Table of Contents
Blurb
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
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Copyright
A Little Side of Geek
By Marguerite Labbe
Geek Life: Book One
When opposite worlds collide, it’s anyone’s game.
Proud geek and comic book artist Morris Proctor wants nothing more than to live in semiseclusion with his devil cat and gamer friends. Despite what his well-meaning family thinks, he’s perfectly content with his status quo. The last thing he needs is to date another nongeek hell-bent on changing him.
Then he meets his adorkable new neighbor, Theo Boarman, who doesn’t know Star Trek from Star Wars, but who tempts him like no other.
Theo has spent the last year recovering from the loss of his parents and trying to play both roles for his teenage brother, while working to keep the family restaurant afloat. Dating is the last thing on the menu, especially with a man who thinks the height of dining is shoving a packaged meal into the microwave.
But if Morris gives him one more shy smile or flaunts that kilt he wears so well, Theo will be forced to convince him that a hot summer fling is just the recipe to let off a little steam.
When that fling gets serious fast, Morris has to decide if he’s willing to give his heart to Theo on the chance that they’re a perfect mix.
This is for all the wonderful people in the comic book convention circuit for changing the lives of my entire family. You are some of the most creative, openhearted, generous people I have ever met. My son has grown up from a rug rat playing behind a table to volunteering at shows. My husband has found his calling and is living a life he’s always dreamed of, and I’ve met friends that I will have for life. So to all the vendors, artists, writers, cosplayers, podcasters, and producers, these books are for you.
With a special shout-out to my favorite comic book artist, my husband Keir, and my favorite chef, my brother Adam. I love you both.
This book is dedicated to the memory of Mansa Herndon. I am at a loss for words. Your smile, your laugh will be missed. There is going to be a hole at our gaming table and among the con family. Bless you, my brother, and thank you for the memories.
Chapter One
“DON’T GIVE me that big-eyed bullshit.” Morris Proctor leveled an accusing finger at Cassie, perched on her cat tree as she stared him down. She turned her attention to the neatly piled supplies, her silver-tufted ears flattening as he tied back his dreadlocks before kneeling next to the suitcase. “I am not abandoning you. It’s only for one day.”
Cassie shot him a flat green-eyed look that struck straight at his sense of mounting guilt. She was a cat. How could she get to him like this? “Look, I’m with you all day, every day while other pets are left to their own devices. Don’t you want some time to yourself?” Morris argued as he flipped open his suitcase and loaded it with extra art supplies.
Cassie sniffed and narrowed her eyes as she wound her tail primly around her paws. Her expression said plainly what she thought of that tactic. “Look, when I want to spend time with you and cuddle, you don’t want me to touch you.” Morris held out his hand to show her his still-healing scratch. “Sometimes my job does take me out of the house. I’m not your food bitch. Catering to your needs is not the sum of my life.”
Cassie jumped to the floor and stalked down the hallway, the tip of her black tail twitching in annoyance. Morris winced. He’d better make damn sure to close all the closet doors before he left. He did not want to come back to find she’d hacked a hairball in his boots or left a dead cricket on his pillow.
Morris sat back on his heels, taking a mental inventory of what remained in his apartment and what he’d already packed in the trunk of his car. He didn’t think he was forgetting anything, but a persistent voice nagged at him. He checked the time and dismissed the unhelpful mental prod. No point in having breakfast now, not if he wanted to set up in time. He grabbed his business cards, shoved them in the suitcase, and zipped it up.
As he stood his phone rang. Morris glanced at the name on the screen and considered ignoring it before common sense returned. One of the lessons he’d learned in life was he could not ignore his sisters, especially his twin, and expect to get away with it.
“Hey, Makayla, can’t talk.” Morris tucked the phone between his shoulder and his ear. With one hand, he grabbed his suitcase and with the other, the luggage handcart piled high with lashed-down crates and boxes. “Have a show today, got to hustle.”
“So you’re not joining us for dinner?” Makayla replied in a voice thick with exasperation. “You’ve been dodging us for weeks.”
The nagging voice smacked him in the back of the head. He’d meant to return his family’s calls. It must’ve slipped his mind among getting pages finalized before sending them to the printer. “I had a deadline.” Morris shouldered open the door and Cassie streaked outside between his legs. “Fuck,” Morris cursed under his breath as the black-and-silver shadow darted under his car. “Then I had to get ready for this show.”
“What time does the show end?” Makayla demanded. “Where is it? Maybe you could still meet us.”
The cool spell of the last week had ended, and hot, sultry air swirled around Morris. It was going to be miserably humid later on. “Not happening today, sis, sorry. Show is in Southern Maryland. It doesn’t get out until after five, and I still have to break everything down.” Morris abandoned his baggage and crouched to look for Cassie, but she had disappeared. “By the time I get to you, it’ll be too late for dinner.”
And he’d be starving. He’d already skipped breakfast, and he knew himself well enough not to have any illusions he would pick up lunch at the show. By the time he’d be ready to roll out of there, he wouldn’t want a ninety-minute drive, even for his mother’s cooking.
“Can’t you sneak out of there an hour early?” Makayla wheedled.
Morris grabbed a hold of his patience. One of these days, his family would understand he had a real job. “No more than you can sneak out of an event at work. What would happen if you did that?”
“Chaos and mayhem.”
Well, Morris couldn’t say the same unless the promoter took offense, but it could equal lost revenue. He had a reputation to maintain. He might get to a show a bit late, but he never left early. “I swear I’ll come up soon. I’ll spend the whole weekend.”
“Next weekend is Memorial Day.” Makayla’s voice brightened. �
�It would be the perfect time.” Morris hesitated, mentally running through his calendar, and she jumped all over the hesitation. “Laila misses you.”
Oh, that was a low blow. Morris adored his niece, and she reciprocated wholeheartedly. He usually made a point to spend a day with her every few weeks, and they talked on the phone often. He realized with a pang of regret he’d been neglectful lately. “Tell Laila not only will I be there, but I’ll pick her up early on Saturday so we can be the first people to celebrate the pool opening.”
“She’s going to be so excited. We can make a weekend out of it, have a cookout on Monday. I’ll pull together a menu with Sierra, Monica, and Mom.” Morris half listened to her rambling plans as he scanned his yard, looking for his wayward cat. If he was late because he had to chase her, they were going to have some words. Not that she’d listen, but they would have them.
“Do you want me to bring anything?” Ah, there she was, sitting behind the little statue of a dragon he’d put in the mulched bed. Cassie stared at him from under a half-raised wing. Morris crouched down and made the little clicking sound that sometimes drew her to him.
“Grab some tortilla chips and beer. I think it’ll be enough.”
A curtain twitched in the upstairs apartment over the garage. Morris had the impression of a figure in the window, and then it was gone. His neighbors were home. Ever since they’d moved into the top of the split-level home they shared, Morris had never seen them. They’d arrived one day while he was at a show, but they were gone before he woke up in the morning, and he often heard them arrive late while he was up trying to get the last of his work for the day done. He supposed he ought to be neighborly and go introduce himself, but the alarm on his phone reminded him he was running late.
“Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll call Laila later and let her know when I’m picking her up.” Morris grabbed his burdens again and popped the trunk open. Well, if calling the silly cat wouldn’t work, maybe ignoring her would. “Love you, bye.” He hung up without giving her a chance to respond. If he let her, Makayla would keep him talking for an hour no matter how many times he tried to let her go.
“Girlfriend?” a smooth male voice called from the walkway.
Morris glanced over and straightened in interest. Hello, ridiculously adorable. The guy probably hated being told that, but it was true. Morris bet he had girls all over him all the time, such a shame. He had a baby-faced boyishness about him that made him look as if he’d just graduated high school. But Morris knew their landlord. He wouldn’t rent to tenants until they were well out of college and financially stable, so he must be older. His tumbled shock of sun-streaked brown hair and heavy brows framed friendly clear gray eyes.
“Sorry?” Morris felt his cheeks heat, suddenly awkward, and grateful his complexion hid the reaction as the other man smiled easily. His new neighbor was shorter than Morris, but at well over six feet, Morris was taller than most. The bare hint of stubble shadowed pale peachy-pink skin that added to his boyishness. Yeah, definitely adorable, heaven help him.
“Nothing to be sorry about,” the other man said, coming toward him. “I shouldn’t have jumped in on the end of your conversation. It was your tone of voice as you hung up. Made me think you were either talking to family or a girl.” His seeming youthfulness faded as he carried himself with an innate confidence and authority that Morris envied. He had a determined jaw and a long nose that would’ve been straight if not for a kink from a past break.
“Both, actually. My sister.” Morris slipped his phone into one of the many pockets of his khaki utility kilt with a shake of his head. “Giving me grief about not coming to dinner tonight.”
“Ooohh sister guilt,” the other man said with a grimace of commiseration. “I have a couple of them myself. I feel ya.”
“I have three, all older, including my twin by ten minutes.” And Makayla never let him forget that. “They think it gives them free rein to boss me around.”
“Age has nothing to do with it, trust me. I’m the oldest, and they still try that number on me.” The man stepped forward and hefted Morris’s suitcase. “Let me help you.”
“Thanks, man.” Between the two of them, they managed to store the rest of Morris’s gear to his satisfaction. The back seat of his too small car was filled. It was getting trickier to put it all together. He needed to scale back on his product or buy a bigger vehicle. Morris thrust his hand out to his new neighbor. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Morris Proctor.”
“Theo Boarman.” He had a nice handshake, firm but without the macho testing bullshit some men tried to pull. Theo jerked his thumb toward the house. “My brother’s Lincoln, but he’s not likely to be up for another hour.”
“Hell, if I didn’t have work, I wouldn’t be either.” Morris inched toward the car as his alarm rang again. “Sorry, hate to rush, but I’m already late.” Wait, the damn cat. He couldn’t leave until he’d gotten Cassie back inside.
“No, I understand. I work most Saturdays too.” Theo stepped back from the car, and as if she heard Morris’s thoughts, Cassie appeared and wound herself around Theo’s ankles. She was such a sucker for meeting new people. “Hey there,” Theo said in a soft voice as he crouched down to scratch her ears. “Aren’t you a gorgeous big girl?”
Cassie shot Morris a look as if judging his level of jealousy and Morris froze. He knew the game. If he made one move toward her, Cassie would streak away. “In the interest of neighborly relations, would you mind grabbing the minx who’s trying to charm her evil way into your heart?” he said in a conversational tone, in case Cassie read his voice and decided to bolt.
Theo didn’t hesitate, bless him, and caught Cassie by the scruff of her neck. “What kind of a cat is she? I’ve never seen one this size.”
“Maine coon and half that bulk is fur.” Morris scooped Cassie up as her tail lashed and she let out a squawk of protest. “Every damn time I bring out the suitcase, she pulls an escape artist act. Thank you, again,” Morris said as he turned away.
“You are a troublemaker.” He kissed the top of her head and carried her back inside as she vociferously announced her disapproval.
Brendan would have kittens if Morris didn’t make it to the con in time to get his stuff set up before the front doors opened. Delays set the fussy, anal promoter into a tailspin, though he ought to be used to it by now. Despite his tendency to be a little too controlled, Morris liked him. He was a methodical soul who truly desired to run a good show and to make sure everyone profited. Unlike some others who were only in it for themselves.
When he came out again, Theo was standing on the front steps to the upper apartment, his thumbs hooked through the belt loops of his cargo shorts. Morris cast one last regretful look at him before he got in his car and backed up. He wasn’t sure if that was interest in the man’s gaze or if it was wishful thinking on Morris’ part, but he was looking forward to another conversation.
At least having a hot neighbor would make things interesting—when the man was at home, which seemed to be never. But a little eye candy was better than no eye candy at all.
Chapter Two
“DON’T SAY I never do anything for you,” Theo told his youngest brother Lincoln as he parked outside the comic con. The last thing he planned to do on a rare Saturday he wasn’t scheduled to work a double shift was spend it among a group of geeks, whom Theo suspected didn’t understand where the line between reality and fiction blurred. That included his brother.
Lincoln bounced out of the car dressed in a full Knights of Ren getup. His eager fidgeting ruined the ominous effect of the dark costume, but Theo let him have his fun. This was the last weekend before the craziness of summer hit, and he’d been busting his ass alongside Theo. He was due a little fun. “Thank you!” Lincoln said fervently from behind his mask. “You are the best brother ever.”
Theo shook his head, taking a mental bet on how long Lincoln would last swathed in all black when the Southern Maryland humidity ramped up. He had to be
seriously mental. Theo got out of his car and eyed the fire station dubiously. “Seems a little small for a con,” he said as Lincoln retrieved his lightsaber and hooked it to his belt. “Not like the cons I see on the news.”
“Those are megacons,” Lincoln said, in the superior tone only a fifteen-year-old could adopt, as if Theo should know the difference. “Those focus more on pop culture than comic books. I want to go through some long boxes and pick up a few new titles.”
“Maybe you should’ve dressed up as a comic book character,” Theo retorted.
“Can’t,” Lincoln said with smug regret. “I grew out of my Deadpool costume.”
Lincoln had put on one hell of a growth spurt last year and at only fifteen, he topped Theo by a good inch. He was doomed to spend the rest of his life staring up at his baby brother because Lincoln ate as if he wasn’t stopping his upward momentum anytime soon. “Then stop mutating,” Theo said with a good-natured push toward the firehouse. “You’re absorbing too much radioactivity from your comics.”
Lincoln ignored that as he practically bounced on his toes on the way to the door. He hiked up his costume, digging for his wallet, and Theo stopped him with a hand on his arm. “I’ve got it.” He didn’t get many days out with his brother. Two of their siblings were in college, and Theo realized Lincoln would be following them in a few short years. The little pang of weakness was why he’d agreed to this outing in the first place. He’d pay anything to know Lincoln was smiling for a day and not worrying over issues he shouldn’t have to worry about at his age.
“Sweet.” Lincoln was not one to argue over a free ticket.
Theo paid for their passes, amazed at the number of people who were already there. Despite the crowded parking lot, he’d expected a small, sleepy con. After all, it was at a fire station on the edge of a small, sleepy town surrounded by miles of former tobacco farms interspersed with shopping centers. Those fields now held neat rows of corn and barley. Not much happened around here aside from local fairs and church functions. When Theo wanted excitement, he headed up to DC, but those days were long gone.
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