by Brandon Witt
Jason nodded, his expression proud. “Yep. Sure is. Mine and Travis’s.” He shrugged. “Well, I guess it’s Travis’s. I’m just the manager, but same diff.”
Wendy thought she saw accusation in Wesley’s eyes when he looked at her. “What? I thought you knew Travis owned the feedstore. It’s hard remembering you don’t already know everything about El Do.”
Travis spoke up, his voice hopeful. “Is that a problem? If you want, I can bring it to Cheryl’s for you. You don’t have to come in.”
“Now, you stop right there, Travis!” Jason waggled a finger toward him. “I’ve changed my mind. I think having the good vet here show up in his purple skivvies would be exactly what CCF needs. No such thing as bad press, isn’t that what they say? Can you imagine if Jeff Sherman or John Wallace happened to be there? They’d have the whole town talking about it for months!” A piece of ground beef flew out of his mouth as he began laughing once more.
When Travis joined in the laughter, Wendy was suddenly glad she’d invited Jason at the last minute. Leave it to Jason to make her brother less serious. Maybe this dinner could work out after all. Then she noticed the expression on Wesley’s face. Whether it was fear or anger, she couldn’t tell, though she didn’t think it was directed at Jason.
Travis wiped his mouth with the back of his arm. “That would be quite the picture, and stop calling it CCF, for crying out loud.”
“Get down, Dolan!” Wendy swiped her napkin across the table beside where Avery sat. In all the commotion, the dog had propped his front feet on the girl’s chair, and his head was darting back and forth between all of his humans, tongue dragging on the table.
“He looks like his eyes are about to pop out of his head. You still think I’m wrong about him being an idiot, sis?”
“Dad!” Caleb shot him a glare.
Wendy couldn’t suppress a smile. Maybe Travis had decided not to be angry at her after all. Not that it changed her plans, either way.
“Your house is beautiful. It’s a great combination of country charm and modern.” Wesley’s voice grew more confident as he spoke, as if it had taken nerve for him to speak up again. “My grandparents’ house is in desperate need of updating.”
Wendy grinned at him. “Well, thank you. Everything you see is because of Shannon or me. Travis couldn’t decorate a barn if you hung paint-by-number clues everywhere.” She gestured to the kitchen. “Shannon was adamant that the kitchen and living room be open concept. Luckily, though Travis can’t design, he’s good with his hands. She had him tearing down walls the same day as the closing, if I remember. The wall of windows over there was my idea. The chickens all over the kitchen were hers. I’d have chosen rabbits, obviously.”
Everyone at the table looked around, following Wendy’s motions, as if they didn’t see it every day.
Wesley pointed out the window, the sunset painting the field and barn a wash of orange. “Well, it’s beautiful. Good call on the windows. It makes the place really homey.”
“Mom had you tear down the walls? I didn’t know that.” Caleb looked toward his father, a wistful expression on his face.
Wendy mentally kicked herself. She hadn’t even been thinking. The last thing Travis needed was to be reminded of Shannon.
The soft smile that crossed her brother’s face made her think it was going to be all right after all. “Well, bud, that was way before you came along. You know your mom, she wanted things to be exactly the way she wanted them.” Travis smiled at his oldest son a bit longer, then looked over at Avery. “Just like you, missy. Always having to have everything just right.” He gave her a wink.
Mason’s soft voice sounded hopeful as he piped up again from behind a towering plate of diced tomatoes, lettuce, and onions. “Did Mom tear down walls in my room, Daddy?”
“No, Mason. She didn’t want you to be cold in there without walls. But she was the one who picked out the green in your room and the yellow in Avery’s.”
Wendy’s hope increased at the peaceful tone in Travis’s voice, which made it sound like he was enjoying talking about Shannon instead of finding it painful.
“Of course, she had me do all the painting. Said it would splatter in her hair and take forever to get out.” His smile faltered then, a cloud seeming to pass behind his eyes.
Wendy tried to think of what to say to salvage the moment but couldn’t come up with anything besides bringing out dessert, which would be too obvious, since people were still eating the tacos. To her surprise, Jason came to the rescue. Miracles did happen.
“Can I get the picture, Trav?”
It took a moment before Travis’s eyes focused on his friend. “Hmm?”
“The picture. You know the one. The vet needs to see that thing of beauty.”
Travis rolled his eyes, a cautious smile returning. “You’re a moron, but, yeah, sure. Go ahead.”
Letting out a chattering laugh that reminded Wendy of the movie Gremlins—she hated that movie—Jason pushed back from the table and nearly frolicked across the living room before pausing in front of the built-in bookcases beside the fireplace. Within moments he came back, already laughing, a large framed photo in his hands.
Wendy groaned. “Oh, that? You’re insane, Jason. There’s nothing wrong with that picture.”
Jason ignored her, instead kneeling down beside Wesley’s chair and holding the photo toward him, then pulling it back to hold it against his chest. “Before I show it to you, I gotta know, are you a South Park fan, Dr. Ryan?”
Oh crap. And here Wendy had thought they might actually bond over something. There was no way Wesley would watch such filth. Even Travis didn’t join in on his friend’s love for that garbage.
“Are you kidding? I love that show! I took a trip a few years ago to see the real South Park in Colorado.” Wesley’s excited tone made him sound like a kid. Wendy was floored.
For the second time that night, Jason smacked the other man on the shoulder. “No shit! Dude, I am so jealous!”
“Jason, what’s South Park?”
Jason turned and looked at Avery like he’d forgotten anyone else was even in the room. “What’s South Park? Why, Avery, it’s the best show ever made!”
“Can I watch it?”
Jason started to nod, but Wendy cut him off. “You wouldn’t like it, hunny. It’s a dumb show for dumb adults. I’m surprised Dr. Ryan would watch such things.”
“I wanna watch it!” The little girl’s voice began to rise.
“Avery, don’t start. Be polite or there won’t be dessert.”
Avery looked over at her father, lower lip puckering.
Travis looked like it was taking all his effort to keep from smiling at her. “Don’t look at me, girlie. You do what your aunt tells ya.”
She let out a huff but said no more.
Once certain a tantrum wasn’t coming, Jason turned back to Wesley and kept going, his excitement unhampered. “Well, you remember the episode about the ginger kids?”
Wesley nodded his head in astonishment like he’d just been asked if he remembered what a french fry was. “Uh, yeah. They have no souls.”
A third smack on the arm. “Right you are, man!”
Wendy exchanged wondering looks with Travis. It seemed he was as blown away by Jason’s reaction to the gay veterinarian as she was.
Jason’s eyes grew wide and he made his voice sound like a game show host announcer. “Well, Mr. Spandex-Wearing Vet, take a look at this!” He flipped the photo around and held it out with both hands, arms straight in front of him. “I swear this is where they got the inspiration for that whole episode!”
Wesley gawked as he looked at it and then let out a laugh that only made Jason laugh harder.
Wendy had to bite her lip to keep from tearing up when Travis began to laugh along with them. She smiled at Caleb, who looked lost but was clearly enjoying seeing his dad looking happy as much as she was.
Jason continued to howl, but managed to keep speaking in little barks be
tween breaths. “I mean… seriously! Look at them. All five of them… and Dunkyn to top it all off…. Have you ever seen so many gingers in one picture?”
Even Wendy found herself chuckling. The picture was of Travis and Shannon and all three kids. Caleb would have been around nine and the twins a little less than a year old. She’d been the one to take the photo. It had taken her several shots to get one where Dunkyn was looking at the camera. “That’s just stupid, Jason. There are pictures with me in them as well. We all have red hair.”
She didn’t dissuade him in the slightest. “True, but there’s just something about this picture. It’s just so big, and they’re all on the picnic blanket, and the sun’s hitting just right. Shannon’s hair is so long and red, it looks like she’s on fire. Even Dunk looks like he just stepped out of South Park.” Jason let out another howl. “It’s the scariest picnic I can ever imagine. I still say we should send in to the writers of that show. I bet they’d make a whole episode out of it.”
Wesley had stopped laughing abruptly in the middle of Jason’s spiel. He leaned in closer to the photograph, raising a finger to touch it, but stopped before it made contact with the glass. “That’s Shannon?” He spoke more to himself than anyone else. “I wasn’t even thinking about it being all of you.”
All laughter had left Travis’s voice. “Yeah, that’s Shannon.”
Again Wendy couldn’t think of what to say or how to distract. She never had that problem.
Wesley turned around in his chair, away from the now-still Jason and the photo, and looked directly at Travis. “She was beautiful.”
“Yes. She was.” Travis turned from Wesley to Jason. “And she’d have kicked your ass for laughing about it.” He sounded like he’d tried to be funny but failed.
Though Jason’s voice was soft, there was still humor in it. “Whatever. You know that’s not true. She laughed nearly as hard as I did the first time I saw it after you had it framed.” He addressed Wesley. “Shannon was gorgeous, and a hell of a lot funnier than her stick-in-the-mud husband over there.”
Travis chuckled, a real one this time. “That is true, as well.”
THERE WERE no more outbursts during the rest of dinner, and no more awkward conversation about Wesley’s choice in clothing either. Wendy was pleased. Dessert went without a hitch. Although, really, pumpkin gingerbread with a hot caramel sauce was a no-brainer. She knew what she was doing.
For once, she didn’t give Jason a hard time when he got up from the table abruptly after a text message. Nor did she point out that the girl he was rushing off to hook up with probably had a vast assortment of STDs. The booty call’s timing was excellent.
After dessert was over, Travis put on a movie for the twins and came back into the kitchen to help her clean up.
“Don’t worry about all of this. You go out and help Caleb give Wesley the tour of the barn.” Wendy tried to shove him away from the sink.
“Nah, it’s good for him to have to talk to someone other than family. Besides, with his love of animals, talking to a vet could make Caleb think about becoming one. It would be nice to have a doctor in the family.” Travis picked up a hand towel and began drying the stack of plates dripping on the edge of the sink.
“Wouldn’t hurt you to talk to him either, Trav.” She had to be careful, and she knew it. It was a fine line with her brother between pushing just enough to drive him into action and shoving him over the edge into stubbornness.
“Wendy….” He gave her a warning growl. “I thought I made myself clear last night.”
She turned to him, her anger momentarily flaring, and shoved a wet finger at his face. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but since you brought it up. You will never speak to me that way again. You hear? I didn’t take it from Charles, and I won’t take it from you.” She should stop. She should. “You know Shannon would have helped me kick your ass if she’d heard you talking to me like that.”
He had the grace to look sheepish. He looked at the floor for a minute before looking at her again. “I’m sorry, Wendy. I didn’t mean to sound like… him.”
Wendy knew Travis hated her ex more than anyone, except maybe the doctor who had been overseeing Shannon’s treatment. She expected him to stop, not offer any more explanation, but he did.
“You can’t think that just because he shows up, the first gay guy in town—”
“You know there are other gay men here.”
He gave her a look. “Not the same thing. But fine, just because the first noncloseted gay guy in town shows up doesn’t mean that—”
She cut him off again. “He’s a good guy, Travis. A really good guy. And handsome and kind. And I know what I saw last night.”
He growled again. “You have no idea what you saw or what you didn’t see, Wendy. You’re just making up shit.”
“Travis.” Wendy wiped her wet hand on her yellow broomstick skirt and then grabbed his bicep when he wouldn’t look at her. “Travis.”
His blue eyes met hers, and the trepidation in them nearly broke her heart. “Please don’t say it, sis.”
“I have to. Shannon—”
He looked away. “Don’t. Say. It.”
She squeezed his arm tighter. “Shannon would be happy.”
“Wendy….”
His tone had a warning, but she ignored it. “Well, she would. You know it, and I know it. There’s no reason to pretend differently. It would be insulting to her if we did.”
He flinched, then met his sister’s gaze.
Wendy lifted her hand and gently placed it on his cheek, his red stubble scratching her palm. “Just go out to the barn and finish the tour with Wesley and Caleb. I’m not saying you have to say anything. Just be there. Just… I don’t know. Just try to breathe, okay?”
Chapter Ten
“Fuck!” Travis managed to remain standing as he rebounded off the door and crashed into the opposite wall of the dorm hallway. He inspected his hand after lifting it from his throbbing nose. Blood. Made sense—it sure felt broken.
His temper rose, but he shoved it down. Losing it was the last thing the situation needed. If he got through the evening with only a bloody nose, he’d be lucky.
With his unbloodied hand, he reached out and twisted the knob.
Nothing.
She never locked her door. He stuffed his hand into his left pocket, his fingers grazing the keys. Before he’d even withdrawn them, he let them fall back into place. Using his key if she’d locked the door would guarantee more than his nose would be bleeding.
“Shannon! Open the door. We gotta talk.” Though he was loud, Travis tried to keep the anger from his voice, as well as the panic that was mounting every second.
He couldn’t lose her. He couldn’t.
Life wouldn’t be right without her.
What if she left him?
What if she told?
There was no reply, no responding yell. She really was mad.
He knocked on the door. Firm, insistent, but not angry, not desperate. A calm knock. “Come on, Shannon! Let me in!”
A click of the door latch sounded, and Travis stepped back, giving her room.
The door didn’t open. The handle didn’t so much as jiggle.
Then a creak.
Travis glanced down the hallway, three doors over. Sarah Peterson poked her head out of her doorway.
“I think if Shannon wanted to talk, Travis, you’d already be in her room.”
God, he hated that nosey bitch. He ignored her and knocked again. Maybe pounded a little bit this time.
Sarah’s squeaky voice called out to him. “I’ll call campus security if you keep harassing her.”
He bared his teeth at her. “Shut up, Sarah. Mind your own fucking business.”
Her eyes bugged, but her chin jutted forward in indignation. “You can’t tell me what to do just because you have a penis. There’s such a thing as women’s rights, you know!”
Shannon’s voice startled Travis. He’d been so focus
ed on Sarah Peterson he hadn’t noticed Shannon open her door. “Oh, shut the hell up, Sarah! You know you’re only here looking for a husband. Which is why you’ve slept with the entire male population of Blaine Hall and your GPA hasn’t risen above a 2.5 in four years!”
“Bitch.” One final squeak from Sarah, and her door closed.
“God, I hate her.” Shannon’s tone was vicious.
Travis made a mental note to drop a box of chocolates off at Sarah’s door. She’d gotten Shannon to come out a hell of a lot quicker than he would have.
Shannon threw open her door the rest of the way and whirled on Travis. “As far as you, I have no desire to see….” Her blue eyes flashed from fury to concern in an instant. “You’re bleeding.”
“Yeah. I smacked into your door.”
She laughed. Actually threw back her head and laughed.
Things would be okay.
Travis let a small chuckle escape.
Bad move. Her gaze returned to him, the angry gale dark in her eyes. “Go away, Travis.” She turned again, long red ponytail spinning around her, and slammed the door shut. She’d swung it with such force, it bounced back open.
Travis hesitated a moment to see if Shannon was going to shut it again. He had no desire to lose a finger. After a moment or two, he cautiously stepped into her dorm room.
“I don’t want you here, Travis.” She was sitting on the edge of her twin bed, legs pulled up and resting on the footboard, arms wrapped protectively around her knees. The sadness in her eyes was worse than the anger.
Much worse.
And he’d put it there. There seemed to be more to it as well. She looked… scared. If anyone had cause to be scared, it was him.
Ignoring her command, Travis stepped farther into the room and shut the door behind him. His glanced at Peggy’s twin bed. Gone, good. No roommate. They had some time to themselves. “Shannon, please, let me—”
“What? Let you what, Travis? Explain? Make promises? Tell me you love me?” The anger was back. Though she wouldn’t meet his eyes.