Page 14 of Step Daddy

Dev’s eyebrows shot up then he smacked his forehead. “Ohhh. Gotcha. Sorry about that, I just assumed…” He cleared his throat even louder than Gareth had as he wiggled in his seat. “Yeah. Ordering. Totally starving. I’ll wave Kelly over.”

Dev made a big show of waving to the server as if all his dramatic hand gestures could wipe away the last few moments. Kit glanced sideways at Gareth who was rubbing his eyes with thumb and forefinger while muttering something unintelligible. With a loud sigh, Gareth turned to him, his features flattened in an unreadable expression before he put on a smile.

“You like pancakes? They’re killer here. Thick and fluffy buttermilk ones.”

Kit twisted his fingers under the table, not caring that he shouldn’t be doing it. Gareth was right. Kit didn’t know anything about him, everything about Gareth was an unknown. At least, how he lived his personal life was. He still believed in his brother as a man, that he was a genuinely good person, but he shouldn’t assume Gareth was an open book.

“I like pancakes.”

Kit’s words came out almost strangled and his brother’s expression changed so there was a tinge of sadness to it. Or maybe it was regret, he couldn’t really tell. Gareth glanced down at the menu, though Kit doubted he was actually consulting it, and raked his fingers across the top of his head.

Finally, he folded his hands on the table then regarded Kit. “Great. That’s what we’ll get. The bacon here is fantastic, too. Thick cut. I remember that used to be one of your favorites. How about a full stack of cakes and a side of bacon? We can share.” Gareth was rambling, each word tumbling over the next. “I’m also getting some scrambled eggs. You want some too? Plus milk. Or is orange juice more your thing? Whatever you want, my treat.”

“The pancakes and bacon are enough for me. And milk is fine.”

Their food arrived quickly, and for the next half hour or so, Gareth and Dev shared motocross stories which mostly centered around upcoming races, who placed where at what event and Gareth’s time at a practice track the day before. Kit ate in silence, listening with interest about this unfamiliar world, but also sensing they were keeping the conversation sanitized for his benefit. The mystery of it all was driving him crazy, but he wasn’t sure he’d be brave enough to ask Gareth about it later.

Dev pushed his empty plate away and drained his coffee cup. He set it down with a satisfied sigh. “Superb as always. Now I need a nap.”

Gareth snorted as he scooped up his final forkful of egg. “Jesus, bro. It’s not even eleven yet.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve been up since five and I’m old. Wanted to get a workout in before we met up.”

Gareth pushed his plate away as well. Kit was still nibbling on his bacon as he observed.

“You’re not hitting the track in Pahrump? It’s the last day for the pro meet-up. Bunch of newbies out there, might wanna check them out.”

Dev scrunched up his nose. “Nah. Let them have all the fun. I’ll be out of the game at the end of next year anyway.”

Gareth shook his head. “You’re still sticking to that? Man, it’ll suck not having you around.”

“It’s not the end of the world. We can still eat pancakes together and you can keep me in the loop on all the gossip.” Dev leaned forward. “Oh hey, I forgot to tell you. Did you hear about Mike getting that reality show? It’s going to stream for six episodes or something like that. You should look into having your agent pitch you for one of your own. You’re a way better rider than him.” Dev grinned. “And a helluva lot more handsome.”

Gareth grunted. “Funny. And hell no. I’m not interested in that kind of shit. I like to ride, and I’ll always be grateful that you talked me into giving this life a go. But I’m not chasing stardom. Sure, I like the money, but this career is about me challenging myself. I’m the one I’m competing with. Not Mike and the other posers in his crew.”

“I get it.” Dev scratched his jaw. “Probably not a good idea to have the press digging too much into your personal life, either.”

Gareth’s head fell in his hands and he groaned. He held them up in the same gesture he had before. “Really, Dev? Really?”

Kit’s bacon swam around in his stomach in an unpleasant way. He took a quick sip of his milk. Was his brother some kind of criminal? Was that why he had an attorney on hand. Although, he’d said the guy wasn’t a criminal one, but still. What the hell was going on?

Dev blinked several times at Gareth then his eyes widened. His gaze flitted to Kit then landed on Gareth again.

“Dude. Sorry.” Dev reached into his jeans pocket then plucked out a twenty before tossing it on the table. “I gotta go. Naptime.” He quickly rose then turned to Kit. “Hey, nice meeting you. Hope you enjoy your visit.”

Before either Kit or Gareth could respond, Dev was already rushing down the aisle to the front of the diner.

Gareth fell back against the banquette. “I love the guy, but I think he’s landed on his head one time too many.” Gareth let out a sigh then turned to Kit. “I’m sure you’re wondering what that was all about.”

Kit suddenly realized he was in the process of shredding his napkin. He gathered the bits together into a ball then dropped it onto his half-empty plate.

“It’s none of my business. I burst into your life out of the middle of nowhere, begging for help. You don’t owe me any explanations.”

Gareth folded his hands on the table, staring straight ahead and twirling his thumbs as if pondering. A couple minutes went by then he regarded Kit again.

“It’s nothing illegal or I was in jail or anything like that, okay? And I want to get to know you and you get to know me, but…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, I’ve never been subtle about being gay, and I’ve never hidden my orientation throughout my career, either. But I have a lifestyle I enjoy, a private one. I’d rather not have social media or the intrusion of the press that would come from putting myself out there the way Mike loves to do. It’s not me.”

Kit squirmed in the booth as he tried to work out what sort of lifestyle Gareth was talking about. Something told him it was related to sex, based on Dev’s first remark about boys, but that sounded like it could be criminal. Kit couldn’t deny that not knowing was making him uncomfortable. At the same time, he still had that gut instinct that he could trust Gareth, that his brother wouldn’t lie to him.

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