Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
“Good luck getting Scotty to salute at the end of practice.” John laughed, but Scotty didn’t.
“I’m getting something to drink.” Frowning, Scotty jogged toward the sidelines, where we’d set up the large beverage coolers for the players. It was another hot August day, and most of the players were clustered on the benches near the coolers.
“He’s a prickly one.” I stretched my arms and shoulders, which were more sore than they should have been, given all I’d been doing was holding a clipboard.
“Give him time to adjust,” John advised, sounding far older than his years. “His swagger is all an act. In foster care, I saw kids acting tough like he does as a cover all the time. Even me. I was super hard on my dads the first couple of years.”
“Very wise. And you’re a good friend to him.” I clapped John on the shoulder.
“Eh. I just like to listen. Cosmo calls me silent but deadly.” John gave a self-conscious laugh as his pale cheeks turned pink. “Easier than talking, you know?”
“Yeah.” Oh, how I knew. While I could talk easily and deeply with Caleb, with the rest of the world, I’d rather have dental work than talk about hard shit like emotions. And the more summer marched on, the more I needed to have a serious conversation with Caleb, but a root canal sounded more appetizing than starting a talk about the future.
“Anyway, thanks for helping with practice. There’s my dad.” He waved at Eric, who was making his way down from the stands. “I better hurry and get changed. Wren’s been marinating meat all day, and Dad and I are on grill duty.”
John gave us both a last grin before jogging to the locker room.
“Hey, look at you in street clothes.” I gestured at Eric’s faded shorts and a T-shirt advertising a middle school fundraiser. “You catch the end of practice?”
“Most of it. John’s making huge strides.” Eric gave a sheepish smile. “At least that’s how it looks to my eyes. Football IQ still isn’t my strong suit.”
Eric had been a year or two older than Sean and I when he’d put up the ad at the community college looking for roommates. He’d come to Mount Hope from an urban Portland school, and while athletic, he’d run track instead of participating in team sports.
“Yeah, but you don’t need to know the Xs and Os of the game to be a great dad for him and the others.”
“I sure hope so. At least I’m a better dad than friend.” He let out a pained groan as he twisted his lips and looked away.
“What’s wrong?” My neck and sore shoulder tensed even more.
“I’m worried I might have led you astray as a friend.”
“How do you figure that?” The ache in my upper back intensified. I wasn’t going to like wherever this was headed. And hell, I’d rather schedule a quadruple tooth extraction than continue this conversation.
“I thought I did the right thing telling you to go to the hospital the other day.”
“It wasn’t bad advice. I was there for Ca—Cosmo. And the rest of the kids,” I added hurriedly like that might make up for my slipup.
“Cosmo. Right.” Eric’s skeptical expression wasn’t that different from John’s, proof positive that nurture could trump nature. “Anyway, coming off shift earlier, I heard a rumor that’s been going around. Two firefighters are apparently hooking up on the sly.”
“Fuck.” I had nothing else to say. I wouldn’t deny what Eric had undoubtedly guessed himself weeks ago, what with all my comings and goings.
“Yeah.” Eric shoved his hands in his pockets. “Of course I said to ignore gossip and stop repeating unsubstantiated shit, but the rumor’s out there.”
“Think Sean’s heard the gossip?” I blew out a harsh breath.
“Probably.” Eric pursed his lips. “I certainly didn’t want to be the one to bring it to his attention if not, but he’s been unusually grumpy this week.”
“Yeah,” I said weakly because I had noticed that myself. “Double fuck.”
“Or rather, no fucking.” Eric gave me a stern look that made him seem older and wiser than me by far. “You can’t jeopardize your career before you even get started. Not for a fling.”
“Not my career I’m worried about,” I retorted. The bigger question, the one I both didn’t want to touch and needed to examine, was whether this was only a fling. I understood why Eric would assume it was because he’d never known me to have or want anything other than temporary.
“I get that you’re concerned for…the other person, but Sean’s in a difficult spot as acting captain. Not to mention the tightrope those of us in the queer community walk as first responders. It’s easier being out than ever, but the spotlight burns brightly on our every move.”
“Real lives are at stake,” I agreed, exhaling hard as I gazed across the field. Most of the kids had headed for the locker room. Scotty remained, however, tossing the ball for a sophomore receiver. For all his attitude, his dedication was unmatched. I used to be like that, with a single-minded focus on my military career. I wasn’t sure exactly when that had changed. Wasn’t sure I liked it either.