Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

“ H ey, Mack. I’m sorry to do this.” John stood in the doorway with a strained look on his face.

Mack had heard the loud voice of John’s girlfriend, Joanie, in a heated one-way discussion since he’d walked in the door. She did not want him there.

“You need me to leave.” When John nodded, Mack asked, “Can I sleep here tonight, or do you need me out of here now?”

“Now. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I appreciate you letting me stay here. I’ll get my stuff together and be out of here in an hour,” Mack said, standing and grabbing his suitcase. He had a few things in a storage unit and a scant amount of personal effects here.

Thankfully, they hadn’t just thrown his things out. He’d left before the trash collectors had made their rounds that morning. He could have lost everything. That would have made someone happy.

After setting the key John had loaned him on the table, Mack let himself out the kitchen door without interrupting the couple, who still talked loudly in the family room. He hoped without him there to add stress to their lives that John’s relationship would be okay. John had not been happy for a while. Mack figured that’s why his friend had invited him to stay. His recent experience made Mack aware how it was easy to feel completely alone in a house occupied by two people.

He wheeled his luggage out to the car and popped the trunk to stow his things. Thank goodness he had tip money to fill the tank. He didn’t have any idea where he was going next. Mack stuck his hand into his pocket to grab his keys and felt Grey’s card. Immediately, he shook his head. He couldn’t ask Grey to let him stay in his house.

As if the older man had known he was thinking about him, Grey’s name appeared on his phone. He slid behind the driver’s seat before answering. “Hey, Grey.”

“Something made me call. Are you okay?”

Mack stared at the phone in disbelief. How could he know?

“I know that sounds totally wacky, but I’ve learned to listen to the alert in my head when something isn’t right.”

“That must come in handy in the courtroom,” Mack said, avoiding the question.

“More than you think.”

“Could you just go already?”

The strident woman’s voice made him look up from his phone. Joanie stood red-faced at his car door with her hands on her hips. Anger was etched on her features. John appeared next to her and pulled gently on her arm to urge her away.

“I’m not going until he leaves. Don’t you get it? You’re done leeching off us now. Go away,” she yelled.

Mack saw John’s eyes dart to the side and followed them to notice several neighbors now watching the show. Crap! Could this get any worse?

Thud! His car shook as he looked back at Joanie, who was poised to kick his car again.

“I’m leaving, Joanie. Step back so I don’t hurt you,” Mack yelled through the glass as he started the car. He saw John drop her arm and loop his arm around her waist to drag her away. Immediately, Mack turned on the car and pulled away from the curb.

He’d made it a block and a half when he realized Grey was still on the phone. “Sorry, Grey. My life is a train wreck now. I’d run the other way if I were you.”

“I’ve never been a runner, Mack. Can you bring up my address on your phone? Come here and we’ll figure out what to do,” Grey directed.

“I really don’t want to drag you into this.”

“Three. Pull over in the next parking lot.”

A minute later, Mack announced, “I’m in a parking spot.”

“Check your phone for my address. Select it and tell me how long it will take for you to get here.”

“You know, you’re not my Daddy. You don’t get to spank me, and you don’t get to tell me what to do.”

“Four. Take a few deep breaths, Mack. Do you want to check for damage on your car?”

“No. There’s not much she could do to this car. That was one of the reasons she wanted me gone. Joanie didn’t want the neighbors to think they were subversive. John’s as clean-cut as possible. I didn’t fit in with her view of what suburbia was supposed to be.”

“Sounds like John’s marriage isn’t going to last long. You ready to merge back into traffic?”

“Yeah. I’m going to fill up my tank at the gas station and then I’ll be there.”

“Good idea. I’ll see you soon.”

“Thanks, Grey. I needed a friend.”

“You need much more than that.”

In ten minutes, he was back on the road with a candy bar and a soft drink. He could eat it later when he figured out where to stay tonight. Navigating out of the suburbs, Mack discovered a whole new area he’d never seen before. It wasn’t inner city or mid-town. Grey lived in a revitalized section of town that consisted of quaint, Victorian houses, rustic cottages, and sleek tradesman homes.

Spotting Grey on the front lawn, he followed the older man’s directions to pull into the driveway. He loved the look—high-pitched roof with gables, brick, chiseled stone, and some decorative beams. Of course, Grey lived in a Tudor-style home.

Pulling himself back to reality, he lowered the window. “This car leaks oil sometimes. I’ll park it in the street so it doesn’t make a mess on your driveway.”

“Pull it into the garage. There’s an empty bay with a mat on top of the coated floor. It’s protected in there.”

Done making decisions, Mack followed his directions. Getting out of the car, he apologized. “I’m so…”

“Stop right there. I’m glad to have you here. Let’s grab your stuff and take it in. I’ve got soup on the stove. I’m hungry now. I bet you are, too.”

“I don’t have to stay here. I can find somewhere else,” Mack lied.

“Five. Come on in. I wouldn’t ask you here if I didn’t want you to be here. Okay?”

“Okay.”

They emptied his car in a jiffy. Mack gave Grey the light suitcase and hefted the one with all his clothes inside out of the trunk. Grey led him inside. The house was beautifully decorated. It wasn’t fancy, but comfortable with big leather couches and a giant TV in the family room where the garage door connected. A big kitchen with a huge island was made for cooking.

Mack sniffed and smiled. It smelled awesome. Something chicken. A picture popped into his head of the canned chicken noodle soup with the stars and a few pieces of diced veggies. He hadn’t eaten that in years.

Grey didn’t eat that.

“You have your choice of two bedrooms. This is the one I offer to guests,” Grey told him.

Mack peeked in to see a well-decorated room with everything and more a person needed to be comfortable. “That looks great, unless you have a smaller room for me. I don’t want to impose. Oops!” That last sound escaped his lips when he became the target of a very unhappy look from Grey.

“This room I haven’t opened for anyone else. This might be a place you’re interested in.”

Grey opened a door and stepped inside. Mack followed him automatically. One step over the threshold made him freeze. Against one wall was a bed shaped like a racecar—but not short like made for a kid. This was a full queen mattress, he guessed.

He looked around in amazement. There was a bookshelf with books, a cargo net on the wall with all sorts of stuffies, and a toy chest. There was a piece of furniture that looked like an overgrown changing table and a few things he didn’t recognize. Mack knew immediately what that chair facing the corner was and the paddle hanging on the wall.

“Is this a nursery?” he asked, turning in a slow circle to see everything.

“It is. For a Little boy. Would you like to stay in here?”

The allure of that bed and all those stuffies was too much to resist. He didn’t care if he looked silly. “Yes, please.”

Grey looked pleased. “I’m glad. Please make yourself at home. Unpack. I’d love for you to stay with me.”

“What if I’m a total jerk?” Mack asked jokingly.

“I have a paddle for that.”

Quickly, he decided to change that thought in Grey’s mind. “I’m really a good guest. I won’t cause any problems. Promise.”

“If I really thought you were a jerk, you wouldn’t be here,” Grey assured him. “I’ll let you settle in. Dinner is in thirty minutes.”

Mack pinched himself when Grey left him alone. “Ouch!” He was awake. This was real. Had Grey focused on his lips before he left? Mack had gotten the impression he wanted to kiss him but had controlled the urge for some reason.

Pushing that thought away, he focused on the bed. He could remember wanting one of those when he was a kid.

Without hesitating a moment more, Mack dove onto the racecar bed. His fingers ran over the side frame and discovered a deep hole in one side. He checked the other and found its twin. He wondered what that was designed to do before dismissing it from his mind as he turned the steering wheel on the headboard. This was the most fun ever.