Happy (6 page)

again.Startled, Peter’s hand flew to his face. “What?”

“I think that might be an actual smile.” She cackled at her own joke.

“Of course, I can’t remember the last time I saw it, so I can’t be sure. If I

didn’t know better, I’d say someone made you happy.”

He froze, gut clenching. “I got my phone back. Of course I’m happy,”

he snapped. “I can’t afford to replace it right now.” That sounded like a real

excuse, didn’t it?

“Whatever you say, boss,” Annie said with a knowing smirk. “I need

two more Buds when you’ve got a minute.”

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31

Flustered, Peter grabbed two icy bottles from the cooler, popped the

tops, and set them on her tray while she waited. “You know it’s okay to

be happy, right, Peter?” she asked quietly, in a serious voice totally unlike

her. But Annie didn’t give him time to respond, just picked up her tray

and walked away, leaving Peter trying to ignore the meaning behind her

words.

FOUR

Louie slowed his pace so that he had time to cool down as he rounded

the last corner toward home. He’d had a busy week adjusting to his new

work location in a shopping center downtown, and a good run was just

what he’d needed this morning. But the shimmering pavement and car-lined

streets were a far cry from the lush, tranquil beauty of Stanley Park where

until recently he had jogged every weekend.

The sun beat down mercilessly on the back of his neck. An ache that

had nothing to do with his run sprang up in his chest. He missed his friends,

even missed the perpetual Vancouver drizzle. Most of all he missed Aaron.

Times like this he wondered if he had made the right decision. His

head said yes; his heart was slower to agree.

Louie walked the last block. He waved to Mr. Kotsopoulos, who lived

three doors down and whose lawn Louie had mowed weekly as a teenager.

The now-elderly man got up from his seat on the front porch and went into

his house without acknowledging him. Louie’s face stung. He’d known it

would be difficult returning to the neighborhood where everybody knew

everybody’s business, but he hadn’t counted on how much it would still

hurt. Even as a grown man.

The sooner he found his own place, the better.

He was still deep in thought when he reached the house he’d grown

up in, which is why he didn’t notice Peter Georgiou coming down the street

from the opposite direction until he was almost on top of him.

Louie plucked the earbuds from his ears. “Hey,” he said in greeting.

He hoped he didn’t sound as breathless as he suddenly felt. Peter was

rocking the Andre Agassi look in shorts, a baseball cap, and polo shirt. The

top two buttons were undone, giving him a glimpse of a delicate gold chain

nestled amid some dark chest hair. His stomach did that strange little tumble

of excitement again. This was bad. He had to get rid of this crush he still

had. What if Peter and Demetra got married? The guy might one day be his

brother-in-law.

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33

“Hi.” Peter shifted the duffel bag that hung from his shoulder. “I,

uh…. Thanks again for last weekend.”

“Don’t worry about it. I wasn’t doing anything important anyway. Just

me and Zelda hanging out.”

“Zelda?”

“My cat.”

“You named your cat after a video game?”

“A really awesome video game. And she’s a bit of a princess. It fit.”

Louie lifted the hem of his T-shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. “Are you

here for Dee?”

“What? Oh, yeah.” Peter blinked, as if suddenly remembering what

had brought him here. “We’ve got a foursome at the courts this morning.”

“You’re playing tennis? With Dee?” Louie asked incredulously,

balancing on one leg as he stretched his quads. His sister’s idea of a good

workout was shopping.

Just then, Demetra burst from the house, keys in hand, and a massive

purse slung over one shoulder. But she was too dressed up for tennis. She

stopped at the sight of both of them, her eyes wide. “Oh, Peter, I’m so sorry.

I was going to call you. I have to go in to work today. We’re in the middle

of this big project, and everyone has to do overtime….”

Louie frowned. She hadn’t mentioned anything last night about

working. Not that she had to report her plans to him. Still, he couldn’t shake

the feeling that something was off. Last weekend, when he finally pinned

her down about the migraine story, she had given him some excuse about

not wanting to hurt Peter’s feelings because he hadn’t been invited to the

same party she had, but now he wondered if there was more to it. Demetra

didn’t seem to be as into Peter as he seemed to be in her.

It was none of his business, he told himself.

“You promised, Demetra,” Peter cajoled. “You already canceled last

weekend.”

“I know. But what can I do?” With a sultry smile, she cupped Peter’s

face and caressed the bare nape of his neck. “I’ll make it up to you, I swear.”

Louie looked away when she leaned in for a kiss. Seconds later,

Demetra darted past him and jumped into her car.

Peter exhaled a loud breath. Was that relief Louie saw flash across his

face? “I don’t suppose you’re free?” he asked hopefully.

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34

“Me?” Louie couldn’t hide his surprise.
Yes
,
yes
,
yes
, he wanted to shout, overjoyed at the prospect of not spending another day on his own. But he

couldn’t quite figure Peter out. Maybe he’d read too much into Peter’s reaction

last weekend, because the guy certainly wasn’t showing any aversion to him

now. Or… or maybe he only wanted to get in good with his girlfriend’s brother.

Oh hell, what if Demetra felt sorry for him and was roping Peter into spending

time with him? Louie frowned at the sudden thought.

“Hello?” Peter waved a hand in front of his face. “Tennis?”

“Look, Peter—”

“I know. It’s not my first choice either. But Adam picked it, and… and

I’m trying to make up for being an ass last weekend.”

Louie peered at him closely, searching for signs of deception, of

resignation, or forced endurance, but he saw none of it. Peter seemed

sincere. Louie wavered. “I think I was a kid the last time I played tennis.”

“Don’t worry. This isn’t a competitive game. We just hit a few balls

back and forth. There’s a public court over—”

“By the library,” Louie finished. “I remember. But I don’t have a racket.”

Peter’s grin widened as he held up his racket case. “I’ve got two.”

Louie’s loneliness won out. And that smile. When Peter smiled he

looked years younger—like the boy Louie remembered. “Okay, but don’t

say I didn’t warn you,” he threatened. He glanced down at his sweat-stained

T-shirt and ratty shorts. “Do I have time to shower and change?”

“That depends. Are you faster than Demetra?”

Louie laughed as he stripped off his sweaty T-shirt and ran it over his

chest to dry off. “Five minutes,” he promised, already in motion. “Want to

wait inside? It’s cooler.” He looked over his shoulder to find Peter unmoved,

gazing at him with the strangest expression. He hid it quickly, carefully

blanking his face, but Louie’s body jolted all the same. He’d been on the

receiving end of similar looks plenty of times. It usually meant someone

was interested. But this was Peter—his sister’s boyfriend. “Peter?”

“What? Oh, sure.” With a sheepish shake of his head, he jogged up the

front walk. Louie left him in the foyer as he raced up the stairs.

“Make yourself at home,” he called, realizing too late that Peter was

no stranger to the place. He took the fastest shower on record. Less than

ten minutes later, he thundered back downstairs, fresh shirt in hand and

ready to go. He found Peter in the living room perusing the box of DVDs

he’d brought from Vancouver and had dug into last night. His parents had

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35

a limited cable selection; unless he wanted to watch Greek cinema, he

was forced to delve into his own stash of oldies. But now he was a little

embarrassed by Peter’s discovery of his taste in film.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you were quick. I like your….”

Peter trailed off as Louie entered the room. “Uh, collection,” he finished

weakly. His eyes lingered on Louie’s bare chest a fraction too long before

quickly darting back to the DVD case in his hand.

Heat flashed beneath Louie’s skin. Now
that
was a look.

Unless… unless all he’d done was make Peter uncomfortable. And he

certainly did appear uncomfortable, judging by the way he refused to glance

in Louie’s direction.

He inwardly cringed and quickly pulled the T-shirt over his head.

Peter cleared his throat. “You’ve got a ton of movies.”

He would have to notice that. “Yeah, I’m a bit of a homebody.” When

you couldn’t go out in public with your boyfriend, you tended to spend a lot

of time in front of the television.

Peter held up the case for
The Hills Have Eyes
. “Good movie. But the

original is better.”

The wistful pang surprised Louie. He’d thought he’d moved past this.

That had been Aaron’s movie. It must have gotten mixed up with Louie’s.

He’d spent most of it with his face buried against Aaron’s chest, unable to

watch. “It’s older than either of us,” he managed to say, hoping his voice

did not betray him.

“Come on. Michael Berryman?” Peter crowed, naming the actor

whose creepy features had made him a horror icon of the late seventies.

“That guy was so freaky I had nightmares for weeks.”

Louie struggled into his sneakers. “You like horror movies, then?”

“Love ’em. Demetra’s not a fan, though.”

“I know.”

Peter’s eyes slid down his body a final time. He seemed to give himself

a little shake. “Ready, then?” he asked, dropping the DVD back on the pile.

“As I’ll ever be.”

Peter retrieved his duffel and rackets, and Louie locked up the house.

Since the public tennis courts were nearby, Peter suggested they walk.

“You’re not working today?” Louie asked.

“Dinner shift. I don’t start until five on Saturdays. Then I’m on until

closing.”

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36

“You work a lot,” he commented.

“Seven days a week.”

“That’s dedication. You must really love it.”

“Yeah, sure,” Peter agreed drily. “It’s always been my ambition to run

a greasy spoon. Scratch that—I’m not even allowed to run it. Pop’s still in

charge.” Louie was startled by how quickly Peter’s face changed: the way it

grew tight and the light left his eyes. He’d obviously hit a sore spot.

“I guess it makes it tough to have a social life, doesn’t it?”

Peter was slow to respond. “If it’s not too busy, I can get some time

off. What about you? Travel agent, right?”

“Yep.”

“You must travel a lot, then.”

“I’ve been to a few places: Mexico, Spain, Croatia. Last year I went

on a tour of Japan—it was amazing. How about you?”

“I’ve been to Greece a few times as a kid, but other than that, no. Oh

wait. There was the year I went to Daytona Beach for spring break. Does

that count?” Peter’s laugh had a hard edge to it. Obviously Louie was hitting

a number of sore spots today.

After a block, Peter spoke again. “I don’t think I’m making a very

good impression, am I?”

That made Louie smile. “Were you trying to?” he teased.

One corner of Peter’s mouth curved up. Louie figured that was about

as good as he was going to get. “Let’s start over. How did your apartment

hunt go last weekend?” Peter asked him.

“Oh, that.” Louie shuddered. “Ugh. Dumps.” The landlord in the first

one hadn’t even bothered to hide the tobacco stains on the ceiling; at least

he hoped they were tobacco stains. His second viewing had been the middle

unit in a triplex; he’d heard the stereo blaring from the top unit from a block

away. “I can’t believe how much the city has changed since I’ve been gone.

I thought West Coast rents were high….” Louie supposed he’d be a lot more

enthusiastic if he weren’t still homesick for Vancouver. “I’ll line up some

more viewings for next weekend. I don’t have time during the week. I’m

still trying to settle in at work.”

“Do you want some company?”

Louie gaped at Peter. He couldn’t figure the guy out at all. “You
want

to go apartment hunting with me?”

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37

Peter shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. Doesn’t matter to me one way or

the other. I just thought it might be good to have a second opinion around.”

Louie tried to tamp down on the sudden fluttering in his chest. “Yeah,

I’d love the company.”

“Okay, then. It’s a date.” Peter’s eyes widened. “Oh. I didn’t mean….”

“Relax. I know what you meant.” Louie found himself momentarily

transfixed by the way Peter’s face seemed to light up again. “I need to find

a place soon. I’m living out of boxes right now and it’s driving me crazy. I

don’t know where anything is. Plus, I want to be out before my parents get