Chapter 13

Text from Indigo: How was the date? Did you kiss him?

Alex smiled to himself as he watched Ryan get in his truck and pull out of the lot. Maybe he shouldn't get involved with the man. The first time and the second time he'd met Ryan hadn't been good, but he honestly didn't think that was how Ryan really was.

The memory of their lips meeting stayed in his mind as he cleaned up and put away the pillows they'd used the night before. He glanced out the front of the clinic, noticing Indigo's car was in the lot. Had she seen him?

The text that came in seconds later made him realize she had seen them. He wouldn't live this down. Seconds later, Indigo was at the clinic's door beckoning him to open.

"Good morning," Indigo said with a huge smile. "Good date?"

He rolled his eyes. "I had an emergency patient last night, and Ryan stayed because he's a good person."

Laughter bubbled up from Indigo, and she shook her head. "Most guys wouldn't stick around for that. So, are you going out again?"

The smile on his lips probably told her the truth, but he shrugged. "Maybe."

Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him. "Oh, you so are going out again."

The thought of kissing Ryan made his smile widen. "He's cute, but I don't know. The first time I met him, he wasn't nice. Is he nice?"

Indigo shrugged. "He and his family don't necessarily hang out in my circles."

Alex leaned against the front reception counter. "What does that mean?"

Indigo shrugged. "Queer woman here and his family wasn't very accepting. You know, his brother was run off."

"He mentioned that."

"Well, you gotta ask how much internalized shit that boy has going on if he is dating you, and his dad was such an ass that he ran the older one off."

Alex nodded. "Yeah. He actually talked about that. About how he thought about leaving but stuck around because he thought he could influence his dad."

"That's interesting. I mean, Ryan has never been nasty to me, and he knows I've dated all types while I've been in Foggy Basin."

"I want to get to know him better."

"That sounds like a good idea. Get to know him before you make a determination. Some people around here are great, and others aren't. But wait, wasn't he engaged to a girl?"

"You know some people are bi."

She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess that could be the case. Just watch him. Don't fall for him when you don't know for sure if he's safe."

"I'll be careful."

"Cool." Indigo's phone buzzed. "I need to get back to the shop. We are doing inventory today. Yeah, so much fun."

Alex chuckled and locked up behind Indigo. He headed back into the clinic, checking on his patient, who seemed to be doing well. With improvement, the dog would be able to go home in the morning. Now he just had to make it through the week of work so he could see Ryan again.

On Thursday, Hugh Collins came in with his scruffy terrier mix. "Morning, Alex!"

"Morning, Hugh." Alex stepped into the exam room, happy the terrier seemed to be excited to see him as he wagged his tail furiously and sniffed at Alex's shoes. "How's Blue doing today?"

"Good. Just a check-up and some shots."

"That's easy. How about we get Blue up here on the table?"

Huge picked up his feisty dog and placed him on the table. Blue took the small treat Alex offered before doing the initial exam.

"I heard you had a good evening with Ryan last weekend."

Alex paused, a little shocked that someone brought up his date. "Oh, you know Ryan?"

Hugh nodded. "Yeah, his family lived next door for years. He was always a good kid. I know his brother left, and for a good reason. Ryan sticking around isn't what makes him good. He really is just a good guy. Never took any shit from his dad, and I heard a lot of it when Brett moved out. His dad would say something derogatory about Brett, and Ryan, who was still a kid really, would tell the man that what he was saying wasn't true."

Alex nodded and continued with the examination. "Moving to a town like this is weird. I don't know the people, but everyone seems to know everyone else."

"First impressions ain't always the best."

Alex raised his eyebrows. "Did you hear about something?"

"He may have said something about being rude to you."

"So you're saying I shouldn't judge him on that?"

Hugh shrugged. "Sometimes, people need a second chance to show they aren't what they seem to be. Just think about it."

Alex nodded, wondering if he'd been too harsh in judging Ryan from the first time they met. Certainly the date had gone well. He still wasn't sure how to think about the man. Maybe they could form a relationship. But did he really want that?