Page 10 of Broken Trust

“Yeah. I just had a rough night.” Understatement of the century. “I didn’t get much sleep.” Not a wink.

“Why don’t you come inside and get some coffee?” Mason kept a Keurig in his office since Wild Tiger didn’t serve any coffee.

“I might drink your entire stock.” Atlas locked his car door and followed his boss inside.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Mason slowed so Atlas could walk next to him. The guy was six-four, his strides longer.

“No.” He shook his head. “I just need to throw myself into work.”

Atlas rubbed his chest, yearning to see Kellen. What had that guy done to him? Was there some kind of drug in his bite? Even during the good times, he’d never longed for Glen like this. Atlas felt like he would start crying at any moment as the ache of missing Kellen consumed him.

“Hey, Atlas!” Elijah, Mason’s boyfriend, said brightly as Atlas walked inside. Elijah was seated at a booth with his friends. That was nothing new. Atlas had been working there for six months, and at least twice a week, Elijah and his buddies showed up to eat.

They were cool, always respectful, though Atlas would never understand why Gage always wore that colorful cloth cap on his head. He’d never seen the guy without it.

“Hey, guys.” Atlas nodded in their direction, but kept walking. He was trapped in his own headspace and not in the mood for conversation. After clocking in, Atlas changed into his work T-shirt and grabbed some order tickets off the back counter and started filling them.

“You seem out of it.” Mason crossed his arms and leaned a shoulder against the doorframe. “Come into my office.”

“Mason, really. I’m fine.”

“Now.” He turned and headed toward his office.

With a groan, Atlas set the Styrofoam container aside and followed him. Though he appreciated his boss’s kindness and generous pay, sometimes Mason could be a bit too concerned.

Atlas entered Mason’s office and noticed his boss loading a K-cup into the coffee machine. He gestured for Atlas to take a seat as he settled into his own chair behind the desk.

“You were fine when you left here yesterday afternoon,” he said. “Something has happened since then. I’ve never seen you look so out of it.”

Atlas had been awake since yesterday morning, and his brain was struggling to function. He was beyond exhausted, but he also knew that even if he left and went home, he wouldn’t be able to sleep.

“I just…” He massaged his chest, struggling to suppress the tears threatening to spill. Why in the hell did he want to drive to Kellen’s house? He should be avoiding the guy at all costs.

Mason got up and closed the door before he sat back down. “What we talk about stays between us, Atlas. Not even Elijah will know. Tell me what’s going on with you.”

“It’s my mom.” The lie popped into his head so he decided to go with it. “She’s riding me about bringing a date to Jennifer’s wedding. A female date.”

It wasn’t really a lie. That was one of Atlas’s issues.

“She doesn’t know you’re gay?” Mason grabbed the cup from the coffee machine and set in on the desk in front of Atlas.

“She refuses to acknowledge it.” Atlas picked up the cup and held it in his hands. “When I broke things off with Glen, I went to her house, and the next thing I know, I’m crying. When I told her why, she said that wouldn’t have happened if I’d been dating a woman.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Mason entwined his fingers on the desk.

“The wedding is in two weeks, and I’d rather take my best friend than pretend to be someone I’m not. We have family members coming in from out of town for the wedding. She’s been telling them for years that I’ve been dating woman but I like playing the field. That’s why I haven’t settled down.”

The only reason Atlas knew any of that was because Jennifer had told him.

“It’s a tough situation. From the way you talk about your sister, you adore her. Is she okay with your sexuality?”

Atlas took a sip of his coffee. “Jennifer supports me. My dad doesn’t care either, as long as I don’t try to talk to him about my relationships. He doesn’t like thinking about his kids having sex.”

Mason chuckled. “Most parents don’t. Just like we believe our parents have a purely platonic marriage.”

“It’s just a lot of pressure on me.” Atlas took another sip, hoping the caffeine kicked in soon. “She told me I wasn’t going solo, and I told her I wasn’t asking a female to go with me.”

“Have you tried appealing to your dad?”

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