Page 48 of State of Mind

“Text me?”

Wilder nodded, then used his free hand to beckon him close before going up halfway on his toes and closing the distance between their lips. “Have a good day. Promise me.”

“I’ll do everything in my power to try,” he said, and he meant it.

* * *

Luca slipped out the back and made his way to the Augustin without being seen by anyone that early. His bed was inviting, if not a bit lonely, but it felt good to get another two hours of sleep before the bright morning insisted he rise.

He had more coffee and contemplated his day when his phone buzzed, and he saw it was a text from Will—something he wasn’t expecting.

Will: Had a thought—something you might like that’s not as dirty. No cat boxes.

Luca: What time?

Will: Sooner the better. Wear clothes you can stain.

By design, Luca didn’t own clothes he could stain. The very idea was horrifying, but he found sweats and a t-shirt that had been around just short of forever, and he slipped them on, grabbing his oldest running shoes and heading for his car. He felt a pang of disappointment when he saw the salon desk empty, and he told himself to text Raphael later when he was done with whatever idea Will had.

It wasn’t a chore to go out to the farm really, even if he hadn’t been any good at the tasks Will had offered. Milking the cow had been a damn disaster—he hadn’t been able to figure out how to actually get the damn thing to express milk—and the kittens were more interested in using him as a climbing post than anything else.

Luca couldn’t help but wonder what about that place kept a man like Will satisfied.

It was all busy work—mindless sort of routine, and Will wasn’t that much older than Luca, but it was obvious in the lines of his face he’d lived more life than him. He seemed richer in his spirit and in his laughter. Luca envied it so deeply he could taste it, but he didn’t begrudge the man his happiness.

All it had really done was motivate him to want more—from himself, from this place, even from Wilder.

Luca made it to the farm just before ten, throwing the car into park beside Will’s truck. As he stepped out, the man in question came from around the side of the house, waving until Luca got within earshot of him.

“I’m out back today. Have you ever made soaps or lotions before?”

It was probably the most random question he’d ever been asked. “There was this boutique at Seaport Village in San Diego where I could go have my own blends mixed in—but I just picked out a few things and they whipped it up for me.”

“Ah, mate, what is your life?” Will asked with a small chuckle. “Normally, Isaac’s at home to help me with this, but he’s busy today, and I need to prep for the Market. I have a stall on the weekends where I sell soap. A lot of them are based from Dottie’s milk, but I try to keep a variety.”

“And you want me to help with it?” he asked, unable to hide the disbelief in his tone.

“It’s easy,” Will promised him, though his smile was a little deceiving.

They walked to a set-up under a metal awning, and Luca couldn’t make heads or tails out of it. There were jars, silicon molds, and buckets of things like flowers and small plastic peacocks and massive tubes of paint or food coloring.

“I’ve got a blend here all prepped, we just need to add fragrance, color, then get them into molds. I thought you might enjoy the clear ones. They’re my allergen free,” Will said, and pointed to the end of the table.

Luca blinked at him. “…okay?”

Will laughed again and shook his head, reaching for a bucket of the little plastic peacocks. “Just stick one of these at the bottom, pour from that jar there, and let them set. Easy as that. Also, don’t forget gloves, because the jars are bloody hot.”

Luca noticed the thick gloves at the end of the table, so he slipped them on, then shook the bin of peacocks. “Kevin really is a local celebrity, isn’t he?” Luca asked.

Will snorted, but he looked a little sad. “Trying for some better PR. Sorry little sod’s made a name for himself and not in the way I’d hoped. I think he’s acting out, and Liam reckons I’m being a bit of an idiot about the whole thing and Kevin’s just acting in his nature.”

Luca found the idea of terrifying cows into kicking people in their dicks as a peacock’s nature to be somewhat debatable, but he couldn’t help but admit the brightly colored creature with his massive tail had some appeal.

“I’m not the only one he’s gone after though.”

Will shook his head. “Nope. One name on a long list, mate. But doesn’t mean you’re not special.”

Luca began to place the peacocks in the molds, setting them upright and waiting for Will to nod. “I’m not sure I want to be special in that way.”

---