Page 21 of Controlled Burn

I looked up into his deep brown eyes and nodded. “You’re not going to say anything to my dad, right?”

He released the book. “I told you I wouldn’t.”

“Right. Okay, let’s get you all checked out.”

Keith

I let Caleb scan first the book and then my library card. I’d wanted to check on him and make sure he was doing okay, but I didn’t feel good about the way our conversation had gone. I had a feeling he was more bothered by his experience at the club than he was letting on.

I’d been thinking about it all weekend. Caleb said he was curious and then admitted he didn’t really know if he was a boy or not. I’d never even let myself think about Robert’s son in terms of being a boy, but now that the idea had been planted in my head, I couldn’t seem to think about anything else.

I hadn’t known Caleb well before he’d moved back to Vesper. Robert had talked about him, of course, and I’d met him when he came to visit, but I barely remembered him from back then. It wasn’t until he got the job at the library and started rebuilding a relationship with his father that I’d gotten to know him. But that had been long enough for me to realize he was smart, sweet, and a little timid. I can’t imagine how hard it had been for him to get up the nerve to show up at the club, and now, because of a couple of assholes, he might not give it another try.

I wanted to do or say something to make it better for him, but this wasn’t the time or place for such a discussion. Besides, I had to get back to the station, so when he handed me back the book, I forced a smile and took it.

The next day, I went to The Spotted Dog, where I was meeting my friend Abe for lunch. I’d met him through my ex, Jonathan, but when things went south with us, Abe and I had remained friends.

He was already there when I arrived, all decked out in a three-piece suit. I chuckled as I took a seat. “We could’ve gone elsewhere for lunch. Maybe Yellowfin or Enigma.”

“Asshole,” he grumbled and rolled his eyes. He didn’t normally wear a suit and tie, and I knew he hated those days he had to. “We had visitors from corporate here today, so I had to look the part.”

“Really? How did that go?” I asked.

“Who knows? Our numbers are great, and they’re happy with that, but that doesn’t mean they won’t get a wild hair and go changing shit, anyway. It’s just what they do.” He shrugged. “But I don’t want to talk about that. I want to order some chicken wings, have a beer, and just chill out until I have to go back there this afternoon.”

Our server walked up to the table, and we both placed our order. No menus were necessary since we both always got the same thing.

“So, how’s David?” I asked. The last couple of times we’d all gotten together, he hadn’t come because he was getting ready for a big show at a local gallery.

“He’s doing great. He wants to have a baby.”

“Whoa, for real? What about you?”

“I think it’s time if we’re ever going to do it. I’m almost forty. If we don’t do it soon, I’ll be too old to chase a toddler around.”

“True enough. Not that my opinion matters much, but I think you and David would be great parents.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Here you go, guys,” our server Maddie said, putting two plates covered in wings down in front of us.

“See, so much better than any fancy lunch from Yellowtail,” he said, taking a bite of one of his wings.

“I don’t know about that. I’ve never eaten there. Have you?”

“Yeah, I took David there for our anniversary last year. It was good, but it wasn’t wings from The Dog. How about you? Are you seeing anyone?”

“You know better.”

“It’s time you let the past go, my friend. You can’t let a few bad experiences keep you from going after what you want.”

The irony of him saying that to me when it was exactly what I’d been thinking about Caleb earlier made me chuckle.

“What’s funny? I’m not wrong.”

“No, you’re not. It’s just that I was thinking someone else needed that same advice earlier this morning, and I didn’t see the connection at all until you said that.”

---