Page 94 of College Town

She’s not looking back at him, but, rather, at the window, expression distracted. “I’ve tried telling you that, but it never stuck. Your heart wants what it wants.”

He frowns. “Wait. How do you know what he looks like now?”

She points at the window. “Because I’m pretty sure that’s him walking in here right now looking like he just stepped out of a Hugo Boss catalogue.”

Lawson jerks upright and bangs his elbow on the edge of the table.

“Shit,” Dana hisses in sympathy.

Lawson doesn’t register the pins and needles that shoot up his arm, too busy twisting around to search over his shoulder. Light flares off the glass of the door as it opens, and yeah, that’s definitely Tommy, in the same gray-and-burgundy ensemble from this morning, a loose black wool coat thrown over it, a zippered garment bag draped over one shoulder.

“He got hot,” Dana says appreciatively.

Lawson makes some wordless, garbled response, and stands.

The movement, his height, draws Tommy’s attention right away, and he strides over, face all buttoned-up and businesslike. He swings the bag off his shoulder and presents it with a little flourish when he reaches Lawson.

Lawson doesn’t take it. “Hello to you, too.”

Tommy glances up at his face, then, startled. He blinks, and his brow smooths, and he’s so handsome in the fall of sunlight from the windows that it hurts to look at him. “Hello.” Then, warmer: “Hi.” The corner of his mouth quirks in a wry half-smile. “Um,hi,” he repeats, softer. Holds the bag out farther. “I brought you this.”

“I can see that.” Lawson doesn’t take the bag. “What is it?”

Tommy gathers a breath as if he means to sigh, then checks himself. “It’s a suit for you to wear tonight.”

Lawson lifts his brows, inviting an explanation.

“You’ll have to give your mom my apologies for missing dinner. I have a work thing, and so do you.” When Tommy tries to press the bag on him again, Lawson folds his arms.

“I thought the whole point of our…arrangement,” he says, for lack of a better word, “was that it would only involve…” He twirls a hand to indicate the shop around them.

The wry smile becomes apologetic. “I know. But this is important. It’ll help with…everything.”

This time when he jingles the suit bag, Lawson takes it with a sigh. “When and where?”

“Come by the house at six. We’ll leave from there.”

“You gonna give me the gate code?”

Tommy smirks. “No. Just press the buzzer.”

A darker thought occurs. “My parents–”

“Will be watched dutifully all night. No worries.”

He doesn’t suppose he has any more arguments to put up.

Dana clears her throat, and stands. “Not that that this isn’t adorable, boys, but.” She sidles up to Lawson and grips his elbow. “Hi, Tommy.”

Tommy does an honest to God double-take, eyes popping wide, brows flying to his hairline. “Shit,” he breathes, and then gives himself a shake and holds out his hand. “Dana, hi. How are you?”

Dana doesn’t take his hand. Instead, she wraps both of her own around Lawson’s arm and smiles a close-lipped, frankly terrifying smile. It even spooks Tommy – mob boss that he is – going by the way his brows steeple together over his nose.

“Hi, Tommy,” she repeats in a saccharine tone Lawson knows well – knows well and fears. She makes a show of looking him up and down. “Didn’t you grow up to be the cutest little Big Apple Ken doll there is?”

“Uh…”

“You’re not subtle,” Lawson tells her, drily.

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