Page 5 of Kipp

‘You want me to keep an eye on the diner?’ Kipp said. ‘I can do that. But what are we talking about? I ain’t great with numbers.’

‘No, that’s cool,’ Max said, running his hand over his cropped hair. ‘Marshall’s great for all that. But he’s not so good with heavy lifting. You know, stock delivery and that kind of thing. I figured you could swing by maybe once a day to take care of that. And I’ll have a lodger staying for a while in the studio apartment. If you could keep an eye on him too, that would be perfect. You know, just make sure he isn’t trashing the place.’

Kipp nodded.

This sounded eminently doable.

But if Max thought he was getting all of this for free, then he’d need to think again…

‘Go on, name your price,’ Max chuckled, clearly seeing what was running through Kipp’s mind.

‘Free coffee for a month,’ Kipp said, his face deadly serious.

‘Deal!’ Max replied, way too quickly.

‘Fuck, I should have gone in bigger,’ Kipp laughed. ‘I could have been looking at free breakfasts too. Screw it. I’m happy to help you, brother. Anything for a fellow Daddy.’

‘Damn right,’ Max replied.

Kipp was truly grateful for Max’s friendship. Unlike him, Max hadn’t grown up in Eagle Ridge but had arrived in thecommunity a few years ago and immediately set about making a contribution. The Hot Plate prided itself on being the most welcoming place that didn’t judge anyone. Each and every patron was treated the same whether they order the extra-large breakfast feast or a simple cup of old school black coffee.

Max had successfully built a business that was a social hub too. There was no drama in The Hot Plate, but there was plenty of friendly faces, good food and drink, and always someone there to talk too.

And Max had a good eye for staff too.

Speaking of which…

‘So, you and Marshall…’ Kipp said, a knowing look in his eye. ‘When’sthatgoing to happen?’

‘Come on, my man,’ Max replied, a hint of redness in his masculine face. ‘You know that can’t… we can’t… can it?’

‘You tell me,’ Kipp laughed. ‘There’s obviously some heat between you two. So why not give it a try? I know you don’t want to risk your friendship. But sometimes you just have to make that jump.’

‘Look who’s talking!’ Max fired back. ‘You’ve been single longer than… well, however long it’s been it’s been a freakin’ while.’

‘That’s deflection,’ Kipp chuckled. ‘This isn’t about me. All I’m saying is… if you like him, then don’t let it slip through your grasp. You know? Life can be short. Things can change. If someone means a lot to you, show them.’

Max and Kipp fist-bumped.

They were both Daddies and knew what one another desired more than anything in the world. Kipp could see that Max had a thing for Marshall, but ultimately it was going to come down to the two of them working things out in their own time.

Speaking of Marshall, Kipp looked over Max’s shoulder and saw him walking down the sidewalk toward the diner. But he wasn’t alone. He was with…

‘Who the hell isthat?’ Kipp asked, his body suddenly surging with adrenalin as he saw the most beautiful, cute, sexy young man walking alongside Marshall.

‘That, my friend,’ Max replied as he turned around. ‘Looks like my new lodger. I wish you all the luck in the world. He looks cute. But he also looks like trouble too…’

Kipp nodded and quickly averted his eyes as Marshall and the new lodger approached and headed straight inside the diner.

Whoever he was, Kipp immediately knew that he had to have him.

Kipp felt like a wild animal. Every nerve ending in his body was tingling. His senses were on high alert. Kipp hadn’t felt like this in a long, long time – and suddenly he was wondering whether the boy from his recent dreams hadn’t just manifested himself into the very real setting of Eagle Ridge…

Chapter 3

Dale

‘OMG, you look great!’ Dale squealed with glee as he saw Marshall approach him on the main Eagle Ridge strip. ‘It must be that good old hometown spring water!’

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