CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE Chad

Cole must have thought I'd be upset or surprised that Bodie was on him like white on rice because he startled and pushed one of Bodie's hands away when he noticed me. I wasn't. Why would I be? Cole was a stud and Bodie was sex on a stick. The two of them looked terrific together.

"I see you've met the other Mr. Hicks," I said to Bodie, who by now was possessively leaning into Cole.

"Fuck, bro," he began, grinning at Cole and then turning to me. "You said he was fine, but this is stupid, man."

Cole looked confused by the word stupid being used to describe him. "He thinks you're stupidly hot, Mr. Hicks. It's a good thing," I said.

Bodie placed the back of his arm across Cole's chest like he was keeping him safe. "I've already called dibs, Chad. You know, just in case you was wantin' a piece of this," he declared.

"Gotcha!" I said, flashing a thumbs-up in his direction. "My loss then," I added, smiling at a very uncomfortable Mr. Hicks.

Cole managed to wrestle enough hands away to get to his feet. "I'm not up for dibs for anyone," he stated, looking around nervously and stepping away from Bodie. "I barely know any of you," he added.

Marla started laughing at him. "Calm down, Cole," she said. She came to his side and put her hand on the small of his back. "Be nice, boys. Our Mr. Hicks has been out of the socializing loop for a bit too long. He'll need more delicate handling than any of you sitting directly on his face."

"Oh my fucking God… Marla!" Cole groused. "I can speak for myself."

"Good!" yelled Bodie, jumping to his feet. "Because I would like to sit on your face."

"I have to go," Cole said, backing away. "I… I… there's stuff I need to do," he stammered.

Cole was deeply tanned, but his face was on fire with embarrassment. I don't believe he'd ever witnessed such debauchery in person. Perhaps I was wrong, but he was absolutely flustered, anxiously looking for an escape route. He said he'd been in a relationship, but right then, he looked like a nervous virgin bride on her wedding night.

"I'll go with you," Bodie said, reaching for Cole's hand. Cole pulled his hand back quickly. You'd think that Bodie's feelings would've been hurt, but he was too free-minded to let a little hesitance dissuade him. "Just us, Mr. Hicks. And I promise I'll play nice," he teased, biting his lower lip temptingly. "For a little while, anyway."

"Uh… I'll need to take a rain check," Cole said, looking toward his friend Marla for help.

"All right, boys. Mr. Hicks is a bit overwhelmed by all the attention. How about we give him some space for today?" she said.

"What about me?" Harder asked her. "I'm like totally lower key than the Bode-ster."

She held her hand up toward Harder. "Not today, guys," Marla insisted. "Not even for me. I need to get Mr. Hicks back to safety. We'll try again another day."

Cole looked completely out of his element, and I felt bad for him. He'd impressed me when he was over for dinner a couple of weeks ago, and today's interaction only bolstered my opinion of him. He was a gentleman. Clearly light-years beyond the aggression of over-sexed twenty-somethings all amped up on testosterone and beach vibes.

I caught his eye and mouthed, sorry. He forced a smile but did nod and acknowledge my sympathy.

"Okay," Cole began, backing up and attempting to be gracious. "Real nice to have met you guys… and… uh… yeah, thanks. Nice meeting you."

"Hope to see you soon, Mr. Hicks," Bodie said. "Flash your bedroom light twice later tonight if you'd like me to come up. We'll all be down here by a fire tonight. I'm just sayin', stud."

"Except me," I announced.

For some reason, I didn't want to be associated with whatever today's thing had been. Cole appeared so out of sorts that I felt awful about how my friends had acted, and hoped he didn't see me that way. He'd handled himself with class, and I wanted to be that same person in his eyes.

"I'll walk with you," I offered.

Marla perked up and motioned for me to lead the way. Cole was already three strides ahead of us. "You're quite the gentleman, Chad. May I call you Chad?" she asked.

"I'd like that. Are you Marla, the designer?" I asked.

"And friend," she stated. She cupped a hand and leaned toward me. "Currently his only friend. Can you help rectify that tragedy, dear?"

"I'm not sure Mr. Hicks likes me," I confessed.

She waved me off like I'd made the misstatement of the decade. "You're all he talks about. I had to drive down to see what all the fuss was about," she said. "After spying on you all afternoon with his binoculars, and now seeing you up close, I can see why."

"Did he tell you he fired me?" I asked. "And in the first five minutes of meeting me."

"Oh, I've heard the entire sordid story, kiddo," she confirmed. "You mentioned Jack, didn't ya?" I nodded and shrugged my shoulders. "And maybe you got a bit weird while you were at it?" she added, laughing at my expense.

"Well, in my def…"

She cut me off. "Forget about it. Cole needs a little weird in his life. He's one of those realists. You know the type, right?" she asked, bobbing her head up and down in jest, apparently making light of uptight folks. "Their world is round. Up is up. Down is down. Blah blah fuckin' blah. Cole can be a tad boring that way."

"I gathered when I met him that he was pretty straightlaced," I stated. "I can see through his walls, though."

"You can, can you?" she said, stopping and facing me, ignoring the fact that Cole had stopped by the path to his house to wait for us. "Let me warn you, kiddo. Currently, he's sad and bitter concerning love."

"Perfect. Just my type," I quipped.

She let out a guffaw at the joke. "I like you, Chad," she said. "You're cute as fuck and there's something between those ears of yours."

"You think so?" I asked, smirking at her. "You got all that from a fifty-yard walk?"

She leaned into my ear, grabbing both of my hands. "I see shit too, my friend, so do me a favor. When you get him to fall in love with you, or when he admits how he feels. One or the other. Hell, I don't know. I'm not sure quite what I'm saying, but when you both wake up head over heels for one another. Give him the love he is so starved for. Can you do that?"

"I haven't sensed that feeling from him so far," I offered.

"You will," she insisted. "He's a slow starter. Too cautious, yadda-yadda, but he'll eventually get there."

"Not exactly sure how any of this will happen, considering we don't spend time together," I said. "This is the first time I've seen him at the beach. He doesn't seem to leave his house much."

Marla looked behind her, I assumed to see where Cole was. After confirming he was still standing at the path to his house, she asked a question. "Did you happen to say that you would stop by his house sometime?"

My face pinched as I tried to recall saying that. "Yeah," I replied. "Just in passing the night he had dinner at my house, I think."

She checked on Cole again before turning back. "He takes stuff like that seriously. I think he's been waiting and hoping you would, Chad."

"Are you sure?" I asked, glancing toward Cole. "Then why is he so distant from us right now?"

"He's not like you and me," she began. "You and I don't know a stranger anywhere we go, right?" I nodded in agreement. "People like Cole need people like us. He's lost on his own little island."

"He's hurting," I stated. "I can see the pain in his eyes as clear as day."

Marla's face softened before she continued. "He was blindsided by his ex," she said. "Alan, his ex, up and left him for his boss. No warning, no attempt at working on things. Poof! He just walked out on Cole after seven years."

I wasn't exactly surprised to hear the story. He wore his hurt like a suit of armor. "But that's not all the pain, is it?" I asked.

Marla nodded slowly, her eyes watering. "And then Jack… well, I guess you knew about that," she stated. "Weird coincidence that he'd move here and meet you, dontcha think?"

I looked at her warily, my eyes narrowing. "Oh, come on now," I insisted. "You know better than that, Marla."

"Maybe," she said nonchalantly. "Maybe not. But he doesn't believe in things like coincidences, destiny, or anything he cannot easily explain. That's where your problem lies, my friend."

I laughed uneasily. "That's not my job to convince him of coincidences, or even my belief system. He already thinks I'm a nutcase."

"So, you don't think Jack had a damn thing to do with this?" she asked.

"You knew Jack too?" I asked.

"Oh, God yes. Yes, I did!" she exclaimed. "We all ran in the same social circles, and I've heard all the scuttlebutt about Perry and you from Jack and Perry's friends. You know, the same ones that dumped Perry after he hooked up with a teenager. The same circle that dumped Cole, too."

"They sound like a real nice group of friends," I offered.

"Bunch of rich assholes, to tell you the truth," she declared. "Why is it that you didn't end up with Perry?" I was learning that Marla was direct. I liked that in a person.

"I wasn't who Jack was leading Perry to," I said. "Perry wasn't an option for me."

Her eyes narrowed as she studied me. "You believe that, don't you?"

"I do," I admitted.

"Then what is Jack saying about my friend Cole over there?" she asked, almost demanding an answer.

"Interestingly enough, nothing. Complete silence."