Page 63 of Eternal Hoptimist

I barked out a laugh. “Hard to forget the source of eternally chill Dom throwing a hissy fit.”

Hayden winced and sat. “Sorry about that. I wasn’t expecting to run into him. Do you have a few minutes?”

We didn’t open for an hour. I nodded and joined him, agreeing mostly out of curiosity. After the incident, I tried asking Dom about it, but he was locked tighter than a maximum-security prison. Dom called it ancient history.

Hayden ran his hand through his shaggy hair. “How is Dom?”

I didn’t want to get into the middle of it despite dying to know their history. Dom didn’t appreciate people gossiping about him, and though we were super close, he didn’t talk about his dating life.

Hayden must have sensed my discomfort. “Forget I asked. That was weird of me. I guess I’m curious how you met.”

I thought about it for a moment. I was comfortable sharing what we often did at the brewery and had on our website.

“We met in college. Freshmen year, the guy I’d been assigned to live with got accepted into the honors hall and was switched to a different building. The guy Dom was gonna room with bailed at the last minute, so we were assigned together.”

Hayden looked like he was going to be sick.

“We shared a bathroom and common area with Austin and his cousin Tyler. The four of us hit it off right away and moved into an apartment together sophomore year. We’ve been best friends ever since and opened the brewery together a couple of years ago.”

“Austin and Ty are from here, aren’t they?” Hayden asked absently as though some random tidbits of information fell into place.

“Yup. Dom and I are the newcomers. How do you know him?”

There was a wistful smile on Hayden’s face as he stared into the distance. “We went to high school together and were as close as two people could be.” His smile turned sad.

I had no idea what had happened, but my heart broke for him. High school was a long time ago, but clearly, the pain lingered. Anything that left someone as amazing as Dom not wanting to even hear Hayden’s name after so long must be serious. Losing Dom in any way would hurt like hell.And anything that left Hayden looking so lost after over fifteen years had to be serious.

I thought back to freshman year, particularly fall term, and getting to know Dom as we talked about our lives before college. I didn’t recall him mentioning anyone named Hayden, but I did remember Dom struggling. Not in the typical homesickness or missing his family way as most of the guys in our hall but a raw pain. I’d caught him with red-rimmed eyes staring at his email inbox or phone several times when I’d come home from class. He never wanted to talk about it, and Dom wasn’t the kind of guy who could be pushed. Fiercely loyal and protective, Dom was stubborn as a bull.

“Really? Dom didn’t talk about anyone from high school that I can remember.” That was probably rude of me to say, but there was something off. I wanted to protect Dom but also knew his extreme stubbornness could create pain for him.

“Ouch.” Hayden’s chuckle lacked humor. “I shouldn’t be surprised, though. I hurt him pretty bad. Such a stupid kid.”

“Have you tried talking to him?”

Hayden snorted. “Are you kidding? I ran into him at the grocery store, and he pretended I wasn’t there. Not sure if that’s better or worse than when I saw him in here last week, and he glared at me like I was the shit needing scraped off the bottom of his shoe.”

“Are you passing through, or did you move to town?” I knew he’d been in town for a construction job but didn’t know if it was temporary or more permanent.

“I’m sticking around. I’m trying to find some construction jobs after the housing development I’m working on finishes. I’d like to go out on my own, but I don’t know if I have the connections around here yet to make that happen, so I’m hoping to secure a few smaller jobs to build a reputation.”

An idea struck. A dangerous one that might result in me getting my ass kicked, but I had a business to co-run and a budget to be mindful of. If Dom had taught me anything, it was to mind the budget. I spun my travel mug between my palms on the table as I quickly weighed the pros and cons.

“We’re planning to construct an outdoor seating area in the space between our building and the next one. Something that would be great for when the sun’s out and we could cover in the winter. Seating, space for heaters, a fire pit, and a dog run.”

With every word I spoke, Hayden’s entire demeanor changed. He looked like the carefree gorgeous guy who’d strolled into Austin’s new apartment. All confident and eager before he’d seen Dom and shut down.

“Are you accepting contractor bids?”

“We are. I’m in charge of collecting them. We’re hoping to have it done by Memorial Day.” I knew Caleb was close to opening his restaurant, so he probably didn’t need a contractor. I tried to come up with other people to introduce to Hayden.

“Can I have a shot at it? I would love to bid.” He bit his lip as his eyes raced like he was doing some mental calculations. “Fuck, I’ll do it at cost if I have to.”

If he was serious, I couldn’t refuse. I’d have to at least present it to the guys for consideration. Dom might refuse to talk about the guy, but if we could save money on construction, we could put the money toward the hundred other things on our list.

We talked specifics for a few minutes, and then he gave me his number. We set up a time for him to come by and examine the space to help him do a proper bid. Did my picking a time I knew Dom would be out make me a coward? Sure. But a coward that knew how to stay within budget.Call me Ethan Fiscal Responsibility Jackson.

We shook hands, and I left to walk back to the brewery. I knew Dom carried hurt but also that whatever happened, it was nearly half our lifetimes ago. If Dom could find it in his heart to forgive, he would be better off for it.

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