Authors: Kade Boehme
Chapter 7
Landon startled when someone knocked on his front door. He looked at the clock, noting it was only a little past five p.m. He pulled his hands from the batter mix and rinsed them quickly in the sink, flicking the water off as he walked to see whoever was knocking for a second time.
He smiled in happy surprise to see Jay standing on his front porch holding a couple of brown paper bags from the small grocery store in their neighboring town. “Hey, you. I didn’t expect you so early.”
Jay grinned in greeting, his easy demeanor putting Landon at ease. He wondered if their first encounter after their unexpected phone conversation the night before would make things awkward between them. Obviously, Jay was as interested as Landon in getting on with life. Not that the conversation had been unwelcome or horrible, just uncomfortable. Landon had to admit, he was glad to know Jay could still be his friend. It was nice feeling like he had an ally in their small town.
“Sorry. I finished up the yard work and went into town. Stopped off at Greenlee’s and grabbed a few odds and ends groceries to contribute, thought I’d swing on by, see if you needed any help.”
Landon reached for one of the bags and led Jay into his home. “You didn’t have to do this. My mama will probably bring more than what we need.” Landon placed the bags on his kitchen island and Jay followed suit.
“Not a problem,” Jay said. “You helped me yesterday, so it’s the least I could do.”
“You’re welcome to a beer or soda. Anything you can find. Cold stuff’s in the fridge in the garage. I’m gonna finish getting the catfish ready.”
“You need me to do anything?”
Landon thought on it. “Actually,” he opened the door that led to his garage and pointed out the fryer. “You know how to work one of those?”
Jay gave him an exaggeratedly pointed look. “Boy, you insult me.”
Landon threw up his hand and dipped his head. “Pardon my offense, sir. I meant nothing by it. Didn’t know if town living all these years had made you go soft.”
“You’re a smartass,” Jay said with a laugh. “Where do you want me to set up?”
“Just take it out back there. Set up on the patio. Figured we’d eat outside tonight. I got some wood together for a bonfire.”
Jay smiled. “You trying to reintroduce me to country life all in one night?”
“It’s not an official fish fry if there isn’t a bonfire, Mr. Hill.”
“That it isn’t,” Jay replied. “You got propane?” Landon scoffed and pulled out the new propane tank and slid it into place in the fryer.
“Just wheel it out through the back door. I’ll be in the kitchen.”
They both went about their separate duties. Jay returned shortly and opened the fridge, pulling out a beer. “I swear I drink more around you.”
“That’s me. Enabler,” Landon teased, plating some of the battered fish.
“Mostly it’s because I don’t have grown-up company that much anymore. Nice to unwind. I love my kids, but shee-it, it’s nice to have a break.”
“I bet. Don’t worry. You’ll get to unwind plenty with this crew. My friends will probably bring hard liquor. They usually even talk my mama into cutting loose and having a few.”
“I’ll be damned. Your mother drinks?”
Landon chuckled. “Not usually, but she makes an exception around Brittany and Mitch. They have that effect on people.” He turned and looked over his shoulder at Jay. “You’ll like them. They’re absolutely city kids, but they’re good people.”
“And you can talk them into coming here?”
Landon shrugged. “Sometimes you just get tired of the same-old-club, same-old-bars, same-old-parties. It’s nice to just hang out and not have to yell over people to talk.”
“Probably easier on your voice, too.”
“Spoken like a true dad.”
“Sixteen years makes for a hard habit to break.”
Landon finished battering and rinsed his hands off. When he turned to speak to Jay again, he noticed his friend had wandered into the living room and was taking stock of things on Landon’s shelves.
“I didn’t know you went to Millsap’s.” Jay turned surprised eyes on Landon after picking up Landon’s framed diploma. “That’s a—a smart-kid school.”
Landon smirked. “You almost called me a nerd, didn’t you?”
“Well…” Jay drawled, then studied the diploma.
Landon walked over to look at the diploma in Jay’s hand. “Yes. It’s a nerd school. Some people call in the Harvard of the South, but I definitely wouldn’t go that far. It was challenging, though. So. Much. Writing.” He still got cramps in his hands thinking about all the essays he’d written in his undergrad program.
“Landon Dwayne—” Landon rolled his eyes at the cocked grin Jay threw at him when he said
Duh-wayne
in a thick, southern drawl—“Petty. Bachelor of Science in History.” Jay seemed suitably impressed, which made Landon want to preen. Instead, he waved it off and grabbed the frame, placing it back on the shelf.
“It’s one syllable. Dwayne.”
“Uh huh.” Landon flipped Jay off. “So how does a Millsap’s boy end up hauling wood chips for a living?”
Landon sighed. “Well, Daddy’s old business partner retired, then they lost a few drivers to the rail road. Then right when I thought I’d gotten enough employees in to leave, Donny—the man you replaced—decided he could make more money driving down to the Nissan plant in Canton. I hadn’t taken a job yet, so it just seemed best to help out while I could.”
Jay shook his head. “Seems like a waste.” His head jerked up, face apologetic. “I don’t mean—”
Landon laughed. “No, it’s okay. I understand. Even my mama says all the time it’s a damn expensive education to be squandering driving a big rig. Thankfully, grants covered most of my tuition or she’d be a lot more vocal about my decision to stay around here.” Although, Landon himself was starting to want more. After five years longer than he’d intended to be doing the family business, he was starting to chafe.
“I’d want my son to take this education and better himself. Not that I think your folks don’t want you to. Just seems like a shame.” Jay’s sympathy made Landon sigh.
“You know the men like my dad. Born and bred here, think it’s putting on airs to move up and out. That’s why he was all but willing to help me pay to build this house.” Landon snorted. “I sometimes think the only reason he deals with my being gay is because he knows I’m not getting any action here.”
Jay shuffled uncomfortably and Landon wished he’d kept his damn mouth shut. He didn’t know why he’d said that. He grimaced. “Want another beer or something?”
“Yeah, sounds good.” They went back to the kitchen.
“So what about you? Any trade school?”
When Landon passed Jay another beer, Jay plopped on one of the barstools on the opposite side of the kitchen island from Landon. “Not really. Before I really got my head wrapped around the fact I’d graduated high school, Beths came up pregnant, right before her first year of nursing school. Took less than a week before I was hitched and moving up to be in Columbus, closer to her school.”
“Damn.” Landon couldn’t imagine. “That had to be… rough.” Especially since Landon knew Bethany had lost that baby not long afterward.
“It was what it was. Figure we’d have ended up hitched either way. Didn’t really know any different in those days.”
“Yeah,” Landon said and took a swig of his beer to quell his need to hug Jay right then. Jay sounded almost defeated, a little lost. To keep the mood from getting maudlin, Landon teased, “Back in the Victorian Era of the ‘90s.”
Jay humphed. “You’d be surprised.” Okay, so Jay was taking a trip to introspective land.
“You good?”
Jay glanced up, then shook his head like he was shaking it off. “Yeah. Sorry, man. Been getting all introspective lately. I blame it on my therapist.”
Landon resisted the urge to ask about that because Jay seemed to regret the words as much as Landon had regretted bringing up The Gay earlier.
“So what all’d you bring?” Landon asked, switching gears and going over to the grocery bags Jay’d brought with him. He rifled through the first bag as Jay’s footsteps approached.
“Just some odds-and—” Jay stopped abruptly when Landon turned and nearly ran into him. Jay’d gripped Landon’s biceps to stop them from crashing together and to keep Landon from toppling over. When Landon righted himself, they both froze.
Their bodies were mere inches apart. Landon hadn’t realized until then that they were both almost exactly the same height, a fact made obvious by the fact their lips were on the same level as they looked one another in the eye. It’d take just a fraction of an inch to push their lips together.
And oh how Landon wanted it, his body thrummed with the need to press his lips to those slightly chapped, wide lips. He wanted to nibble on the bottom lip that was only a bit fuller than the thin upper lip. When his eyes flicked back up to Jay’s, he noticed a mix of surprise, fear, and most definitely what could be desire burning in those brown depths as Jay’s gaze zeroed in on Landon’s own lips.
Landon’s heart stuttered in his chest, eyes fell to half-lidded, and he studied Jay’s face carefully as their breaths gusted over each other. For a split second, Landon thought Jay was going to move in, but a bang at the front door and a “Yoo-hoo! Landon! You home?” made them jerk apart.
Jay shook visibly as he ran his hand over his head, eyes wide as his gaze landed on the floor, then Landon, then Brittany and Mitch as they came into the kitchen. Landon’s lungs ached, and he finally let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
His friends came in a flurry of hugs and activity. He and Jay both pasted fake grins on their faces, and Landon was so fucking confused. He ached.
He wanted five more minutes. He wanted to know what just happened. Maybe it was his imagination. Maybe it was
his
fuck up. Jay edged close to the door, looking like he was about to bolt. But just then, in came Landon’s folks. His mother grabbed Jay happily into a hug and recruited him into helping Landon’s daddy get food and a cooler from the car.
Landon beat a hasty retreat to check on the fryer.
He may have also taken a moment to silently lose his shit.
Chapter 8
Landon only had a brief opportunity to kick himself and cuss himself for being a fool before his daddy decided to come out and supervise frying the fish. He didn’t know what the hell had caused the moment, and he knew he’d probably read the situation wrong. He’d almost kissed a fucking straight man and he knew he was lucky he hadn’t eaten his teeth.
“I’m gonna go grab the hush puppy mix,” Landon said. His daddy grunted and popped the top on the beer can he’d carried out with him.
When Landon walked in, he almost wondered if Jay’d made his excuses to leave. Hell, that’d probably be best. He’d made fool enough of himself for one night. But his mama had roped Jay into helping with going through her Tupperware. Mitch and Brittany stood on one side of the island asking questions as they poured up drinks.
Jay caught Landon’s gaze when he walked in, quickly averting his eyes. His friends didn’t miss the exchange, though his mama went on chattering about how good Bethany looked when she’d seen her at Bethany’s parents’ earlier in the day. Landon’s shoulders tensed so much they were practically at his ears.
“Hey, babe,” Brittany said, bussing a kiss on his cheek. “Long time no see.”
“Yeah,” Landon said. He hadn’t gone down to visit them in Jackson in weeks. Not since he and Jay had started hanging out more regularly over the last month. “Sorry. It’s been a little busy. I’m glad y’all could come down.”
Mitch patted Landon’s shoulder, then bussed a kiss on his cheek as well, which Landon noticed made Jay squirm. Fuck, The Gay Elephant was really gonna suck for the rest of the evening. Landon’s flinch at the kiss on his cheek made Mitch look at him drily and mouth
Problems?
Landon gave the slightest nudge of his head to signal Mitch to drop it. He felt bad. These were his best friends. He’d known them since they all attended college together. He didn’t want to ask Mitch to dial it down, even if his initial instinct was to do just that. He gnashed his teeth. Oh, well. If Jay was going to make it awkward, what could Landon do? Mitch was gay. Landon was gay. Landon’s parents dealt, so Jay would have to as well. They were in Landon’s house. Jay could get over it or get out. Hopefully, without a scene.
A small part of Landon was sad because he’d thought he and Jay could be cool. He knew it was his fault for almost kissing the man, but thinking on it, no way was it just Landon who’d felt… whatever that moment had been.
“Sun’s almost down. I’m gonna get the fire started,” Landon announced. Brittany and Mitch followed him out, talking about mutual friends and good-naturedly teasing about the long drive to the boondocks.
Bless them, neither one attempted to ask about the tension between him and Jay.
Everyone ended up outside, shortly, sitting at the patio dining table Landon set up for the get together. The laughter eased some of the dread in Landon’s stomach, but he still felt a slight edge of discomfiture around everyone. He and his daddy worked on frying things while everyone else drank and chatted. Landon noticed a couple of times, though, that Jay was hanging close to Brittany. He didn’t read too much into it.
Or tried not to.
“Landon, you okay?” his mama asked.
He gave her a startled look. “Ma’am?”
“You seem out of sorts.”
“No, I’m fine.” He would not cast a glance Jay’s way. Could not. She eyed him skeptically. “Really, Mama, I’m good.” He gave her his best smile and she didn’t look like she was buying that any more than his first answer. He needed to get his mind off Jay Hill. Anything but.
“So, Daddy, how’s it coming renewing the contract with Jensonite?”
“Oh, Lord, anything but work,” his mama groaned. That didn’t deter his father though, who started complaining about the new regulations the paper mill wanted to place on their drivers to renew business with them into the new year. The conversation served as a good distraction.
Mitch eventually joined in. Mitch and Ricky Petty had an awkward but amusing kind of relationship, in which Ricky was uncomfortable around Mitch, and Mitch knew it and gave the old man hell about environmental regulations. Landon didn’t know which made his daddy more uncomfortable; the fact that pretty-boy Mitch was just on the other side of flamboyantly gay, or that Mitch was a democrat.
Landon left them to it, making his way to check on the bonfire, which was going good now, before going inside to dig out the long skewers and marshmallows.
As he dug through the pantry, he heard the distant flush of his guest bathroom, before turning to find Jay walking back through the kitchen. Jay’s anxiety was obvious, and Landon sighed.
Jay nodded toward the bag in Landon’s hands. “Roasting marshmallows?” Landon wondered if he should accept the avoiding of the topic they probably should steer clear of with mixed company just outside the sliding glass door behind them.
But no one ever said Landon was always smart.
“Look, Jay. I’m real sorry about—”
“Leave it,” Jay said with a glare. His posture did not promise good things in the event Landon pushed him.
Landon closed his burning eyes, feeling a keen pain in his chest. “Can we just be civil? You can punch me later, okay.”
“Landon,” Jay said on a frustrated sigh. When Landon opened his eyes, Jay had deflated, cheeks pinked a little, embarrassed. “I’m not going to punch you. Let’s just drop it for now.”
Landon swallowed and nodded. That was all he could manage. The door behind them slid open and loud laughter from the patio could be heard. Landon turned with a grin and held up the marshmallows. “Dessert!” he said to his mama.
She smiled fondly. “Such a child.” She spoke to Jay next. “We can never have a fire without this one wanting to roast marshmallows. It’s been his favorite forever.”
“At least I didn’t make up roasted hot dogs this time, too.”
“Thank Heavens for small favors,” she said. “I’m just glad you’ve got skewers.” Again to Jay she turned to speak. “He’s made us mess up more than a share of wire hangers over the years just for a hot dog and a marshmallow.”
“Worth it,” Landon chirped, turning to Jay. Jay looked between Landon and his mother with something akin to amusement. The slight thaw was enough to make Landon’s muscles relax.
“You boys go on out. I’ll bring the plates,” she told them. Landon and Jay gratefully fled the kitchen and gravitated back to where they’d been before, Landon frying with his dad, Jay sitting at the table with Landon’s friends.
The rest of the night went fairly smooth. Mitch and Brittany regaled Jay with stories of Landon’s misspent youth, which made Landon’s parents squirm in their seats. Bastards.
The night wound down, his parents leaving not long after dinner and a couple of roasted marshmallows. Everyone got a little more tipsy while Landon worked to clean up. Mitch and Brittany were staying at Landon’s that night, so he decided to let them enjoy themselves.
He was pretty surprised Jay hadn’t left yet, but Jay probably needed to sober up before driving the few miles home. Country roads around there didn’t have traffic often, but they were curvy and narrow, so drunk driving down them was not recommended.
“That bitch,” Mitch grumbled, following Landon in the house.
“What?” Landon dropped the tray he’d been carrying into the dishwasher, then took the plated Mitch held. Mitch looked out the sliding glass door toward the bonfire.
“Damn straight girl comes all the way to the country on a Saturday night and still ends up getting laid.”
Landon’s heart stopped. He jerked his head up from where he’d been watching water push scraps down the disposal. “Say what now?”
Mitch held his hand out toward the doors and Landon followed Mitch’s gaze. Brittany and Jay weren’t touching, but they stood very close. Very. And Landon would recognize Brittany’s
I’m getting lucky
posture as she listened raptly to whatever Jay said. He was playing the simple country man out there with his beer and his charming smile.
Landon wanted to vomit.
“He’s not really the one night stand type,” Landon said, mostly trying to convince himself. Last time Jay had the offer, he’d not exactly taken it up.
“Why shouldn’t he?” Mitch asked. “She’s hot. And she’s got a soft spot for the wounded country boy routine he’s got going on.”
Landon scowled down at the sink, rinsing off the last of the silverware before placing it in the dishwasher.
“She always did have a thing for divorcees.”
“Ooh,” Mitch said, the sound almost a laugh. “Look at you being a nasty bitch.”
Landon scowled again, then tossed over his shoulder, “No. I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Mmhmm,” Mitch hummed.
“Were there any more dishes out there?”
“No. That’s it.”
Landon dropped a detergent pod into the dishwasher, closed it up and pressed the start button. “Awesome. That’s done.”
Be cool.
He went for a beer. Tonight was definitely not the night for hard liquor. No way, no how.
He leaned back against the counter in time for Mitch to grab his beer and take a drink from it. “So. You’ve got a thing for the straight boy, huh?”
“No.” Landon yanked his beer back. “He’s just an employee. We hang out sometimes, but I know he’s straight.” He actually managed to get the words out with some conviction behind them.
Mitch leaned against the counter beside him, surreptitiously glancing out toward the bonfire, a feat Landon couldn’t bring himself to do. “Doesn’t mean you can’t have a crush on him.”
God, I wish it was just a crush.
Jay was the kind of guy Landon could fall for. He paused with his beer bottle to his lips. It was obviously time to switch to soda, because that unbidden thought made his blood pressure hit stroke level in less than two seconds.
Landon passed his beer to Mitch and went for a soda. “Nah, he’s just from around. He grew up here. Moved back after his divorce and started working for daddy.”
“So you said.”
“You guys staying on in the morning or do you have to get back?”
Mitch studied Landon, but he must have implored with his expression enough to drop it that Mitch took pity on him. “I think we are heading out early. I wanted to stay until lunch, but she’s got some project at work tomorrow tonight.” Mitch gave Brittany the hairy-eyeball through the wall. “Which she would tell you herself if she wasn’t making us both jealous whores right now.”
Landon laughed, which was nice. He just… he knew Jay was straight, and he felt certain Jay wouldn’t screw Brittany, but the situation still sucked really, really bad.
“Would it be rude of me to head to bed?” Landon asked.
“Fuck no. I’m turning in soon, myself. I smell like burned wood and grease and I drove two hours today.” Mitch’s sympathetic expression was more than Landon could take right then. He patted the hand Mitch’d placed on Landon’s shoulder.
Landon shored himself up and went to the back door, sliding it open, but not focusing on the couple outside. “Just wanted to say goodnight to you guys. Had an early start so I’m headed to bed. Don’t forget to put dirt on the fire and put it out, please.”
“We won’t,” Brittany said sweetly. He was
not
going to be angry at his friend for this. She didn’t know. But he could be pissed at Jay.
He didn’t say any more, just shut the door and walked back through the kitchen. “Way to be the bigger woman, hon,” Mitch said sincerely.
Landon smiled tiredly and shrugged. “Can’t get mad at the straight people for… being straight.”
Mitch made an inelegant noise in his throat. “You most certainly can. But you’ve got manners.”
Landon huffed and went upstairs to his bed. He just needed the night to be over. So much for a fun night introducing Jay to his friends. And it all started because of a stupid almost-kiss. Fuck.
Landon blinked his groggy eyes open as sun shone into his bedroom windows. He turned his head, noticing the early hour. Not even eight in the morning. He usually slept in easily on Saturdays, so he couldn’t imagine what had pulled him from his sleep.
He heard a car door slam and rolled his head back toward the window. Then the previous night crashed back down on him. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sat up in bed with an unhappy grunt. With his displeasure stacking back up in his chest and his mind reeling, he knew there was little chance he’d fall back asleep.
He got out of bed, pulling on a t-shirt and shorts before going to take care of business in the bathroom. He supposed the least he could do was make his friends breakfast before they left. Brittany’s attention had been monopolized by Jay last night, so he hadn’t spent much time talking to her. He could mind his manners for the time being. Not like she did anything wrong by flirting with an available guy.
She’d go back to Jackson and that’d be that, anyway, so he needed to just get over himself.
He hit the bottom step just in time for Mitch to come around the corner from the kitchen. “Morning.”
“Morning, hon,” Mitch said. His black hair stood up on end, face still creased from the pillows, so he obviously hadn’t been up long. “Have you seen Brit? She didn’t come to—”