Page 19 of Awakening the Sheriff

I nodded. “I was already planning on starting a new project anyway, so I might as well tackle this one.”

His face lit up. “I’d like that. I’ll probably suck at it, but I’d love to try.”

Funny, but I hadn’t realized how much I craved companionship until he agreed, and a rush of warmth bloomed in my chest as I stepped aside to let him in. “It’s not about the result. It’s about relaxing and having fun.”

I got us some drinks—a beer for him and an alcohol-free one for me—and then we headed to the basement.

“You have a true man cave here.” Keaton grinned as he looked around.

“Yup, except instead of football and baseball regalia and old Playboy magazines, I have LEGO sets.”

Did he think me childish? I’d never cared much what other people thought, but somehow it mattered with Keaton. But no, he wouldn’t have bought me LEGO if he judged me for it, right?

“I like your version better,” Keaton said. “I’m not a sports fan. Luckily, neither are my sons, so I don’t feel like the worst dad ever.” His eyes sparkled with mischief. “The old Playboys, however, might’ve been nice.”

I snorted. “I bet. Come on, let’s get started.”

I’d built a big square table at the ideal height for constructing my LEGO sets, so I wouldn’t have to bend and instead could sit on barstools and reach the project from every side. I dumped the box of bricks and pieces into the middle, then grabbed a stack of small sorting bins.

“First, we sort.”

“Sort?”

“Because it’s a pre-owned set, all the pieces are mixed up. Finding a specific piece can take forever, so I organize them first by color and function.” I pointed at the small bins. “They’re already labeled, see?”

“Wow, you have an entire system for this.”

“You have to if you’re building this much and sets this big, or you’ll end up frustrated.”

We started, and he quickly got the hang of it. We chatted as we put each brick in the correct bins, my hands working on pure routine after having done this too many times to count.

“Are your kids with your ex?” I asked.

He nodded. “I usually make it a weekend in Seattle, but this time, Mandy picked them up, so I stayed here.”

“A weekend in Seattle once a month? What do you do?”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized the stupidity of that question. Jesus, where was my brain? “Strike that. Didn’t think that one through.”

Keaton chuckled. “It’s okay. Sex is not a taboo topic for me. Unless it is for you?”

“You’ve met my friends, right? Marnin has no filter, and he is, by his own admission, the biggest manwhore in Seattle, and I’ve heard more details about his sexual exploits than I had imagined possible. He’s bi, so I’ve learned a lot, so to speak.”

“So am I.”

“Oh, okay.”

“You sure?”

I frowned. What was he getting at? “If you think for one second I’d feel uncomfortable around gay or bi men, you haven’t been paying attention to the guys I hang out with. Back in high school, Essex and I were the only straight guys in our circle of friends.”

“Essex? That name doesn’t sound familiar. He wasn’t at the restaurant last time, then?”

As always, pain stabbed my heart at the thought of him. “He was York’s brother, the one who died in combat.”

Keaton put a hand on my arm, and warmth spread through me at his comforting touch. “I’m so sorry, Auden. I didn’t mean to be insensitive.”

“You didn’t know. It’s been twenty years, but I still miss him.”

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