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then released him as they made their way inside. A waitress straight out of casting
central in Hollywood called over her should for them to sit anywhere. Conversation
buzzed but Holden noticed the quieting of each table they passed as they made their
way to the only open booth at the far end of the restaurant. This was a local s place, so
even though they were on the main traffic route that led to and from Lake Havasu,
most travelers would stay to the popular chain restaurants.
When they were settled, their pink clad waitress bustled over with menus, two
mugs, and a pot of coffee.
Hey, Doc, she said, plunking the down the cups and pouring without asking.
Don t see you out this way much, anymore. I ve missed you. Her dark hair was cut at
a sharp angle, and she titled her head toward Drew, so the too black strands brushed
against her chin. A pink flush spread up her neck, but it was hard to tell if she was
embarrassed or excited. She was certainly happy to see Drew. He seemed oblivious to
her turmoil.
Chelle. No, I don t cover many ranches this far south. We re passing through on the
way to Tucson. Thought I d give my friend a shot at the best breakfast in the state.
We sure have that here. You want the special?
I do. Over medium.
I haven t forgotten. She winked awkwardly and her smile of straight white teeth
was a testament to the miracle of orthodontics. How about for you? She spared
Holden a quick glance, but kept most of her attention on Drew.
Well, who am I to argue? I ll have what he s having. Except make mine scrambled.
You got it. Be right out.
So, do you have a trail of broken hearts all over this side of the state?
Drew blinked at him. What are you talking about?
The waitress. What was her name? Chelle? She s got a crush on you. He d meant it
to come out teasing, but he hadn t missed the possessiveness in his tone. From the quick
flash of smile, Drew hadn t missed it either.
Picking up his mug, Drew sat back against the vinyl bench seat and took a long sip
of his coffee. Mmm. She s a kid and I m not interested. Holden, I m a gay man. I don t
hide that fact. Not from anyone. If you say she has a crush, I believe you, but honestly, I
didn t notice.
When did you know? Holden hadn t meant to ask, but Drew s casual confidence
in who he was and what he wanted intrigued him.
There wasn t a time I didn t know, I don t think. I mean there was never this big
aha moment when I suddenly thought boobs& eewww. My mom never made a big deal
out of it, never even asked if I was sure. Just sat me down when I was twelve and
explained the facts of life, in her own unique way. When two people are attracted to
each other they form a special bond. It was a generic they, he said, making the air
quotes. They may choose to be intimate. It doesn t matter if the couple is the same sex
or opposite sex, the same rules apply. Until you find the right person, the one you love
and plan to be with forever, always use protection& Drew stopped talking and stared
at him.
Holden s airway felt constricted, he couldn t look away from the steady gaze of the
hazel eyes. What was Drew implying? That somehow by forgoing the condom last
night they were now a couple? The low level buzz of possessive desire that had been
stirring in his stomach turned into a full on roar of approval. Then the logical part of
Holden s brain shouted for attention. He couldn t deny the night was special, but being
with a gay man wasn t something he d be able to do. The moment was finally broken
when Chelle returned plunking down more food than any two men could possibly eat.
In addition to the eggs, the platters held ham, sausage, bacon, and hash browns.
Be right back with the pancakes and a refill of the coffee.
Pancakes, too? He looked his question at Drew, who was busy cutting the eggs
with his fork, and spreading the gooey yellow yolk over the potatoes.
Best breakfast in the state. Not kidding. Eat.
The rest of the meal passed in relative silence as they stuffed themselves to the point
of bursting. Drew dropped a twenty on the table before Holden could reach for his
wallet. Then they were back in the truck with cardboard cups in the plastic holder. Soon
enough the rural road met up with the Interstate and they were heading west.
Despite his earlier discomfort, the drive was companionable, and at Drew s
suggestion, he kicked off his shoes and twisted to stretch his sore legs along the bench
seat. Leaning back, he closed his eyes, and Drew s hand resting possessively on his leg
felt right.
*
Wake up, sunshine.
Holden blinked his eyes open, surprised to see they were parked in front of a long,
low ranch style house on a neat street of similar houses. The uniform desert
landscaping spoke of a planned community, the size of the yards spoke of money.
Where&
My mom s. I told her we d stop by on our way through Tucson. Believe me, neither
of us wants to see what would have happened if we hadn t stopped for at least a few
minutes. Drew looked at his watch. We re a little early, but don t let on and for God s
sake, don t let her bully you into coming back here to spend the night. I ve already told
her we have a room in Sierra Madre.
Then Drew s door was pulled open, letting in a blast of heat and a warm rich
contralto that flowed over them.
Andrew Van, you get out of that monster truck of yours this minute and give me a
hug. Hello, you must be Holden. Pleased to meet you. I m Rae Van, Drew s mother.
Come on, let s not stand out here talking all day. Drew, I really think with all the
driving you do you need a more fuel efficient vehicle. What do you do for a living
Holden? Drew is always so mysterious. Do you want to bring in your bags? It seems
foolish to spend money on a room when I have two perfectly fine guest rooms& or
would you only one want one room?
Apparently reaching the lung capacity necessary to continue, Rae paused for a
breath, leaving that awkward comment hanging out there.
Mom, good to see you. Now step back and let me give Holden a hand down from
the truck, he s got a bit of a leg injury right now. I told you that he works for the ranch,
does background investigations. He lives there in one of the casitas. I m fine. We have a
late appointment with someone for his work down in Sierra Madre, so we re going to
stay there tonight and head back early in the morning. And I can t drive something
smaller because I need the four wheel drive and extra room in the cab because of my
job. You don t want me working in town treating a bunch of over fluffed Pomeranians,
do you?
Holden laughed out loud, a full out, up from the gut laugh that startled the two
Vans who turned to look at him with identical hazel green eyes. Well, at least I can see
you come by it honestly, Holden said. He pushed himself slowly from the truck while
Drew and Rae rushed around to meet him.
Grinning, Rae said, I m sorry. You ll have to talk fast if you want to get a word in
between us. She laughed and a faint trace of wrinkles turned into laugh lines. This
looked to be a woman who was happy with her life. He thought Drew would look
much the same in twenty years.
They went inside and Holden contented himself with listening to the two of them
banter back and forth, sure he missed some of the finer nuances of family speak. It was
nice to get a peek into Drew s life, to see where he grew up, meet the woman who d
raised him single handed after his father had been killed when he was only six. He got
bits and pieces of family history, along with a heavy dose of liberal politics and tree
hugging philosophy. When it was time to go, Rae sent Drew to retrieve a box of books
she said she needed moved from the guest room to the storage space in the garage.
Judging from the look Drew sent his way, he was about to be interrogated.
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