Page 24 of Let Leaves Lay Where They Fall

“Promise. I’m looking forward to dinner.” Nathan assures.

“Good. Me too.” He’s glowing. Harri nibbles at his elbow. “We should get back. I’ve got to finish up work at home.”

“Of course. This one is ready for a nap.” Nathan gestures to Mabel, leaning against his calf, nearly snoring.

The two men laugh. Both hooking leashes on each pup.

“Text me your address. I’ll see you at 7.” Mark walks backward. Grinning wide with hungry eyes traveling down and up Nathan.

His cheeks go hot, and he may be regretting ignoring the earlier invite. There’s always dessert after dinner.

Mark and Harriet disappear up the same path they arrived on.

Mabel drags behind as they make their way back to the Jeep. “We should grab some lunch before going home. Eh girl?”

Her sleepy trudge turns perky gallop in an instant.

***

On their way back home, Nathan notices a hair salon sign in front of a large Victorian house just around the corner, one street from his, that he hadn’t seen before. Hoping they could see him; he walks over after settling Mabel in at the apartment. She was asleep before he got back out the door.

A familiar face leaned on the receptionist's shoulder behind the desk. He instructed the young pink haired girl how many weeks to pre book the beaming blonde client who couldn’t stop staring back at her own reflection in the row of mirrors across the room.

“Nathan!” The fabulous bald man with chiseled jawline calls out. He looks different outside of the purple track suit he wore when they met at the clinic. Dark dress slacks painted on and an equally tight, pressed floral print shirt, open halfway to his belly button. Chest hair on full display against spray tanned skin.

“Hey!” Nathan couldn’t remember his name.

“Tommy.” He saw the mental anguish on Nathan’s face. Stepping around the desk and wrapping his arms around the nurse’s stiffened shoulders.

Nathan reaches under Tommy’s tight embrace, around his waist and pats his lower back. “How are you feeling?”

“Great thanks to you! What can we do for you?” He steps back, hands gripping Jamie’s shoulders. Thirsty eyes scanning Nathan from head to toe. “Even better out of those scrubs.” He winks.

“I was hoping to get this mop cleaned up.” He rakes fingers through unruly curls.

“Baby. Right this way!” Tommy drags him by the forearm toward a styling station. “Angie. Let Barbara know I’m running behind. If she gets pissy, tell her to fuck off.” He pushes Nathan down into the seat and takes a wide foot stance behind the chair.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to piss Barbara off.” Whoever she is.

“Psh! She’s always late. We’ll give her a taste of her own medicine. She can wait on me this time.” He runs hands along Nathan’s shoulders and biceps, pausing to squeeze muscles. “Let me get my fingers in those gorgeous curls!” He twists an index finger in the ringlet above Nathan’s right ear. “While we’re at it. We’ll clean up that beard.” He growls under breath. “What happened to that pretty face?”

Nathan chuckles at the flirty flattery. “Fix me up.” He plays into Tommy’s energy. “I took an elbow from a patient yesterday.” He lies.

“Come here.” He grabs Nathan’s hand and leads him to a row of shampoo basins. Guiding him to take a seat with one hand on his chest. The other between shoulder blades on his back. Catching a peek at Nathan’s bum mid sit.

A blend of floral and herbal scents flood Nathan’s senses while Tommy lathers hair and massages his scalp. A low moan escapes his throat.

“Right?” Tommy’s upside-down hovering face winks at Nathan. Blotting his head with a fluffy towel and wrapping it into a snug turban for the walk back to the styling chair. He pats Nathan’s bum on the way. “Take a seat, sugar.”

Nathan can’t help feeling some kind of way because of the charming attention. “I don’t want to go too short. But it definitely needs a cut.” He hesitates for a second. “I just booked a dinner date for tonight.”

“Oooo.” Tommy is intrigued and slightly bummed in a single expression. He rolls a comb through his magic fingers before sliding it through Nathan’s glossy wet mop. “Do tell!” His brows arch as he focuses on the back of Nathan’s head and goes to work.

“We just ran into each other at the beach. Our dogs started playing and we got to chatting. He asked me out. So we’re going somewhere up on the east end at 7.”

Tommy’s fingers dance. Twirling the comb. Scissors snipping away curls. “What’s his name?”

“Mark.”

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