She hurried off with a wink, grabbing cups and plates and taking them to the back. I shook my head as I opened the case and started taking out supplies. “Your brothers are something else.”
“Just wait until you actually meet them.”
“Is that what this was about for you? Were you going to introduce them to me?”
“Well, I had been hoping to run into one or two of them, just so you could meet them, but I had no idea this was going to happen.”
I smiled and wiped at the blood on his forehead. “I can see that. I’m pretty sure no man would go to such lengths for a woman.”
“What’s gay?” Oliver asked. I had forgotten for a second that he was there.
“Uh…It’s when a man and a man are together.”
“Or a woman and a woman,” Will countered.
“Or that,” I nodded.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” Will said. “I’m just not gay.”
He seemed to be pointing that out to me, like I would be unsure about it otherwise. I smiled at him, giving him a little wink. “I never doubted you for a second.”
* * *
After that disaster in the bakery, neither of us was still in the mood to go skating. And Oliver was still guilt-ridden over marking the door of that old man’s car. I still couldn’t believe how guilty Will made him feel. It was wrong, and I should have stepped in. I was his mother. I was supposed to have his back, but instead, I stood by and watched it happen.
When we pulled up to the apartment, I handed Oliver the keys. “Why don’t you head inside while I talk to Will for a minute.” He rolled his eyes and snatched the keys. “Fine.”
When he got inside, I turned to Will. “So, today was interesting.”
He chuckled, staring straight ahead. “Yeah, you could say that.”
I cleared my throat and got started. “You know, I understand what you were trying to do with Oliver, but that’s not your place. He’s my son, and it’s my job to make sure that he understands right and wrong.”
“Yeah? And how’s that working out?” I stared at him in shock and he shook his head. “Sorry, that was uncalled for.”
“I may not be the best parent in the world, but I can tell you this, when I saw you pulling that shit on him, I felt like the worst parent in the world. He’s my son, and even if he pulls crap like that, it’s still my job to make sure he understands what he did wrong.”
“Oh, come on. That kid hates me and he wanted me to know it.”
I nodded. “Maybe that’s true, but he doesn’t know you. He’s just a kid and he’s trying to figure out why the hell I’d introduce him to this new man. And then on top of that, I allowed you to bully him-“
“I didn’t bully him,” he argued. “I put the fear of God in him. When I was growing up, if I pulled shit like that, I would have been dragged down to the police station and I would have been stuck in jail until my parents decided to come get me out.”
“That’s cruel.”
“No, that taught me there were consequences for my actions. Look, I’m sorry if I overstepped, but that kid purposely slammed my door against someone else’s car, and that’s not something I’m going to ignore.”
“I’ll pay for the damages.”
“It’s not about the damages,” he spat. “It’s about teaching him that that’s not the way to deal with his issues.”
“And tackling someone through a door is?”
“Alright, I may not have made the best decisions today. It was a shock.”
We sat there quietly for a minute, but there was something that was still nagging me, and I had a feeling that it would change everything.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“Why did you bring us to that bakery?”
“I already told you, I thought you could meet my brothers.”
“Yeah, I understand that, but why?” He glanced over at me, his eyes filled with confusion. I sighed, shaking my head slightly. “Will, we both know what this is. We agreed that this was just fun.”
“Yeah, you also said that we could hang out.”
“Yes, but I didn’t mean that you would surprise me with trips to meet your family. That’s a little…it’s just not what we agreed to. This is just sex.”
“Sex,” he said, huffing out a laugh. “You know, I’m not asking you to marry me. My brothers are cool. They’re fun to hang out with. I thought if you got to know them, you could come over for poker night and hang out. It’s chill. It’s not like it would mean anything.”
“Wouldn’t it?” I asked. “There’s a reason I don’t get attached to men. I don’t want to lead them on and make them think something else is going on.”
“So, why is it different with Nathan?”
“We were friends first,” I shrugged. “The rest just happened. But both of us understand what each other wants. And that, at the bakery, that was way more than I bargained for.”
“That was more than anyone bargains for,” he sighed. “Do you think I wanted to be outed to the town as gay? That shit’s not gonna die down for months.”
I grinned as I remembered his reaction. “Your brothers do seem awfully involved in your life.”
“Yeah, well, we’re all involved in each other’s lives. It just happens.”
I nodded, but I didn’t really get it. I had two siblings, a brother and a sister, and we all had our own lives. We barely talked a few times a year. The most we saw each other was at Christmas, and that was if I wasn’t working. And the really sad part was that we all lived within a half hour of each other. We had to travel eight hours to my parents’ house for us to all be in the same room together.
“Look-“
“Uh-oh,” he chuckled. “That doesn’t sound like a good thing.”
I smiled at him. We both knew what was coming. “I really like you.”
“But you don’t want to see me anymore?” He nodded to himself. “Yeah, I kinda figured that.” He sighed heavily and stared out the front of the car. “Well, it was nice getting to know you.”
“You too.” I leaned across the seat and kissed him on the cheek. His eyes slipped closed like he was in pain, but when he looked up at me, all traces of regret were stripped from his face.
“Take care of yourself.”
I smiled and opened the car door, letting myself out. I thought he might call after me or try and talk his way into staying with me, but he didn’t. He just waited in his car until I was inside, and then drove off. When I got inside, Oliver was in his room playing video games. I sat down at the island counter and popped my chin in my hand with a sigh. It was really a shame. I liked Will a lot, and the chemistry between us was phenomenal, but he tried to turn us into a couple, and I couldn’t deal with that.
Will
I walked into Eric’s house after dropping Charlie and Oliver off. The day was a bust, and with nothing else to do, I relied on the people that were always there for me, even if they had told the whole town I was gay.
“I didn’t expect to see you back here,” Joe said, his eyes wary.
“Yeah, well, I didn’t expect to be coming back here. At least, not alone.”
“So, I take it she didn’t find any of us that impressive.”
“No, I would say that she found it all very entertaining. But she didn’t plan on meeting any of you.”
He grimaced. “So, it’s over?”
“Oh yeah.”
He blew out a breath. “That’s harsh, man.”
I shrugged. “I should have known better. She told me that she didn’t want anything between us other than sex. I should have realized that inviting her along and pretending to run into all of you was pushing it.”
“Well, what did you expect to happen?”
“You know, I really thought we would just run into you and it would be this no big deal introduction. We’d talk for a few minutes and then leave. She would see me with my family and find it endearing or something.”
“Endearing.”
“Shut up. I really liked this girl.”
“Why?” he asked incredulously. I shot him a death glare, but he continued. “No, I’m serious. Why would you want someone that obviously doesn’t value you for who you are? She can’t see how good you are. You’re this really awesome guy, and if she can’t see that and see what she could have with you, then she doesn’t deserve you.”
“If you start singing Feelings, I’m gonna punch you again.”
“Look, I’m not trying to piss you off. I get it, she was great in the sack, but can you really say you were connecting?”
I thought about it and shrugged. “There was definitely something there, something to build on.”
“Yeah, but if she doesn’t want more, how can you build on that? Look, I know it’s not much, but I called Ma and told her that you definitely weren’t gay. So, you know, she’s not coming down here anymore.”
“Anymore?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Yeah, well, she follows the town page and…” I glared at him with murder in my eyes. “If it makes you feel better, she was coming to kick my ass. Not yours.”
“Well, I should hope so since I did nothing wrong.”
He shrugged, giving a heavy sigh. “Maybe it would have been better if you were gay.”
“What?”
“I’m just saying. You’d have the whole gay card to play.”
“And how would that help me with Charlie?”
“Well, it’s not like she wants you the way you are,” he muttered.
I sighed heavily. That was not something I wanted to hear right now. The door swung open and Eric walked in the back door with Robert and Derek. I nodded to them, but turned back to stare at the table.
“So, I take it the lady doth protest a little too much,” Derek said, slapping me on the shoulder as he took a seat on the other side of me.
“You could say that.”
“Well, in your defense, I never thought you were gay.”
I turned to him with a blank stare. “She never thought I was gay.”
“Are you sure? Because that whole display around town, and everyone handing out their numbers-“
“They were handing out their numbers?”
“Yeah,” he said, pulling them out of his pocket. “Not that you have to call any of them, but Mrs. Greenfield’s nephew looks very promising. She included a picture.”
“I’m not gay,” I glared at him.
“I know, I’m just saying you have options.”
“Unfortunately, there’s only one woman I want right now, and she just broke things off with me.”
“Like, in a bad way or in a good way?” he asked.
“Is there a good way?”
“Well, did she throat punch you and say she never wanted to see you again?” Derek asked.
“No.”
“Well, did she throat punch you and kiss you?”
“What is with the throat punching? No, she didn’t throat punch me. She just said it was over.”
“Hey, I’ll have you know that throat punching can be a sign of affection.”
I glanced at Eric, Robert, and Joe, hoping they could talk some sense into our more deadly brother. “Seriously? Anyone want to take it from here?”
“I don’t think you should give up on her,” Eric said, pulling out his own chair.
“There’s nothing to give up. She doesn’t want more than a quick fuck.”
“Yeah, but she was gonna go out with you today with her kid. That has to mean that she’s up for more,” Robert pointed out.
“She’s up for more, as long as it consists of hanging out as friends, but never moving into relationship territory. Besides, I fucked up with her kid. The little fucker hates me and he would have turned her against me in the end.”
“Then you need to make her need you. She came back to you for more, you know, back when we thought she was a man,” Joe said, unhelpfully. I glared at him and he held up his hands, shaking his head slightly. “I’m just saying…there was something about you that she really liked. You said yourself that there was something there. We wouldn’t have been so concerned about you being gay if we thought it was just a fling.”
“You shouldn’t have been concerned at all, because I’ve at no time led you to believe that I like men,” I snapped.
“Look, he’s right,” Derek interrupted. “She obviously still likes you, and I know just the way you can fix this.”
“How?”
“Well, how do you feel about pain?”
“Sorry?” I asked in confusion.
“Well, a well-placed gunshot wound can be very effective in eliciting emotions out of people. I’m just saying, if you were to allow me to shoot you, I could make it either nearly harmless to you needing a few days in the hospital where she could play Dirty Doctor.”
I stared at him, sure that he had lost his mind. Who was this man in front of me? He couldn’t be the brother I grew up with. This man was insane.
“I don’t think having my brother shoot me is the way to win her back,” I said slowly.
He shrugged. “Hey, I’m just offering solutions.”
“That’s not a solution.”
“Maybe not for you,” he grumbled. “But I’m telling you, when you think someone you love could die, it makes the heart do crazy things.”
“Except she doesn’t love me, so she might just walk away after giving me a pat on the shoulder.”
“And if she found out that his own brother shot him, I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t endear her to the family,” Eric pointed out.
“Well, of course, we wouldn’t tell her that I shot him,” Derek huffed. “We could say it was gang violence or a hunting accident.”
“Because we have so much gang violence in our small, little town,” Robert said dryly.
“Hey, you send him up to Chicago Heights on an errand, and suddenly he’s just another statistic.”
“How about we steer clear of trying to get me maimed or killed in any way,” I suggested. “Look, the fact is, I’m not what she’s looking for. I’ll never be able to change that.”
“No, see, I think you still have a chance,” Robert said. “I think Eric is right. You just have to find out how to make her see you.”
“And how exactly would I do that?”
“Well, you could start by showing up wherever she is,” Derek said.
“Again, I’m not showing up at the hospital with a gunshot wound.”
“No,” he waved me off. “Okay, hear me out. So, if you show up where she least expects you, she can’t really think that it’s anything other than a coincidence.”
“Yeah, but how does he know how to find her?” Eric asked.
I grinned as I remembered a certain man that happened to be a super fan. “I think I have the solution, boys.”
* * *
“Man, I am so excited,” Nathan said as he got into my truck, grinning like an idiot. I wasn’t sure why this guy was so impressed by me. I was a nobody. I had a shot at a baseball career a long time ago, but it never happened. That wasn’t exactly something for hero-worshipping.
“I’m glad you could make it.”
“Yeah, well, I wasn’t about to say no when you called.”
I pulled out of his driveway and headed into Chicago. The Blackhawks were playing the Minnesota Wild and should be a pretty good game, but I had no interest in the actual game. No, I was all about getting Nathan on my side so I could find a way to win back Charlie.
“Nathan, I have a bit of a proposition for you.”
“You want to use me to get Charlie back,” he said, not missing a beat.
“Uh…”
“It’s okay. I’m totally cool with it, but I have some stipulations of my own. After all, I could tell you to fuck off and then I would have her all to myself again.”
“All to yourself? She wasn’t with you when she was with me, right?”
/> He snorted. “I can’t believe you’re even asking that. No, she may not want a relationship, but she’s monogamous when she’s with a man.”
I cleared my throat, nodding to myself. “So, what are these stipulations?”
“Oh, games, lots and lots of games.”
“I can handle that. I mean, I can’t take off during school, but during the summer, I can take you to as many games as you want.”
“Awesome,” he nodded.
“Can I ask a question?”
“Of course.”
“Why aren’t you and Charlie more?”
“Didn’t she tell you?” he asked in confusion.
“Well, she said that you two both know what you want and it’s not a relationship. But I wanted to hear it from you.”
He shrugged. “That about sums it up. I mean, she’s sexy as hell and a killer in the bedroom,” he grinned, until he saw the anger on my face. “Uh…but it’s just not like that between us. We’re not compatible.”
“How so?”
“Well, we’re both doctors. We both have a hectic schedule and it makes it difficult to have more.”
“I’m not following. I thought you guys would have tons to talk about.”
“Yeah, we do. We talk about work, which is why we’re not compatible. Can you imagine being with a woman, but all you do is screw and talk about work?”
I hadn’t thought about it that way. I thought because they had so much in common, they would have no problems making the little things work.
“And I’m glad you’re so cool about the whole sleeping together thing. Most guys would punch me.”
“It’s not like I’m a saint,” I admitted. “She has a past and so do I. Now I just have to make sure I don’t stay in her past.”
“So, how exactly is this going to work?”
“Well, I figured that since you work with her so much, you can tell me where she’ll be. I can show up and ignore her.”
He did a double take, obviously not understanding my meaning. “Wait, you’re going to ignore her?”
“Yep. See, I figure that for most girls, if you ignore them, they’ll get all sad and cry about it. But a girl like Charlie, she’ll get pissed if she sees me with someone else. It’s perfect. It can’t fail.”
Textbook Approach: A Small Town Romance Page 14