by E. Davies
Hale called it. “Not Remi Washington?”
The way Kris fidgeted with his tableware told Cas everything he needed to know. He grinned, just glad the attention had quickly moved on from him. “Okay, so what if it is?” Kris finally said, which was as much of a confession as they could have hoped for.
“You were mad for him!”
“So there is a man!”
They were clamoring with happiness for him, but also curiosity. Gossip never stayed secret for long in this town.
“One who is still very much straight.” From the tone in Kris’ voice, that was a sore point, so by unspoken agreement, they weren’t going to dwell on it. Instead, Chase changed the subject to Gabriel’s new retirement center gig.
Cas spotted Koby leaning in to Kris, probably trying to get more details. He hoped he could catch Koby at the market next week, if not before, to find out what Kris said. Not that he was a fan of gossip. It was just good to know the goings-on in the town.
Drinks finally arrived, and the brunch got well and truly underway.
And if Cas texted back and forth with Unicorn throughout the meal, hardly anyone commented on it—even if they giggled and gave him exaggerated winks sometimes.
Cas didn’t take the bait. There was nothing to tell them anyway, Cas reminded himself. Nothing at all.
He stared at Unicorn’s last text message, a mimosa in his other hand. I could just ask him on a date. I could do it first. One of us has to ask, right?
Then, he chickened out. As Koby had just brought up, it was about to get into the crazy season of farmer’s markets and craft fairs. He was going to start taking custom orders for Christmas gifts within the next two weeks, and that wasn’t even the majority of his sales.
Now was not a great time to start any kind of relationship. All he’d end up doing was overextending himself and leading an unfortunate guy on. It was cruel to do that to someone.
There was nothing strong enough between them that it couldn’t be ignored for a few more months, right? Friendship was how great relationships started.
But a date was something altogether different. As the guys laughed and bantered, it occurred to him how much he’d missed this kind of warm, friendly atmosphere.
And hanging out with other men who were into men—besides Gabriel, and occasionally Orion—made him feel a little better about himself. The scene wasn’t all Grindr and loneliness.
“So,” Cas said, nudging Kory. “Tell me about your plans for this Christmas season.”
Maybe they could share stall space at one of the bigger Houston events, or cross-promote each other’s businesses. They could get more done by sticking together and helping each other out than they could by trying to compete.
More to the point, Cas desperately needed a distraction, or he was going to end up texting Unicorn and asking him out for a date next weekend.
And that was a bad idea… wasn’t it?
It was. He was almost sure of it.
11
Matt
“I have no idea what I’m doing.” Matt wasn’t afraid to come clean. He needed help, and Hidden Creek’s only mom-and-pop security operation was his best—only—choice for advice.
Ryan didn’t look like the kind of guy who would judge him for admitting that security was well outside his realm of expertise. And he was built like a truck himself. No doubt he’d spent his fair share of time in the gym. Sure enough, Ryan nodded. “That’s no problem. Sit down, let’s have a chat about this.”
“Thanks.”
Ryan clapped Matt on the arm and led him over to one of the two desks that wasn’t piled high with paperwork. The other two held stacks of papers surrounding aging computer monitors. “We can definitely chat about your options, then. First, I need to know what kind of business you own and what you’re looking to protect.”
“Basically, I want to make sure everyone at my gym feels safe… and I’ll see if I can afford it from there.” Matt didn’t want to waste anyone’s time. Might as well be upfront about the fact that he was on a budget.
“Also understandable. Small business is tough nowadays. You own Lift, right?” Ryan asked. He grabbed a notepad and started scrawling.
“Yeah. I’ve been in business for… about a year and a half now. Moved here the Christmas before last, and I’ve been leasing my current space since then.”
Ryan nodded. “Mmhmm. Leasing, you said? Does the landlord provide any security?”
“There’s the standard alarm system. They said they’d let me install cameras, but so far we haven’t needed them.”
“Right. So, a pretty basic setup. We can work with that,” Ryan assured him. “How many employees?”
“One. Well, two if you count me.” Matt grinned.
“So, small. That helps. Getting everyone on the same page in a big company is surprisingly hard. I’ve had to give lectures on not writing your passwords on Post-It notes. Cybersecurity isn’t strictly our thing, but… I’ll point out gaps where I see them.” Ryan looked amused as he shook his head. “But our specialty is premises protection, and occasional personal protection. Events. That kind of stuff.”
“Right. The internet is fine. Well… Rory manages our Facebook page and email, and she’s tech-savvy. But that’s where I started noticing potential problems.”
“Go on.”
Matt sighed and rubbed a hand over his hair. “We have a pretty secure building and there aren’t many customers. We know who everyone is when they check in. But we seem to have attracted the attention of… some real fanatics who need something to morally panic about.”
Ryan looked intrigued. He waved a hand, silently asking for more details.
There was no point in beating about the bush. Matt sighed. “They’ve somehow found out that we have gender-neutral changing rooms, and they think that’s a crime against humanity or something. We have only single shower and toilet stalls. More comfortable for everyone.”
“Oh, that’s a good layout. Makes everything easier.”
“Yeah. I had a lot of leeway from the landlord. They were just happy to rent out the whole building to one tenant.” Matt folded his arms. “They sold, but the new landlords don’t care as long as they keep getting rent, too.”
“Great. You’ll want to check the lease carefully, and zoning, before we do anything permanent,” Ryan advised him. “So, what’s the security concern?”
“They’ve managed to find a couple hundred people to pass petitions around their local church groups. Nobody in Hidden Creek or even close by. They’re all from the other side of the state or totally out of state. There’s one group of churchy folks in Florida getting their noses in my business, for God’s sake,” Matt muttered, shaking his head. “Anyway, some of them were talking on Facebook about a road trip here to petition.”
“Seriously?” Ryan looked up from his notepad, his eyebrows climbing. “Who the fuck has time to road-trip to another state just because…” he trailed off and sighed. “I shouldn’t be surprised. I used to work personal protection. Still.”
“What can I do to make sure that… well, people don’t feel uncomfortable? I already know I’m not going to budge on the policy, or build new walls, for no fucking reason.” Matt folded his arms. “They can offer to foot the bill and I won’t change it.”
Ryan smiled at him. “Great. Do you advertise this?”
“No, not really.” Matt shrugged. “It’s a pleasant surprise for a lot of people. We tell them at signup, and it seems to be a selling point for a lot of people. Others leave, but not many. Nearly everyone seems to prefer having more privacy when they change. And my gym specifically targets older people, people who are overweight or new to working out, women who don’t feel confident yet… all kinds of groups who might not be comfortable with big group changing rooms.”
“Unsolicited advice: if you’re gonna get shit about it, advertise it, at least.” Ryan grinned at him. “May as well get something out of it.”
“I hadn’t really
thought of that,” Matt admitted sheepishly. He had a point.
“So, you can probably get away with cameras on the front entrance and the changing room entrance to keep track of who enters.”
That sounded cheap. Matt breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. “Okay. I’ll do that.”
“Have you thought about a security door, with pin codes? Or key cards? Some kind of individual system to track who comes and goes?”
That sounded a lot more expensive. Matt groaned and nodded. “As a someday dream, yeah. Right now we’ve just got a desk parked in front of the doors.”
“I’ll look into what kind of setups gyms tend to have,” Ryan told him. “We might be able to make something work. That will keep protestors out, as long as people are trained not to let a second person in. There are turnstiles that only allow one person in, but that can lead to a very… excluding atmosphere.”
Matt appreciated the insight more than he could say. “Thank you so much. We’ll get started on the cameras, then. If you can get me a quote?”
“Of course. I’ll email that to you within the next day. Do you have a card?”
They swapped info, and Matt shook hands. “Thanks so much for meeting with me on the spot.”
“My pleasure. I think it’s great what you’re doing,” Ryan added as he saw Matt to the door. “Gyms are alienating for a lot of people. I didn’t even know someone had started one while I was out of town. And my boyfriend never liked showering in public. Hidden Creek is friendly enough since everyone knows everyone else, but other places can be… weird sometimes.”
Matt didn’t miss the subtle smile Ryan gave him. One of us. “Oh!”
“I’m bi,” Ryan added. “I took a while to figure it out, but even so, school showers were weird.”
That was where he knew him from. Suddenly, Matt remembered: Ryan stood for Orion. This was the popular kid who had turned down one of the other quiet kids in his grade, Gabriel, at high school prom.
Among other experiences, that had been a clue to Matt that there were only two options. If Orion dated girls, he couldn’t also date guys.
Man, he wished he’d known then what he knew now.
“Me, too.” Matt smiled back, even more broadly. “I felt the same way. Thanks. I’m happy to introduce more people to fitness. I never thought that would be a bad thing. So, I don’t owe you anything for…” he waved a hand. “For this chat?”
“No way, man.” Ryan smiled. “I won’t take your money. So, send me an email and I’ll come by the gym and take a look at the place tomorrow or the day after. You can let me know more about these campaigns and I’ll see what I can dig up about their plans, too. The advantage of facing this kind of threat is that they’ve gotta do their planning online.”
Threat. The word sent a shiver down Matt’s spine. “Do you think we’re safe? My employee and me, and our customers?”
“I can never promise that,” Ryan said. “But I can promise to counteract specific, identified risks. Tell you what: how about I come by today?”
Matt relaxed and gave him another smile. Ryan had obviously sensed how nervous the whole situation made him. He had no way of knowing the consequences until they came crashing down on him. Maybe nothing would happen. Maybe they’d harass him personally. Worse, maybe they’d harass Rory, or the guests at the gym, or try to prove their point by staging some kind of protest in the changing rooms, driving away all his business.
He didn’t have a backup plan. This was his life savings and it was slowly growing, but he couldn’t afford for more than ten percent of his members to suddenly leave.
“That would be perfect. Thanks a lot.”
Ryan gave him a kind smile. “Of course. I’ll give you a call this afternoon. See you later.”
Matt waved and headed for his car, his mind racing. More than answers, he’d just wound up with even more questions. If they could only prepare for known threats, that put him at a disadvantage. He had no idea how far these people were willing to go, or how strongly they felt about the stupid wall they wanted.
Though he searched the internet while he was waiting, not much new showed up. He could only do so much without trying to infiltrate the groups where they were talking about it. Some of it was public hand-wringing on blogs and the like, but most of the action planning seemed to be done in private.
“We should probably talk about what this means,” Matt finally told Rory when there was nobody within earshot. Sundays could be busy or surprisingly quiet at the gym, as people spent time with their friends and family, at church, or just sleeping in.
They let the Hidden Creek church use their parking lot as overflow on days when the church was particularly busy and the gym empty, and vice versa. Today was a slow-gym day.
“The whole hate campaign?” Rory sat on the desk and nodded. “I’ve been thinking about it, yeah.”
She wasn’t so visibly trans that he worried for her safety around town every day, but if someone were looking for an excuse to start trouble, they might clock or doxx her. The thought made Matt bite his lip. “Are you really okay with being alone if that lot suddenly show up?”
“Matt,” Rory assured him with a smile, “I’m a big girl. And I know ju jitsu.”
Matt laughed. She was confident as ever, and they had the cops on speed-dial just in case. “All right, all right.”
“Thank you for thinking of me,” she added, “but I know the risks. I take them every day, not just now.”
The laugh faded on Matt’s lips, and he winced. “Sorry.” It was probably the last thing she wanted a reminder of.
“Hidden Creek has been good to me,” she assured him, patting his shoulder. “And so have you. But I’m not stupid.” Far from it, she’d proven a great investment since he’d hired her last year. He couldn’t have gotten to this point without her.
“I’ve got a security guy coming to talk about cameras and gates and that kind of stuff. It’s private property, and I don’t give permission for any protestors to enter the premises,” Matt added. She’d proven good at kicking out the few rowdy frat boy types who’d wanted to use the place as their own personal party room, so he had no doubt she could be professional, yet firm, in asking any unwanted guests to leave.
“They could stand by the road with signs,” Rory countered.
“I know. But we can’t stop them. All we can do is either keep our head down or stick our neck out. Even if we try to keep our head down, once they’ve got the scent, they’re gonna keep at us about it.”
“Yeah, that’s how you know they need a hobby,” Rory nodded. “I wonder if they’ve considered lifting.”
Matt grinned and glanced over as the door opened, half-expecting trouble after this conversation. But it was Ryan.
“Hey. Hope this is a good time,” Ryan greeted him as if they hadn’t seen each other just an hour ago.
“Perfect,” Matt told him. “Come on, let me show you around. This is Rory, my one and only right-hand girl. One of us is here at all times. And she’s handling the whole Facebook page thing under their fire.”
He’d tried to offer to take it over so she didn’t have to see that shit, but she’d laughed and told him she liked deleting their comments and blocking them from commenting.
They shook hands and Ryan grinned. “Great. This is the outpost of the resistance to the norm, huh?”
“We’re Texan through and through,” Rory countered. “Fuck you, we do what we want, and keep your nose out of my business.”
They all laughed, and Matt left the desk in Rory’s hands to give him a tour of the place.
“Vandalism and break-ins are pretty rare around here, luckily,” Ryan told him once they were done. “There’s the occasional dramatic gas leak or fire, but your existing security measures are probably sufficient for everything but this internet mob you were talking about.”
“I’ve never had a problem before now,” Matt agreed as he headed to the office to sit down. “So, what do you think?”
Ryan was upfront with him, which was refreshing. “It’s gonna be in the range of a couple grand for installation plus cameras. You may as well get several at the same time—cover the floor in case of future vandalism or arguments, and the entrance and parking lot.”
Matt nodded, letting out his breath in relief. He could handle a couple grand. Not without wincing, but it was an expense he’d always known was coming.
It did add one more line item to his expenses, sure, but he was getting pretty used to that.
They shook hands on it and headed back to the front desk.
“Oh, and I want to sign up for a membership. And my boyfriend, too.” Ryan smiled at them both. “I like to support local businesses, and I liked the look of your weights.”
“Glad to hear it!” Rory opened up the membership software and grinned back at him. “First and last names, please.”
As Rory signed up one Orion Miele and one Gabriel Spicer for gym memberships, Matt tried to relax. They’d seen more new members in the last six months than they had in the year before that. They were growing.
So why couldn’t he shake the worry from the pit of his stomach?
12
Caspian
“Well, fancy seeing you here again.”
Caspian tried not to grin to himself. That made twice now that Matt had shown up within minutes of him arriving at the gym. Sure, he came to greet everyone, but there was a distinctly flirtatious tone in his voice.
Rory had been working the front desk again today. Caspian had half-considered asking her whether Matt was in to show him some things in the weights area, but it would sound rude to overlook her—like she didn’t know what she was doing.
Plus, she was busy configuring software of some kind, and he hadn’t wanted to be a nuisance. She and Matt always seemed to be working, even considering how few people there were in here at any given time.
All he’d really wanted was an excuse to see and talk to Matt, and he couldn’t very well say that, could he? But somehow, luckily, Matt had already found him.