Page 6 of The Beautiful Mess

Sven recovered quickly. “I didn’t lie to you, Kee. I told you I suspected Kerry would end up tending bar.” Sven aimed a pointed look at Kerry. “How many times have you pledged a night to yourself only to end up behind the bar at the Feisty Bull?”

Too many to count.He puffed out his cheeks and exhaled slowly. Sven had him dead to rights, but Kerry wasn’t in a magnanimous mood to save his ass. “A few times.”

“Ha!” Sven scoffed. “I’ll let you have that one, even though we both know better.”

“I don’t think you can say you’re showing me grace only to call bullshit in the next breath,” Kerry replied. Yeah, he needed to make phone calls and get his legal shit sorted, but it was Friday night, and he wouldn’t reach out to Vinny until a reasonable hour the next morning. He could afford to engage in verbal fencing with Sven and soak up a few more minutes of Keegan’s warmth.

“Whatever,” Sven said, waving off his objection with a flick of his wrist. “Now I have to address the second part of Keegan’s claim.” Sven pointed a long, elegant finger in Kerry’s direction. “No one, and I mean not even divine intervention, gets this jackass to do a damn thing he doesn’t want to do.”

“Are you insulting my intelligence or comparing me to a male donkey?” Kerry asked.

“You are as stubborn as a mule,” Sven replied. “A male mule is a jackass.”

“Fair point.” Kerry wouldn’t bother to deny it.

“So, you agree that nothing I said or did convinced you to ask Keegan to dance with you,” Sven said.

“He asked me to dance so we could talk away from you,” Keegan insisted.

There was no way Kerry could let him go on believing that. “Nope.” Sven and Keegan looked at him. The former smirked because he knew he was right. The latter wore a look of utter disbelief, and Kerry couldn’t abide Keegan’s self-doubt.“That was the excuse I gave because I wanted to dance with you again, Kee.” A big part of him wanted to take the younger man by the hand and lead him back inside the bar to dance some more, which was why he took a few steps backward. Legal troubles were one thing, but matters of the heart were a completely different problem. “I say what I mean,” he reminded Keegan. “You guys be careful going home,” he said before turning and heading to his truck.

Once inside, Kerry tossed the envelope onto the passenger seat without reading it. He’d have time to obsess over every word later. Kerry checked the time and knew his stepfather would still be awake but didn’t place the call until Sven and Keegan made it to their vehicle without incident. He started his truck engine and followed them out of the parking lot, then used his voice command feature to call Steven.

His stepfather answered on the second ring. “Is something wrong, Ker?” Steven’s steady voice was like a balm for Kerry’s shredded nerves. They’d had a rough time adapting to each other in the beginning, but Steven had won him over with unwavering patience, unshakable support, and unrivaled devotion to Kerry’s mom. His gratitude for Steven’s presence—then and now—choked him up a little, and he had to clear his throat before speaking.

“Just a court processor serving me legal papers at the local gay bar,” Kerry said, leaving out the part where he’d been dancing with Keegan. His mother was the president of the Keegan Scott is Perfect for My Son Club, and he’d bet money that Sven phoned Lucinda as soon as Kerry was out of earshot. They would be insufferable after this.

“What?” Steven’s outrage was probably more about the time Kerry got served than where it had occurred. He was a card-carrying PFLAG member before Kerry officially came out, thanks to Steven Edward Ruehl Jr., dubbed Sven by a young second cousin who couldn’t pronounce his name. His brother likely came out of the womb waving a rainbow flag, and Steven knew both his sons hung out at the Thirsty Cowboy. He preached safety, not censure. “I’m not saying that process servers don’t have to get creative because some people are more slippery than others. But you have a business where you maintain regular hours, and you own a home. There’s nothing elusive about you. The time and place of your serving feels very personal.”

“My sexuality isn’t a secret, and I used to be a frequent bar patron.” Sven’s comment replayed in his mind. Kerry had been noticeably absent from the bar for months. Nearly eighteen of them. He’d returned to the Thirsty Cowboy a few times since his first dance with Keegan, but he always left alone and unsatisfied. He’d only recently acknowledged to himself why hookups with random strangers no longer held appeal, and that was the change in demeanor Keegan had picked up on and misread. “And nobody has given me shit about being gay once I outgrew them.” At least not to his face.

“It still feels like a personal dig,” Steven said. “And that pisses me off almost as much as this lawsuit Chuck backed you into with his stupidity. What does the document claim?”

“I haven’t opened the envelope yet.”

“It’s most likely a copy of the complaint and a summons that gives you the deadline to respond,” Steven said. “Come over for breakfast in the morning. We can retreat to my home office afterward to review the document and call Vinny. The court will have allowed time for you to hire legal counsel, so there’s no need to call him tonight.”

“Sounds good to me.” Though Kerry could think of better ways to bond with his stepfather.

Keegan turned right at a four-way intersection that would take him toward the town where Sven lived. Kerry’s mountainside cabin was in the opposite direction, but he was tempted to follow Keegan to make sure they both got home safely. He signaled left but didn’t make the turn until Keegan’s taillights faded from view.

“Something just occurred to me,” Steven said abruptly. “Why the hell didn’t I think about it sooner?” Kerry knew his stepfather hadn’t posed the question to him, so he waited for Steven to continue. “We should’ve called in your buddy Dominic. He’s still a private detective, right?”

Kerry and Dominic Babb had been best friends since second grade when Dom’s family moved to the area. They’d stayed tight, even though their busy lives pulled them in opposite directions as adults. “Yeah. He’s moved back to the area. We keep talking about getting together, but it seems like he’s always working on a case. He had a thriving agency in Denver and is trying to make a name for himself in Colorado Springs.” The two cities were close geographically, but Dom told him the geopolitical climates put them in different galaxies. Kerry would have to take his word for it because he’d only lived in Hart’s Creek. “Do you think I should call Dom and tell him what’s going on?”

“Absolutely,” Steven said. “The plaintiff might’ve had a general timeframe of when you’d get served, but it’s unlikely he knew specific dates and times. It’s possible he’s living up a last hoorah before he’s required to act beaten and broken for the court’s sake.” While it was true Chuck had exhibited a horrible lack of judgment at the crash site, Keith Bozeman had miraculously escaped serious injuries. Steven’s remark sounded cynical, but spending three decades as a lawyer probably had that effect on a person.

“I’ll call Dom in the morning.”

“Call him now,” Steven insisted. “There’s no time to lose. Even if Bozeman knows you’re getting served tonight, he won’t expect you to take immediate action.” Steven swore a blue streak. “I just realized what date it is. Kerry, I’m so sorry.”

Kerry sighed heavily. “Me too,” he said. “It’s probably just a really shitty coincidence I got served on this anniversary, but it sucks. I’ll call Dom as soon as we hang up.”

“I’ll let you get to it, then. Does eight o’clock work for breakfast?”

“Sounds perfect. See you then.” Kerry said goodbye, then disconnected the call with a button on his steering wheel. He expected to get Dom’s voicemail, but his friend answered on the second ring.

“Must be slim pickings at the Thirsty Cowboy if you’re calling me at ten o’clock on a Friday night.” Dom’s lazy drawl made Kerry smile despite the turmoil filling his brain like fog again.

---