Page 17 of After Hours

The next weekend, Holly helped us drag the last cart full of Rocky Cove promotional material to the table at the flea market on the town green and then left Jamal and I on our own. He had a striped beanie pulled down over his greying braids and a slim fitting leather jacket that made me do a double take when he met me that morning. I was used to seeing the maintenance boss from the camp in work clothes. I glanced down at my regular jeans and plain jacket. I hadn’t dressed up for the town flea market.

The moment Holly disappeared back into the pickup truck and rolled away, Jamal flashed me a smile. “You got this, right? I have myself a breakfast date at the diner.”

Technically, Jamal was as much my boss as Holly, so it wasn’t like I could stop him. My nerves must have shown on my face, though, because he patted me on the back and smiled even wider. “You have this. I’ll be gone an hour or two, Oscar. Give stuff away, answer questions, direct people to the website.”

I sucked in a cold lungful of morning air and nodded. “Sure, I got this.” As he strode away, I busied myself laying all the promotional items out on the table and making sure the tablet was fully charged and secure in its holder.

Jobs like this and ice cream scooping at the Bonanza suited me a lot better than the heavy lifting and hard labor the otheremployees handled. Most of them were quite a bit taller and broader than I was and much better suited for hauling, building, chopping, and anything else that required muscles.

This was the first time I would represent the brand, though, and it brought back some unpleasant memories of dealing with O’Donnell Masonry clients. Like I’d told Holly during the job interview, I could load a truck and shift tools around, but my father had other, stronger sons to handle the heavy stuff. I usually ended up talking to property owners while they did what my dad called ‘the real work.’

I had no idea how he thought the family business would do so well without good client relations, but they managed before me, and I was sure they still managed without me, too. At least I wanted to be in this lakeside town representing a great place for leaf peepers and hikers to spend their time and money. Maybe everything about my life didn’t have to change to become something I could live with.

A box of free keychains sat next to the full-color brochures. I set up the big touchscreen display to show a video and photo montage of the camp’s most scenic spots. A sign had a big QR code that would lead people to the website and mailing list sign-up form. Everything looked good, and I smiled to myself.

It wasn’t important, life-changing work. It wasn’t even full-time or permanent, but it was mine. I glanced around at the other people setting up their tables and wandering around chatting and clutching steaming coffees. A man with a prosthetic leg and a service dog laid out colorful paintings across his table. Two men at the table next to him set up what looked like a photo booth before the bigger one grabbed the other and pushed him inside, laughing. A couple of women had piles of dolls and plushies, and the next had little bottles and soaps spread out over a bright pink tablecloth.

Besides Finn and Carter’s place at the inn, the camp, Zane’s place, and the supermarket, I hadn’t explored the town at all. It looked a lot like the small New England towns I saw in old movies or holiday specials. There was a popular diner, a cozy bookshop, and other small stores without a big chain brand name in sight. People of all colors, ages, sizes, genders, and styles wandered around shopping, talking together, and laughing.

Somehow, this town, this life had become mine. A strange feeling of pride surged through me. I wasn’t just another O’Donnell working for the family business. Here, I was my own man. Any connections were ones I chose for myself: Finn and Carter, Holly and Jamal. Zane. I settled on the folding chair behind the table and pulled out my phone.

Oscar:Does the diner in town have good food?

Zane’s shift wouldn’t end until noon, but he told me he didn’t mind my messages whenever, just that he wouldn’t answer right away if he were actually driving. I tried not to send too many, but he always answered quickly, and I just couldn’t keep him off my mind.

In the few weeks since the Autumn Bonanza, we had taken five walks in the woods and along the lakeshore with Sugar, got takeout and watched movies on his couch three times, went out for pizza once, shopped for groceries twice, and kissed a thousand times. There was nothing super romantic about any of it, but that suited me just fine. I didn’t want fancy dates. I just wanted to be me with someone who could just be themselves around me.

Zane:Haven’t been there in a while. It was good the last time I went. Why? You want to check it out?

Oscar:Jamal met someone for breakfast there and left me alone at the table.

Zane:And you’re hoping he has a horrible meal to punish him for leaving you?

He always knew how to make me smile. I shook my head at the phone.

Oscar:No! Are you stopping by here after work? I miss you.

It had been less than twenty-four hours since we saw each other last.

Zane:Yes. Delivery time. I’ll see you around 12:30. XXOO

The Xs and Os warmed me up and filled my mind with happy memories. Hot memories. Zane and I hadn’t gone any further than we had that day I had to leave for work. Sometimes I wondered if the ‘technically a virgin’ thing scared him off, or if he really was waiting for me to answer his question before trying anything else.

We kissed and touched a lot, and it left me feeling a bit like a horny teenager. I mean horny, yes, but teen? I was more than ready to leave any shyness or inexperience behind me. Before I could send back my own hugs and kisses, a man stepped up to the other side of the table. While I was busy dreaming of Zane’s mouth and hands, the public had arrived at the town market.

I jumped up. “Hi there. I’m Oscar. Interested in Camp Rocky Cove? How can I help?”

Chapter 10

Zane

With my weird overnight schedule and Oscar’s two irregular jobs, getting time off together presented a challenge that made the whole dating thing difficult. A Saturday afternoon lounging on the couch together felt like magic, and I intended to make the most of it. Wyatt had left an hour ago. I didn’t know where he went or how long we had before he came back. Some show about National Parks played on the TV, but I’d stopped watching it a while ago. All my attention rested on the man in my arms.

He filled most of my thoughts every waking moment, and I’d even had a few sexy dreams about him where my sleeping mind filled in the bits I hadn’t had a chance to explore yet. I babbledabout him to Wyatt. I mentioned a new friend to my parents, which sent my mother back to her dreams about matching wedding suits and future grandchildren. I even told Grandma about Oscar in our usual Thursday evening phone call. “When you know, you know,” she said, as if that was the answer to everything.

Maybe it was. Nothing felt as sure in my life as how I felt about Oscar. Just do it. Jump in, start swimming. Keep your eyes on the prize. Pick your motivational phrase, and I’d probably repeated it to myself before. Life was a lot like rock climbing. You saw the summit and you found a way to get there no matter what. I wanted Oscar in my life long-term, and I was pretty sure he felt the same way, so I’d figure out how to make that happen. No better time to start than on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

Oscar lay next to me with his head on my chest. Our legs tangled together, and his hand trailed over my stomach lazily. Every so often, he let out this tiny sigh as if he couldn’t help but express how comfortable he was. It made my heart soar.

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