I knew once I went to IU and left home, although it was only an hour away, my mom had suffered from loneliness. She’d kept busy with social activities in our town, but it couldn’t fill the void. When I’d ended up back home sooner than I’d expected, not long after graduation, I’d headed to Florida to start my first job with Sunset Cruises. She’d supported every decision I’d ever made in my life, including the one that sent me over a thousand miles away.
Remembering all that had me feeling like the asshole she accused me of for giving her a hard time now that she had someone to love her again.
Slowly, I’d been trying to make up for it all afternoon. Of course, she wouldn’t allow me to brood over it. My mother never took shit from me for too long. She always allowed me to stew for a bit and then forced her jovial self on me to the point where I caved. And when Mom had an audience, she stooped to dragging out the worst pictures of a young me, toothless and scrawny, with the one and only goal of embarrassing me.
Because she and Cooper seemed to be getting along, I left him home with her while I went to pick up our steak dinners that my mouth had salivated for since arriving. One could argue cooking a piece of beef wasn’t rocket science in the culinary world, but to me it was perfection. The Porter House’s entire menu has always been my absolute favorite, so much so I had our head chef on BV duplicate it.
Ten minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot and made my way past those waiting outside to get in. Reservations were hard to come by, and it wasn’t the type of restaurant to deliver or even do curbside pickup… except for me. Before moving away, I’d been their best customer. The place was an institution, with most of their waiters on staff for years and years. Even the maître d’ knew me by name.
“Master Burrows,” he said when I sauntered toward his cherrywood podium. My stomach grumbled, getting a good whiff of the deliciousness everywhere. “It’s been way too long.”
“Hey, Cedric. How are you?” Except for the headful of gray hair and a bigger belly, he hadn’t changed. Still donning the same polka-dot bow tie and suspenders he’d worn twenty years ago proved Cedric had always been quite a character.
“Can’t complain,” he said, grasping my hand in his wrinkled grip. “I’m sure your mother is thrilled to have you home.”
“You know Mom,” I responded with a shrug. “I’m sure come Friday she’ll be latched around my ankles to keep me from leaving.”
“When she comes in with Mr. Miller, she can’t stop talking about her Ricky. You’re her main man. She misses you.” He didn’t mean to be offensive. I tried to visit my mother as often as I could, but my business made it hard to do. That meant she came to see me more than I got to come home.
Picking up the phone, he informed the kitchen I had arrived. Seconds later, my meal appeared, packed up and ready to go. “Feeding an army again?” he asked with a wink before passing me the large catering box.
“You’d think, but you know this is my weakness.” And knowing I’d be back again before I left Indiana, I lifted it with a smirk. “I’ll see you in a few days.”
“We’ll be waiting.”
All eyes were on me as I walked through the packed foyer. Patrons’ wishful whispers that they could also order takeout filtered to my ears. I smirked, knowing that wasn’t an option. My father had been best friends with the owner, Seth Porter, so I got preferential treatment.
Just as I grabbed the brass handle of the wood-paneled door, I came face-to-face with a ghost from my past. The shock caused the heavy box to wobble in my shaky grip, forcing Corey to reach for it to ensure it remained in my hold. My jerk stopped his hand from making contact, and my eyes watched it lower to his side.
“Hey,” he said, as though we’d just spoken an hour ago. I hadn’t seen him in twelve years, and he looked the same, yet not. His frame may have filled out a bit. His hair may have been a tad shorter than it used to be. And the facial hair he always kept was more beard-like and less scruffy. But the monumental change was the way his right arm was tightly entwined around the tall redheaded dude standing next to him.
When my eyes locked on their obvious physical connection, Corey said, “Ricky, this is Dakota. Dak, this is an old friend, Ricky.”
Friend? Fuck that… no way would I acknowledge that claim.
Ginger-boy said, “Nice to meet you.” Sensing the tension, he removed himself from Corey’s grip. “I’ll go check us in.” He then scurried toward Cedric, leaving us alone. And still I had yet to say a word or to move, until an elderly couple trying to get past prompted us to step outside the doors.
“How are you?”
“Fine.”
“Visiting or back for good?”
“Visiting.” I had no idea if he knew where I was even back from, nor did I delve into how he would know that information.
He nodded through the stiff smile that cracked his face, making the effort seem out of place as the rest of his expression remained tense. “You look good. How long are you here?”
“Why?”
“We should catch up.”
I repeated, “Why?”
I wasn’t making it easy on him, and I didn’t give a flying fuck. But Corey being Corey, he didn’t let up. “Look. I know we had some serious shit go down between us.” I literally had to bite my tongue to keep from verbally unleashing on his ass. “But I was young and stupid.” He gripped the back of his neck. “And I’m sorry.”
“That it?” His second nod came even slower than the first. “Take care,” I said, and turned on my heel to disappear as quickly as my legs made possible without having to fall into a sprint.
Although I ate my weight in steak house food, I unfortunately discovered something that could ruin my favorite meal.
My mom, thinking I was back to the John subject, threw me a few daggers as I sat pensively, while she and Cooper continued to bond. He, on the other hand, made no indication he knew something was off with me. Until she excused herself for the evening with plans to call John.
Leaving us on the back patio with fresh beers and soothing jazz playing over the outdoor speaker, no sooner had the french door behind us clicked shut than he said, “Okay, spill it.”
“Spill what?” I pretended ignorance.
“You’re back to brooding, and it can’t be because of John. You’re over that. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I lied, quickly coming up with an excuse. “I guess seeing her so happy and light… I haven’t seen her that way in years, and I feel guilty. Especially when I’ve been begging her to come to Florida… for selfish reasons.”
Cooper nodded. “I get that. She is proud of you, though. And she misses you, but this is her home. It’ll probably be harder to convince her to move now more than ever with John in the picture.” He took my hand and squeezed. “She loves him.”
“Yeah, I see that,” I griped. When he fell silent, I studied his handsome face.
The guilt I claimed I felt worsened. He didn’t deserve my moodiness.
Cooper was there… Corey was not.
Deflecting, I tugged on his hand until his body was flush against mine on the small love seat. “Alone at last,” I said before nuzzling his neck.