Better Than Chance (19 page)

“We remodeled it recently and from an investment standpoint it’s a good time to sell. You know, before the economy tanks. But for me personally… it’s time to move on. It was part of my past. I don’t need it anymore. Besides I’m too busy now.”

“Hmm.” Part of his past.

We cut through Georgetown, and Peter parked as close to the boathouse as he could. Since it was a Saturday and a gorgeous spring day, we weren’t the only ones inspired to get out and enjoy the fine weather. As we walked the block or two toward the water’s edge, Peter answered my barrage of questions about his friend Kelly and her husband.

“How long have they been married? Do they have children? Where do they live? Why did a straight couple go in on a gay nightclub with you?” You know, the usual.

“They’ve been married for about two years. No kids yet, and they live in Arlington. They went in on the business as an investment. And before you ask… no, I have never slept with her. We are and always have been just friends.”

He stopped walking and looked me over once. I looked down to see what was out of place. As far as I could tell, we were dressed nearly identically.

“You look great. Amazing actually.” I felt my cheeks go warm at the compliment. “I was going to ask if you’d ever gone kayaking on the Potomac.”

“No. I’m a landlubber, captain. Don’t get me wrong, I can swim like a fish, but I don’t know anything about boats of any sort. Anything special I need to know?”

“Not particularly. Because we’re renting, they’ll require us to wear safety gear. I’ll sit behind you so I can guide the boat if you get tired or feel like checking out the scenery. Deal? There they are. Let’s go.”

He didn’t wait to see my response at his insinuation that I would get tired and need a rest from rowing. Pu-leeze. I’d show him. I turned to follow Peter and for the second time saw him with his arms wrapped around the beautiful raven-haired Kelly. I couldn’t help the flash of jealousy that spiked, so I checked out the man standing next to them in the hopes that I would move away from senseless feelings.
Must be her husband
, I mused. He was… ordinary. Kevin was of average height, probably no taller than five foot eleven, with mousy brown hair and nondescript features. He wasn’t ugly by any means, just nothing special. My eye wandered back toward Kelly and Peter. They, on the other hand, looked stunning together. I recalled Peter telling me his mother didn’t believe he was gay, and I wondered absentmindedly if she had hoped that he and Kelly would marry one day. Their children would have been outrageously attractive.

Peter beckoned me forward, shaking me from my reverie to introduce me to his friends.

“Kel, this is my friend, Jay. Jay, these are my friends, Kelly and Kevin.”

We exchanged greetings but didn’t linger. Kelly ushered our small group into the boathouse to meet our reservation time. There was a crowd gathering for standby, and she didn’t want us to lose our slot. A guide outfitted us with life vests and offered a quick warning that the currents were strong that day. Not strong enough to warrant closing operations for the day, but he advised us all to pay close attention. Since I was the novice in our group, I was probably the only one who was made slightly nervous by the cautioning word.

“Don’t worry, babe. It’s just part of his spiel. The river’s current is always strong. You’re with me. You’ll be fine.” His eyes were twinkling at his statement, inviting me to laugh at his overconfident manner. I rolled my eyes and donned my safety gear.

The kayaks were built for two adults and were fairly large, which was a good thing as both of us were well over six feet tall. Kelly and Kevin waved to us as they began to pull away from the dock.

“Are they going to wait for us? We need to catch up.”

“Don’t worry, Padawan. I got this.”

We had pulled out into the river and were making our way toward Peter’s friends. I laughed at his
Star Wars
reference and turned on my narrow perch to give him a piece of my mind.

“Hey there! Face forward, babe. You’ll send us into the river if you don’t keep your eyes glued ahead,” he scolded.

“Babe? Padawan? You’re gonna get it, Mr. Morgan,” I singsonged.

“I’m scared, but like I said, eyes ahead and start an even stroke first to the right, then the left. I’m right behind you.” I thought I heard him mutter something about liking to be behind me, but I obeyed him and kept focused.

It was a beautiful day. Heavenly blue skies made the trees and the grassy banks on the riverside look impossibly lush. There seemed to be a slight wind picking up, but I trusted Peter to guide us if we needed to adjust course or anything. Kelly and Kevin rowed to our left. We pointed out sights and made general observances along the way. At one point we engaged in a small race. It was all good-natured fun. I felt myself relax in the warm sun and friendly company. The one thing I noticed was how at ease Peter was. He was definitely in his element out on the water with old friends taking in a little outdoor exercise and fun. Maybe this carefree version was the real Peter Morgan. I was intrigued.

The wind picked up just as we neared our turning point. Peter issued instructions for me to dig in and lean in to the turn. I yelled an “Aye-aye, Captain” and did as he said. My paddle slipped in my hand as I was about to pull my arm up. I felt nothing but air and then a “thump” sound. I had no idea what I’d hit until I heard Peter swearing behind me.

“Fuck! Jay, paddle down!”

I turned in the kayak, alarmed at his tone and worried that I’d hurt him. My sudden movement caused the small craft to teeter. I panicked and tried to right the momentum while still conscious of Peter’s swift barrage of sharp-toned commands.

“Steady, Jay! Just face forward. It’s okay.”

It was too late. My maneuver to correct the sudden sway was overplayed, causing the whole boat to topple over onto its side. We were thrown into the ice-cold water of the Potomac like a couple of rag dolls. I sputtered as I reemerged and struggled to get my bearings. Peter popped up next to me. He appeared to be a strong swimmer, so once we each saw that the other was physically all right and able to tread water, we looked around for our kayak. It had gone renegade. I saw it drifting upside down about fifty feet or so from where we had gone overboard. Kelly and Kevin were chasing after it in their own craft.

“You okay?” Peter shouted as he swam closer to me.

“Yeah. Fine. I’m sorry. I didn’t….”

“Not now. We’re fine. Let’s go get the boat. I remember you said you swim like a fish. Time to show me, babe.”

“Don’t call me that,” I said weakly as he swam away. I thought I heard him chuckle but that seriously had to be my imagination. This was a disaster, and it was all my fault.

Peter reached the kayak before me. His friends couldn’t do much to help without getting in the water too, so they struggled to keep their boat near us until we could right ourselves.

“You take that end, and I’ll take the back. Ready?”

I nodded at Peter’s instructions and pushed when he signaled. The kayak was back in business, but now we had to get on board. Not an easy feat while treading water in the frigid Potomac. Peter tried a couple of times, but it kept tipping. He looked exasperated, frustrated, and for the first time I noted the red bump on his forehead. Oh shit. Did I do that?

“Can we guide it to the shore?” I called out to him.

“Guess we’ll have to. You take that side.”

We were about thirty feet out, which isn’t too far except for the fact that the current was definitely not working in our favor. It was a major struggle to get to the grassy beach area. Once we made it, we pulled the kayak out and flopped down next to each other beside it. Peter signaled to his friends to continue and tried to yell out that we’d meet them at the boathouse.

We were both out of breath from our surprise swim in the river. Peter looked over at me and shook his head in an “I cannot believe that just happened” manner when I caught sight again of the angry red mark on his forehead. I reached up instinctively and brushed his wet hair out of the way. We stared at each other for a long minute before Peter’s entire face lit up with humor. He lifted his hand to my cold, wet cheek and still smiling widely, planted a firm kiss on my blue lips.

“You are a fucking menace.”

Since he was laughing, I figured he might just forgive me for smacking him with the paddle and then flipping our kayak over. I shook my head wordlessly, because really, what could I possibly say? I
was
a fucking menace. I tried for a conciliatory expression, which only made him laugh harder. Peter kissed me again and ruffled my hair as he stood.

“Come on, babe. We’ve got some catching up to do. And I don’t know about you, but I’m fucking freezing.”

I unfolded my sore limbs and gingerly stood, grabbing Peter’s ass before I bent to lift my side of the kayak.

“What are you waiting for, baby?” I was taunting him and loving the fact that he could laugh at the ridiculous situation I’d set into play rather than be pissed. Peter smiled indulgently, but there was something mischievous in his gaze that told me he was planning retribution of some kind. I just hoped it didn’t involve another swim in icy water.

K
ELLY
AND
Kevin were waiting for us back at the boathouse. They looked anxious, and I admit I was more than a little embarrassed at what had transpired.
Great first impression
, I mused. They must have thought I was a complete moron. The plan had originally been to go out for a quick bite to eat after our adventure, but Peter and I obviously needed to shower and get into some dry clothes. Plus I doubted they’d be excited for the afternoon to go on. They had probably been planning their exit strategy while they waited for us to return.

“Oh my gosh! Pete, are you boys okay?” Kelly hurried over to us and gave us both a worried-looking once over, biting her pretty, full lips.

“We’re fine. Wet and cold, but fine. Right, ba—?” He caught himself, but I had a feeling that was more for Kelly’s sake than mine. She gave him a sharp look before turning back to her husband.

“Hon, it looks like you were right. They’re fi….” I heard a faint snickering sound, which quickly morphed into a full-on belly laugh. Kevin joined in, leaving Peter and I staring at the two of them as they surrendered to a bout of hysteria.

“Well, it’s good to know we’ve amused you idiots.” Peter scowled.

They quieted for a second before taking in his bedraggled state and bursting into another round. They held onto each other, wiping away tears of mirth. I couldn’t help but join in. Peter shook his head at the three of us.

“When you three are finished cackling, can we please get a move on? I’m soaked to the bone, I’m cold, and my head fuckin’ hurts!”

We all quieted as Kelly went over to inspect the boo-boo on Peter’s forehead. Then she doubled over again, shrieking in laughter.

“You should have seen yourselves! That had to be the funniest damn thing I have seen in a good long time!”

“Yeah, yeah. That was the entertainment for the afternoon. Glad you enjoyed it. We’re going back to my house to change. You guys coming? We can either go out to eat from there or bring something in. Come on, baby. You are shakin’ like a leaf.”

I noticed two things as I followed my lover back to his truck. His southern accent made a strong appearance when he got flustered, particularly around his friends. And he’d called me baby in front of them twice. Well, technically one-and-a-half times. And yes, I was counting.

When we got back to Peter’s house, he directed me upstairs to his master bathroom. I couldn’t wait to get my nasty river-slimed clothing off and jump into a steaming hot shower. He left me in his huge modern bathroom while he went to let his friends in. I was luxuriating under the scalding hot spray when he joined me a few minutes later. A naked Peter Morgan was a thing of beauty. I couldn’t help my body’s instantaneous reaction to his muscled perfection.

He smiled at me sweetly as he nudged me aside and kissed my lips softly in greeting. The water sluicing between us made the moment seem sexier than it really was. He kissed my nose and picked up the soap.

“No more. We can’t play while they’re downstairs waiting for us.”

“Do they know about us? I mean, you know….”

“I haven’t said anything one way or another. They’re old friends, though, Jay. They’ve probably figured us out by now.”

I wasn’t sure what that meant other than maybe they knew we were sleeping together, but I wondered if Peter made a habit of having “friends with benefits” and I was the next in a long line. It wasn’t a pleasant line of thought, so I filed it away in my mental spam box and stepped out of the shower to dry off and properly meet Kelly and Kevin.

Our impromptu change of venue from a café to Peter’s place turned out to be a good thing. And falling into the Potomac was an inspired, though unintentional icebreaker. Once we were all in warm, dry clothes with full stomachs, we kicked back in Peter’s kitchen with a couple of beers, laughing easily at the calamity of our kayaking adventure.

“You’re a good sport, Jay,” Kelly commented, her beautiful dark eyes twinkling with merriment.

“If you don’t laugh you cry.” I shrugged.

“So true.” She raised her beer bottle in a toast and cuddled into her husband’s side on the small loveseat in the living space off of the kitchen. On the big-screen television, there was a baseball game on mute that captured Kevin and Peter’s attention every once in a while. But for the most part, we chatted about jobs, hobbies, and life in the big city. I liked Peter’s friends. They were warm and welcoming. I enjoyed our afternoon together.

“We need to get a move on, honey. Jack and Shane are having that barbecue later tonight. Are you coming, Pete?” Kelly poked at her husband’s side playfully as she stood to leave.

“No. Say hi for me.” Peter’s tone was firm. It didn’t brook room for cajoling, that’s for sure.

Kelly simply nodded, but I thought I saw a meaningful look pass between them. Aaron and I did it all the time. I wondered what they were secretly saying with their eyes. And then I got it. Jack. The old boyfriend. Geez, I felt like a private eye, so close to solving a mystery. Except, I had no idea if there really was a mystery or if it was just a simple case of having other plans and not being able to attend. Somehow I didn’t think so.