Chapter Nine Andy

Market morning was a bit tense to say the least. It was obvious from the moment that Josh showed up that he really didn't want to be there. Now, I usually wasn't in the habit of forcing people to do things they didn't want to do, but I really did need help at the market.

And Josh needed the fresh air. Maybe it wasn't my place to try to help him like that, but I felt like I needed to. I saw a man standing at the crossroads of life without any intention of moving forward. In my opinion, a kick in the ass was what he needed to get out of that dreary hotel room and start talking to people. Being upset with his situation was understandable and fine, but cutting himself off from the world was only going to make it worse. In this way, maybe he could at least make a friend. And my money was on Matt.

Matt had a strange charm about him. He was twinky and sassy, but there was something likeable about him that I could never quite put my finger on. If he had Ace hadn't ended up together, I might've even made a move on him. But all thoughts of that were long gone now, especially with Josh around.

I'd been doing a good job so far keeping my feelings about him under wraps, but deep down, I knew the truth. I was making the same mistake that gay men had been making for centuries.

I was crushing on a straight guy.

In my defense, he was exceptionally good looking and I could smell the Alpha blood on him. It wasn't much, but enough to lend him an air of intensity that drove me wild. Not only that, but his actual scent was something that nearly drove the wolf inside me to fits. That rich smokiness that seemed to ooze off him in waves caught me off guard every single time. Even if all he did was pass by me in the bakery, I had to grab the table for support. The swoon was intense and I still hadn't really figured out why.

Sure, he as cute and had the most beautiful brown eyes I'd ever seen. Even his grumpiness was adorable. The muscles definitely helped and the way he manhandled thirty pounds of dough at a time had me wondering how much he could throw me around in the sack. But I had to remind myself constantly to stop thinking about him like that. Not only was he straight and completely uninterested in me, but he was my employee now. I couldn't cross that line. And I was getting far too used to getting sleep again to risk it all for a zero percent chance at getting some dick.

But it was tempting. Too tempting.

The moment we pulled up to my booth, I hopped out of the vehicle, desperately needing to get away from Josh's scent. It had almost completely overwhelmed me in the car. Thankfully I always wore an apron to the market to give me a more baker-ish look. It was the only thing stopping literally everyone from seeing the boner tucked down my right pant leg.

"There you are," Matt said in his usual sarcastic tone the moment I stepped out. "I was wondering if you were going to show up today!"

"Of course I'm gonna show up!" I shot back. "I just had a lot more product to pack up today thanks to my new baker." I heard Josh grumble from the other side of the van as he stepped out and walked around. "This is the man himself!"

Matt seemed the most interested, walking right up to him and holding out a hand to shake. "My name's Matt," he said.

"Josh."

"Nice to meet you," Matt said, shaking his hand. He gestured back toward Ace who was just putting down a bushel basket full of tomatoes. "And this is my boyfriend, Ace."

Ace tipped his hat, but didn't walk over to offer a hand. He was always a bit shy when it came to meeting new people. "Nice to meet you."

"Don't mind him," Matt added. "He's quiet."

"Fine with me," Josh replied. "I'm not much of a talker either."

"Andy and I can talk all morning, so feel free to jump in whenever you want." Matt turned his attention back to me. "So, you hired another wolf to bake with you?"

"Actually, Sam sent him over."

"Typical," Matt scoffed. "Sam always likes sticking his nose in everyone else's business."

"You should thank him," I chuckled. "He's the only reason you and Ace ended up together."

"True…"

I saw Josh crinkle up his nose in my periphery. "Don't worry," I added. "Sam sent you to me because I needed help, not so we could date. We both know you're straight."

"Are you a sports straight or a regular straight?" Matt asked, turning to Josh.

"I… don't know what that means." He shrugged. "I like to cook."

"Hmmm." Matt gave him a good once over. "I guess I'll just have to get to know you before I pigeonhole you."

"Shouldn't you do that with everyone?" I laughed.

"Do you?"

"Uh…"

"That's what I thought." Matt turned back to Josh. "Also, I think it's mighty nice of you to forgive this asshole," he said, jabbing a thumb in my direction. "The way he talked to you that day you bought a sticky bun was disgraceful."

Josh smiled at that. "You heard about that?"

"I saw it," Matt smiled, putting his hands on his hips. "I was standing right here when it happened. Our booth is always next to Andy's. I hope you made him grovel."

"He did have to beg me to take the job. I almost didn't, but I need the money."

"I don't blame you. Andy is a lot even when he's on his best behavior. I didn't like him to begin with either."

"Wow," I muttered, taking myself to the back of the van and pulling it open. "This is the most uncomfortable conversation I've ever been a part of. I just have to stand here and listen to you two trash-talk me?"

"Deal with it," Matt replied, waving me off. "You had it coming."

The rest of the morning went like that as we started setting up our booths. Matt and Josh talked amongst themselves with a few comments from Ace and myself thrown in. I'd honestly never heard Josh be so vocal before. There was something about Matt that just brought people out of their shells. I wasn't sure how he did it, but he was really good at it. He'd managed to get Ace to open up more, and he even had a way with customers, getting them to sign up for whatever newfangled thing he and Ace were trying next. Of course, the cowboy hat and the muscles brought people in to begin with, but Matt's words filled their cash box to the brim.

It was good to see Josh opening up a bit, so I let him make the trade with Ace that morning. He went through everything in their booth, tasting and touching until he found the perfect ingredients for what he wanted to make that week. I was surprised to see him take a basket of tomatoes. But when he took a solid pound of basil to go along with it, I had a feeling my customers were in for a savory treat.

"There's only one thing I want," I added, as I came around the front of Ace's booth. "And I'll happily give you cash or trade more sweets." I reached down, pulling a large bunch of sunflowers out of one of his bouquet buckets. "I want some fresh flowers."

"There all yours," Ace replied with a wave. "Take them. I have so freaking many I can't keep up with them."

"It's too bad you don't have any Hyacinths," I added, lifting the sunflowers to my nose and breathing them in deeply. "Those are my favorite."

"Yeah, and they only bloom for a week in the spring," Ace said. "And they don't stand up well to being cut. You're better off just growing the bulb in a pot."

"I know… I'll just have to wait until next spring I guess."

"Don't know where else you're going to get them this time of year. The stores stop selling them in May."

"Do you want us to put some in for you for next year?" Matt asked, his phone already in his hand to make a note. "I'm planning on putting more bulbs in anyway, so it wouldn't be a big deal to put some aside for you."

"Nah," I said, waving him off. "It's fine. I wouldn't know what to do with them, anyway. Living over top of the bakery doesn't exactly leave me a lot of garden space and I'm hardly ever home, anyway. I'd never get to enjoy them. But," I added. "I could just come visit your place when they're in bloom."

"You're always welcome," Ace nodded. "Just… uh… give us a heads up."

"What? Do you two garden naked or something?"

The pair of them exchanged a knowing glance.

"Oh," I chuckled. "Alright then. I'll call ahead."

I saw Josh grin off to the side. He'd been pretending not to pay attention to our conversation, but clearly he was listening to every word. Seeing a smile on his face brought joy to my heart, even though I had no reason to lay claim to it. Maybe this day was just what he needed to come out of his shell a little bit.

"So…" he began, drawing our attention over to him. "What's this full moon party all about?"

"Lots of barbeque, great food, beer, and a big bonfire out on the beach," Matt replied first. "I guess Sam has a couple a year, although this will be my first one."

"Sam has a friend in the park service that lets us have them," Ace added. "So it's just wolves."

Josh looked over at me like he was searching for permission. "I… I might want to go…"

"Of course," I said, a burst of warmth flowing through my chest. "I sort of hoped that if you got to know some people, you might change your mind."

"I know," he nodded. "I… I just…"

Matt put a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright," he said, giving him a pat. "We get it. All of us have been where you are now. I just arrived a few months ago. Believe me, we get how hard it can be."

"Nobody's gonna be annoyed that I'm such a downer?"

"Not at all!" I chimed in. "It happens. And, if you get tired of talking, you can just shift and run around to your heart's content. There's no expectations. Besides," I gestured to all of us. "You've got friends now, so you won't be there alone."

My heart lit up as I saw a small grin pull at the corner of his mouth.

"Friends," he repeated, as if trying to convince himself he'd heard right. "I like the sound of that."