River Town Box Set

by Grant C. Holland

  Shaking his head, Brody said, “He didn’t bite. He told me that we’re doing well for our location, but a town the size of Coldbrook Bend can’t continue to support its own store anymore. They had to cut three stores in the region, and we fell under the ax. Short of importing about five thousand new residents, I don’t think there’s much else that I can do.”

  Brody’s voice started to break, and Alan pulled him tighter in the hug. “Hold on there, bud. It’s not your fault. I’m a little scared to ask, but what does that mean for you and Dak?”

  Holding on with one arm, Brody reached up and wiped a tear from the corner of his right eye. For a moment, he didn’t know whether he could keep talking, but he swallowed hard, took a deep breath and said, “Well, Dak stays home taking care of Penny. We decided that the extra burst of care for our daughter was the best option for now. When we discussed it, my job was solid at Home Pro with sizable profits on the ledger sheet every year. That means I’m the established breadwinner for our little family, and it looks like we’ll have to move.”

  “Move?” asked Alan. A sudden wave of deepening concern swept across his face, and it made Brody’s gut hurt even more.

  “They told me that I could be the assistant manager at a store up in Red Wing, and the head manager there is retiring in less than two years. I’d be in line for that job. In the long run, it would be a solid assignment and likely an increase in salary. Unfortunately, it’s over an hour drive on a good morning. I don’t want to spend that many hours on the road commuting. It’s dangerous.”

  Alan gripped Brody’s shoulders and looked into his eyes. “So that’s not a disaster. You’ve got a job waiting for you. Red Wing’s not too far for a move. Diego lived up there, and he thought it was a nice town. It’s not so quiet, but that might be a good thing for Penny.”

  “But then there’s this.” Brody gestured toward the house. It was one of the three things he could hardly bear when he thought about the impact of closing his store.

  Alan shrugged. “It’s a house, but I’m sure you can find a great one up in Red Wing.”

  “This is my family’s house. I grew up in it, and I inherited it from Mom when she died. My family’s lived here for generations. It would be like you losing Auntie Erin’s house.”

  Alan took a small step in the direction of the building, and he looked up at the twin dormers on the second floor. He said, “I remember now. The first time you invited me over, you told me about the family history. I think you also shared a story about playing with Dak upstairs when you were just kids. That would be hard to leave behind.”

  Brody nodded. “It’s not just the family history. It’s got that sentimental connection, too. I want to live the rest of my life in this house. Coldbrook Bend is my home.”

  “Maybe you can rent for a while in Red Wing and hold onto this house. Could you rent it out to someone here?”

  Brody sighed. “And then there’s all the people who work for me at the store. I know it’s not all my fault, but if I have to let them all go and say goodbye, I’ll feel like I’m letting everyone down. I’ve worked with several of them for more than a decade. The store in Red Wing is fully staffed. They might let me bring one or two people along, but how could I choose?”

  Alan sighed heavily and offered another hug. Brody felt a little sorry for his friend. He knew that he was burying Alan in a dump truck full of stress. It made it all slightly more bearable, but he didn’t want to drive a close friend away.

  “So damn rough,” said Alan. “Is there anything Diego and I can do to help?”

  “More hugs like this can’t hurt.” Brody continued with the last of his major concerns. “And pulling Dak away from this part of the river is an awful thing to do.”

  Alan raised an eyebrow. “This part of the river? Red Wing is on the river, and they have that gorgeous park and boardwalk downtown. Frankly, it’s better than what we have here if you’re into the Mississippi.”

  “You don’t understand. Dak’s been off the boat now for almost four years, and he still goes down to the little riverside park here early every morning. He’s out of bed while I’m still sound asleep. Sometimes he heads out the door before the sun rises.”

  “Every morning? He goes down to the river? Wow, what’s he do there?”

  Brody scratched at the stubble on his cheek. “I’ve gone with him a few times. There’s a favorite picnic table down only about fifteen feet from the water. He brings a mug of coffee along, and then he sits and stares out at where the river comes around the bend. One morning a barge floated by while I was with him.”

  “Does he wish he still worked on one of the tugs out there?”

  “No,” said Brody. He shook his head. “Dak’s happy onshore, but he said that there’s something that still draws him to the water. It’s almost mystical in a way. He says that it’s the most significant inspiration in his life outside of Penny and me. I don’t know for sure what it does for him, but it would be horrible to take him away from it.”

  “I still say he can find a new spot up in Red Wing to commune with the water. It’s the same river whether you’re up where it’s a stream trickling over rocks in northern Minnesota or down in New Orleans just before it empties into the Gulf of Mexico.”

  Brody sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I hope you’re right. For the next few days, it’s going to suck being me. I’m aiming for Wednesday night to share the news. Puck asked if Penny could come over and play with Addie that evening, and it leaves Dak and I some time alone together.”

  “That’s supposed to be fun time.”

  “Yeah, I know,” said Brody. “Believe me, I know.”

  3

  News

  Dak loved Brody. There was no better way to say it. That one word “love” said it all. It meant that he was often intoxicated by the mere presence of his childhood friend who first became a lover and then his husband. He couldn’t call it a dream come true because he never dreamed it could happen. Still, their relationship was the core of his life. He couldn’t imagine carrying on without Brody.

  Early in the evening two days after the parade, while they watched one of Penny’s favorite movies for the tenth or even twelfth time, Brody was distracted. He sat on the couch for only five minutes at a time before he thought about something to do elsewhere in the house.

  Dak knew better than to try and keep Brody on the sofa. He was working through something in his head by taking care of household tasks. By the time the movie was over, the kitchen was spotless, the cat litter was clean, and lasagna was baking in the oven to pack for lunches over the next two days.

  After Dak tucked Penny into her bed for the night and finished reading a bedtime story, he cornered Brody in their bedroom. He backed his man up against the wall and placed his hands flat against the surface on either side of Brody’s head. His goal was unmistakable. Unfortunately, when he leaned in for a passion-filled kiss, Brody’s mouth remained shut, and the meeting of their lips was little more than a peck.

  Dak knew that Brody often brought some stress home from his work. He’d broken it down before, slowly sweeping the worries about sales numbers, poorly performing employees, and a late shipment of lumber from Wisconsin to the side while his lips slowly trailed down the side of Brody’s neck. Dak shifted one of the hands to Brody’s chest and kneaded gently.

  There was worry in Brody’s dark brown eyes as he stared back. He asked, “Can we try the kiss again? I don’t think I was ready.”

  “Of course. Did I ever tell you how fucking sexy you are without even trying?”

  “Dozens of times, but that doesn’t mean you can’t tell me again.”

  With a gentle growl underlining the words, Dak whispered, “So fucking sexy.” He pressed his lips to Brody’s, and they parted. Dak probed gently with the tip of his tongue, and when it found Brody’s, an old familiar tingle swept directly to Dak’s crotch.

  They were making progress. It only took a little more time and persistence than u
sual to focus Brody on the rising heat between them. Reaching for the top button on Brody’s shirt, Dak slowly pulled it open. Three buttons later, he slipped his broad-fingered hand inside finding a nipple with his thumb. Slowly rubbing in a full circle, he smiled as he brought the nipple to full attention, a hard little nub that was hard-wired to Brody’s cock.

  Then something short-circuited. A fuse blew in Brody’s body, or a circuit breaker tripped. He pulled back from the kiss and opened his eyes. Dak so often lost himself in that soulful gaze, but it was fitful and unfocused as Brody looked back and forth casting furtive glances at everything else in the room.

  With a painful, not erotic, moan underlying the words, Brody said, “I’m so fucking sorry. I can’t concentrate. I want to, but, damn.” He pushed past one of Dak’s arms and started to unbutton his shirt the rest of the way. “Let’s get ready for bed.”

  Dak crossed his muscular arms over his chest and watched. Brody was in his own world, and he’d constructed walls at least ten feet high to avoid any breaches by Dak’s sensual moves.

  “Okay, I’ll let you off for tonight, but something’s up. This isn’t you. All evening long you were distracted. Penny barely saw you. We won’t sleep until you spill at least part of it. I’m in the dark here.”

  In silence, Brody pulled off his jeans, folded them, and laid them on a chair in the corner of the room. His socks came off last, and he quietly slipped into bed wearing only boxer briefs.

  Dak breathed a small sigh of relief when Brody didn’t immediately roll over and pretend to go to sleep. He lay flat on his back and pulled his hands up behind his head. It was a signal that he wanted to talk.

  Looking over at Dak still fully dressed with his arms resolutely folded, Brody asked, “Have you ever been confident that everything in life was unfolding perfectly and then a lightning bolt hit out of the blue to prove that you were wrong?”

  Dak shook his head. “Nothing was ever perfect in my life until the first time we kissed, and I haven’t had anything to complain about since then, so I guess, no, that’s never happened to me.”

  “At least not yet.”

  “I’ll have to pull this out of you like a dentist extracting teeth, right? Something’s there, and you think it’s awful,” said Dak. “I bet it’s not half as bad as you think, but I’ll need to dig a little more to find out what it is.”

  Dak began removing his clothes. He was proud of his body. He’d kept it fit since leaving the boats. He was possibly even in better condition because his muscles and bones weren’t suffering the daily wear and tear from the labor on the river.

  When only his briefs remained, Dak snapped the waistband, grinned, and slipped into bed beside his husband. His hope for intimate contact before sleep wasn’t extinguished yet. Dak mirrored Brody’s actions of lying flat and shoving his hands under his head.

  “So, let’s talk. Is it that bad? Give me at least a few clues about what’s got you so worried.”

  Brody didn’t beat around the bush. He was finally ready to talk. He said, “They decided to close the store. It looks like I’ll have to work up in Red Wing.”

  It took a moment for Dak to process the news. When he was confident that he understood the words, he knew there were many details yet to share. “Why close it? I thought you were doing well. You said the income is up almost 10% this year. A few weeks ago you said that it was hard filling all of your staff positions because employment is up in the area. That all sounds prosperous to me.”

  Brody sighed. “I don’t get to make the decision. Yes, my store is doing well, but they told me Coldbrook Bend is too small of a town to continue to support its own store.”

  “What the fuck do they know?” Dak’s immediate frustration was mostly about the Home Pro management’s thoughtless response to all the work, heart, and soul that Brody put into his store. Every one of his employees sang his praises as a manager.

  “It’s not worth the anger,” said Brody. “I’ve been pulling out all the numbers possible and gathering the compliments from customers and sending them on all week long. It hasn’t moved them one inch. I suspect the owners made the decision months ago. The managers are only carrying out the orders now.”

  Turning his head to look at Brody, Dak asked, “You’ve known all week long, and you didn’t tell me. You were suffering in silence. Now I understand why you were so distracted at the parade. Why didn’t you talk to me?”

  “Why should I get you all worried when I thought I could change it? I know your mind races to the worst conclusions. If they changed their mind, you didn’t need to know. You’d only get all up in arms about them, and that attitude wasn’t needed.”

  “And you suffered in silence.” Dak rolled to his side and wrapped his arms around Brody pulling him close.

  Brody didn’t cry often, but the tears started to flow. He was in pain. “Fuck, Dak, I feel like I failed. I know that’s not true, but this is going to screw so much up. Coldbrook Bend will lose those jobs. We’ll have to move. I’ll lose my family’s house. Penny can’t go to school here. We’ll lose all our…friends.” The words faded into tortured sobs.

  “Aw, shit, Brody. This is real life. We’ll figure it out. That’s what we do. We can’t do it tonight, though. We both need some sleep. Try and relax now, and we’ll start talking about it in the morning.”

  Brody quieted down, and his chest stopped heaving from the tears. He whispered, “I love you, Dak.”

  Dak’s voice dropped to a whisper. “And I love you. I promise that we’ll sort this out, and we’ll all be fine.”

  Brody kissed Dak’s chest and nestled in closing his eyes. He finally let go and waited for the slumbers to arrive.

  Dak wished that dealing with the situation was as easy as he made it sound. It didn’t take long for Brody to fall asleep. It never did. The house could be burning down, and Brody would find a way to drift into dreams.

  While his husband gently exhaled against his bare chest, Dak lay in the darkness staring at the ceiling. He’d often thought the store could close someday, and he didn’t know what that would mean. Perhaps he would need to go back to work and shift the breadwinning model or at least make it easier on Brody. He could look for some kind of construction work or perhaps ask Diego about any jobs available working on the trucks with Sid.

  Dak thought about his husband’s family legacy. Brody’s roots ran deep in Coldbrook Bend. He ran the largest retail store in the town in terms of sale volume, and his mom was the Coldbrook Bend librarian before her untimely early death. Their house belonged to Brody’s family for generations. It was a local landmark, and community leaders breathed a sigh of relief when Brody decided to live in the house after his mother was gone.

  Dak’s thoughts drifted to the Mississippi River. It was only an eight-block walk from home, and it was much closer than that the way the crow flies. Dak depended on it to help start his day every morning. Watching the gentle flow move downstream was his form of meditation. Whether it was a hot, sticky morning in midsummer or the morning after one of the most brutally cold nights of midwinter, Dak never failed to show up for his riverside mornings.

  Brody suddenly jerked against Dak’s side. He moaned softly, but he didn’t wake up. Dak wondered if Brody was battling dark forces in a frightening dream. He gently brushed his fingers through his husband’s hair.

  The movements ceased, and the moans stopped, too. Brody’s slow breathing returned. Dak smiled and whispered, “Fuck, I love you. I promise that I’m yours forever.”

  4

  Chance Meeting

  Sid rounded a corner at the Home Pro store and suddenly stopped. He spotted Lewis halfway down the aisle. There was something magnetic about him. Sid couldn’t figure it out, but he knew that he couldn’t look away. He’d not been able to get the handsome, and slightly nerdy, man out of his mind since they met ahead of the Founder’s Day Parade.

  Lewis busied himself pulling cup hooks off the rack, investigating them carefully, and then placing th
em back in their original locations. Lewis was unique in Coldbrook Bend as far as Sid knew, and he appreciated men who stood out from the crowd.

  Lewis was too involved in his shopping decision to notice someone following every action. After he investigated ten different options, he finally chose one tiny package and dropped it into his plastic shopping basket. Satisfied with the choice, he began to stroll down the aisle with his gaze glued to the floor tiles one step ahead.

  Sid turned to round the corner again and head Lewis off at the other end of the aisle. He said, “Hey,” a moment before they collided.

  Lewis suddenly looked up and blinked his eyes. “Oh, hey! I didn’t notice you. They always tell me I should look up when I walk.”

  “You most definitely should. The floor isn’t going anywhere.” When Lewis pushed his glasses up his nose, Sid imagined slowly removing them as a prelude to stripping more items from his body.

  “Heh, I suppose you’re right. So what are you looking for out here?”

  Sid pointed at his shopping basket. “I picked up a little can of paint for a chair I’m refinishing at home. It wasn’t much.”

  Lewis looked around. “We’re nowhere near the paint aisle.”

  Sid reached a hand out to rest it on a shelf. He tried to appear calm, but he winced when he nearly knocked a small stack of wall anchors into the floor. As he scrambled to put them back in place, he muttered, “It always happens when you’re trying to look slick and relaxed.”

  “Well, don’t do that for me. I think you’re doing fine the way you are.” Sid thought he spotted a wink.

  As he pulled his hand away from the shelf, the corners of Sid’s mouth turned up into a smile. Lewis was ready for a little flirtation. “Yeah? Well, honestly, as I was heading to the checkout to buy my…um…” Sid swallowed hard when he stumbled over his words.

  “Paint.”