Page 16 of One More Yule Log
“Of course not. Come sit on the sofa. I’ll start the fire.”
“That sounds amazing.” Just a little more adult time for Ben, a little more happy fantasy for him. Gray could live with that.
The seating area was cozy—two leather sofas with pillows and soft blankets piled everywhere. They faced the fireplace, not a television, and it was perfect.
“This is lovely,” he said, wanting Ben to know how much he liked the house.
“Thank you. I spent a long time making it ours.”
Ours. Right. Lord. How long had it been since Ben’s husband had died? Not long enough for what he was thinking, probably. “It’s amazing.” That sounded a little lame to his ears, but he was trying to rein himself in.
“I wonder sometimes if Liv even remembers me being at home. She says she does, but it’s been three years.”
“Oh, wow. I didn’t realize.” Okay, three years was long enough to sit closer on the couch. Ben would let him know if he was pushing too hard.
“She didn’t say? That’s probably good, right?”
“We talk a lot.” What he meant was Liv talked a lot, but he thought Ben got that.
“I’m glad. She’s such a neat person. She’s just…my girl.”
“She’s a doll. And she’s going to be an amazing baker.”
Ben pulled another one of those expressive faces. “I love to bake, but we just haven’t had time.”
Oh. Oh, that was the saddest thing ever. Baking was love and baking with kids was joy. “Well, I would love to have you sit in on our next lesson.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t spoil her lessons for anything on earth.”
“You won’t! I could totally come out here like I did today.”
“If she says yes, I’d love to.”
“Great.” That was wonderful, the way Ben made it Olivia’s decision even if someone was pushing. That was respect.
They sat together, and Christmas carols filled the air. Oh, that was a neat trick. The scene was like something out of a movie, but this was real and Ben was right there, so Gray reached for Ben’s hand.
Ben blinked but took his fingers.
“Is this okay? I just—I guess no one really touches me anymore. If that’s too strange, just holler.”
“Are you not out, honey?” Ben’s thumb stroked his hand, sending tingles through his hand.
“Huh? Oh, no. I mean yes. I mean,I am. I just haven’t had time, what with the bakery, and I tend to be a homebody. So many of the kids I meet are snowboarders or rafting people just in for a season.” There had been a hot cowboy once, but that ended friendly and kinda quick.
“Yeah. It’s the same with me. Everyone I know knew Dale.”
“Oh, wow. I bet.” How weird would that be? He would imagine Ben knew the more, uh, high-dollar gay guys in Aspen and Basalt and such. Gray knew Alice…
“It’s nice to get to know someone, from scratch.”
“Nice baking metaphor.” He chuckled a little, just tickled.
Ben faked a bow, laughter filling the air.
“Thank you for tonight. I’ve had a great time.” Had he been here to work? He couldn’t remember. “We didn’t have cake! Will Olivia be upset?”
“We should call her in and have a slice. She’d want to share with us.”
