“So you’re looking for donations to cover the cost of producing the calendars? I’ll gladly help out with that,” I told her. Katie didn’t meet my offer with as much enthusiasm as I expected.
“Not exactly the kind of help I was looking for from you,” she said.
“No? How else can I be of service to you?” I asked, clearly confused. I already provided free veterinarian services and offered to…
“She wants you to pose for the calendar,” Chaz said, interrupting my thoughts.
I looked over at him and rolled my eyes. “No, she doesn’t.”
“Oh, I think that’s exactly what she’s working her courage up to ask,” Chaz told me. “Isn’t that right, Katie?”
I looked at Katie, expecting her to brush off his idea, but all I saw was a hopeful gleam in her green eyes. “Me?” I asked in disbelief.
“Why not you?” Katie asked, seemingly emboldened when I didn’t refuse the idea outright. “You’re gorgeous, built like a brick house, and adore animals. Who else would I ask?”
“I don’t know, Katie,” I said hesitantly. “I’m not very photogenic.”
“Stop being so modest,” Katie told me. “You’re exactly what we need. I can see it now…” Her voice trailed off while she envisioned something in her mind. “Cute poses with kitties, or you wearing a cowboy hat and boots while standing beside a horse…”
“I’d be wearing more than just a pair of boots and a hat, right?” I asked, needing clarification before the conversation went any further.
“Dr. Vaughn!” Katie said in shock. “Why, I’d never suggest such a thing.” Then she covered her mouth with both hands and giggled nervously. “Oh my,” she answered, fanning herself. “That’s not what I meant at all. Dear me, I meant my offer as a compliment, Dr. Vaughn. I thought your love for animals combined with your hunky looks would make a great fundraiser.”
“It would probably sell a lot of calendars,” Chaz said, chiming in.
I looked over at him and caught him staring at me speculatively. “But would you buy a calendar?” I asked.
“Duh,” Chaz said, then added, “it’s for charity.”
I wanted him to have ulterior motives for wanting the calendar. I wanted him to look at the photo and wish I was petting him instead of a horse. Was he picturing me wearing nothing but boots, a hat, and a smile for him? I could make that happen if that’s what it took.
“Well, I’m not convinced this calendar will turn out good or sell many copies, but I can volunteer my time and face if it’s something you want to do,” I told Katie.
“Thank you!” Katie said before she threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly. “You’re a lifesaver, Dr. Vaughn. I’ll call you in a few days when I have all the details sorted out.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be sure to answer your call or return your message at my earliest convenience,” I said to Katie while looking into Chaz’s blue eyes.
“Okay, talk to you soon,” she said as she exited the salon.
Chaz pinned me with a heated look and opened his mouth as if he was going to say something. He must’ve changed his mind because he closed his mouth, shook his head, and walked away. I would’ve turned to follow him, but Josh was standing behind me watching the byplay between Chaz and me.
Josh offered me a sympathetic smile and said, “Ready?”
“Yep,” I replied, following him to the shampoo room. I stopped in once a month for a shampoo and haircut. “How are things going with the renovations and wedding plans?” I asked, making small talk.
“You’d know if you showed up for dinner,” Josh scolded lightly. “We miss you.”
“I miss you guys too,” I said. I hadn’t meant to confess that, but the mesmerizing way he massaged my scalp had me ready to spill all my secrets.
“Come over for dinner then,” Josh said. “Cornhole hasn’t been the same. Chaz can’t get a good partner to challenge me like he did with you.”
“That was fun.”
“Yes, so you’ll be there for dinner on Sunday?” Josh asked.
“Will Andy be there?”
“Andy? He’s not family so why would I invite him?” Josh questioned, but I heard the telltale humor in his voice that told me he was playing me.
“Maybe another one of your guests will invite him,” I stated.
“Doubtful,” he replied. “He’s too busy looking for someone who doesn’t show up anymore.”
“Oh,” I said softly. Josh’s words warmed my heart but did nothing to dispell the confusion over Chaz avoiding me when he was obviously attracted to me.
“Anyway, we’re almost finished remodeling our new house, and I can’t wait to have you all over for a barbecue,” Josh said, changing the subject. He got his point across and must not have felt the need to keep hammering me with it.
Some people would’ve thought it odd how Gabe and I could still be friends after our breakup, but it felt right to us. Gabe was a good guy who’d found the man created just for him. A small voice inside my brain nagged that I had already found my man too and just needed to persuade him. I had hoped to get a jumpstart on convincing Chaz when Josh finished my haircut, but he was nowhere in sight.
“See you on Sunday?” Josh asked as he handed me my receipt.
“Yeah, I’ll be there.” I meant it too because unlike some people, I kept my word.
Seeing Kyle at the salon caused me to put things into perspective. So many emotions rioted inside my brain that it took me hours to untangle, sort, and process them. I was still angry about the one-worded message Kyle sent to Drew, even though I had no idea what Kyle’s motivation was for sending it. I was fucking miserable from Kyle’s absence at Josh and Gabe’s house after I ignored his phone calls. I was so damn hungry for another taste of him, but I just couldn’t trust that the emotions Kyle showed me were genuine. How could they be if he was still reaching out to Drew? Besides, he was sexy, smart, and had his shit together where I was lucky if I wore matching socks every day. He could have any guy he wanted, and I was supposed to believe he wanted me?
During our exchange at the salon, I caught a glimpse of the kid that Aunt Sandra mentioned. I saw the boy who was picked last in gym class and probably bullied because of his weight. The hurt at never being enough was plain for me to see in his dark blue eyes. The guilt I felt at that moment was enough to choke me, and I knew I needed to do something to fix it. Even if it cost me a chance with Kyle, I needed to tell him the truth. I probably would’ve blurted it all out right there had Andy not walked up and flirted with me right then.
The jealous, chest-thumping male version of Kyle replaced the lost boy I’d discovered. I couldn’t help but smile as he rose to his full height and scoped out Andy as if he was serious competition. I thought Andy was an attractive guy with soulful dark eyes, but I wanted only one man. Kyle’s gesturing and posturing made me feel like I hadn’t blown my chances with him yet. I admit that it was kind of fun watching the two hunks stare each other down and that handshake was fucking priceless. I hadn’t seen such white-knuckled grips since my mom rode in the car with me the first time after I received my temporary license.
Then Katie interrupted the showdown and ruined everything with her talk about the calendar. It was adorable that Kyle thought she wanted monetary donations instead of his hunky flesh featured in the photos. He looked dumbfounded when I mentioned it as if it was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. It was actually pure genius on Katie’s part because those calendars would sell faster than bottles of cold water in hell. Then it was my turn to feel jealous about all the eyes that would be seeing Kyle in ways that only I wanted to see him. That was the realization that prompted me to hide from him when his appointment was over.
“Not cool, Chaz,” Meredith had said when she found me hiding in the kitchenette. “No more cat and mouse games. Either give that man what he wants or tell him you’re not interested.”
“Meredith, he won’t have anything to do with me when he finds out tha
t I was gamer Drew. My behavior was unforgivable,” I softly said while staring into my cup of coffee. “It was more than simply lying about my identity. I let him divulge things to Drew that he wouldn’t have told me and we did things together.”
Meredith’s brows rose at the last bit. I could tell she wanted to ask what kind of things we did, but instead, she said, “Baby, there’s only one way to find out if he’ll forgive you.” Mere ran her hand affectionately over the top of my head like a mother would to soothe her child. “Charles Bailey, I can promise you one thing, and that’s you’ll regret it for the rest of your life if you don’t try. I’ve never seen you look at anyone the way you look at him. He looks at you the same way too.”
I knew we had something sparking between us but was it real? “I’ll think about it,” I promised her.
And I thought about it for hours. By the time I reached a conclusion it was too late to do anything about it but channel the energy into my writing. I sat at my computer and blocked out every thought in my mind that didn’t include Jamie and Gideon’s latest adventures. My plan worked perfectly until I turned off my laptop and closed my eyes. Then the events of the past month played through my brain on repeat.
I didn’t know if Kyle would forgive me, but I knew that Meredith was right. I had to try. The problem was that knowing and doing aren’t the same thing. I had my opportunity the Saturday that Josh and Gabe moved to their new home. Meredith and I showed up to help after the salon closed and I was rendered speechless at the sight of Kyle wearing shorts and a tank top, which was the normal attire for muggy August days in Southern Ohio, but it looked sexier on Kyle.
“He’s wearing his ball cap on backward,” Mere whispered.
“Uh-huh,” I muttered, watching as Kyle’s biceps bulged when he lifted one end of the sofa while Gabe lifted the other.
Mere giggled and said, “Let’s go find Josh to see what he needs us to do.”
I felt Kyle’s eyes on me when we walked away because he was the only one that could make me feel hot and cold all over at the same time. I glanced over my shoulder to be sure and caught him staring at my ass. Gabe pushed the sofa at him a little to break the trance and Kyle’s gaze snapped up and collided with mine. I winked playfully at him and faced forward so that I didn’t run face first into a wall or something totally embarrassing.
A lot of the big jobs had already been completed by the time we arrived, so Mere and I helped Josh unpack his kitchen. We laughed and had a great time. It was so wonderful to see my best friends madly in love, and I couldn’t wait until I found my other half too. Kyle and I made eye contact a few times throughout the day and even exchanged a few smiles, but we didn’t have a chance to talk until the pizza showed up.
“Did you order salad?” Kyle asked Gabe.
“Salad?” Harley, Meredith’s boyfriend, asked when he walked into the room. He hooked his arm around Meredith’s waist and pulled her toward him for a kiss. I smiled as I remembered the day that Meredith’s mom, Mama Richmond, sat in Meredith’s salon chair and orchestrated a date between her daughter and Harley. Mama Richmond made sure of two things: Harley liked kids, and he wasn’t one of those dumb-ass white boys who were ashamed to love black girls. Although they had only been dating a few months, I was positive they would have a beautiful life ahead of them.
“Yes, we did,” Josh answered Kyle. “I ordered a few salads and a veggie pizza. We could all stand to eat better.”
“Thank you,” Kyle replied, sounding relieved.
It’s funny how you can see things, but they don’t always click into place. I had seen Kyle eat at Josh and Gabe’s several times over the past few months and his eating habits never stuck out to me until my aunt mentioned his childhood obesity. I realized that while his plate always seemed to be loaded down, it mostly consisted of healthy foods and meats. In fact, I couldn’t recall seeing him eat any dessert until he showed up with the milkshake on July Fourth, which had been modified into a healthier version.
“What?” he asked when he caught me staring at him.
“Nothing,” I said nervously. “I was just checking out your bulge.”
“Really?” Kyle asked hopefully.
Josh spat his drink across the kitchen island drenching his soon-to-be husband. “Hey,” Gabe said, but he was too busy laughing to be angry.
“I-I meant your bulging biceps you have on display there,” I said, recovering quickly. “Is that real sweat glistening on them or did you have someone spray you with a squirt bottle for effect?”
Kyle smiled at my discomfort and said, “It’s real sweat. I have this philosophy that if you’re not getting sweaty and dirty, then you’re not doing it right.” Oh damn! That was a good one, I mentally added it to my book notes.
“You must bench press rhinos,” I said then wanted to bite my tongue off before I could embarrass myself further.
“Nah, just baby hippos,” Kyle said teasingly. “I have to be ready for my photo shoot coming up soon.”
I laughed nervously then looked around the room when no one else laughed with me and realized that we’d been left alone. “I didn’t mean to sound suggestive just now.”
“Kind of like you didn’t mean to kiss me and run off or like when you told me you’d answer my calls but ignored them,” Kyle said.
“Um, about that…”
“Food is here,” Josh yelled from the dining room. “Wash your hands and come eat.”
Kyle groaned at another interruption then smiled good-naturedly at me. “Can we talk about this later?”
“Sure,” I told him.
Unfortunately, Kyle received an emergency call and had to leave before he could even finish his salad and veggie pizza. He stopped by my chair on his way out, leaned down and whispered, “Answer when I call you or I’m going to show up at your front door.”
“Okay,” I said, sounding a little breathless.
I went home and dove into my project to pass the time, but I wasn’t as engaged as normal because I kept glancing at my phone to see if Kyle was calling. I had no idea what kind of emergency he’d had, but I figured it was probably serious. I wasn’t even sure he was going to call that same night, but I didn’t want to take a chance. As the hours grew later, I knew the chances of him calling me dwindled. I had a painful knot between my shoulder blades from tension and poor posture while writing. I decided to take a long, hot bath because I knew it would be another sleepless night if I didn’t.
I glanced at my phone and debated leaving it in my bedroom rather than take it with me but decided it would be my luck that he would call me as soon as I sank into the hot water. I grabbed a glass of wine, a dog-eared paperback copy of Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles, my phone, and set them all on the nifty bath tray that my grandmother got me for Christmas. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world that Grandma Gertie didn’t hesitate to buy her grandson things he could use while taking a bath. Of course, I inherited my love for baths and books from her.
I sighed out loud when I slid down into the hot water. I leaned my head back, closed my eyes, and mentally pictured the tension leaving my body. It was working too, until my phone rang. The sound was louder in the small space as it echoed off the porcelain surfaces and I jerked in surprise, knocking my glass of wine and my phone into the bath water.
“Fuck!” I yelled as I fished my phone out of the bath. “Nooooooo!” Kyle would think I ignored him again and I was out an expensive smartphone. “Damn it!”
To be honest, I was angrier about missing Kyle’s call than my phone because I at least had insurance on the damn thing. It was more of an inconvenience than a great expense. I couldn’t afford to let Kyle think I was leading him on if I wanted a chance with him.
I almost tripped getting out of the bathtub and then nearly lost my balance when I slid across the tile floor. I was cursing the fact that I didn’t have a damn landline and sure as hell wasn’t about to traipse across the yard to my grandma’s house to borrow her phone.
“Maybe this is a sign it’s not meant to be,” I said to myself as I wrapped a towel around my waist. There was a loud knock on my front door as if fate were offering up a rebuttal. “It can’t be.” The knock came again, but it was even louder the second time around.
I didn’t stop to think about my attire—or lack thereof—in my haste to answer the door so that my visitor didn’t wake the Matrons. I quickly unlocked the door and jerked it open. “Keep it down,” I hissed between my teeth. “They’ll hear you.”
Kyle just stood there with his arm suspended in the air like he was about to knock again. His eyes raked over my body and lingered at my nipples that had hardened when the breeze hit my wet body. “Who?”
“Isn’t that my line?” I asked in confusion.
“What?” he asked, sounding just as befuddled.
“Well, you knock knocked on my door, so shouldn’t I be asking who’s there?” I asked Kyle. Maybe my reference to knock knock jokes wasn’t as obvious as I thought.
Kyle’s head bounced slightly to the left and right while he thought it over for a second. “Oh, I guess you probably should have asked that before you answered the door naked. Who don’t you want to hear me?” Kyle asked.
“The neighbors,” I answered, but didn’t get more specific. “And I’m not naked,” I argued.
“That towel is a little threadbare,” Kyle said, nodding in the direction of my crotch.
It had been a little over a week since I’d done laundry and I had indeed grabbed the shabbiest of my bath towels. I sent a silent prayer upward that my cock and balls weren’t playing peekaboo with Kyle before I glanced down. The hole wasn’t directly over my crotch, but one false move and my right testie would swung into view.
“Um, I’m just gonna,” I pointed behind me with my thumb, “get dressed. Come on in and make yourself comfortable.”
I heard him chuckle after I spun on my heels and hightailed it to my bedroom. “Get it together, Chaz,” I admonished myself.
Unscripted Love (Road to Blissville, #1) Page 5