The Boy Who Came in From the Cold (20 page)

The solution Gabe was working on had to do with the unit backing onto theirs. However, it was in legal contention due to a bankruptcy. So Gabe had done the only thing he could do for now. He’d introduced Sal Davidson, the owner of the business, to Wilfred Cooper, one of Peter’s up-and-coming young lawyers.

Now all Gabe could do was sit and wait to see if Cooper could resolve the bankruptcy agreement, making the unit available for rental. Then AbledRides would be able to expand into the property and take on new staff. Everyone would be happy. AbledRides would survive. New jobs would be provided. And Wagner Enterprises, via Symmetry Innovations, would own a share in another promising venture.

Waiting was something Gabe wasn’t good at. That’s why he’d called Cooper and asked for a favor. Controlling what he could always helped.

Next there was the kid who needed a little capital to keep his nokill animal shelter from being shut down. Was there any way the business was viable? Was it a waste of time?

But then that inner voice had somehow managed to make itself heard through the maelstrom of Gabe’s emotions. All he had to do was think of the dachshund he’d had as a kid, of Leia, Todd’s cat, and he knew the answer.

The biggest problem of the day was that all he could think of was Todd. No-kill animal shelters made him think of Leia, and that made him think of Todd. Not that he needed a cat for that.

Gabe had gone to bed last night and done nothing but stare at the ceiling. He wanted Todd. He wanted him so fucking bad, and it didn’t make any sense. He hardly knew the boy.

It’s Brett. He reminds you of Brett. It is Brett all over again.

But it wasn’t. Brett was so different from Todd. The situation was completely different.
Tell yourself that.

If there was anything in his whole life he regretted, it was Brett. It had started so innocently and then gone to hell. Hell in a handbasket.

Things seemed to suddenly calm at lunch. The calls just ceased, or at least the ones to Gabe did.
Which only gave him more time to think of Todd.
I could go home and join him for lunch.
But then he thought of how the evening had ended and how it could just be more confusing for him to suddenly show up. He needed to work. Let Todd have the day to himself.
There was a knock, and Gabe turned to see Tracy standing in the doorway. She had a big smile plastered on her face. She wasn’t wearing red or purple. “Hey Gabriel,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Come in, Tracy.”

 

Tracy scuttled in sideways like a crab and quickly sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. “Do you hate me?”

Gabe looked at her through slitted eyes.
“For what…?”

Tracy coughed, looked this way and that, then looked back. “I just heard Mr. Wagner dropped by your apartment last night.”

Gabe furrowed his brow. “Yes…?”
Tracy jumped up. “I know what you’re thinking.”

“What am I thinking, Tracy?” What was she acting so weird about now?

 

“You’re thinking I told Mr. Wagner to stop by your place and check out your rent boy,” she cried.

“Tracy! Your voice.” Then—
Oh, God, she didn’t.
“Tracy. You didn’t.”
Tracy started to close his office door and then froze. She spun. “No! I swear, Gabriel. I swear. I didn’t speak to him except for yesterday morning.”

Gabe leaned back in his chair. “When you
did
tell him about Todd?”
Her shoulders slumped. For a minute he thought she just might cry. “Gabriel. I’m worried. I didn’t mean to interfere. I promise. I only mentioned him because I was worried about you.”

Gabe sighed. “I swear to God, Tracy.”
She closed the door and came back and sat down. “He asked me how you were doing, and then before I knew it, I told him about Todd. But I didn’t mention the hustler part.”
“Todd is not a hustler,” Gabe said, gritting his teeth.
“I know! That’s why I didn’t tell him about that.”
Gabe shook his head. “What would you say if I told you Peter liked him?”
Tracy sat upright so fast it looked like she had been goosed. “Really?”

“Yep,” Gabe said. “He liked him a lot. Todd charmed the hell out of him. Peter approves.” Which Peter hadn’t actually officially said, but

it was obvious he did. “Tracy, you know what kind of kid he is? I thought maybe he was going to cry when he was telling me about his cat. He had to leave his cat behind, and he’s worried his stepfather has killed her.
That’s
the kind of kid he is.”

Tracy’s shoulders relaxed and then a tiny smile came over her face. “That’s kind of sweet. Any man who is worried about his cat can’t be all bad. And if Peter likes him, that just doubles it.” She nodded. “Enough said, then. I won’t say another word.”

Yeah. Right.
“Yes you will, Tracy.”
She shook her head adamantly.

Gabe leaned forward and rested his head in his upturned hand, elbow on his desk. “You trust Peter, but not me?”
Tracy shrugged and gave him a little smirk. “Your luck with men hasn’t been exactly stellar recently.”

Touché.
“It has been almost two years since I’ve really had anything to do with a man, Tracy.”
She sat up straight, her eyebrow cocking and smirk growing. “Except when you sucked face with Curtis’s boyfriend at the holiday party.”

Touché deuced
. “To be fair, they weren’t boyfriends at the time.”

She shrugged and rose from her chair. “I’m going for Subway. Want to split?”
He smiled. “Todd made me leftovers,” he replied.

“Leftovers?”

He chuckled and rose from his seat. “From last night’s dinner. It was amazing.” He stood and then retrieved the Tupperware container from the small refrigerator in his armoire.

She harrumphed. “What is it?”
He opened the container and showed it to her. “Chicken.” “Is that some kind of fruit stuffing?” she asked. “It looks good.”

“Oh, it’s real good.” He left the office, Tracy trailing behind him, and went into the kitchen and popped it into the microwave.

“Your pretty boy did that?”
“Yup.”
“He
is
pretty, isn’t he?” Tracy asked.

“He is,” Gabe said. “And I’m not sure what I’m doing, so stop asking. He offered….” He was about to say “he offered himself to me last night,” and then stopped. He told Tracy almost everything, but he suddenly knew he didn’t want to tell her about that. It was private. It would horrify Todd if he thought Gabe had told anyone about what had happened. It would be wrong.