Page 8 of I've Got You

Craig scrunched his nose as if deep in thought. He was a good kid who had recently turned twenty. I knew I couldn’t sweet-talk him into staying with me forever, but after he’d dropped out of college and returned home, I was lucky that he still had no idea what his plans were. He shook his head. “Not at the moment. I can ask around though. What sort of hours are you looking at?”

“Probably thirty or so. I need to come up with concrete plans and figure out shift changes with someone new on board.”

“Sounds good,” he said, before heading around the counter to clear a couple of tables.

I made my way back to the kitchen to start some prep for tomorrow’s special. While we had a standard pastry and cake selection, I made an effort to ensure I mixed up the offerings with one or two different things on the menu. My customers seemed to like it. It also gave me an opportunity to be creative.

It didn’t take me long to select a new recipe. I may have eaten a couple of chocolate and espresso Bundt cakes while making dough that I needed to set aside overnight for early morning prep. As I placed the dough in the refrigerator, I glanced into the shop’s front just as Carter walked in. He looked in my direction and gave a little wave before stepping to the counter. I grinned, finished organizing the refrigerator, and then headed out to say hi.

I looked around. “By yourself?” It was unusual to see Carter without Tanner these days. They were stuck at the hip.

“Just stopping for a coffee and meeting a friend, as it’s my early day to finish. Tanner’s out on a job.”

“Cool. Have you already given your order?” I glanced over to see Sandy at the machine, wondering if the drink was for him.

“Yeah. I’m all sorted, thank you.” He grinned. “If you’re due a break, feel free to join us.”

I twisted my mouth in confusion. “Okay.” It seemed kind of odd he was inviting me for a break when he was meeting with someone. “Sure.”

Carter’s face lit up with pleasure. “That’s great. What’ll you have? My treat.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “I’ll take care of it. Just go sit your ass down.”

“You sure?”

“’Course, now grab a table.”

“Thanks.” He turned and headed toward one of the small booths. He tended to always be happy, but sometimes he’d get a glint as though he was extra happy about something. It was one of those sorts of moments.

I shrugged and went to take over from Sandy. Carter had already ordered for his friend, so I finished them off and grabbed myself a black coffee. I carried the tray over to the booth and sat, my back to the door. “So, how’ve you been?”

“Good. It was a quiet day, which was kind of nice. I’m relieved it’s Friday tomorrow though.”

“You on call this weekend?”

“Just Friday night,” he said. “Then the weekend’s free. How about you? You working this weekend?”

I shook my head. “Nope. I have a whole weekend to spend with my girl.”

Carter smiled. “Awesome. What are you planning? You going to stop by?”

I nodded. “Probably. Libby needs some of her Uncle Tanner and Carter time.”

Carter grinned. “Yeah, she does.” It was the truth. Tanner had been supporting me with the care of Libby from when she was just a couple of months old. It was the reason why he’d relocated in the first place, to be my support. When Carter had joined our small family, it hadn’t taken Libby long to win Carter over. Yeah, she had us all wrapped around her little finger. She also adored Carter and would immediately clamber to get to him whenever she saw him. “We can take her Saturday afternoon and night if you want?”

I raised my brows and smiled. “Yeah?”

“Sure we can. Take the night off. Perhaps go out.”

I nodded, grateful for his suggestion, though I had no idea what I’d do with my time. “That would be great, thanks.”

Carter seemed to read the barest hesitation I had. Not for the opportunity of a night off, but at the possibility of going out. “You know, it’s okay to head out, have fun. I even think Lauren’s heading out this weekend with some guys from work. She’ll be here soon so we can ask her.”

Lauren was cute. She was also a bit on the eager side and could chat my head off. I’d met her a couple of times and had happily flirted with her, but it had all been harmless. There was no pull there, no greater attraction. I’d never hid my sexuality. I was a proud bisexual man. At times my openness had been met with confusion and sometimes downright contempt. Confusion I could always handle, as long as people had brain cells so could get their heads around the concept. Bisexuality was not as confusing as some people made it.

What was confusing about being attracted to both men and women? I was attracted to people. It meant I could appreciate both sexes and love them equally. I’d yet to ever be in love. And when it happened, I had no idea who it would be with. But what I was 100 percent certain of was that for the right person, I would give my all.

Just as I was about to say I’d think about it, the door opened and Carter waved over my head at, I assumed, Lauren. A moment later, she sat beside Carter and placed a loud kiss on his cheek.

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