“Yeah, I had a hamster when I was fourteen, and he ran all over the house in this ball,” Trent said. “Hey, Kell, can you get us a baby squirrel?”
Kyle shook his head vehemently. “No, she can’t. We aren’t putting a wild animal in a twenty-year-old ball and turning it loose in the house, Mr. Crab Leg.”
“You hear that, Shadow? We can’t have a squirrel because you had to stash your crab leg under the kitchen table.” Trent glared at the cat before he went back into the spare bedroom.
“He doesn’t throw anything away,” Kyle whispered. “Find a woman who has the six-month rule. If you don’t use something in that amount of time, it goes to charity or in the trash. So, the party, that’s a good idea, right?”
“Sure,” Kellen said with a shrug.
Chapter 4
The next day, Stevie’s fingers were gliding across her keyboard when her phone rang. “Uh…hello?” she answered with her gaze glued to her computer screen and continued to type.
“Meet me at the diner and bring my Pearl Jam T-shirt.”
“Trent!” Stevie whirled around in her chair. “I’m so happy to hear your voice.”
“I’m happy to hear yours, too, it’s been a long time. I wanted to call you last night, but Kellen was at the house, and I didn’t have much privacy. When Kyle told me he ran into you at the diner, I couldn’t believe it. Where’ve you been?”
“Thornwood, it’s in New York. I just sold the house my ex and I used to own,” Stevie said. “I had an agreement on another place in New Orleans, and the sellers backed out at the last moment, so Mom begged me to stay at the cottage. She hopes I’ll fall in love with my hometown again and stay.”
“I hope her plan works.” Trent laughed. “We have so much to catch up on, it’ll take a year at least. You could move to McLin, it’s where the cool people live, you know.”
Stevie smiled. “You’re gonna start that already?”
“For old time’s sake. Are you free for lunch?”
Stevie looked down at her sweatpants and T-shirt, both stained with orange handprints from the bag of Cheetos she’d been snacking on. “I’m gonna need a shower.”
“That’s good because I can’t get away from work until about two thirty. Meet me at the diner, and I wasn’t joking about the Pearl Jam shirt.”
“I can meet you, but that shirt…well, it died. I wore it until it looked like a cobweb.”
“That’s okay, I played your Cher CD until it melted. By that, I mean Dad got so tired of hearing it play in the shop, he took a blowtorch to it. I had a small burial service, and I sang Believe,” Trent said proudly.
“So you’re still working with your dad.”
“Most days. The shop is mine now, but he comes in every so often to tell me how I’m doing everything wrong. I crank up some Cher, and that gets him running. I’m gonna go now because I plan to take the rest of the day off in case you’ve got time for a long lunch. And here’s where you say…”
“I do, and I’ll see you soon,” Stevie said excitedly.
*******
“I’m nervous,” Trent said to Kyle and took a sip of the coffee Trulee set in front of him.
“Why, honey?” Trulee asked with concern.
Trent smiled. “It’s nervous excitement. Stevie meant a lot to me when we were growing up. She made me feel normal, you know?”
“You are normal,” Kyle said.
“I mean, I was dork, and she made me feel okay about that. Guys my age were chasing girls and playing sports, and I was drawing pictures of birds. Stevie was my compadre, my spirit animal. She was the type of friend who could talk to me without saying a word,” Trent explained. “I hope that hasn’t changed.”
Kyle smiled at Trulee. “Kellen was my spirit animal, the Tasmanian devil I couldn’t be.”
“That’s an apt description,” Trulee said with a nod. “If anyone messed with Kyle, they got the devil.”
Trent grinned. “She’s still that way. When Kyle first admitted to her we were dating, she told me if I hurt him she’d—well, I ain’t gonna repeat that in front of you, Trulee. It involved a chain saw and my man parts.”
“She’s mellowed a lot. Kell hasn’t thrown a punch since the fifth grade, I doubt she still even knows how to fight,” Kyle said.
“I believe she does,” Trulee said. “The good news is you’re right, she has mellowed, and I was afraid that would never happen. I think her aggression was over the way your father left y’all after your mom died. She was very protective of you, and that was her way of being affectionate back then.” Trulee patted Kyle’s cheek. “Your way of expressing your love was much sweeter.”
“What did you do?” Trent asked Kyle.
“I’d sneak into her bed at night after she went to sleep and cuddle her when we were little.” Kyle laughed. “She hated it, and sometimes she’d wake up and shove me off of her. I’d hide on the floor and wait till she went back to sleep, then I’d climb right back into her bed. Eventually, she started locking her door, and that pissed me off, so I tried to crawl through her window, and she shot me with her slingshot. Fortunately, it was just a plastic army man instead of a rock.”
“Try waking up in the middle of the night to a seven-year-old screaming his head off with a plastic man stuck in his hair while hanging on a water hydrant by his underwear,” Trulee said drolly as Stevie walked in. “Boys, y’all have company.”
Trent whirled around and jumped off his stool. “Come here, girl,” he said and threw his arms open wide.
“Who’re you?” Stevie said with a smile. “I’m looking for Trent, the guy who used to use mascara on his sad little mustache. He was skinny as a broom handle too. You can’t be him, you look like a bear with your beard and big chest.”
Trent burst out laughing. “Hug me now, damn it! I showered just for this.”
Stevie rushed into his arms and squeezed him tight. “You’re so fuzzy!”
“Eat a sandwich, why don’t you? Am I hugging you or a stick?” Trent asked.
“You’re hugging her because her eyes are bugging,” Trulee said. “Go easy on the girl.”
Trent held Stevie at arm’s length and gave her a good
once-over. “You’re still pretty.”
“You’re still sweet and quite handsome even with that beard.” Stevie ran a hand over Trent’s cheek. “It’s really good to see you.”
Trent smiled warmly. “You too. I guess I don’t need to introduce you to Kyle and Trulee.”
Kyle stood when Stevie walked over to him with her arms outstretched. “You’ve made my year, thank you for getting in touch with him for me,” Stevie said as she hugged Kyle. “Hello, Trulee, it’s great to see you again.”
“You too, darling. What kind of pie can I get for you today, or would you like lunch?” Trulee asked.
“I think I’ll go with lunch, and I’d like to treat these two guys,” Stevie said.
Trulee grinned. “We’ll see about that.”
“So what’re you doing now? Are you looking for a job?” Trent asked.
“No, I work from home writing assembly and operational instructions for products sold for a number of different companies.” Stevie nodded and blew out a breath. “The whole journalism thing didn’t work out for me. I found out that I’m partial to a steady paycheck and job security.”
“Like bookshelves and storage cabinets?” Kyle asked.
“No, I’m more of an electronics and office equipment kind of girl. Copiers, routers, and office phone systems are my area of expertise,” Stevie said and laughed. “It’s not as exotic as it sounds, no need to ask for my autograph, but I will sign a napkin if you insist.”
“Let’s sit at a booth, so we can all see each other,” Trent suggested as he led Stevie over to one. “There’s something I need to tell you, and I should probably do it right now.”
“Okay.” Stevie noted the serious expression on Trent’s face as they all sat.
“I’m divorced,” Trent admitted. “
I married Connie because I was running from the truth, and that is—tea. Trulee, can I get some tea?”
Trulee hid her laugh behind her hand and nodded. “Stevie, what would you like?”
“Tea is fine for me, too, thank you,” Stevie answered slowly and stared at the flush covering Trent’s face.
“You see, the truth is,” Trent began again, “I…uh…Kyle.”
“He’s gay, and we’ve been together for three years,” Kyle said bluntly.
“No shit?” Stevie asked.
Trent raised his right hand. “Swear on a stack of Bibles.”
“You two are the most ungay-looking gay guys I’ve ever seen.” Stevie looked at Trent, then Kyle.
“The pink fairy maker was broken when we were stamped out,” Kyle quipped. “We don’t all fit in one mold.”
Stevie sat back in the booth and smiled. “I’m not shocked, this kinda makes sense. You never really chased girls, and I did wonder if you were gay when you took up flower arranging that one summer.”
“I wondered about you too,” Trent said with a laugh.
Stevie’s smile vanished. “Really?”
“Did I offend you?” Trent asked.
“No, not at all.” Stevie chewed her lip for a moment and blew out a breath. “I’ve been wondering about me for a while.”
“Hot shit on a stick, are you serious?” Trent exclaimed.
“Watch your mouth, I’ve got other customers in here that don’t want to hear about dookie while they’re eating,” Trulee warned softly as she joined them and set the drinks on the table. “Stevie, have you had a chance to look over the menu yet, hon?”
“No, ma’am. I don’t know if I’m ready to eat or not right now,” she said.
“Gay cats are jumping out of the bag left and right over here,” Kyle said with a grin. “It might be a while on the food.”
Trulee smiled. “I’m gonna go back to the counter and pretend I’m not listening. What I don’t hear I’ll get out of Kyle later. Y’all holler when you’re ready to order.”
“I can’t believe I blurted that out,” Stevie said softly as Trulee walked away.
“You’re among nonjudgmental friends,” Kyle assured.
Stevie smiled nervously. “Who better to talk to about it, right?”
“Did you know when we were kids?” Trent asked.
“No, unfortunately, I was a late bloomer. Honestly, I haven’t bloomed at all in that regard, but it’s why my relationship ended. I…uh…realized early on I found a female coworker more attractive than I did Randy. At first, guilt kept me from really examining my interest because Randy was a great guy. Eventually, I did allow myself to ponder my attraction to Deanna, and it felt more cerebral than anything else. I admired her because she was very forthright and driven, and I think that was the real appeal. I haven’t looked at a woman and thought, ‘Wow, she’s hot, I want her.” Stevie swallowed hard as she mentally acknowledged that had changed when she’d met Kellen. “Did you know back then?”
“Yeah, I knew at an early age.” Trent opened his straw and placed it into his glass.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Stevie asked. “You told me all your other deep secrets like the time you feel asleep in a history class and had a wet dream.”
Trent clamped his lips together for a few seconds. “That was a secret you were supposed to keep forever. Stop laughing, Kyle, you’re shaking the whole booth.”
“Sorry,” Stevie said sheepishly.
“Bottom line, man, I was scared to tell anyone. It was less scary to pretend I was something I wasn’t for a while at least. I basically drove my wife to leave me for someone else because I just wasn’t cutting it in the bedroom. When we split, I secretly dated some guys until I met the one that mattered,” Trent said, glancing at Kyle. “It took me a while after we got together, and I finally came out to my dad. He didn’t take it so well at first, but he eventually came around, and now we’re fine.”
“I’m glad y’all are good,” Stevie said with a smile.
“How do you think your folks would react to that kind of news?” Kyle asked Stevie.
Stevie’s brow shot up. “That would be like pulling the pin on a grenade and tossing it in their living room. As you probably know, they’re big on image, and I don’t think that would fit with their definition of perfect.”
“Yeah,” Trent and Kyle said almost in unison.
“I’m still figuring myself out, so I’m in no hurry to tell them,” Stevie admitted with shrug.
“You loved Randy, but you couldn’t be the woman he needed, is that right?” Trent asked.
Stevie nodded. “You hit the nail on the head.”
“Do you ever look at guys and think they’re hot and you want them?” Kyle asked.
“Nope,” Stevie said.
“You’re gay, Stevie. There isn’t anything to figure out,” Trent said.
“So gay,” Kyle agreed.
Trent grinned at Kyle. “You know what I’m thinking.”
“No.” Kyle shook his head. “Big problem, Stevie is a Sealy, and Kellen is a McLin. That would cause World War Three.”
“She is hot,” Stevie admitted without thinking.
“Really?” Kyle said slowly.
“Kyle, I need a box moved out of my office, would you help me, please?” Trulee asked.
“Uh, sure,” Kyle said and got up from the booth. As soon as the double kitchen doors swung closed behind him and Trulee, Ambria burst through them as if she’d been shoved.
Ambria threw a hand in the air. ‘“Go help in the kitchen, Ambria, go check the tables, Ambria.’ You fuss at me for not doing what I’m supposed to do, but you tell me to do something else every two seconds,” she said angrily and grabbed a pitcher of tea.
“Did I offend Trulee with that comment about Kellen?” Stevie asked as Kyle and Trulee glanced at her every so often through the windows of the double doors leading into the kitchen.
“No, they’re probably giving us a chance to catch up,” Trent replied distractedly as he caught Kyle’s eye in the window right before he disappeared behind the door again. “Trulee’s super open-minded. Walt, on the other hand, has a head harder than a brick. So did I understand correctly that you haven’t ever done the deed with a woman?”
Ambria was walking past their table and skidded to a stop. “Another one? Gay people are coming out of the walls around here. I don’t know why I didn’t come out gay, I spent more time with Walt and Trulee than I did at home when my momma was in school.” She sat next to Stevie in the booth. “They’re like my grandparents, and Kyle and Kellen are like my old gay aunt and uncle. Are you single because Kellen is, too, and she’d be a lot less grumpy if she had a girlfriend?”
Trent gestured between himself and Stevie. “We were having a private conversation here.”
Ambria rolled her eyes. “Okay, yeah, go away, Ambria,” she said and got up. “You ain’t getting no more tea, Trent.”
Trent waited for Ambria to walk away. “So getting back to what we were talking about.”
Stevie shook her head, then planted her chin in her hand. “No, I’ve never actually been with a woman. I’ve just had massive crushes.”
“Oh? You said ‘crushes,’ so there’ve been more than just the one on the coworker.”
“Yes,” Stevie admitted with a sigh. “I thought my disinterest in sex with Randy was inherited because Chris and my mom always complain about having to have sex. I began to think maybe I was asexual until that first crush on Deanna.”
Trent smiled. “So what makes Kellen so hot?”
“Your eyes do work, don’t they? She’s pretty, but what really strikes me is the way she carries herself. That woman has confidence.”
“Yeah, that’s Kellen. I don’t think she’s afraid of much aside from sausage. She says it’s a scary meat because you never really know what’s in it,” Trent said with a laugh.
“She’s right,” Stevie agreed with a look of disgust and chuckled. “You loo
k happy.”
“I am. I tried my damnedest to fit in and be what my dad wanted, but it was like wearing a boot on the wrong foot. When I got together with Kyle, everything felt right, you know. The more I learned about him, the more I knew he was the guy for me. Tell you what, wanting to hang on to him gave me the balls to tell my dad the truth. That oughta tell you how much he means to me.”
“It does,” Stevie said with a warm smile. “This is kind of a trip. I’ve never told anyone about my crushes, and here we are years later, and I just blurted my deepest secret out. I’m as comfortable around you as I always was. I don’t feel as though anything has changed.”
“Me too. I was kinda worried it would be awkward when we hooked up again, but it’s not. In my gut, I knew you wouldn’t be freaked out about me and Kyle even if you weren’t gay.”
“Am I?” Stevie shrugged. “Can I really be a lesbian, even though I’ve never been with a woman?”
“What you said about how you felt about Randy and the crushes are exactly how I felt when I was married. Connie was a sweetheart, I couldn’t have asked for a better wife. When we split and I started seeing guys, I was like, now this shoe fits. Think about it, when we were kids, you were in love with the pink Power Ranger.”
“Oh, damn, that’s sad,” Ambria said as she passed their table again.
Stevie held up a finger. “I thought the actress that played her was cool.”
“You had the T-shirt and the posters. When you got your car, the first thing you put in it was a pink Power Ranger air freshener, it was an obsession with another female. Are you gonna sit there and tell me your only attraction to women is cerebral as you put it? Your body has never reacted?”
“It did yesterday when I saw Kellen in here,” Stevie whispered, and her face flushed. “That’s never happened before. Just hearing her name makes me feel…lesbian things.”
“Cool.” Trent grinned. “Would you go out with her if she asked?”
Stevie thought for a moment. “Hell yes.”
*******
Stevie and Trent spent a couple of hours catching up, and Trent found it very odd that Trulee had suddenly discovered a long list of things for Kyle to do around the kitchen that kept him from returning to the table. Trulee didn’t come out again, either.
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