Broken Road Café 1 - The Broken Road Café (6 page)

His eyes drifted back to Jake, and he realized he’d gone silent and gotten lost in his thoughts. Dan shook himself and tried to get himself back on track. “Thanks for telling me about Jasper, Jake. I won’t press. I just hope if I decide to buy the diner that he’ll want to stay. The man is incredibly talented. Hell, he could work in any restaurant in the city back in Atlanta.”

Grinning, Jake leaned back and let out a laugh. “Ah, but not everybody wants to live and work in the city. It might be a…what’s the line in the play, li’l ole bitty puissant country place, but it has its perks. It’s cheaper to live here, there’s no rush hour, and for the most part, you can hide in plain sight.”

Dan had to smile. Tagged. Not like he hadn’t clocked Jake the minute he’d walked over to take his order at the diner, and he knew Jake watched him check him out and took a good long look at his ass as he walked away. He didn’t care; he was who he was, and anybody who didn’t like it could kiss his designer jean wrapped ass. Including the chief.

“Oh, by the way, what’s the deal with Barney Fife? Does he always walk around with his baton stuck up his ass?”

Jake was taking a sip of water, and began to choke and blow water across the table. Dan started to get up to pound him on the back, but Jake raised a hand to stop him. When he had his breathing and coughing under control, he raised a finger. “Oh my fucking God, you did not just say that about Nick Oliver. He’s a bit gruff sometimes, but he’s one of the nicest men you’ll ever meet. And trust me, I don’t think much of anything, including a baton, goes up
that
ass.”

Frowning, Dan crossed his arms. “Are we talking about the same polyester wearing, arrogant, Tom Selleck wannabe? That asshat met me at the city limits with a ticket for speeding. And then said some bullshit about a horse that chased cars? We have those jerks in every suburb in the city. Meeting a quota, that’s what he was doing. He saw my car and
cha-ching
!”

“I think you have him pegged way wrong.” Jake shook his head. “There
is
a horse that gets loose from a farm nearby and he chases cars along the highway, and we all try to watch out for him, crazy thing that he is. And Nick is a sweetheart. He worked twenty hour days for weeks trying to find Jasper’s babies. No”—he was emphatic—“ask anyone around here and they’ll tell you he walks on water.”

“Well, I’m sorry. He’d make a nice splash if he tried. I’ll just have to make sure to watch out for him, as in avoid him completely.” Dan saw Jake grinning, and growled. “What?”

“Methinks thou dost protest too loudly. I heard what he said in the diner.
Eyes up here.
You like him.”
“Oh, hell no. No fucking way. Macho straight men and I don’t get along. I’d rather take a vow of celibacy.”
Jake just smiled, and Dan knew he had to change the subject. No way was he interested in that…that…God, he couldn’t even put words on how much he disliked the man. So he started asking questions about life in the town, how it was for a gay man to live there, and all talk of the chief was tabled.
The sun started to get lower in the sky, and Jake sighed. “As much as I’ve loved talking—and trust me, I don’t get to do this often—it’s time for me to go home and feed the pups. Dan, I hope you decide to think about this really hard. I’d love to work for you.”
“Same here, Jake. I need to get home anyway. I’ll be back in touch soon. Maybe come back up and scope out some houses.”
“And maybe see Nick again.” Jake zipped his bag and stood.
“Not if I see him first.” They made their way to the car, turned around, and Dan headed back to take Jake home.
And watched his rearview mirror for that blasted black and white all the way.

The drive back to Atlanta gave Dan time to think. Way too many things fought for his attention, and he forced all the slippery thoughts into some semblance of order. His lawyer’s training, and the logical, rational part of his brain took over and he began to lay out what he needed to focus on at this point.

First and foremost, he needed to address the Abe situation. That’s how he would look at it for now— take the emotions out of it and make a pro and con list and figure out his next move. He loved the man, there was no doubt in his mind about that. But the fact that Abe would cheat on Dan, right in his own house—fuck, his own
bed
—made him wonder how well he really knew the person he thought was the other half of him.

Then he had to figure out what to do with Gary and Kerry. Well, Gary, since Kerry was going to fall into the same category, so name him 2(b). Dan had known Gary for over half his life and would have trusted him with his life. There was no one he knew better, loved more, would have given his last dime to. But to be betrayed in that manner, what was Gary thinking? And how long had this…thing been going on? Was it a one shot deal, a mistake? Or was something even worse happening right under his nose? Dan had to get answers.

The matter of his job, getting his payout, and what he was going to do with the rest of his life, or at least the next twenty or so years, couldn’t really be settled until he had answers to the questions about his relationship. Dan loved the law—loved being a lawyer—but the ground under his feet felt awfully shaky there suddenly. To have given ten years of his life, never second-guessing—well, not much…okay, being totally outspoken—but always being a company man, then being offered up as a sacrificial lamb, if he was to believe the crap the partners dished at him at their last meeting, was almost beyond belief. He loved the café, and could see himself slowing his pace of life and enjoying Blue Ridge. If he could keep the core team of staff onboard and just make strategic changes, as well as updating the facility some and poking little things in place, he could make a very good life for himself there.

So he had to look at that issue from two perspectives, it seemed. With Abe. Without Abe.
A little corner of his brain wanted to talk about the chief. How well he filled out those tacky-ass pants. How he looked under that uniform. How he’d look spread out under Dan, naked and begging for him to fill him up. Dan’s rational mind would kick that little demon in its ass and go back to the real issues at hand, but his thoughts would run back to what Nick kept telling him to keep his eyes away from.
The problem was—well, one of a double handful of problems—that Dan had no idea if the man was gay. And even if he was, Dan wasn’t available.
Yet
, the little voice whispered. But Dan refused to think about that.
No, focus
.
The other little prickling, thorny thought that wouldn’t leave him alone was Jasper’s kids. This was a small town they were talking about. How in the hell did two kids just go missing like that? Usually it was one parent running off with them. But in this case, the mother died, and the father was beside himself for a year. So…where the fuck were they?
All these things crashed together like boulders in his brain, and before he knew it, he was turning into his condo’s parking deck.
Oh, shit
. Abe’s car was in its spot. *
The elevator ride up to his loft was one of the longest short trips Dan had ever taken. When the car arrived at his floor, the ding jolted him, and he made his way to his front door and took a deep, cleansing breath. Reaching out a surprisingly steady hand, Dan keyed opened the door and walked in. Damn, he wished he’d thought to change the damn locks. It was quiet, but he could hear faint tapping. Tossing his keys in the bowl on the hall table, he made his way toward the den, expecting to find Abe waiting there. Instead, the noise grew louder, and Dan realized Abe was upstairs, in their bedroom, and was working on his laptop.
At that moment, Dan couldn’t remember ever being so angry. This was normal—he’d come home and Abe would be upstairs working on whatever manuscript or column or blog was due next, and Dan would go upstairs and kiss him and they would end up in bed together. How fucking dare he try to be
normal
?
Dan took the stairs two at a time, and at the sight of Abe sitting on the bed, his laptop across his thighs, he wondered if he could get off on a justifiable homicide defense. He stood and watched as Abe stopped his typing and looked up. And smiled. “It’s about time you got home. I’ve been waiting so we can talk and then maybe go grab some dinner.”
A vein throbbing in his forehead had Dan wondering if he was having a stroke. For just the briefest of moments, he wondered if he’d been dreaming about finding this handsome man he loved so much in bed with his best friend and his partner. Maybe it was all some kind of twisted mistake. But then he felt the slight sunburn he’d gotten from riding around with Jake and having the top down, and it all crashed back down right onto his shoulders.
Staring at Abe, he didn’t know what would come out of his mouth.
“What in the fuck are doing you in my bed?”
Well, that answered that question.
The smile on Abe’s face dimmed a little, but didn’t go away completely. He closed his laptop and set it aside. Patting the bed beside him, he slid over as if to make room.
Oh, hell no. That bed’s not big enough to hold my anger plus the elephant in the fucking room
.
“Dan, don’t be like that. Just sit down and talk to me like a grown-up and not a spoiled little kid.”
The red in Dan’s vision suddenly went white. His whole body stiffened and all he could hear was the sound of his own intake of breath—in and out, in and out. Thank God he could still do that, because it probably really was all that kept him from throwing Abe bodily down the stairs and out of his home.
“Get your ass downstairs and I
may
talk to you. But hear me loud and clear, Abe, there’s no way in hell we are having this conversation in here. Because you know what?” Dan’s voice had started low and, he thought, reasonable. But he felt it rise and get harsher. “Every time I stand here, or try to lay in that bed, all I can see is you. And not you with me, you mother fucker. You with my best friend. The two people I thought I could trust with my life. So, no. Forgive me for being a bit childish, but get your lying, cheating ass up off where I thought we had something special.” He paused for a moment while Abe sat looking at him, stone-faced. “
Now!
”
He turned and headed back out of the bedroom and to the stairs, not looking back to see if he was being followed. As he reached the bottom of the stairwell, he heard soft footsteps behind him and was relieved. Dan sucked in air, trying to get his heart to stop pumping so fast and the pounding in his head to quiet down. He paused in the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator then slammed the door shut. He heard the bottles and jars inside rattle, but didn’t care. He turned, grabbed a chair from the table where they used to share breakfast and the paper, and sat.
When Abe came around the corner and into his line of vision, he motioned with the bottle for him to take a chair and sit also. Abe did, angling his body sideways on the chair as if he were already planning his escape and laying his laptop bag in the seat between them.
Very good, he fucking knows I mean business.
Dan allowed himself a small smile, but Abe saw it and appeared to know it wasn’t a friendly one. Dan knew Abe had seen it in court, and damned well knew he was in trouble.
“Dan, I—“
“Stop. Here’s how it’s going to go. I ask the questions. You answer the questions. I determine the bullshit level. Understand?”
With a sigh, Abe nodded his head.
“How long have you and Gary been fucking?”
If Dan had been expecting to catch Abe off-guard with the sheer bluntness of the question, he was mistaken. “A couple of months, maybe three. Around the time you made partner.”
Now Dan was the one a little off-balance. He hadn’t expected either the honesty or the answer. He leaned back in his chair, willing himself to be calm and not show any emotion. “Is this the first time you cheated on me?”
Abe looked up and caught his gaze, and what Dan saw there surprised him. And chilled him. “No. I’ll be honest—“
“That would be fucking refreshing.” Dan couldn’t help himself. This fucking
hurt
, and he was surprised there weren’t open wounds on his chest. He needed to hear this through, understand how he could have let something like this happen.
Never again
, he promised himself.
“You know I have a high sex drive, and a young man like me needs taking care of.” Abe went on as if Dan never said a word. “When we met, I figured you could handle that, and things were good. You had the job, the money, the home, no family to have to deal with. And I was willing to overlook the hours you worked. Hell, it let me write and do the things I needed to do to get my feet under me as an author. But come on, Dan, you have to admit there were days all you did was give me a quick kiss and then drop into bed. To sleep.”
Who in the fuck is this person? Did I ever really know him?
Dan’s heart was slowly crumbling in his chest.
“Did you ever really love me?” God, he felt pathetic even having to ask.
The look Abe gave him was almost pitying. He reached across the table to pat Dan on the cheek. “Oh, honey, to quote the immortal Tina, what’s love got to do with it?
That was it. That broke Dan. Keeping his voice as level as possible, Dan grabbed Abe’s wrist and pulled it away from his face and twisted it until he saw the pain in his lover’s face. “You have fifteen minutes to get what you need and get out. I’ll have movers pack your shit. Text me where you want it to go. And Abe? If I ever see you around again? It would be best if we just keep to opposite sides of the street.”
Dan released Abe’s wrist and stood. “Oh, and Abe? Your keys and parking swipe. Now.”
Abe reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet and keys. He took the swipe card out and laid it on the table, then slowly rolled the house key off his ring. Dropping it on top of the pass, he looked up, catching Dan’s eye again. “Done. Danny? Just send everything to Greg’s place. I already have a few things there, so it won’t be a big deal.”
Dan’s blood froze. “Greg?”
Abe rose, and gave him a smile that was…almost regretful. “Greg Simkins. He’s been taking care of me for months.”
They stood there for a long moment, facing off. Dan knew if he reacted, Abe would end up in the hospital, and he didn’t want an assault and battery charge on his record. Nodding, he said as blandly as he could, “You two deserve each other. Forget the fifteen minutes. Grab your laptop and get the hell out of my house. And Abe?”
Abe shouldered the laptop bag and moved toward the door. “Yeah, babe?”
“Tell your…lover…I expect my check by the end of business. It better not be short or late, or he won’t like what happens. It probably looks to you two like I’m stupid. But remember, boy, I learned from the best.”
“Goodbye, Dan. Sorry you had to learn about everything this way.” Abe paused for a moment, his hand on the door. “You know”—he looked back, a wistful expression on his face—“I actually am. I’m sorry.” He opened the door, glanced around one more time and left.
Dan stood in the kitchen, all the joy from earlier in the day draining from his body. The sun slowly set, and still he stood.