Something New

by Sean Ashcroft

  “I know it’s not what you want to hear,” Sue continued. “But the trust will endeavor to lease it for you and the proceeds of that will also be kept in trust. It could be quite the little nest egg for when you do want to start a family.”

  Maybe Declan needed to read Marv’s letter after all.

  “This bookstore…”

  “It’s currently vacant,” Sue explained. “It has been since your great uncle died. He ran it with a partner for a lot of years, but they’re both gone now. Such a shame, they were a much-loved couple.”

  “I didn’t know he was married,” Declan said. No one had ever mentioned a great aunt.

  “Oh, he was. He and Darren were first in line here to get married when it became legal. They were in the newspaper and everything.”

  He and Darren.

  Uncle Marv was gay?

  No one had ever told Declan that, either.

  He was starting to get the impression that there was a whole lot he didn’t know.

  “I think I need to read that letter,” Declan said, more to himself than to Sue.

  “I can have it sent to you,” Sue offered. “But I’d really like you to come down and see the bookstore. I can’t finalize the trust until you’ve filed a property report, and we could just get you a survey, but… I think you should see it in person.”

  Declan wet his lips. On the one hand, he really didn’t want to travel to a small town in the middle of nowhere, on the other side of the Rockies.

  On the other hand…

  This was starting to seem important. And while he didn’t expect a small-town bookstore to be worth a fortune, it was probably something he should have paid attention to for the future.

  Not that he expected to get married at all. He hadn’t dated seriously since before he’d started the job he just quit. He hadn’t had time.

  And now he was nearly thirty, unemployed, and not entirely sure how to talk to women. His career had just seemed so much more important.

  Sometimes, things changed quickly. Declan’s entire life was in turmoil, and this was one more thing to add to it.

  If he went and saw to it, well… it’d be one less thing to worry about.

  And maybe he’d be a more attractive marriage prospect if he came with a bookstore.

  Ash would definitely have loved to hear that.

  “I’ll come down,” Declan said, before he’d entirely decided. “Is Saturday okay?”

  Speaking of Ash, he needed someone for moral support. Even if he had to beg him to come. Which meant he’d have to wait until Saturday, when Ash wasn’t working.

  “Saturday is perfect,” Sue said. “Hope Springs is a beautiful town, you know. It’d make a nice weekend away.”

  Maybe it would, and maybe that was all Declan really needed. A break.

  “Thanks. Can I get you to email me some details? I like to have things written down.”

  “Of course. I’ll send through all the information I have for you.”

  Declan spelled out his email address for Sue, listening to the scratch of a pen as she wrote it down.

  “Thanks,” he said once he was sure she had it. “For, uh… getting in touch with me, and being so patient while I processed.”

  “That’s what I’m here for,” Sue said. “I’ll look forward to meeting you on Saturday.”

  “You too,” Declan said, taking that as his cue to hang up. “Bye.”

  “Goodbye,” Sue chirped, hanging up the phone after a moment’s pause.

  He needed to talk to Ash.

  Chapter Four

  “You know, you’re underappreciated here.”

  Ash looked up at the familiar voice, a smile spreading across his face when he saw Declan standing on the other side of the counter.

  “Oh, I know, believe me,” Ash said, smiling wryly. “Are you here for that job?”

  “Actually, I’m here to take you to lunch. If you’ll do me the honor. I’m buying.”

  Ash wet his lips. He wasn’t in the habit of saying no to either free food or an opportunity to hang out with Declan, so he wasn’t about to start now. “Can you hang around for, like, ten minutes? Simone should be back from her break by then, I don’t wanna leave the place short-handed.”

  Declan looked around at the practically empty store, but then shrugged.

  He’d never been in the habit of arguing with Ash.

  “I can wait for you,” he said, heading for the reading nook in the corner and settling himself down on one of the huge, plush armchairs.

  Ash smiled at that, and then smiled again every time he glanced in Declan’s direction until Simone came back. He knew it wasn’t really necessary to wait, but he wanted to be responsible. Despite definitely being underappreciated here, he always did his best.

  Declan had settled into the comfy armchair and let his eyes fall closed by the time Ash told everyone he was going to lunch, so he touched his shoulder gently to wake him. Declan jumped, blinking up at Ash. “Lunch time?” he asked.

  “Lunch time,” Ash confirmed.

  A long time ago, they’d gone to lunch together most days. But then Declan had started skipping his lunch breaks to work, and Ash had felt as though work should come first for him when it started, because Declan’s career seemed to be going somewhere.

  Now, he regretted that. He wished he’d told Declan to slow down a little when it might have made a difference.

  All the same, he could see traces of the old Declan coming back. He was brighter, his smile coming easier, his shoulders straighter. It was nice to see. Declan didn’t deserve to work himself to death.

  Ash followed Declan out of the store and onto the street, trailing a half-step behind him, his eyes on the diner perched on the opposite corner of the street.

  “Burgers work for you?” Declan asked, though he didn’t have to. Ash would always have picked a hamburger, especially from the diner they were clearly headed to. Declan knew that.

  Declan liked to experiment a little more, and he’d found some great little places doing all kinds of cool things tucked away in back streets very few people thought to look down, but for Ash, there was still nothing quite as comforting as sinking his teeth into a warm, greasy hamburger.

  That was Declan’s fault, so he’d just have to live with it.

  Burgers had been their go-to comfort food when they’d first met and they’d been clinging desperately to each other, trying to survive working their way through college. It had been an important ritual back then to decide that they’d worked hard enough and eaten enough ramen that they deserved something delicious for once.

  “Absolutely. This is nice,” Ash commented as they crossed the street, sticking close to Declan’s body for warmth. His breath was freezing in front of him, his nose going numb from the cold.

  It was definitely January.

  Ash didn’t hate the cold, though. It gave him a chance to get some use out of all his knitwear.

  “Yeah, I’ve missed this,” Declan agreed, holding the door open for Ash to go through it.

  A blast of warm air hit him the moment he stepped inside, and he sighed with relief. As much as he didn’t hate winter, it was nice to get out of the cold.

  He followed Declan to a booth and sat down opposite him, glancing around at the not-too-busy diner and smiling. He rarely came here without Declan.

  One time, when he had, the waitress had asked him if he’d had a fight with his boyfriend. Part of Ash had been thrilled that anyone would think someone like Declan would be interested in someone like him.

  Ash might not have struggled with finding a date, but Declan was way out of his league. And painfully straight.

  Declan ordered coffee without needing to consult Ash, and then leaned forward, both arms resting on the table and his hands clasped in front of him.

  Ash knew what that position meant. Something big was coming.

  “So, uh… my great uncle Marv died,” Declan began, tapping the pads of his thumbs together.

  A
sh’s mouth fell open. He hadn’t been expecting news like that.

  “Declan, I’m so sorry,” he said. He’d never heard of great uncle Marv before, which seemed strange, but then he supposed Declan didn’t tell him literally everything.

  “I barely knew him,” Declan explained.

  That was probably why this was the first Ash was hearing of him. “Oh.” Ash sat back, the fake leather of the bench seat creaking under him.

  “But he left me something,” Declan continued. “In his will.”

  Ash waited for Declan to tell him what he’d been left, but Declan seemed to be finished talking. “You can’t just say that and not tell me what it was. It wasn’t a dog or something, was it? Or, like, a kid to look after.”

  “No, uh… not exactly, anyway. He left me, uh… a bookstore.”

  Ash’s eyes widened. “Wow,” he murmured, already imagining the possibilities. He was Declan’s best friend, so…

  Maybe Declan was coming to ask for Ash’s help in running it? That would have been a dream come true.

  “Oh, there’s a catch,” Declan said. “I can’t have it until I’m married.”

  “Oh.” Ash slumped in his seat, his heart sinking. Declan wasn’t getting married anytime soon.

  “Yeah.” Declan sighed. “But, uh. I’m supposed to be going up and seeing it on Saturday, and I was hoping you’d come for an all-expenses paid weekend away with me.”

  Ash raised an eyebrow. “Where is it?”

  “Little place called Hope Springs,” Declan said. “Which I’m not making up, by the way.”

  “I didn’t think you were,” Ash said. “Why would you make something like that up?”

  Declan nodded. “Right, it’s just… I thought it was fake, but… anyway. Will you come with me? I’ll beg. I don’t want to go to the middle of nowhere alone to deal with a lawyer who seemed disappointed that I didn’t know my uncle. Who was gay, by the way. No one ever told me that.”

  Ash huffed, surprised to hear that. “Wow. I guess you really didn’t know him.”

  “I really didn’t. Last time I talked to him was like… the Christmas before my last semester of college, I think. Just a little while after I met you.”

  “That was a long time ago. I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

  “Ten years this September,” Declan said.

  “Aww, you remembered our anniversary,” Ash teased. “So sweet.”

  Declan blushed to the tips of his ears. “Yeah, yeah. I remember because it was my first day on the job at the coffee shop. Are you coming with me, or not?”

  “I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” Ash said. “Sounds like an adventure, and we haven’t been on one of those in a while.”

  “I’ve been a crappy friend,” Declan responded, sitting back as the waitress brought coffee.

  “The usual?” she asked, looking to Ash.

  “Please.” Ash beamed at her, flattered that she remembered his usual. “Oh, and can I have an extra slice of bacon?”

  “Absolutely,” the waitress winked at him. “And same as always for your boyfriend?”

  Ash grinned at that. “I think he could use a chocolate thickshake to go with it. Heavy on the chocolate.”

  “Sure thing,” the waitress said, writing down the order with what looked like a single stroke of her pen. “Ten minutes, fifteen, tops.”

  “Thank you,” Ash said cheerfully, still glowing at being mistaken for Declan’s boyfriend.

  “You love it when people do that,” Declan said. “Assume I’m your boyfriend, I mean.”

  Ash shrugged. “You’ve seen the guys I date. You’re a better class of person compared to them.”

  Declan snorted. “I’ve seen your underwear model boyfriends, yeah,” he said.

  “I’ve never dated an underwear model,” Ash responded. “Well… not while they were actively working. There was that one guy who’d just retired. Amal? That sounds right.”

  Declan gave him an unimpressed look.

  “Does it bother you?” Ash asked. “People assuming?”

  Declan licked his lips, and then after a moment, shook his head. “Not really? I think it’s weird that two guys can’t just be friends, but…”

  “I’m wearing a rainbow lanyard,” Ash said. “They know I’m gay. So they think you are, too.”

  “Yeah, well… saves me from being mobbed by women everywhere I go.”

  Ash raised an eyebrow. “Uh huh.”

  “I can dream,” Declan responded. “You don’t know. Maybe everyone just thinks I’m taken by someone they can’t compete with.”

  “I appreciate that you think I’m the prettiest girl.” Ash grinned at Declan, not content with the amount of teasing he’d gotten in so far. Declan looked like he could use some cheering up, or at least some distracting.

  Declan stuck his tongue out at Ash.

  It wasn’t really a mystery why people thought they were together. Not that Ash was ever going to explain to Declan that they were unusually close. He couldn’t afford to risk Declan’s friendship like that.

  “So how far away is Hope Springs?” Ash asked.

  “I assume it’s somewhere over the goddamn rainbow,” Declan said. “Google told me about four hours. On the other side of the Rockies.”

  “Sounds nice,” Ash said. “It’d be nice to get out of here for the weekend, honestly.”

  “I’m thinking we should leave on Friday night? Take the chance to rest up before we meet with this lawyer.”

  “I’m game, if you’re driving.”

  “Oh, I’m driving,” Declan said.

  He hated Ash’s driving.

  Ash liked to think of himself as a confident, efficient driver.

  Declan called him hell on wheels.

  “Well, if it means I’m not making a four-hour road trip in the dark, you can do whatever makes you happy,” Ash said.

  A weekend away sounded good. He was looking forward to spending some quality time with Declan, now that Declan wasn’t pouring every waking hour into his crappy job.

  Great Uncle Marv might not have been a big figure in Declan’s life, but he seemed to be looking out for him all the same. Accidentally or otherwise.

  Chapter Five

  A four-hour drive hadn’t seemed like it would be so bad. Almost peaceful, even.

  That was until Declan got out of the car in the hotel parking lot and his knees almost gave out on him. He was glad now that he’d convinced Ash to make the trip on the Friday night so they could spend the whole of Saturday exploring the town.

  “You need someone to lean on, there, old man?” Ash asked as he sprang out of the other side, apparently unaffected by sitting down for so long. He spent most of his days on his feet, though, so a long car ride was probably a break for him.

  “I can’t feel my ass,” Declan complained, his neck cracking as he straightened up.

  “Well, it’s still there,” Ash responded, leaning back on the car as he watched Declan stretch.

  Declan rolled his eyes, getting his phone out so he could show the receptionist their reservation.

  “You want me to keep watching it?” Ash asked. “I have a lot of experience. I can provide references.”

  “You wanna sleep in the car?” Declan asked in response, heading into the office. He would never have made Ash do that, but it was the best he could come up with.

  Unfortunately, Ash knew that he’d never do that, so he’d won this round.

  Declan collected a room key—an actual key, instead of a card, which was a strong reminder that they’d left the big city behind—and went back out to meet Ash, who was looking over at the faint outlines of the mountains on the horizon.

  This was a nice place. Even in the dark, Declan could see that it was peaceful, and full of green spaces.

  The stars were clearer here than he’d ever seen before.

  He’d never thought any of those things really mattered to him until he’d been driving into town and marveling over all the trees.


  “Sorry about the sleeping arrangements,” Declan said as he opened the room to reveal a solitary double bed. “It’s a small town. All I could get was one room with a double bed.”

  “I get it. It’s not like we’ve never shared a bed before.”

  Declan wet his lips. Ash crashing on the other side of the huge bed Declan had was a little different to having to share a smallish double. They’d fallen asleep together on the couch a bunch of times, too, but this seemed different.

  At least they wouldn’t be cold if they had to sleep that close to each other.

  “I noticed more than one rainbow flag hanging in front of businesses along the main street,” Ash said after a moment, dumping his bag on the left side of the bed.

  He always took that side, and it suddenly felt weird that they had sides, too.

  “Huh. I guess it’s for pride?”

  “Pride… is in summer,” Ash said. “I mean, it is a small town. Maybe it’s like leaving your Christmas lights up all year instead of taking them down and putting them back up.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” Declan said. He hadn’t noticed, but Ash didn’t have any reason to lie about it. Ash was also more likely to see things like that.

  Now that he thought about it, Ash was probably worried that this place wouldn’t be overly welcoming for someone like him. It hadn’t even crossed Declan’s mind before now, but it should have. He’d dragged Ash out to a small town with a totally unknown attitude toward gay people.

  If a few flags made him more comfortable, they were definitely a good thing.

  “Seems like a good sign, though,” Ash said. “I actually looked into this place a little, and everything I’ve read made it sound good. Apparently it’s a real gay tourism destination.”

  “Huh,” Declan sat down on the edge of the bed, surprised to hear that. “Well… it’s pretty. Not sure how that makes it especially gay, though.”

  Ash shrugged. “There’ll be a story behind it. There always is.”

  “I guess?” Declan said.

  He really didn’t know. This was more Ash’s wheelhouse than his own.