Page 15 of Awakening the Sheriff

“I’m a contractor,” Cas responded.

“He renovated our house,” Tiago said with pride. “You should come see it sometime. It’s beautiful.”

I loved that he’d invited Keaton over, even though he’d never met him. Despite working for many years in a cutthroat business, Tiago still had a certain innocence about him, an undeniable sweetness.

“A contractor? Well, if you have any availability, let me know,” Keaton said. “I have two left hands and a house that desperately needs repairs.”

“I’d be happy to fit you into my schedule. What were you looking to have done?”

“You would? Gosh, that would be amazing. The most urgent problem is my garage, which has a huge moisture problem. I have mold growing everywhere.”

Cas nodded. “It’s a known issue here. Where do you live?”

“At the end of Baker Street, the white-brick house.”

“The house where the Widmans used to live,” I said.

Cas let out a dry chuckle. “That means nothing to me, but I know the house. I did some work for your neighbors across the street, Mr. and Mrs. Harper. I built them a new retaining wall. Why don’t you give me your phone number, and I can stop by sometime next week to see what needs to be done.”

“Oh, thank you. I’d appreciate that.” Cas took out his phone, and Keaton rattled off his number.

“Perfect. I’ll take a look at my schedule and text you, okay?”

Keaton nodded and put his phone away, but when he looked up again, he froze. “There I go again, monopolizing the attention. I’ll hush now.”

“It’s not like we object to you giving Cas some business,” Tomás said kindly, and a warm look passed between the twins.

Keaton was saved by our food arriving. The aroma drifting up from my plate of pasta made my mouth water. If it only tasted half as good as it smelled, I’d be in heaven.

“How’s your work been going, York?” I asked, eager to help draw the attention away from Keaton, who was clearly uncomfortable.

York sat up straight. “Good. Very good, indeed. I can’t say much about it, but I’ve been working on some new stuff, and the first tests are promising.”

York worked as a research engineer for a company that produced defense materials, and that was all we knew. For obvious reasons, he couldn’t share much more. I didn’t even know the name of his employer. I could’ve found out, but I didn’t see the need.

“That sounds amazing. How long have you been working on this?”

Even if he couldn’t give details, York would still appreciate us showing interest, I reckoned.

“Not that long. I was trying to solve another problem when I had this eureka moment about something unrelated, so I switched to focus on that. Four weeks later, we were able to run the first tests.”

Keaton opened his mouth, then closed it again, and I repressed a smile. He’d been curious for sure, and I could practically see him coming to the conclusion that he’d better not ask, since it was bound to get the attention on him again.

Why he was so self-conscious, I didn’t get. His behavior hadn’t stood out at all, especially not in a negative way, but maybe he’d had some bad experiences with people calling him out on talking too much. Who knew?

Either way, he was making an effort to fit in, and I respected that about him. Hopefully, he’d be able to relax a bit, though, and let go of the fear he’d somehow fuck up. We were a pretty easy bunch, I’d like to think, and understanding of social quirks.

The twins were socially gifted, but Marnin could be a grumpy bastard, and York was a definite nerd. Or would he prefer the term geek? He knew a thing or two about being socially awkward, and we didn’t think any less of him for it. Not everyone was wired the same way.

I was an affable guy, easygoing and slow to anger, as my grandma used to say. I got along with pretty much everybody, and getting people to trust me came naturally. So if I could use that talent to help Keaton socialize and maybe even find some friends, I’d consider that effort well spent.

6

KEATON

Iwas such an idiot. A dimwit. I might be a walking thesaurus, but I had the social skills of a four-year-old who’d been to Disney for the first time and couldn’t stop talking about meeting Mickey.

In my defense, Auden intimidated the heck out of me. The man pressed buttons deep inside me I didn’t even know I had. When I’d spotted him and his friends in the restaurant, my heart skipped a beat. He’d looked positively edible in his uniform. My mouth had watered, and I’d wanted to climb him like a tree. All things considered, maybe I should focus on that and be grateful I hadn’t given away my childish infatuation. My crush. Fifty years old, and I had a crush on a straight guy. Holy moly, when would I ever learn?

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