Page 67 of Provoking the Punter

Chester shrugged. “That’s how it was.”

“I’m guessing you got the scholarship because I can’t imagine you in uniform.”

“Yeah, I got a scholarship to the community college, then from there I bounced to a state college.”

“And Mark?”

Chester stared at his coffee. “He joined the military.” And from the look on Chester’s face, it hadn’t ended well.

Garrett chopped the broccoli and waited for Chester to continue.

Chester stared at him. “Why am I eating broccoli for breakfast?”

“Because you didn’t have spinach. It will be great. Trust me. Now finish the story.”

“Mark was killed two years later. When I go home… which I haven’t in a long time, I visit his grave, and have dinner with his parents. I tell my father I’m in town, but he grumbles and makes excuses.”

“I’m sorry about Mark.”

“I used to tell myself it wouldn’t have happened if I’d been with him, but thinking that doesn’t change anything.” Chester tilted his head, his eyes narrowing, and Garrett could see the coffee kicking in. “How many eggs are in that bowl?”

“Eight. The only cheese you have is brie, so I guess we’re going fancy.”

“Fancy? This is not breakfast. This is lunch for four.”

“Then I’m three people. Training burns calories. You want to see the diet plan?”

“You weren’t joking about them counting fat cells.”

“I was about that, but they definitely want to know what we’re eating. So you finished college…?”

“I had a friend who was from Austin, and he invited me to move in with him. I worked as a manager for a nightclub while I worked on my business plan. I knew what I wanted to do, and I had an idea on how to get there, but I was missing bits of the puzzle. Working at the nightclub helped fill in those bits.”

“So Bathtubs was the endgame?” He chucked the ham into the skillet to crisp up a bit. It wasn’t bacon, but it would do.

“Yes. I wanted to control my own life. Run my own business. My father could’ve done so much more, but he was scared of it being taken away, of paying taxes and so many other things. But he taught me how to distill, how to upsell and liaise with customers and haggle for a deal on supplies. I loved all of that. Summer vacations when I was off from school were the best.” A soft smile formed on his lips. “I write to him from time to time. He doesn’t have a computer or internet, so I can’t email. Sometimes, I call Mark’s dad. I thought keeping in contact would be worse for him, but he said he enjoys hearing from me as it lets him imagine what Mark would be doing if he was alive.” Chester drew in a breath. “There you go. Now you know everything.”

“No, I don’t. I don’t know when you had your first kiss, or your first boyfriend, or…” Garrett gave the ham a stir and added the broccoli. “I’m sure there’s a hundred other things.”

“You don’t need all of that right now. You don’t have to rush.”

Garrett glanced away, heat flooding his cheeks.

“But I like the way you jump in and throw everything you have at something. At me.”

“There’s no point in half-assing something. You’re just wasting everyone’s time.” He poured the eggs in on top of the broccoli and ham and then sprinkled the diced cheese on top. “How do I turn the grill on?”

Garrett studied the dials on the oven.

“Grill?” Chester got up and walked around the counter. “The broiler?”

“Yeah.” There were some words Americans used he’d never quite grasp.

Chester turned on the grill, and Garrett held out his arm. Chester took the offer and stepped in, wrapping his arm around Garrett’s waist. Garrett pressed a kiss to his temple. “It sounds as though you had an interesting and unusual childhood.”

“It was. There were things I hated, like not having money and new clothes, but it wasn’t the people I was surrounded by.” He rested his head on Garrett’s shoulder.

“This is nice.” Garrett murmured. He wanted to start every day like this. With Chester.

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