Page 28 of A Reluctant Boy Toy
I blamed my reticence on the drink, the night, the stars, the moon.
I blamed it on my recent taste for solitude. Maybe I’d overdone that a little.
I blamed it on Sebastian’s smile as he latched the gate behind him. We might have become good friends, despite our age difference, despite our disparate careers. I’d sensed in him a kindred spirit, as had the dogs, who began to whine as he walked away.
I didn’t want to say goodbye, but you can’t hang on to any moment, the bad ones or the good. “See you, Sebastian Keye.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “See you.”
There were no goodbyes between us then.
Chapter Eight
Bast
I triedto sneak past Molly. I’d have had better luck jumping into the tiger exhibit at the zoo wearing Gaga’s meat dress.
She turned on the overhead lights, briefly blinding me.
I didn’t stand a chance.
“So? How was it? Did you have fun? Was he nice? Did he like the food?”
“Jesus, what gives with the third degree?” When the purple spots disappeared from my field of vision, I found Molly sitting primly on the convertible couch bed, her hair in pigtails, like Anne of Green Gables. “He’s not what I expected, but I had a good time.”
“Spill. Is he gay?”
“Nope. He has a wife and kids.”
“Oh, dang. I’m sorry, since you liked him so much.” She splayed a hand on her chest “Oh gosh, he’s not one of those guys who figures what the wife doesn’t know—”
“No. He’s not like that.”
“Or that it doesn’t count if he cheats with a dude?”
“He’s just a nice guy, Molz. He’s a Marine veteran. I guess that’s where he lost his eye.”
She got up and found the wine opener before grabbing a bottle from the fridge. “I’m going to need wine for this. How do you know he lost his eye?”
“He wears an eye patch, and he has some facial scarring—from the same incident, I guess.”
“You never mentioned that.” She poured two glasses and handed me one. “And it’s a pretty big deal. How come?”
Although I’d definitely had enough to drink that night, I sipped the wine she gave me. “I didn’t know what to say or how I’d sound saying it. Insensitive? Nosy?”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know.” I leaned against the counter. “He mentioned his time in the service but didn’t elaborate. I chose not to pry.”
“God. I can’t even…” She shivered. “It’s too horrible to think about. Imagine how much it must hurt to lose an eye. How scared you’d be.”
We sat in silence for a while.
“What else did you talk about?” Molly widened her eyes. “Did he talk about his family?”
“Mostly we talked about dogs and wolves and hybrids. There was evidently a boom in the market for hybrids as a result ofGame of Thrones. Oh, and we talked about the places we’ve been. He’s been to Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Dubai, Japan…I told him a little about my trip to southeast Asia and how much I loved Ankor Wat.”
“So, you made a friend.” She lifted her glass. “Friends are good.”
