Page 27 of Totally Fanatic

To see Red’s Barbeque from the road, you would think it’s just a person’s house, and in truth, it is. Red apparently lives on the upper floor, and his restaurant is a collection of different tables and chairs he’s collected over the years, filling every downstairs room except the bathroom and kitchen. It’s late and many of the tables have the chairs tilted in as they start to close up for the night.

“Am I too late?” I ask, and the woman wiping down one of the tables smiles my way.

“That depends, hun. What were you after?”

I shrug. “What have you got?”

“Hang out here for a minute, and I’ll duck in and see what Red can whip up for you.”

“Thanks.”

I lean against the wall, the restaurant filled with the scents from the day’s smoking and sweet spice rubs. It has a warm feel to it, like being home for the holidays, wrapped in Mom’s warm hugs, or sitting next to Dad on the couch watching baseball.

“Here you go, hun,” the woman says, coming out of the kitchen with a plastic bag filled with three foil containers. “Red put a few things together for you.”

“Thanks, what do I owe you?”

“On the house. Just promise if you like it to leave a review on Red’s page. Here,” she hands over the bag and grabs a flier with the menu printed on it. Flipping it over to the back, there’s a code I can scan with my phone to take me to Red’s socials page.

“I will, thank you,” I say, pulling out a twenty and stuffing it into the tip jar on my way out the door.

I get halfway to the bed and breakfast when my phone makes the monkey noise, and I fish it out of my pants pocket to check the message.

TIM: Sorry, I didn’t see your message and the team went out to celebrate the win. Did you end up going anyway? Was it amazing?

LION: No problem at all. You deserve to celebrate after an awesome game like that. I totally knew you could do it. It was an amazing hit! I got to Red’s just before they closed, so they gave me a few things to takeaway. Just on my way back to the BnB now. If you were hungry, you could still join?

I probably shouldn’t ask. He’s had a huge three days with performing and tonight’s game and going out with the team. He probably just wants to go to bed. Maybe I should message himnot to worry about it? My phone makes the monkey sound that always brings an immediate warmth to my chest

TIM: Where’s the BnB?

Oh my gosh. Yes! I give him the address, and I’m almost all the way there when his reply comes through.

TIM: See you in five.

The room my sister rented for me for the weekend is actually one of those tiny houses that’s set in a backyard and is accessible through a side gate, so I wait for him out the front. The main house is pretty. It’s set on the corner of a quiet street, and there’s a lush green garden and white fence that separates the house from the street. A green archway welcomes you through the main gate and beside the porch on the left is a sign saying Meg’s Bed and Breakfast with an arrow pointing down the drive.

The tiny house is super cute. Like a mini version of the main house, it has a teeny porch with white fencing and inside hosts only a large bed, tiny bathroom and kitchenette. I’m glad there is a bathroom here, though, because it would be a bit awkward going up into the main house to pee in the middle of the night.

The owners are lovely, though, so they probably wouldn’t mind. It was odd that when I got here, they asked when my partner was arriving. It made much more sense when they told me Mouse told them it was a booking for two.

“Hey,” Tim says, coming around the corner and spotting me.

“Hey.”

“This looks nice,” Tim says, looking up at the trees that help hide the main house from the street.

“Isn’t it just so sweet? Mouse picked really well. I’m staying in the back. Come on.”

I lead us through the gate, trying to keep quiet. The owners, Mrs. and Mr. Pots, are not super old but it is their house, so I want to try not to be too much of a bother.

“Wow.” Tim says when he lays eyes on the tiny house. “I’ve seen these online but never in person.” He starts giggling, and the way his eyes crinkle brings a warmth radiating through me.

“What is it?”

“You’re like the biggest guy I’ve ever met and you’re staying in the smallest house I’ve ever seen.”

I step onto the porch and turn and face him.

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