Page 115 of Gratification in Gluttony

“Uh, I was gonna head to Liel’s. Why?”

Jude darted a glance at Toni. “I just thought we could hang tonight.”

“Oh.” Oliver looked to Liel. “I mean, I’ll be back this week sometime. Can we hang out then?”

It wasn’t the plan Toni and Jude had hoped for, but Toni didn’t want to make things weird by forcing Jude to push the issue. So he winked at Jude, and his human relaxed his stance, smiling at Oliver.

“Okay, that works.”

Oliver beamed at him as he took Liel’s hand. “Cool.”

Chapter twenty-six

Trapped in a Sailor’s Net

Tuesday night, as Toniwas getting ready for bed, his phone vibrated with a text from Jude.

I told Oliver.

And?

It’s fine. I told you he wouldn’t care. He likes you. He was just hurt that I hadn’t told him sooner, but we talked about it. All good.

So he isn’t gonna hunt me down with his dad’s shotgun?

Har har.

When Toni arrived at work the next day, he wasn’t exactly nervous, but he wasn’t feeling entirely comfortable either. He’dnever worried over Oliver’s reaction, but the instinctual anxiety of “what if?” was impossible to ignore completely.

As he walked in the front door, Toni gave his usual greeting to Gem, Rusty, and Oliver. Gem waved, and Rusty mumbled indistinctly back. Oliver stiffened, attention locked on the register as his throat bobbed. Not sure what to do with that, Toni made his way into the kitchen, grabbing an apron and securing it around his waist.

“Hey, Toni,” Oliver said from behind him, and Toni slowly turned around. “You got a minute?”

Toni studied the fidgeting human a moment before he nodded. “Sure, Ollie.”

He led the way out the back door, and Oliver followed him. The teal sand shifted under Toni’s boots as he casually tucked his hands into his pockets and watched the human cross his arms over his chest, worrying his bottom lip. Oliver’s weight went from one foot, to the other, then back again as he struggled for words.

“So you and Jude, huh?” he finally said, and Toni swallowed a laugh.

“Yeah, me and Jude,” he confirmed.

Oliver nodded. “I wasn’t exactly surprised when he told me. I saw how you looked at each other at the ranch. I didn’t realize it had been going on all summer, though.”

And sure, Toni did feel bad about that, so he said, “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I just didn’t think it was my place to say nothing, not when Jude and you are so close.”

“You’re my friend too,” Oliver said quietly.

The sentiment warmed Toni’s chest. “Of course we’re friends. But we ain’t friends the way you and Jude are friends, you know? It had to come from him.”

Oliver kicked at the sand absently. “I know, and it’s also a little my fault. I just wasn’t around a lot. Things with Liel have beena whirlwind—a good whirlwind,” he hastened to add. “But I lost sight of other things. Probably should’ve noticed it sooner.”

The human wasn’t wrong, but Toni tended to have the same fixation issues. “Yeah, I know something about that.”

“I know I said stuff before, about not flirting with my best friend or whatever. It was just talk, mostly. I think you’re great, and Jude’s really great, so I’m happy for you both,” Oliver said, cheeks pinking. “I hope it works out.”

“Thanks, Ollie. That means a lot, especially coming from you,” Toni said honestly, and Oliver offered a fleeting smile.

“But Toni…” he drifted off, frowning at the deep yellow sky.

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