Tripp busted out laughing. Luke sitting there in his John Deere camo trucker hat and Number Three T-shirt, looking like he stepped out of Duck Dynasty with a beard that got bigger every time Tripp saw him, carrying on about finding him a good local gay, was the funniest damn thing Tripp had ever seen.
“What’s so damn funny?” Luke asked, looking uncomfortable, as if he’d just realized what he said.
“Hello.” Tripp glanced over and was surprised to see Brian Curland standing beside their table. Evan stood next to him and he looked worried, chewing on his lip before he noticed Tripp watching and gave him a sickly smile. “May we join you?” Brian asked. He didn’t wait for an answer, just sat right down.
“Sure,” Luke said sarcastically. “Don’t let us stop you.”
“Thank you,” Brian said pleasantly.
“Brian,” Evan said in a warning voice, sitting across from him and leaning over the table so as not to be heard. There were people calling out hellos to the newcomers from around the restaurant and Evan absently waved to them.
“What’s on your mind?” Tripp asked casually. He gave Ben’s boss a big, false smile and took a sip of his coffee.
“I was wondering what was going on with you and Ben.” Tripp had to give him credit—he cut right to the chase.
“Nothing,” he said, as per Ben’s request.
“Why not?” Brian asked, losing his smile. “What’s wrong with Ben?”
“What does that mean?” Tripp asked in confusion, setting his coffee down. “Did he say something? Is he all right?”
“And you care, why?” Brian asked, turning in his chair to face Tripp, his arm on the table. “If you’re not seeing him and all.”
“You got one damn big nose to be butting into people’s business,” Luke snapped. “You don’t own us. We don’t have to tell you shit.”
“Oh, great,” Evan said. “And it goes downhill quickly.” He turned to Luke. “Let’s all calm down. He didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Why won’t you go out with him now?” Brian asked point blank. “I thought you were chasing him all over town, and suddenly you change your mind.”
“I didn’t change my mind,” Tripp said. He snapped his mouth shut, but it was too late.
Eighteen
“Who needs coffee?” Kari asked from beside the table. She beamed at Brian. “Hey, Brian, Evan.”
“You just brought us coffee,” Luke said.
“Yeah?” Kari sassed back. “Well, I didn’t bring them any, did I? They weren’t here.” She plopped two coffee mugs down on the table harder than she needed to and began to pour.
“Thank you, Kari,” Evan said with relief. “I’d love some coffee.”
Brian just sat there staring at Tripp. Tripp looked over at Kari, who was watching them. “Thanks, Kari,” he said. “Don’t spill.”
She quickly looked down at what she doing. “Anything else?” she asked, clearly stalling, trying to figure out what was going on as the four of them sat silently waiting for her to leave.
“The usual,” Brian said, finally smiling at her. “You know I can’t resist the hash.”
“Don’t I know it,” she said. “Same, Evan?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Evan said, and Kari walked off reluctantly, no reason to stay.
“If you didn’t change your mind, then what’s going on?” Brian asked as if there’d been no interruption.
“He ain’t good enough, that’s what,” Luke said angrily. “As if Tripp Lanier isn’t good enough for some gay computer geek from California. Well, you can tell High and Mighty Ben that Tripp don’t need him. How about that? He can find another gay any time he wants. Just like that.” Luke snapped his fingers. Tripp winced at Luke’s impassioned speech.
“Yeah, well, Ben could find another gay just like that too,” Brian said, snapping his fingers in Luke’s face. He turned back to Tripp. “But that doesn’t sound like Ben. What’s really going on?”
“How the hell should I know?” Tripp said, his frustration boiling over. “Maybe Luke’s right. You think I haven’t tried? You think I haven’t begged and made promises and backed off and been kicked in the teeth for my trouble?” He shoved his coffee away, and it sloshed over the sides. Evan grabbed some napkins and soaked it up before it spread across the table. “But I can’t push. Ben says I’m trying to go too fast. Is that what I’m doing?”
“So Ben doesn’t want you?” Brian asked, as if he was having trouble grasping the concept. Tripp could see several people at adjoining tables trying to listen to the hushed conversation.
“Brian, you’re being rude and insensitive again,” another man said from behind them. Tripp spun around to see Trey Barlow standing there, looking like the movie star he was and so out of place at Wren’s. “I told you that phone call wouldn’t take long. You were supposed to wait for me. Don’t any of you say anything until I get a chair so I can hunch over the table and whisper furiously too.”
“Oh my God,” Tripp heard a woman say behind him. He turned to see Katie Stigler on her phone. She smiled sympathetically. I heard, she mouthed at him. She turned slightly away and in a hushed tone said into her phone, “Trey Barlow is here and Tripp Lanier is pitching a gay hissy fit at Wren’s.”
Tripp turned and laid his forehead on the table.
“Now look what you’ve gone and done,” Luke said angrily. “All this gay ain’t good for him. You can’t sling a cat without hitting one of you around here.”
Tripp heard a chair being dragged over to the table and then Trey said, “Oh, are you gay too?” in a flirtatious voice.
“I sure as hell ain’t,” Luke said. “You just keep your gay over there.”
“Well, I’ll keep mine over here if you keep yours over there,” Trey said. “He seems to be having a mental breakdown. Been there, done that.”
“Apparently Ben doesn’t want him,” Brian said, sounding bewildered.
Tripp turned his head on the table to look at him. “He won’t have sex with me,” he said sadly, giving up on keeping his promise to Ben. “Luke says that means I’m not gay yet.”
From across the table he heard Evan choke back a laugh. Trey wasn’t as polite and laughed out loud. “Oh, sweetheart, if it’s that important to you, I can help,” Trey offered.
Tripp sat up quickly and shook his head. “No, thanks,” he said. “I’m good. All good. Anyway, I told Luke it doesn’t work that way. It’s the wanting that does it, not the doing.”
“I can help with the doing part,” Trey said. “Just saying.”
“Why are you here?” Luke rudely asked Trey.
“Just visiting,” Trey said. “I like it here. It’s the Mecca of gay virgins.”
“Trey, remember that conversation we had about what was appropriate and what wasn’t?” Evan asked. “Do we need to review that again?”
“Zipping it,” Trey said. “Throwing away the key.”
“I know Ben wants you,” Brian insisted. “We had a conversation. I told him it was time to move on, to find his joy again.” He turned to Evan. “I wrote it all down. It was very moving and motivational. Definitely going in the book.”
“You can tell me later,” Evan said. “When I need to be duly motivated.”
“Sweet baby Jesus,” Luke muttered. “It’s too damn early for this.” He shoved his chair back and stood up as he swallowed the last of his coffee. “I’m going,” he said to Tripp, setting his mug down firmly. “If you need me to jerk a knot in Ben’s tail, you let me know. We’re laying the foundation at the strip mall today.”
“No, you’re not,” Tripp said, frowning. “I’m having issues with the county clerk over the permits.” He shook his head. “I’ve got to run to Elizabethtown today to sign off on some paperwork and I’m bringing the permit back with me. We can start the foundation tomorrow.”
“Well, shit,” Luke said. “That means your daddy’s going to send me over to help survey in the subdivision.” He took off his hat and slapped it on his leg. �
��I hate surveying.”
“It’s easier work than laying foundation,” Tripp told him.
“Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining,” Luke said. “You know it’s boring as hell.”
Trey laughed. “I don’t even know what they’re talking about at this point,” he said to Brian. “Do you?”
“Yes,” Brian said. “At least until they got to pissing on each other.”
“When I say goodbye,” Luke said, slamming his hat back on his head, “I mean goodbye.” He turned and walked out, waving at Kari as he went.
“Ben hasn’t responded to my text this morning,” Tripp said, pulling his coffee back. “We sort of had a not-really fight last night about why he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s seeing me. Every time I think we’ve taken a step forward, he runs two steps back.” Tripp couldn’t believe he was telling them this, but he needed some gay advice and figured he ought to get something out of these three.
“Wait, so you are seeing each other?” Trey asked.
“Try to keep up,” Tripp said.
“I don’t know what’s going on with Ben,” Evan said, frowning. “He hasn’t been to church in weeks.”
“He’s Jewish,” Tripp said, shaking his head. “So that doesn’t mean anything.”
“Well, he came before,” Evan said defensively. “A lot of Jewish people attend Unitarian Universalist services, especially when there isn’t a synagogue around.”
“There’s at least five in Wilmington and one in Whiteville,” Tripp said, exasperated. “If he wanted to go to one, he could.”
“How do you know that?” Evan asked.
“I looked it up,” Tripp said. “Isn’t that what Turnstiles is for?”
“I’m trying to get people to say they ‘stiled it’,” Brian said. “What do you think?”
“Coffee,” Kari said, sliding a mug in front of Trey. She filled it and then took Luke’s seat. “Don’t mind me. I know this is about Tripp and Ben. Go on.” A couple started to stop to talk to Evan, but Kari waved them away and they frowned before walking past. Tripp was glad for the interruption because it got the conversation back to him and Ben.
“Ben won’t respond to his text,” Trey said in a pretend whisper. “They had a fight last night.”
“Got it,” Kari said. “About what?”
“He doesn’t want anyone to know he’s seeing me,” Tripp admitted, going for broke. Kari sometimes had good advice. “Says he’s not ready for anything more than casual.”
Kari blinked at him a few times, and then she busted out laughing. “The whole town knows you two are dating,” she said. “Your daddy was in here the other day saying he hoped you two got one of those cute little Chinese girl babies like those guys on Modern Family.”
“Sweet baby Jesus,” Brian imitated Luke, shaking his head. “Well, I didn’t know. Why didn’t anyone tell me? Why didn’t Ben tell me?”
“That little girl is Vietnamese,” Trey corrected. “And maybe they don’t tell you because you’re a gossiping busybody who likes to try to organize everyone else’s life? I’m just guessing here.”
“Don’t even go there,” Brian warned. “I still have a stack of newspapers with a picture of you and Evan half naked in Wilmington when you decided he and I were destined to be together.”
“Kari, is breakfast coming?” Evan said, checking his watch. “I have to meet the choir director at nine.” Tripp examined him closely. He still looked like he always had, a little too buttoned up for Tripp’s taste. Tripp could see him turning Carver down since he’d never seemed like the kind of guy who’d hook up. But he was clearly doing Brian. Gay sex didn’t appear to have changed him much.
Kari patted Tripp’s hand as she stood up, interrupting his examination of Evan. “Don’t worry too much about it,” she said. “Best as I can figure, this whole gay thing involves a lot of drama. I know you’re new at it and all. Ben will come crawling back and then you two can make up.”
“That’s what I was sort of figuring too,” Tripp said. “The drama, I mean.”
“I don’t make drama,” Evan denied, shock on his face. “I’m the most no-drama guy you’ll ever meet.”
“Oh, I’m a total drama queen,” Trey said unrepentantly. “It’s more the superstar thing, though. Gay is just a plus in my game.”
“That’s true,” Brian agreed. “Most of my drama involves business, not the gay thing.” He looked pensive for a moment. “I think being openly gay for your entire adult life cuts the drama.”
“That could be,” Kari said, as if it was profound. “I guess getting to be who you are just makes it a fact and not something you got to prove, right?”
“But Ben has always been gay,” Tripp argued. “He told me he came out when he was a sophomore in high school.”
“Well, there goes that theory, Doctor Curland,” Trey said.
“Kari,” Evan said. “I hate to be rude, but I’m starving.” He gave her big puppy dog eyes.
“Oh, Evan, honey, all right,” she said. “Just hold your britches. It’s coming.” She hustled off and Tripp heard the door of the diner open behind him.
“Oh no,” Evan said, his eyes going wide.
“Tripp,” he heard his mama call out. He shut his eyes for a second before turning around to see her waving at him from just inside the door. He waved back and she came in, weaving in and out of the tables and saying hey to everyone as she made her way back to him.
“Who is that?” Trey said, awe in his voice.
“That’s my mom,” Tripp said with resignation. He assessed her critically. Today she was wearing a short jean skirt and a colorful halter-top that hugged her body but was modestly high-cut and long enough not to show any skin. She wore sky-high heels too. That meant his dad was probably with her. She usually dressed like that when he was sniffing around.
“Your mother?” Trey asked. Tripp turned back and glared at him. “Got it. Your mom,” Trey said apologetically.
“Tripp, baby,” she said when she got to the table. She hugged him one-armed and kissed the top of his head. “Susie called. She heard you were having fits at Wren’s and thought we ought to know. Where’s Ben?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “He won’t answer my texts.”
“Stubborn little mule,” she said. “He’s dug in like a tick and refuses to budge.” She shook her head. “I just wish he wasn’t so determined to be alone.” She cupped his chin and frowned. “You’re just like me, baby. Unlucky in love.” She turned then and stuck her hand out to Trey. “I’m Loreene Lanier,” she said.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” Evan said, belatedly standing up. “I don’t know where my manners went. This is Trey Barlow. Trey, Loreene.”
“How do you do?” she said. She turned to Brian. “I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced either,” she said. Brian was standing too, and shook her hand.
“Brian Curland,” he said politely. “Would you care to join us?”
“I would,” she said, sitting down in Luke’s abandoned chair just as Kari arrived with Evan’s and Brian’s breakfasts.
“Loreene, honey, you want something?” Kari asked as she maneuvered expertly around the new table arrangement.
“Just coffee and a biscuit with some jam,” Loreene said. “Thank you, Kari. Dean Junior’s on his way in, and he’ll have the egg white omelet with decaf coffee, please.”
“I heard about the heart attack,” Kari said. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he sticks to the new diet.”
“You’re a peach,” Loreene said with a genuine smile.
“Can I get breakfast?” Trey asked.
“What can I get you?” Kari asked. “More coffee?”
“No, thank you,” Trey said. “Do you have fruit?”
“We do,” Kari said, beaming. “I made John Junior add some to the breakfast menu.” She turned and pointed at the handwritten chalkboard sign. “We got fruit cocktail and grapefruit. And I think I saw some bananas in the kitchen.” She tur
ned back. “I can put it on some cottage cheese.”
Trey looked horrified. “Ah, no, thank you. Just the grapefruit, please. And some water with lemon.”
“That’s not breakfast,” Tripp said. “I don’t know what that is.”
“Tripp,” his dad called from the front door. He came walking in, shaking hands as he made his way back to them, casting frowns in Tripp’s direction.
“Let me guess,” Trey said. “Dad?”
“Hey Daddy,” Tripp said as his dad stopped at the table.
“You carrying on, boy?” his dad asked, frowning still. “People are talking.”
“No, sir,” Tripp said, shaking his head.
“Good.” His dad reached back and pulled an empty chair over to sit next to his mom, forcing Trey to move over. “You better not have ordered me one of those damn white omelets,” he growled. “Those things are disgusting.”
“Well, I’m not ordering you another heart attack,” she sassed back. “You eat what you’re told.”
“Is it like this every morning?” Trey asked Brian, looking completely baffled.
“Every morning,” Brian said, not looking up.
“Your boy is breaking my boy’s heart,” Tripp’s dad said sharply, loud enough to be heard in the bathrooms. “What are you going to do about it?”
Brian stopped with a forkful of hash halfway to his mouth. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’m working on it.”
“Well, work faster,” his dad said. “I ain’t getting any younger and I’ve already had one heart attack. I want grandbabies.”
“You do know how that works, right?” Trey asked, practically laughing out loud. Tripp frowned at him.
“Trey,” Evan said smoothly. “Remember the talk.”
“If you mean do I know that two men can’t make a baby,” Tripp’s dad shocked him by saying, “then yes, I do. Adopted babies is just as good as far as I’m concerned.” There were murmurs of agreement from the tables around them.
“Oh, I’d like that,” his mom said, beaming at Tripp. “Run along and make up with Ben.”
Cherry Pop (Mercury Rising Book 3) Page 15