Page 31 of Scooter's Endgame
“Thanks,” he says, gesturing with the can. “Best I go say hi to everyone. Later, dudes.”
Gator takes a swig from the can he holds in his hand. Swallowing, he grins over at me again. “Thought you were going to get out of it that easy, huh? How well do you know me, brother?”
“Like a terrier with a bone. A man can be hopeful.”
His laughter attracts unwanted attention. “I bet. But no, no luck.” He contemplates the drink in his hand. “I know how you feel about her – I’ve known for a long time.”
Worried I’ve been transparent in my feelings for Kathleen, my stomach clenches. The last thing I want is to have been a contributor to the demise of her relationship with Gonzo. Or to have caused her to be the focus of unwanted gossip.
“Chill. It’s because I know you so well, I see it. It’s there in your eyes if anyone’s paying attention. But I don’t think they have. I just know you better than anyone else that it seems obvious to me.”
“I’ve tried my best not to let it show. I would never want to cause her more grief than she already had going on.”
“Yeah, I know. But the question is, Scooter, now that she’s free, what’s your endgame?”
“What makes you think thereisan endgame?”
“Because I know you?” He pokes me in the arm. “You always have an endgame in mind, right from the get-go. It’s what makes you such a good soldier. That big-picture brain of yours. So spill it.”
Sighing, I drop my head, study my sneakers, my mind whirling with possible answers. Finally, I conclude it’s pointless trying to avoid having to answer his uncomfortable question – he’ll just keep at me, like that terrier with a bone. With another sigh, I brace for the conversation.
“It helps that you know me so well when we’re out in the field. In my personal life, it sucks sometimes.” Gator throws his head back and belly laughs at my reply.
“Yeah, I’ll just bet it does,” he responds when he stops laughing long enough to catch a breath.
“Didn’t think it was that funny.” My grousing sets him off on another round of chuckles.
“It’s your grumpiness that’s so amusing.” He shoulder-bumps me. “Come on, let’s go grab a quiet corner and get out of the way here.” He tilts his head at a small queue that’s formed behind us.
“Shit, sorry, guys,” I say as I move out of their way. “I swear, you’re worse than the women.”
“Could be.” He shrugs, a smirk tilting the corners of his mouth.
Dropping into chairs in a more secluded corner of the garden, Gator crosses his arms and simply waits me out.
“Fine, since you’re not going to let it go until I tell you what you want to know, ask your questions.”
“I already did – you’re just avoiding answering it.” Uncrossing his arms, Gator leans forward, his forearms resting on his thighs. “At the risk of this all sounding sappy, I ask because I care. I know I tease you a lot. But when it comes down to it, it’s because I care. You’re my best friend – my brother-in-arms. I’m always going to have your back, just like you have mine.”
Rubbing tiredly at my neck, I nod. “I know. And I appreciate it. It’s difficult talking about my feelings, is all. Always has been. My parents weren’t interested, and my grandmother, as much as she loved me, had no idea how to deal with a teenage boy most days.”
“Yeah, I know,” Gator echoes my words of moments ago. “It’s easier for me since I grew up in a house full of women. In our house, you didn’t get much of an option.” Gator’s laugh has me smiling in response.
Without even realizing I’m doing it until my gaze lands on her, I search for Kathleen in the crowded garden. Seeing her laughing with her friends for the first time since Gonzo did her wrong, something settles in me. And the endgame becomes crystal clear.
I’ve wanted her from the very beginning but never thought I’d get a chance at something meaningful with her. As I sit in the noisy garden, Gator waiting patiently for an answer, I know exactly what it is. I want Kathleen, and Luke – I want the whole package. The problem is, I don’t know how she feels. For all I know, Kathleen merely sees me as a friend, and her employer.
“The endgame, my friend, is to have it all. I don’t know all the details, but from what I’ve gathered, she’s not had an easy life. I want to give her that. Well, as easy as I can, considering what we do for a career. But you know what I mean.”
A strange expression crosses Gator’s face as he stares, seemingly sightless. Then he replies. “Yeah, I know what you mean.” As if shaking himself out of a trance, he continues, “You both deserve the happiness, and if it’s together, so much the better. I say go for it.”
Gator turns a mischievous smirk on me, a lingering something in his gaze. I give him a chin lift in response, nothing else left to say. Then again, now’s the time for action rather than words, I reckon.
After dinner, things mellow as a live music performance starts, and couples start settling down with each other as well as friends. Gator and I are chilling, listening to the music and talking shit when, out of nowhere, Kathleen drops to the ground between my parted thighs and leans back into the V created by them.
She rests her head on my leg, and I feel it throughout my entire body. But it’s when she rests a slim hand on my inner thigh that it feels like I’ve been branded with a hot iron. Holy shit. My body reacts, and my jeans pull uncomfortably tight as my dick goes rock hard.
“I can’t remember who this is, but their music is so good. Such a stunning voice,” she says, her voice soft and dreamy. I can feel the gentle brush of her jaw through my jeans as she speaks.
