Page 40 of The Virgin
“I told him to surprise us.”
Jonah groaned. “The last time you said that, we got waffles shaped like dicks.”
“They were still good.” His dad defended the waffle-dicks, because of course he did. “It was a bit much when he asked if he could put them on the menu.”
“He didn’t!”
They moved to the next table, took the chairs off, and put them on the floor.
“He did. He had a good pout about it when I put my foot down. Then he got revenge in the form of an avocado tree that he left in my living room.”
“A fucking what?”
“Yep. It’s not quite a tree, but it’s definitely sprouted. I swear that kid could plant a dead stick and it would grow.”
With all the chairs down, Jonah’s dad waved him over to their usual booth. “I’ll bring coffee, you go sit.”
Jonah did as he was told and wondered how long breakfast was going to take and whether Spencer was still asleep. He hoped to find him there when he returned home so he could… Nope. He couldn’t think of what he wanted to do with his sleeping giant when he was at breakfast with his dad. The last thing he wanted was a stupid erection in the middle of breakfast.
Jonah’s dad arrived with two cups of coffee. He set them on the table, then took the seat opposite to Jonah. From the kitchen, Jonah heard Taylor announce that breakfast would be ready in ten minutes. A knock on the front door had Ethan getting up and quickly letting in two of his part-time employees. The diner would open in a few minutes anyway, so Ethan left the door unlocked and flipped the open sign on.
“Sorry about that,” his dad said as he sat back down.
“Two part-timers today?” Jonah arched an eyebrow. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to ask you that same question. It’s why I called them in. I know you think I don’t notice when you’re going through shit, and I know sometimes I don’t, and I haven’t. But I noticed this time, Jonah. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine.” Jonah’s answer probably came too quickly, too snappish and forced. “I’m fine,” he repeated, softer this time.
His dad only nodded as he added two spoons of sugar to his coffee. “I think your definition of fine and my definition of fine are two different things. You know you can talk to me about stuff. I want to help.”
“I’m fine, Dad.” Jonah’s voice stayed steadier than he’d expected it to. Thankfully it didn’t crack because something inside him was breaking, but he didn’t know what or why or how to stop it. He had the sinking feeling that if he wanted to find out, he was at breakfast with the wrong person. “Don’t worry about me.”
“I’m supposed to worry about you. You’re my kid. I know you’re an adult with a job and a house and all that adult shit, but you’re still my kid. I wasn’t always there for you the way I should’ve been.”
“You did a great job with us. We always had a roof and food, and we know how hard you work and how much you love us.”
His dad shook his head. “I wasn’t always there for you, Jonah.”
Jonah took a deep breath and willed himself to hold his shit together. “I’m okay, Dad. I don’t want to go into detail because it’s private, but I’ve been working through some personal issues. That’s all. I promise that I’m healthy and reasonably happy and mostly well-adjusted. You don’t have to worry about me.”
His dad regarded him for a long moment. One of the part-timers stopped by the table with their breakfast and scurried away. Only then did Jonah’s dad respond.
“The more you say I don’t have to worry, the more I worry. You were sad last night.”
“Everyone is sad sometimes, Dad. Thanks for worrying, but I swear I’m fine.” After catching the look his dad sent him, he amended his statement. “I’m fine-adjacent. And I promise that if I’m not fine, that I’ll come to you or someone. Okay?”
“I suppose it’ll do.” His dad picked up his fork. “Now eat up and amuse your old man some more, and tell me about what’s been going on in your life.”
Jonah obeyed the first part of that request with gusto, if only to avoid the second part. He had no intention of telling his dad that the only thing he’d been up to had been potentially ruining his most important friendship by being desperate and horny and convincing Spencer to not only cross lines, but obliterate them entirely.
Taylor had outdone himself and made them both big, fluffy pancakes drenched in maple syrup with a stack of bacon on the side. Even Jonah’s dormant appetite woke up when confronted with the first bite.
He ate in silence across from his dad, who watched Jonah with the interest of a worried parent. Jonah wished he had a way to put his dad at ease about him. He was as okay as he was going to be. There wasn’t a single thing his dad could do to help his current situation and explaining the whole thing to him would be mortifying anyway. But he appreciated the concern. It was almost silly how much it brightened his formerly dour mood. He was pushing thirty. He shouldn’t need special attention from his dad, but he found himself smiling by the time he polished off the plate of pancakes.
He supposed there was a worse fate than having a dad who gave a shit.
“Thanks for breakfast, Dad. And for being concerned about me.”
