Page 82 of A Reluctant Boy Toy
My face burned. Should I tell her everything that had happened the night before? That Stone had wrung my cock dry in the shower, but when I laid my heart on the line, he’d rebuffed me? The wound was too raw. The pain too fresh.
Molly would want to get to the bottom of things, and if she thought we needed it, give us a giant push to smooth things over.
She’d want to know how intimacy had built walls between us instead of bridges overnight.
I couldn’t tell her. It was too humiliating.
Instead, I said, “I didn’t sleep very well.”
“Oh no. You should talk to your new doctor tomorrow. She might switch out the pain killers with a prescription for a few days’ worth of Ambien. Sleep is so important for healing.”
“I’m sure it’s just the strange new living situation.”
“Don’t you find it relaxing here? I keep gulping in the fresh mountain air as if someone will take it away.” She sipped her wine. “If I lived here, I’d never want to leave.”
“Until Nordstrom’s half-yearly sale.”
She laid her head back to look at the sky. “You know me so well.”
“Boulder is close.”
“Speaking of which, you have two doctor’s appointments tomorrow. Bone guy and therapist. The driver will pick us up at eight a.m., and we’re likely to be gone most of the day. You want me to Yelp someplace good for lunch?”
“No.” Sudden tension gave me whiplash. “Nowhere public.”
She stilled. “I’m sorry I brought it up. I just thought a nice lunch might make you feel better.”
“It’s too soon.” I’d seen the headlines before we left California. Rumors of alcoholism, suicide, secret sex tapes, and God knew what else circulated over me like buzzards.
“What would make you happy?”
“Binoculars.”
“You’re such a perve.”
“Not for that.” I had always wanted to put names to the birds I heard in St. Nacho’s. There seemed to be a hundred different types of songbirds here, and they’d be leaving for the winter, some of them. “I want binoculars to study the birds.”
“Sure, honey,” she teased. “You keep telling yourself that.”
I stuck my tongue out at her before closing my eyes and resting my head on the cushioned back of the chair.
I could get used to this place. I could love these people. I could help them build onto the dreams they’d begun here. Stone and I could watch it grow.
I wish…
“Whatcha thinking?” Molly asked lazily.
“I’m going to take up looking for owls while I’m here.”
Below, the wolfdogs Stone was working gave hearty howls. He turned, caught sight of us, and froze. I leaned forward. A meteor could have smashed into the house and I wouldn’t have noticed. The only thing I saw was Stone. He waved. I couldn’t wave back, but Molly waved enough for both of us.
“Woohoo!” she shouted, and then whistled loudly. He laughed and turned away with a sheepish grin.
“Why doesn’t Stone understand how perfect he is?” she asked.
That broke the spell. “I wish I knew.”
“Are you ever going to make your move?”
