put on a pair of pajama bottoms.
“Are you sure you don’t want to borrow a pair?” he asked Jim.
“I’m good. I mostly wear shorts to bed anyway. I’m a very hot sleeper,” Jim said as he crawled under the covers.
“I’ll say,” Edward replied with an exaggerated leer. He settled in beside Jim and pulled him close to kiss him. And kiss him.
“Hey,” Jim whispered. “I thought we were just sleeping.”
“We are. But it’s been torture to keep my hands and lips off you since you got here, so I can’t resist a little kissing.” He turned off the bedside lamp, plunging the bedroom into complete darkness.
Then he returned to kissing Jim, thrilled when Jim opened his mouth. Their tongues slid together. His desire spiked instantly and his cock rose in his pajama pants. Okay, so maybe kissing had been a bad idea.
Hell, no. What could be bad?
Edward moaned against Jim’s mouth and found himself pushing Jim underneath him as he deepened the kiss. He slipped his hand between their bodies and squeezed the prominent bulge in Jim’s briefs.
“Edward,” Jim gasped.
“Shh.” He covered Jim’s plump lips with his once more and shoved his hand down Jim’s briefs, his fingers closing around the hard shaft. Jim whimpered against his mouth as Edward stroked him. Jim thrashed and quivered, but he kept mostly silent other than his needy whimpers stolen by Edward’s own mouth.
Within minutes, Jim came, shuddering against Edward, his kisses becoming desperate just before he shot into his briefs.
Edward kissed Jim. “I couldn’t resist.”
Jim smiled dreamily. “Apparently.”
“Let me clean up. I’ll be back.”
Jim held on to his arm. “Don’t you want—?”
“Nah. I’m good for now. Next time.”
“You’re perfect.”
He laughed softly. “Not even close.” H
e kissed Jim again and rose. He was pretty sure Jim would be asleep before he even got back to the bed.
He was right.
* * * *
“Edward, can we see you in my office?” Mabry asked.
Edward had just removed his apron and was about to head out the door when his boss had stopped him. Ryan stood behind Mabry, smiling with friendliness, but Edward still found himself nervous. “Uh. Sure.”
He followed them into the office and Mabry closed the door before sitting behind the desk.
“Have a seat, Edward,” Mabry said, gesturing to the chair he’d occupied when he’d originally interviewed.
Ryan perched himself on the edge of the desk as before. He crossed his arms, his smile broadening.
Mabry glanced at Ryan.
“I’m sure you’ve realized how very impressed we are with you, Edward,” Ryan said. “You’ve done a fantastic job fitting in with the staff, and the customers have been quite pleased, too.”
“It’s been only a short time,” Edward said, unsure why.
“Even more reason to be impressed. You’re already popular with staff and customers,” Mabry added.
“Exactly. And honestly, yesterday’s bartending was fantastic. You made every drink we threw out at you, quickly and efficiently. And those holiday martinis are the bomb,” Ryan added with infectious enthusiasm.
Never mind that Mabry rolled his eyes at Ryan’s choice of words. “What Ryan means is we’d like to offer you the position of full-time head bartender. You’d work eight hours a day until close. We’d need you on Fridays and Saturdays for sure, as those are our busiest nights. You could have Sundays and Mondays off, or some other days, if you prefer.”
Ryan nodded. “And you have to make those killer martinis. They’re going to be a huge hit the rest of this season.”
“We offer benefits,” Mabry said. “Health insurance. A small dental plan.”
“We’re working on getting a 401K, too,” Ryan put in. “I know all that might be unusual for locally owned restaurants, but we like being different.”
Mabry smiled at Ryan. “Yes, we are.” He turned back to Edward. “You’re very quiet, Edward. I hope that doesn’t mean no?”
Edward shook his head. “Oh, no, sir.”
“Chris.”
“No, Chris. I was just taking it all in. To be honest, I never really thought about bartending until all of this. For that matter, I never really thought about being a waiter. Until, you know, Heloise’s burned down.”
Ryan frowned. “Are you going to want to return to the salon if Heloise rebuilds?”
“I don’t really know, at this point,” Edward admitted. “But if I did, it could be in the mornings, so that’s no big deal.”
“Is that a ‘yes’ then?” Chris asked.
Edward nodded, smiling.
“Awesome.” Ryan stood, reaching for something on the desk, which he handed to Edward.
Edward realized it was a bar menu with a list of several drinks, including his own, that read, “Now Serving Holiday Martinis.” He laughed. “I see you were pretty sure of yourselves.”
Ryan shrugged. “Well, I didn’t distribute that or anything. Yet. Thursday sound okay? You can have the next couple of days off until then.”
“That sounds great. Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.” Edward stood. “I’m kind of late to meet Jim for lunch, though, so—”
“How’s that going?” Ryan wondered.
Edward couldn’t help but grin. “Good. Really good.”
Chapter 8
“There you are.” Jim stood from his seat at a table outside Sutter’s Brew. He already had a coffee there for Edward, and containers of food that he’d made himself. Rather than go out for lunch, Jim had figured he could make it himself. He leaned in to give Edward a kiss.
“Mmm. God, you taste good.” Edward took his seat and reached for his coffee, taking a sip. “Sorry, bosses called me in as I was leaving.”
“And?”
“I got the job. Head bartender. Includes benefits even.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks. My head is swimming. Everything in the last week or so has happened so fast. You, the restaurant. It’s kind of crazy.”
“In a good way, I hope.”
“In a very good way.” Edward opened his container. “This all looks great.”
“Just a bit of lasagna. And some vegetables. And key lime pie.”
“Just a bit, huh? You spoil me.”
Jim shrugged. “Have a lot of time on my hands since I don’t start at the firm until January.”
Edward sighed. “Speaking of, my new hours are going to suck. For spending time with you, I mean.”
“But that would have been the case if you’d waited tables during the dinner shift, too. We’ll work it out. Whatever it is.”
“The good news is, I can probably quit the store. That frees up some time. And I’ll have Sundays and Mondays off.”
“Couples work different shifts and jobs all the time. They handle it.” Jim felt his neck heat when he realized what he’d said. He hoped that Edward missed it.
“Couples, huh?”
He didn’t, of course.
“Well. You know. Or whatever.”
Edward laughed. “You’re cute when you’re embarrassed. And I like the sound of that. Couples. You and me.”
“But it’s not too soon, is it?”
“I don’t know. Who cares if it is to some people? We didn’t just meet, you know. We’ve know each other from before. And anyway, it’s up to us and no one else.”
“That’s all true.”
Edward stuck a fork in the lasagna, cut off a bite, and ate it. “That’s good. Not frozen, right?”
Jim rolled his eyes. “Not frozen.”
“You ever wish we’d worked all this out before? You know, back in LA.”
“Us, you mean?”
“Yeah. If we’d just, I don’t know, stayed together. I wouldn’t have gotten involved with Rodney.” Edward made a face.
“The abuser?”
He simply nodded.
Jim squeezed Edward’s free hand. “Life is full of ‘what ifs.’ It just wasn’t right for us then. Regrets? Sure. Everyone has those. But if you and I had stuck, well, I wouldn’t have my daughter.”
“Hope.” Edward smiled. “Perfect name.”
“And we probably, neither of us, would have ended up here in Sutter’s Bay. Sometimes life works out the way it’s supposed to.”
“You believe in fate?” Edward asked, clearly surprised.
“Of a sort. I suppose I do. Funny how we both moved here, don’t you think?”
Edward’s smile broadened. “Yeah. But you know, I have to admit, I still worry.”
“About?”
He looked toward the bay. The breeze had arrived and it ruffled his hair. “If you can be satisfied with a guy.”
“Bisexuals exist.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“I like girls and I like guys. And I can love and be attracted to either or both. But it doesn’t make me less committed to you or to anyone I’m involved with.”
Edward looked back at him, his expression contrite. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. You wouldn’t be the first with the whole ‘doubt’ thing.” Jim lowered his own gaze, suddenly feeling shy and uncertain, even anxious.
“What?”
“Christmas.”
Edward laughed. “What about it?”
Jim shrugged nonchalantly. “You wouldn’t want to spend it at my place, would you? I mean, if you have nothing else. Or if Heloise doesn’t expect you there or something.”
“I’d love to.”
Jim’s gaze flew to Edward’s. “Yeah?”
“Of course, you silly goose.” He leaned in to kiss Jim, who enthusiastically kissed back. “Hey, about that.”
“About what?”
“Your place. You talk more with the chief?”
“Yeah. I
mean, nothing concrete or anything, but I think he’ll let me buy it. Eventually. After I get settled in at the job and all that. He was really open about it.”
“That is fantastic.”
And it was, Jim thought. Everything was perfect. Almost, anyway.
* * * *
They spent Christmas Eve at his house, too. They watched every version of A Christmas Carol Jim could find, as it was his favorite Christmas story. They ate too much and drank too much, and yeah, probably fucked too much. If that was possible.
It was the best Christmas Eve Jim had spent in a long time.
Edward and his mixology had become a huge hit at Mabry’s. So much so that Adam had stepped up his game at his restaurant and was featuring a special holiday drink.
Jim rose early Christmas morning to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast. He had just put them in the oven and started the coffee when Edward came out of the bedroom, fully dressed in jeans and an ugly Christmas sweater he had purchased when they’d gone shopping together a week ago. Jim wore one, too, because Edward had insisted. Edward had a big smiling Santa Claus on his, and Jim’s had a reindeer, prancing, not smiling.
“Yum. That smells great.” He came to the edge of the kitchen. “Hope you made enough.”
“I think there’s plenty for you to have several.”
Edward smiled and nodded. “No doubt. But—”
The doorbell rang.
Jim frowned and set his spatula on the counter. “Who is that? And on Christmas?”
He went to the front door with Edward hot on his heels.
Jim undid the lock and opened the door. He stumbled back against Edward.
“Mavis?”
Sure enough, his ex-wife stood on his doorstep, holding Hope in her arms. And just beyond Mavis and Hope, Jim spotted Abby.
“Hope,” he said, faintly. “Abby.”
“Yes,” Mavis said with a laugh. “That’s all of us. Merry Christmas, Jim.” She handed Hope over to him.
Jim took her, his heart thundering, showering kisses all over her happy, smiling face. “I don’t believe this!”
Mavis pushed her way inside, followed by Abby, carrying grocery bags. “You can thank your boyfriend.” She shook Edward’s hand. “Hi, Edward.”
“Mavis, it’s great to meet you in person. You, too, Abby.”
Jim glanced at Edward, his boyfriend. “You did this?”