Page 14 of Ethan

Noah: On it.

Me: Thanks guys!

I turned back to Vincent. "Okay, my friends and I are pitching in to buy a few tents. I'll coordinate with Noah. Hopefully, he can drop them off tomorrow morning before it rains."

"That is awesome." Vincent's broad smile was back. "Thank you."

I began walking toward the door. I needed to get back to work. I had things to do before tonight's Salish Sea Society meeting. "Hand out those treats before they go any staler."

"They'll have seen you come in. Those goodies won't last long."

"See you in a few days." I waved and pushed through the door to outside. I had to step over a broken abandoned bicycle to get to my driver's side door. It had left a small scratch on my paint.

I wasn't going to worry about it. My car wasn't exactly pristine.

In my mind, as I drove, I planned out the email I was going to send to the city regarding their despicable ongoing sweeps of the homeless camps. It wouldn't be the first time I'd contacted them.

I never received an answer from anyone.

I was in a bit of a daze, thinking, as my day progressed in the coffee shop. I was incredibly lucky to have what I did. To have the upbringing I had. The support of my family. My friends.

I'd never even asked Lucas about his story. Perhaps I should.

Once the shop was closed and quiet, I retreated to my office to work on payroll. I became absorbed in it, working through the numbers. Each stroke on my calculator made me think of Daniel and how much time he must spend each day sitting at a desk doing calculations.

I took a break and made myself some tea and ate one of the leftover breakfast sandwiches cold. After another hour, I headed home for a shower.

Before I left the apartment, I checked Liam's social media accounts. I'd been noticing a trend. Well over ninety-five percent of his followers fed his need for attention. Exuberant and seductive compliments on the half-nude and workout body photos Liam posted multiple times a day.

It was that other five percent. They were ruthless. Not sure why they followed him. They seemed to hate him. They'd been increasing their comments about Liam's advancing age. That he should be embarrassed by his maturing body. That he was too old to be showing it off.

It was all nonsense. Liam was in incredible shape. A body I'd be jealous of if I didn't know what he did each day to achieve it. The obsessive working out. The limited diet.

I was worried about him. He would take every one of those negative comments to heart, discarding the positive ones. Noah had told me Liam was spending more time in the gym and that he was talking about getting more cosmetic surgery. If we let him continue, he would spiral. It had happened a few times before when depression and self-loathing had almost consumed him.

Liam was on my mind as I wandered into Noah's pub.

We always met in the same spot in the pub. A snug near the rear with four wood-paneled walls topped with frosted glass and a single doorway. It was as private a space as was available.

My spirits lifted as I made a beeline for Noah standing by the bar and wrapped him up in my arms. I clung to him until he laughed and hugged me back with equal exuberance. Then I gave him our customary smack of a wet kiss in the middle of his forehead.

He complained. But he loved it.

"Evening, Ethan," Liam shouted from behind the bar, laughing at the kiss I'd given Noah as he pulled a full pitcher of beer that would soon end up on our table. "I'll meet you in there."

He looked to be in a good mood.

I tugged on Noah's elbow. "I have news."

Noah snorted. "You always have news."

"This is extra special news." I took my usual seat at our table on a chair facing the doorway. I hated having my back to a door. Watched too many horror movies in my youth.

Liam and Owen came in together and took their usual seats. Owen gave me a wink and a smile. I could hug him and Liam later.

"So, apparently, Ethan has news," Noah said.

"He struck it lucky once again," Owen complained. My best friend didn't have any animosity toward me when it came to our very different love lives. Owen had never had a long-term relationship. I'd had three. Although they hadn't resulted in forever love, they had been healthy. They were all great guys. It just hadn't worked out. I was still friends with all three of them.

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