by J. D. Ryan
He did have to chuckle at Max’s seriousness over the games. The man acted as if the national championship depended on his next move. After making microwave popcorn, they switched to a team-player game and chatted about everything under the sun as they guided their cartoon avatars through a series of obstacle courses. Kit couldn’t remember when he’d last enjoyed simply talking this much. Maybe Val had a point: he needed a little adult interaction in his life.
“What time do you need to leave?” Max eventually asked, passing the bowl of popcorn back.
“He gets out at three, so I should head off in a little while.”
“This has been a lot of fun. Maybe my sisters have a point about having another adult in my social life.”
Kit had to laugh at that. Great minds thought alike. “Maybe we both need something. At least we know this pretend romance isn’t going to be hard on us.”
In fact, he thought it might be just what the doctor ordered. He could spend time with the delicious Mr. Hill and get Val off his back at the same time.
Max chuckled as well. “Seems to be a good idea, then.”
“Glad you thought of it. The real test is Thursday.”
“Right. You and Ebon be here around six for dinner. I’ll make my famous fried chicken. It’s Mom’s recipe so you know it’s good.”
Kit was going to break the news to Val tonight after she got home from work. Tuesdays and Thursdays she worked early shift and got home around dinnertime. Max was going to tell his family tonight as well. They usually had Sunday dinner together, but Max was joining Ebon and Kit for mac ‘n cheese.
“I’ll bring dessert,” he’d said when Kit apologized for their simple fare. “I know how it is, trying to make ends meet. Don’t know how you make it with a growing boy to feed.”
“He does eat a lot. You should make a couple of extra drumsticks Thursday.”
“What’s your favorite piece? A real boyfriend would know something like that.”
“I like the wings, but I’ll eat a drumstick.”
Max actually pulled out his phone and made a note. “Wing man, check. What else should we learn about one another?”
“Well, I don’t drink alcohol. Learned that lesson the hard way in school.”
“Good man. Lots of people never figure that out. I like the odd rum drink, but I don’t indulge very often. Favorite color?”
“Orange. You?”
“Blue. What about books and movies?”
“I like science fiction, I suppose, if we’re talking modern stuff. Old Broadway musicals if we’re talking classics. Haven’t seen a good movie in quite a while though. It’s all SpongeBob and Teen Titans at my house.”
“Know what you mean. I’ve seen a lot of Disney movies, too. I must confess a secret liking for romance, but I’ll watch a good musical. I know about your sister. What about the rest of your family? Do they live nearby?”
Ouch. Kit winced. “It’s sort of a sore subject. I guess you could say I’m disowned. Ebon hasn’t even met his grandmother and grandfather.”
“Wow, that’s sad. My nieces and nephews are over at Mom’s all the time. Let me guess: they wanted you to follow in the family business? Wanted a straight son?”
“Pretty much. A gay musician wasn’t what they signed up for. They don’t live very far, but we each pretend the others don’t exist and Val doesn’t remind me of them too often.”
“Then I won’t mention them either. I only ask because Mom will interrogate me. School?”
Kit had to grin. This answer always had eyebrows shooting upwards. “Julliard. Full scholarship.”
Max’s eyebrows did rise. “Why aren’t you on stage somewhere? Or making records?”
“Having a baby dropped in your lap during senior year sort of screws up your plans.” He’d graduated, but his grades had suffered quite a bit. At least most of his teachers had been understanding, had cut him as much slack as they could.
“Do you ever wonder where you’d be if you didn’t have Ebon?”
Kit had to shrug. “Sometimes. Maybe I’d be a famous rock star or something. But maybe nothing would change. I’m not really the orchestra type. I could probably teach somewhere, but they don’t make much more money than I make now.”
Max’s cheek dimpled. “I notice you said rock star. You did mention you liked that crazy music. I know you can play the piano, though. Can you play any other instruments?”
“Double bass, guitar—electric and acoustic—viola and a passable French horn if I worked hard at remembering the technique.”
That had the eyebrows up again. “You’re a talented man. I can’t even play the spoons.”
Kit grinned and handed over one of his cards. “You can tell your family you really don’t have any free time at all since you’re learning to play the piano.”
“I might just take you up on that offer sometime. I always wanted to try playing some of the pieces I love listening to.”
“We’d start with something a little simpler than Bach or Mozart. What about your family?”
Max ran a hand over his crew cut. “Our dad’s a deadbeat. Lives to party, spends all his money on wine, women and song. We see him now and then when he wants to borrow money.”
“Ouch. No wonder you have dinner with your mother and sisters. Any grandparents?”
“Mom’s mother’s still spry. She’s eighty-six and dotes on the kids. We see her pretty often. What about you?”
“Dad’s parents feel the same way about me as he does. Mom’s father is dead, but her mother keeps in touch. She stays with Val when she visits, but she spoils Ebon when she’s here.”
“Good for her. I think it’s important for kids to know their elders. Does your sister have a boyfriend? Two of mine are married and Sophia is like me—no time for romance.”
“Val hasn’t found Mr. Right yet, but she keeps trying. She’s between boyfriends at the moment, which means she’s after me even more than normal.”
“At least you don’t get four to one odds. What’s your favorite food if you could pick anything?”
“I guess Mexican. Ebon likes hot dogs and hamburgers.”
“I’m an Italian lover. Give me a good plate of pasta any day, piled with mozzarella of course.”
Kit checked the time and shoved off the sofa. Max rose with him. “I’ll see you on Thursday then. This is going to be the best joke I’ve ever played on my sisters. I hope it works with your sister as well.”
Kit could only pray that it would.
Chapter 8: Dinner with Max
“You’re what?” Val’s voice was so loud, Kit held the phone away from his ear. “You can’t cancel our family dinner. What’s Ebon going to think?”
“Like I said, he’s invited, too. And you said you wanted me to meet someone.”
Val sucked in a deep breath. Kit held the phone further out, but she said nothing for a moment, probably counting to ten under her breath. When she spoke again, her voice was at a more normal volume.
“I did say that, didn’t I?” She let out a sigh. Kit heard the clatter as she typed away on her keyboard, probably on Facebook with her nursing friends, or “googling” for some sort of gory disease for her job. “I suppose I shouldn’t complain, then. Why don’t you invite Max to dinner with us next week, though? We can still have family time. I’ll miss seeing you and the rug-rat.”
Ouch. She was playing the guilt card. Could Kit stand up to that for long? “I’ll ask Max. He might not want to meet the family this soon in our relationship, though.”
“I don’t like the idea that he’d make you give up our dinners. Is he that jealous?”
“What? No. It’s just that Tuesdays and Thursdays work better for him right now. It won’t be forever.”
Just long enough to teach Val and Max’s family a lesson about butting into things that weren’t any of their business. Although if Max’s family played as dirty as Val, it might not last very long at all.
Val hesitated. “Well—”
* * * *
Thursday night, he and Ebon caught the subway over one stop and walked up to Max’s apartment building. Ebon was suitably impressed at the place. Max’s building was a step up from theirs, in a nicer neighborhood. One day, maybe Kit could afford something like this.
“I can’t believe you’re going out with Mr. Hill,” Ebon whispered as they rode the elevator up to Max’s floor. “What am I supposed to say at the Scout meetings now?”
“Nothing. It’s not anybody’s business anyway, and there’s nothing wrong with your dad dating your Scout leader.”
“It’s just weird, you know?”
Kit put a hand on Ebon’s shoulder, pointing him toward the right apartment door. “It’s no weirder than your dad being a Scout leader. I could do that you know.”
“I guess so. Mr. Lopez’s kids are both Scouts, but they’re older so they’re Boy Scouts instead of Cubs.”
“So it’s not that weird. You’ll get used to it.” Kit knocked on the door. Max’s footsteps sounded in the hallway and the door swung open.
“Right on time,” Max said, giving Ebon a big grin. “I hope you like fried chicken, young man.”
“I want a drumstick.” Ebon took three steps into the living room and spotted the PS4. His eyes widened. “What kind of games do you have?”
Max laughed. “Why don’t you go look at the games while your dad and I get dinner on the table. I thought we could play after we eat. Or we could watch a movie. Check those out while you’re over there.”
In the kitchen, Max hurried back to the stove, dishing up the last few pieces of chicken. He switched the cast iron skillet to a different burner and set the plate of chicken in the middle of the table. “Want to grab that half-gallon of tea in the fridge? I’m going to make us some gravy.”
Kit grabbed that, then set out rolls and butter next to the mashed potatoes. He watched with interest as Max poured out most of the grease in his skillet, then added flour. “I can’t make gravy for squat.”
“Mom taught all of us. Said there was no sense in anybody not knowing how to make a good meal on their own.”
“Your mom’s a smart woman.” Kit didn’t volunteer the fact that his mother depended on her cook for meals, and didn’t even know where anything in her own kitchen was.
Max browned the flour. Steam boiled up as he added what looked like chicken stock to the flour roux. Within minutes, he was pouring the browned gravy into a small bowl which went beside the potatoes in the middle of the table. “Ebon? You hungry?”
The boy dashed into the kitchen, eyes big as saucers. “Mr. Hill has Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And Little Big Planet. Can we play both of them? And I wanna watch Star Wars.”
Another deep laugh that sent a thrill up Kit’s spine. “I think we’ll just have time for one game or one movie today. Don’t worry, your dad can bring you by anytime for more.”
Ebon turned his big, brown eyes on Kit. “Will you? Can I come tomorrow?”
“Probably not tomorrow,” Kit said, “but remember Max is coming for dinner Sunday. Maybe he can bring a movie with him.”
“I’ll bring Star Wars, then. Which one do you like best?”
“I wanna watch all of them. In a row.” Ebon dropped to a chair and reached for the chicken.
Kit smacked his hand. “You’ve got better manners than that.”
Ebon heaved a melodramatic sigh. “Please pass me a drumstick.”
Kit and Max chuckled and took their own seats. Kit passed a drumstick and dished up potatoes and gravy. He also added a nice helping of the broccoli Max had steamed, ignoring Ebon’s grimace.
“I made extra wings,” Max said, indicating the plate of chicken.
Kit took two and bit into one crispy piece. “Delicious.”
Ebon mumbled something around a mouthful of drumstick and Kit swatted him again. He swallowed. “Mine’s real good, Mr. Hill. Thanks for having us over.”
They finished the meal. Max’s gravy was excellent, and he’d mashed the potatoes with cream and butter so they were light and fluffy. Kit could get used to food like this.
Afterwards, they played Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles until Ebon started yawning.
“How about a play date with my nephews?” Max asked at the door. “Maybe when you have to work late?”
Ebon perked up. “Next Friday, Dad. What about next Friday?”
“If you think you can handle that many kids, sure.”
Max chuckled. “What’s one more kid? My nephews are good boys, not too rowdy. They’re eight and ten, but Ebon will fit right in. They picked out all of the games I’ve got.”
As they started out into the hall, Ebon looked at Kit curiously. “Aren’t you two going to kiss goodnight? I can close my eyes.”
Max’s eyes widened. Kit opened his mouth to explain why they wouldn’t be doing any such thing, but Max bent his head and fastened those wide lips over his. An electric jolt tingled up Kit’s spine and he leaned in and gave himself over to the kiss.
“Ewww, my eyes are still open!” Ebon yelped.
Kit ignored his son and concentrated on giving back as much as he was getting from the delicious Mr. Hill. Max was an excellent kisser. He knew just where to nibble to set Kit’s mouth aflame, and just where to run his tongue to sear Kit’s lips. By the time he pulled away, Kit’s knees were wobbly.
“Any more of that,” Max murmured into Kit’s ear, “and I might not let you go home tonight.”
“See you guys Sunday,” he said in a louder voice. “You can open your eyes now, Ebon.”
“That was gross. Why do grown-ups have to be kissing all the time?”
* * * *
By the time Kit got Ebon home, his lips had stopped tingling, though he kept wanting to run his fingers over them to remind himself of the amazing kiss. He could still smell Max’s earthy scent. Fortunately, Ebon was distracted by their evening of video games, and made little protest as Kit put him to bed.
Just as Kit had settled onto the sofa, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Val. With a sigh, he swiped to accept.
“I hope you had a nice dinner. I had Lean Cuisine.”
“It’s not my fault you didn’t stop somewhere for real food. We had a good time. Max has a lot of kid-friendly video games and movies. He’s got several nieces and nephews.”
“Well, I’m glad Ebon had fun. I was a little worried you two would get hot and heavy and ignore the kid.”
“We had fried chicken and played Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, thank you.”
“And he’s coming to your place this weekend? You’re moving pretty fast for a man who didn’t have time for romance.”
“It’s not that fast, Val. It’s just dinner. We’re hardly going to make out with a seven-year-old in the room.”
“How am I supposed to know what you’re going to do? You’ve never introduced the man to me.”
Kit flipped on the television, sound muted. “Will you give me some time, for crying out loud? We just started dating. I’ll introduce you when we get to that stage.”
“I’d better not find out you’ve been to his family home and met every relative the man has.”
“I promise you’ll meet Max when I meet his mom and sisters. Right now, I’m going to watch a little TV and then hit the sack.”
“All right. Sweet dreams.” Val ended the call, little knowing how true her words would be. Tonight, Kit was going to dream of full lips locked onto his, and a smoldering gaze that set heat blooming deep within his groin.
Chapter 9: Dinner with Kit
“Are you in the dog house like me?” Kit set the apple pie on the counter and pulled out a chair for Max. “Val thinks it’s time to meet the family.”
“Already?” Max glanced back toward the living room to make sure Ebon was engrossed in the movie. He lowered his voice. “We just started this charade, for Pete’s sake.”
>
“What did your mom say?”
Max’s cheeks colored. “She wants me to bring you to one of our family dinners. But she’s always been nosy. I figured your sister would be happy you’re dating.”
“She is. She’s also as curious as a cat.” Kit was having difficulty focusing on the salad he was tossing. His gaze kept darting back to Max’s full lips, imagining them locked on his once more. If that had been a casual kiss, he sure wanted to find out what a real one would feel like. Assuming his heart would take it.
As if reading his mind, Max cleared his throat. “About that kiss the other night…”
If Kit didn’t know better, he’d think the man was nervous. Max ran a finger beneath the collar of his shirt, shifted on his chair, and stared everywhere in the kitchen except at Kit.
Time to bite the bullet and take a chance. “I think it was the right thing to do,” he said firmly, pulling the salad dressing from the fridge.
“I didn’t mean…you do?” Max sat up straight, finally meeting Kit’s gaze.
“We can hardly be dating if we never kiss each other. I think we ought to hold hands in public when we’re out on a date, too.” Kit pretended it took all his attention to get the salad just right. He didn’t dare look to see what Max’s reaction to this might be. What if the man thought better of his idea? What if he didn’t want to make even that much of an effort at pretense? What if he hadn’t felt that electric jolt when their lips met?
“I…um…I guess if you’re all right with it, I’m all right with it. I hadn’t actually thought about that part of things when I came up with the notion.” Max shoved out of his chair and paced the room, hands in his jeans pockets. “I just wanted to say that I wasn’t trying to take advantage of you or anything.”
Kit swallowed hard. Did he dare take another chance? “Actually, I enjoy a good kiss.”
Especially if the other kisser was as hot as Max Hill.
“You do?” Some of the starch went out of Max’s back and he dropped into his chair once more. “What a coincidence. I like kissing, too. I suppose that’s why I just…”