Page 17 of Hate To Love You
“Now what’re we gonna do? Wait around in this blazing heat? He didn’t even invite us to wait inside Gary’s huge house. Rude.”
Teague stops. “You haven’t had lunch yet.”
Liam stops, too. “Are you calling mehangry?”
Teague chuckles. “I’m just saying we’re basically halfway to Spruce. Why not go all the way to Spruce and grab ourselves a tasty bite somewhere we’ve never been? I heard about a popular burger joint owned by the Mayor’s in-laws. Burger Bites, or … or Billy’s Burger Bits … Bites … uh, something Bites, I think …”
“I don’t feel like … I’m not …” Liam visibly squirms in front of Teague, now hugging himself and scowling. “I just want to—”
“—bake yourself inside my truck? Hey, we’ve got an hour or two to kill. We’re still on the clock. Why not enjoy it? Besides, isn’t it someone’s birthday?” Teague then reminds him with a playful smirk. “We oughta celebrate!” He grins as he saunters toward the truck, whistling, while Liam stares after him with a glower.
The two are soon back on the dusty old road. Spruce looms in the hot afternoon haze like a town that’s existed forever, and the closer they come, the more colorful the buildings grow, until the boys are driving down Main Street passing every mom-and-pop, family-owned, one-of-a-kind store they can imagine. An old movie theater with a tired man sweeping out front, sleeves rolled up. A church with a sleepy-looking parking lot where a circle of kids are kicking a ball. A park where a couple of men are walking their dog.
And those men are holding hands.
“Wow,” says Teague, slowing down as he watches them.
Liam shrugs. “So? You’ve never seen two men holding hands while walking their dog in a park in a small Texas town in broad daylight before?”
Teague gazes back at him. “No.”
Liam starts to say something else, realizes he has nothing else to say, then scrunches back into his seat.
The burger joint is Biggie’s Bites—“I was so close!” announces Teague as he parks the truck—and the two enter and are seated at a booth by the window. Business is slow today, sothe atmosphere is peaceful and calming, which Teague notices that Liam seems to appreciate, appearing relaxed for the first time since they left the Fairview city limits. They each order a classic burger from a sweet lady in an apron who, after bringing them glasses of water and staying for some small talk, seems pleased to hear they came all the way from Fairview. Despite there being no one within earshot, she leans in and quietly whispers, “If you two are in the market for movin’ out here so you can, ah,stretch your legs more, I know a gal who knows a guy, and he will set you up with a cute lil’ house just likethat,” with a snap—and a wink—before she heads back to the kitchen with their order.
It hits Liam a second later. “Did she think we’re a couple?”
Teague chuckles, arms folded on the table. “So? Spruce is a … unique kind of place. No one bats an eye.”
“Fairview isn’t so bad, either.”
“But Fairview isn’t a walk-in-a-park-with-your-dog-cuddling-your-man kind of place. You get looks.”
“Whywouldn’tpeople look no matter who you are? It’s totally weird to walk your dog and hold hands with someone at the same time. Who does that?”
Teague leans forward. “We could do that. Do you wanna hold hands with me while walking my dog?”
Liam is about to scoff at him, then seems to think better of it, and instead lifts an eyebrow, feigning interest. “You have a dog?”
“Sweetest most doggiest dog there is. Rus is his name.”
“Is that short for Rusty or Russell?”
“Neither, actually.”
“Interesting.” Liam takes a glance at his phone—to check the time, Teague presumes. “We still have to take part of the order to Nadine’s on our way back to the store.”
“Isn’t it fun? Going on a little adventure instead of being stuck in the store like we are every day?”
“I like being stuck in the store,” insists Liam, inspecting a spot on his glass of water. “Do they clean these glasses properly? I still can’t believe she thought we were a couple.”
Teague studies his eyes. “Would that be so bad? If you were … I don’t know … with a guy like me?”
Liam retracts his hand from the glass and averts his eyes. “I’m not gonna answer that.”
“What?” laughs Teague. “I’m notthatrepulsive. I even brush my teeth now and then, believe it or not.”
“Oh, that’s nice. You should put that on your dating profile.”
