Page 44 of Just Bromantically Invested

“Don’t ask me that.” His eyes are creased with amusement. “Then I’ll have to downplay it, and I really don’t want to lie to you.”

I turn to Penn, and my grin feels painful. “I feel like a kid on Christmas.”

Penn’s smile is hesitant but slowly warms his eyes. “I didn’t realize this is something you needed.”

Neither did I. My brain has frozen, even though my head, heart, and gut are doing that thing where it feels right. Damien asking me what I need is a hard question because I’ve never stopped and thought about it.

“I’m guessing shopping would be important,” Damien prompts. “Groceries and things.”

Every word opens up more possibilities. “Groceries would be huge. And a cafe. Maybe a restaurant—oh they could hold speed dating nights there for nudists. Something to do … like a pool? Tennis court, maybe?”

Damien tilts his head and squints like he’s trying to pictureit. “How many people in the lifestyle do you think there are in Seattle?”

“At least hundreds. That’s a broad guess, but between the clothing-optional beaches and the people who visit Fever Ridge for the day, plus the resorts around the state, it would be a lot. There’s nothing like this in the heart of Seattle though.”

“Agreed. It takes a lot of courage and effort to live this lifestyle freely, if you don’t want to move into a compound that caters to it, and I don’t think I’d police the place as peoplehavingto be naked to use the facilities, but it’d be clear that’s what this is.”

“W-what—” Penn cuts off his words, and we both turn to him. He looks like he wants to say something, but the words are stuck.

“Yeah?” I prompt.

He closes his eyes and says so quickly I almost don’t catch it, “What about somewhere for newbie nudists?”

Damien studies him. “Like an area specifically for people who aren’t sure they want to jump right in yet?”

“Exactly.”

Penn’s dark skin warms, but the longer I look at him, the more hopeful I get. We’ve been naked a few times in his apartment lately, but it never occurred to me he might want more than that, and being able to share this thing with him, to have someone I know and love as part of the community too, it means a whole fucking lot to me.

“That’s a great idea.” Damien makes a note of it, and relief crosses Penn’s face.

I move closer to him while Damien is distracted, tapping out things on his phone, and I reach for Penn’s hand. His fingers close between mine.

“Is that … is that something you’d use, you think?” I whisper.

Penn very slowly nods. “I’m not sold, but I think I’d like the option.”

Just knowing he’s open to it is everything.

“If you two want the job, it’s yours.”

That snaps me out of it. I whirl on Damien. “The job?”

“Well, sure. This is going to be a huge project, and I’ll have my own team working on it too, but I’ll need someone who knows what they’re doing to manage it.”

“B-but … wouldn’tyoumanage them?”

“I’m only one person, and if we’re going to have our own mini shopping mall and recreational facilities, I also need to free myself up for the planning of those. Penn, you’ve got a great eye for detail, and I’ve been impressed with your organization and management. Plus, having a landscaping engineer on the job would be invaluable with such a large site. Madden, your landscaping designs are amazing and out of the box. You also have knowledge from within the community of what there’s a need for. Between the three of us, we really could create something incredible.”

The words “I’m in” almost slip out on reflex. I don’t need to think about it. This is an amazing idea, and getting to be a part of that? Getting to create something that I’ll use myself, probably in my every spare moment? It’s a fucking dream.

But I don’t only have myself to think about. Penn and I have our own business, and taking time away from that will kill the momentum we’ve been building. Having something that’s all ours is important to me. Working for ourselves, being able to set our own hours, making sure that the guys we hire have a good work-life balance. Have great benefits. Providing not only a steady income for people one day, but an actually healthy work environment are all things that Penn and I are striving for. Will this be a massive step backward? Or will working with Damien open doors we didn’t even think to open?

This is an enormous job. We’re talking at least a yearcommitment, but most likely more, depending on how fast we get things up and moving. But fuck, I’m excited for this place. I need it. I didn’t know before now that I did, but having somewhere like this, somewhere that isn’t home, somewhere that will actually care about us and not leave us vulnerable to the public, all without needing to drive for an hour to get there …

It takes a lot to swallow down my “I’m in” and replace it with “I’m thrilled you’d think of us—this whole project sounds amazing. Do you mind shooting through something with exactly what you need? Penn and I will talk it over.”

“Of course.” He shakes both of our hands again, always the professional. “Hopefully this is the start of something special, guys.”

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