Page 25 of A Reluctant Boy Toy
“That’d be great. Thank you.”
“I’ll just need the basket. Charles would lose faith in me if I didn’t return it.”
“Is Charles your guy?” Sebastian hadn’t said, but from the things Deacon said, I got the feeling he was gay.
“My guy?” Twin spots of color crested on his cheeks “No, why would you think that?”
“No reason.” I turned away, embarrassed.
“Charles is my father’s PA. Molly arranged the meal with him.”
“I…don't have the kind of life where people arrange meals for me. Sorry if I assumed.”
He ran his hand over the basket. “You can’t be expected to know the players without a program.”
“Hey,” I said, “I had a really good time. We should do this again when you come to visit. I hope you will. I look forward to it.”
He dipped his head regally. “I’ll save you a spot on my dance card.”
Was it weird that I found Sebastian kind of charming?
I sensed he was a bit shy. Alone with him, I’d discovered a fun, funny, irreverent kid who’d made me laugh but also asked insightful questions.
I hadn’t talked about myself that much in twenty years.
I hadn’t revealed so much about my life to anyone since Serena.
Before I knew it, hours had passed pleasantly where I didn’t once think of my past or my scars or lost friends. Lost hope.
He sauntered away hugging his basket to himself. Nose near my hand, Morrigan whined.
“What?” I asked as though she’d answer. “Did you have fun too? Gonna miss him?”
She gave a softwoof.Hades and Persephone watched us silently from inside their large kennel. I checked their water bowls.
“You guys were good today.” I praised them before pulling out two of the fancy dog treats Bast had given me. I slipped one through the bars to Hades. He stretched out happily to give it a chew.
“Good, huh?” Morrigan came over and flopped down next to the fence. “You miss your friends, huh, baby.”
I glanced at the sky to gage what the temperature would be. Because of the wind, it was especially cold there on the bluff overlooking the water. But the tradeoff was a canopy of stars so bright it felt like I could reach up and pick them like ripe apples. Morrigan’s fur, crested with moonlight, rippled under my fingers.
“It’s a nice night. What do you say we camp out here? You want to hang out with Hades and Persephone?”
The two hybrids, hearing their names, bumped the kennel wall with their long, wolfy snouts.
“I’ll be back in a sec.” I went into the trailer for my sleeping bag, a lantern, and the bottle of Maker’s Mark. When I got back, Morrigan quivered with excitement. “I know, girl. You’ve missed your pals, huh?”
Once I opened the kennel gate even a few inches, Morrigan squeezed inside happily. The animals greeted each other with excited sniffs and rubs and a little good-natured play fighting.
I unfurled my bedroll and squeezed in after them, bringing my bottle and latching the gate carefully behind me before making a makeshift pallet for myself. By the time I was lying down, looking up at the stars, Morrigan was ready to curl up at my side.
I took a long pull of bourbon.
What, I wondered, would the boys from my unit think of me dining with TV stars and sleeping with wolfdogs. My unit had once been called “The Wolfpack,” although by my time, it had been renamed several times over. During my service, we’d been the Mountaineers.
I bet Tony from my unit would have called me a damn hobo and a clown for walking away from Serena and the kids. Shin would open his eyes, glance over, then go back to listening to his music. Berto would give me all kinds of shit, like he always did, trying to make something perfectly innocent into a sex thing.
“That’s not me, Morrigan.” I turned to my emotional support dog. “My eyes never fell out of my head over the girls the way Berto’s did, but despite what they thought, I didn’t dig the boys either.”
