by Kyle Baxter
Thank God, Eric was with Alex. He could only be in better hands if he were here with him.
Zooey was another story. His mother agreed with his suspicions—she was the one undermining him at work—but so far, she resisted all attempts to get her to open up. The sooner they got her out of here, the better.
It was past time he and his mother talked about Alex. What on Earth happened that he didn’t know? Whatever it was, he needed to know the truth.
There was a hole in the heart of the house matching the space in the living room cleared for the Christmas tree. There was no tree at the Orpheum either. The one decoration it was missing. Both of them avoided filling the empty space.
Zooey grimaced. “Of course Alex knew where to find him. I told you Eric was getting attached—”
David’s eyes bore into her and she shut up. It made his mother laugh out loud.
The instant Alex’s truck pulled up, David grabbed his coat and stepped outside. Halting on the porch, he watched him help his son out of the truck.
“Not on the curb this time?” Eric asked.
“Hush.” He pulled the boy’s head in the crook of his arm and gave him a noogie.
“Hey.” Eric pushed him off, but as David approached, he pulled Alex in a tight hug. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” They parted and the boy came up the walkway by himself. Alex stayed by the street.
Tears in his eyes, he hugged his son. “We’ll talk inside.” David nudged him toward the house. He waved at Alex. “Come in, please.”
With a smile, Alex started up the walkway but stopped short, staring past him. A withering look took over his friend’s handsome face. David turned to see Zooey standing on the porch. Shaking his head with a rueful laugh, Alex walked back toward the truck.
No. David dashed after him. Pausing before getting into the truck, Alex bowed his head. It brought David up short. Sadness flowed off of his old friend in waves. Was he crying?
“Come into the house. Let me thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” Alex turned away, but David grabbed his arm. Alex spun around to face him, his jaw clenched. “What do you want from me?”
“Where are you going?”
“Go back to your girlfriend.” He gestured to the house.
“You can’t be serious.” David cackled.
Alex went around to the driver’s side. “Well, I don’t know what to think . . . You know what she did.” He leaned on the hood of the truck.
“I am not with her.” He jerked his head in the direction of the house. “There’s nothing between Zooey and me, and there never will be.”
“Then why is she always around?” Alex threw both his arms at the woman on the porch.
David stared at him, dumbfounded. “I don’t have a good answer right now.” He glanced to Zooey and back and hissed, “Let’s talk about this later.”
“No, let’s not,” Alex snapped. “This is just like you. Good ol’ David. Always trying to please everyone. The good son.”
“That’s not fair.” His anger rose. “You know, I thought for a minute you’d changed, but here you are, running away when the going gets tough, just like you did fifteen years ago. Is that what happened with Todd?”
Alex’s eyes grew large. “Listen here, bub, I caught Todd cheating several times. We spent months in couples therapy until I finally gave up on his lying ass and threw him out.”
“You didn’t tell me that.”
“Because it’s fucking painful and I hate reliving it. I don’t expect you to regale me with every detail of your divorce. Don’t ask me to do the same.”
That set him back. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Alex’s stared at him. “But you really think I ran away?”
“Didn’t you?” He tilted his head. “You left and I never heard from you again. It broke my heart. I got married, had a kid, and got divorced. My father died, Alex, and in all that time, I never heard from my best friend.” Tears poured from his eyes, and he ran a hand over his face to wipe them away.
“You’re a jackass. I didn’t leave because I wanted to. I couldn’t stay here with the way things were.” He jabbed his finger into David’s chest, punctuating each word. “You refused to see what was in front of you.”
David batted the finger away. “You’re not being fair.”
“Well, that’s me, right?” Alex backed away, arms wide. “Well, so be it.”
“I don’t need this.” David’s whole body shook and he pivoted on a heel and stomped up the sidewalk. Zooey shrank back into the house. You better run.
Alex walked in the opposite direction down the street. David turned to watch him.
“Where are you going?” He taunted from the porch. “Your truck is right here, butthead.”
“That wasn’t as dramatic, was it?” Alex threw his cap on the ground and stomped on it before climbing into his truck.
From the porch, David watched him pound a fist on the steering wheel before he peeled out. The truck didn’t go thirty feet before the brake lights slammed on. It sat for a moment, and David heard cursing from the cab. Finally, it proceeded down the street at a reasonable speed.
“You’re so fucking weird!”
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Fast Car
David ripped off his coat as he walked in and threw it aside. His dirty boots got shoved under the bench by the door. Cursing, he stormed through the house for a hot minute.
Dimly, he became aware of his mother watching him from a chair by the fire. Zooey tried to give him a hug when he stopped in one place. It was an awkward gesture and made Tandi spit out her wine. Though he was a hugger, Zooey couldn’t quite pull it off. He detached himself and glared at her.
“Thank goodness that’s over,” Zooey said. “Are you okay?”
“What?” David narrowed his eyes at her.
Crossing her arms, Zooey said airily, “I told you Alex was trouble.”
His mother’s eyes went wide. Straightening to his full height, David stiffened. “What are you talking about? He found Eric. I’m grateful for his help.”
She pointed to the front of the house. “Eric wouldn’t have run off if it weren’t for him. He heard you and your mother talking.”
“Eric said that?” One brow arched.
“He overheard our conversation in the kitchen earlier,” his mother explained.
“I don’t understand.”
Tandi swirled her wine in its glass. “How you said you drove Alex away?”
His dropped his head in defeat. Of course.
Tandi set her glass down and pulled her cardigan tighter around her. “I sent him upstairs and told him to wait for you.”
Zooey let out a deep breath. “Thank goodness he’s leaving soon. He’s caused enough uproar.”
His head tilted as he inspected her face. David felt like he was seeing her for the first time. “Believe people when they show you who they are.”
“Yes, that’s true.” Zooey forced a sunny face. “He’ll leave just like he did before.”
Oh, that’s enough of that. Finding out for sure if she was the one undermining him at work didn’t matter suddenly. He just needed to be rid of her.
“You’re an idiot,” he said, and his mother did another spit-take.
“What?” Zooey’s eyes went wide and she wilted. But it only made David angry.
“He’s my friend.” His voice sounded strangled in his own ear. “You don’t get to talk about him like that in my house.”
“Zooey, my dear, it is time for you to go.” Tandi put her wine glass down and rose from her chair.
“Get out,” he spat. His mother touched his shoulder as she moved in front of him. Thank God. He clenched and unclenched his hands. He was so angry he could hardly see straight.
Gently taking Zooey by the arm, she led her away. How am I going to work with her? Maybe he didn’t have to. There were other options, and a good nurse could find a job almost anywhere. Even in
NYC. At that thought, a smile threatened to break out.
Collecting her things, Zooey pleaded, “What happened? I don’t understand.”
Tandi helped her with her coat. “Never get in the middle of a lover’s quarrel.”
Her forehead crinkled above her eyes. “Who?”
“David and Alex. Are you dim?”
Zooey tucked her hair into her wool cap. “But David likes girls.”
“And men,” Tandi agreed, opening the door.
She shook her head. “He’s just confused.”
Leaning on the edge of the door, she said, “Not where Alex is concerned,” and pushed her out.
Stumbling onto the porch, Zooey turned on her heel. “He’ll come around.”
“Not only are you dim, but you’re also a bigot. Biphobia is not attractive, dear. Goodbye, Zooey, and I mean that. Not goodnight, goodbye.” She slammed the door.
“Thanks, Mom. You know, I may actually hate her.”
Tandi stood proudly with a hand on her hip. “That’s the harshest thing I’ve ever heard you say about another person.”
“I’m sorry—”
“Stop that. It’s a good thing, dear. You should let your anger out a little more. Alex has clearly been good for you.” She gave him a smug smile, grabbed her wine glass, and returned to the kitchen.
Alex. David made a guttural sound and followed her. Rerunning their argument in his mind, he found himself pacing back and forth in front of the stove. He gestured to the front of the house. “And of course she was here when he came by.”
“I warned you.”
Throwing his hands in the air, he grumbled and cursed under his breath. “Alex and I . . . We had an argument.”
“The whole neighborhood knows that, dear.” Tandi sipped her wine. “You two are so close to putting it together. What’s the problem?”
“He doesn’t trust me, Mom.”
She scoffed. “He just needs some time and you two need to sit down and talk. Have you told him how you feel about him?”
“What good would that do?”
“Maybe none, or it might make all the difference in the world. Take a chance on some magic.”
He gave a bitter chuckle. “I don’t know. Maybe the past is better left in the past.”
“What is Eric’s middle name?”
Tilting his head, he glowered at her. “That has nothing to do with it.”
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Being Boring
Back in his own house, Alex furiously paced back and forth. Max watched his hooman from his comfy nest in the corner of the living room. A knock on the door made him bark.
Eager for a distraction and hoping it was David, Alex rushed to answer it. Bonnie stomped her feet on the welcome mat and entered, snow and cold air with her.
“It’s really coming down. Good thing you found the Mini Coop.”
Taking her coat, he hung it by the door. She doffed her snow boots on the mat and pulled a pair of guest slippers over her stocking feet.
Following him into the living room, she ran a hand over the mantle above the hearth, picking each framed photo up and examining it. “You’ve done a nice job getting this place in shape.”
“The upstairs is a work in progress. I’m putting off doing any work in my parents’ room,” he said.
“That’s understandable.” Sitting on the couch, she pulled her legs up under her. Max sought her out for head scratches, and she obliged. “You didn’t come back to the restaurant. We got concerned. What’s up?”
“David and I had a row.”
She looked puzzled. “You found the nugget. What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Going to the hall closet, he dug out his duffle bag and threw it on the sofa, then bounded upstairs.
“He’s so exhausting,” Bonnie said to Max, just as he reappeared. The dog snorted.
“I’m right here.” He dropped an armful of clothes in the nearest chair and stuffed them in the bag. The green sweater David loaned him the night he stayed over was among them. He folded it and set it aside.
Bonnie noted this with a head tilt. “Are you packing?”
“Why are you here?”
“Tell me, what happened? You love David. He loves you. I don’t get it.”
He shoved more clothes in the bag. “He’s not in love with me. David never cared for me like that.”
“Bullshit. How many times have you kissed or almost kissed since you’ve been back?”
He stared at her blankly.
“Could you give the man a break. He named his son after you.”
“What?” He gawked at her.
“Eric Alexander Cooper, the kid you spend half your time with? You spend more time with him than any of us and we live here. David wouldn’t allow that unless he trusted and loved you.”
Rubbing the back of his neck, he stared at her for a long moment. It was true and he couldn’t deny it. He knew Coop too well. He got up and left for the kitchen.
At the pass-through, he turned and asked, “Hot chocolate?” He caught her staring at David’s sweater before getting up and following him. The dog trotted along and took position by his bowl, waiting for dinner.
“I got you, buddy.” From the pantry, he took a big scoop of dry food out of a large plastic bin and dumped it in the bowl.
At the kitchen counter, he used the steam wand on his espresso machine to heat up the water and then stirred in the cocoa and made a second cup. Having something to do calmed him while he turned over what Bonnie said.
He named Eric after me?
“You only planned to stay here a few weeks, but you made sure to get an espresso machine? You are so high maintenance, and by that I mean gay.” She threw spirit fingers.
“Guilty as charged. So, Eric’s middle name—”
“—is Alexander, and he’s named after the love of his father’s life.” She batted her long eyelashes.
He blushed and handed her a cup. “You exaggerate.”
“Please, even Adriana knew it was true. No marshmallows?”
Cocking his head, he huffed and retrieved them from a cupboard. “I bet that was a lively discussion. She hated me.”
“Not without cause. It was hard on her playing second fiddle to you.”
“God I loved him.”
“Past tense?” She raised an eyebrow. “I thought we moved on from that?”
“Objects in the rearview mirror are closer than they appear.”
“Can I ask you something? Why did you run away?” Bonnie asked. “Was it really because of a kiss?”
“Oh, no, it’s more complicated.”
Chapter Fifty-Nine
That’s the Way Love Goes
Opening the cookie jar, David pulled out two of Mama Capili’s gingerbread men and set them on a paper plate on the counter.
“Cookies? Didn’t you make spaghetti for dinner?” Tandi asked.
“It needs to be reheated and I need a sugar fix. Coffee?”
Within minutes, two piping-hot cups were poured and David straddled a stool beside his mother at the counter.
Pushing her glass of wine away, she nudged him. “I always liked that you named him Alexander. Did I ever tell you that?”
“I don’t think so.” He slid the plate of cookies over and she took one.
“I love the way the mouth moves when you say it, especially when you use the Armenian pronunciation: Aleksandr.”
“You said earlier I didn’t know the whole story. Tell me, now, please.” David crunched on a gingerbread man.
“The last Christmas he spent here, Alex came home to find his father had fallen off the wagon again. It wasn’t pretty. You know alcoholism is progressive and Emil was getting worse. He was in a rage when Alex walked in.”
The color drained from his face. “Why don’t I know this?”
“Because you hated Emil Capili.” She put a spoonful of sugar in her coffee and stirred it. “No doubt Alex was afraid to tell you. You near
ly got into a fistfight with his father once, if I recall.”
“It wasn’t my proudest moment.” The incident happened when they were sixteen and an inebriated Emil ruined Alex’s birthday party.
“From what we learned, he was already drunk and something set him off.”
“He never needed much reason for his rages.” David’s jaw tightened.
“He tore the house apart, probably in a blackout.” She turned on her stool to face him, coffee cup in hand. “But in Alex’s room he found some gay magazines.”
“Oh, dear God, he hated gays.” David put his head in his hands. “Alex was scared to death he would find out about him.”
“And for good reason.” She took a deep breath and exhaled. “Emil beat Alex. He beat him and threw him out of his house, told him never to return.”
Jumping to his feet, David stumbled backward, almost falling. Tandi reached out to support him, but he waved her off. Tears streamed down his face.
“He never told me.”
“You know how he was—how he is. The whole family is proud.” She patted the stool next to her, but he ignored it. “He probably blamed himself.”
“But he was with me.” David held out a hand. “We were decorating the tree. You know that stupid tradition? I happened to stand under the mistletoe—it’s always fucking mistletoe—and he kissed me.”
Tandi put a hand to her chest. “I didn’t know that. What happened?”
David paced around the room. “I told you, I pushed him away and said I didn’t think of him like that.”
She took another sip of her coffee. “Was it true, at the time?”
“No—yes, I don’t know. I was confused.” Tears stung his eyes. “I was dating Adriana and Alex and I were doing this back-and-forth dance. It was all subtext and flirting and grab-ass and teasing but it never went anywhere. And then he kissed me. I was terrified, but I’d fantasized about us being together many times.” He blushed.
“I’m a grown woman, dear. I get it.” Tandi winked at him and bit the head off her cookie.
David went to the dining table and picked up the cold bowl of spaghetti. “I was afraid if we got together it’d end our friendship.” He placed it back in the oven.