3. Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Jesse
I'd never been an early riser, probably because I'd spent so many years bartending until the wee hours of the morning, but there was just something about being out on the water when the sun came up that made me want to get up early at the lake.
I'd set an alarm on my watch that vibrated so I wouldn't miss the sunrise on Sunday morning. I'd expected everyone else to still be asleep, but to my surprise, Victor was the only one still in the tent. I rolled slowly over to my stomach and pushed myself up, being careful not to wake him. I knew from our college days that Victor wasn't a morning person. Hell, he was barely even human before he had his first cup of coffee.
I slipped on a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt and crept to the opening, hoping to get out and check on Andy without making too much noise, but just when I reached for the zipper on the flap, there was a clang and then a hissed, " Shit ," from outside the tent. I swallowed down a chuckle and glanced over at Victor. He shifted a bit but then settled back to sleep.
Once I was sure he was good, I slowly lowered the zipper on the tent flap and snuck out. I'd purposely gotten up with enough time to have a cup of coffee before I went out in my kayak and watched the sunrise, but the dawn provided enough light for me to see, and man, what a sight it was.
Andy stood in front of the camp stove in nothing but a tight pair of boxer briefs, holding a cup and staring at the metal coffee pot like it had done something to offend him, and when he heard me step out of the tent, he turned to look at me. When he saw it was me, he let out a sigh of relief. "Is he still asleep?" he said in a hushed voice.
I nodded.
"Good. I was hoping I didn't wake him when I dropped this"—he waved around the insides of my dad's old metal coffee pot—"mess. How do you even make coffee with this thing?"
I grinned at his frustration with the old percolator-style coffee pot. I hadn't seen one like it in years outside of when I brought this one camping, so it was no wonder he had no idea what to do with it.
"At first, I assumed we would be using instant coffee"—he made a face—"which would do, I suppose. But then I found this contraption in a plastic bin with a container of real coffee but no filter. What the hell, Jesse?"
"Here, let me have it. I'll show you how it works."
He handed it over, and I motioned towards the pot that was sitting on the burner. "Did you fill that with water?"
"I did. I figured that much out, anyway." He lifted the lid and peeked in. "It isn't boiling yet, though."
"That's perfect then. We want this all assembled before it starts boiling. But if it's started to get hot, that means we're well on our way to a pot of coffee." I assembled the stem and basket while he watched closely. Then, I scooped some of the grounds into the metal basket and slid the metal screen on top.
"Hold on, doesn't that need a paper filter?"
"Nope. The screen will keep most of the grounds in."
He wrinkled his nose and furrowed his brow. "Most?"
"Don't worry, any that sneak by will settle to the bottom. Trust me." I put the insides down in the water and put the lid back on. "Now we wait."
"How long?"
"About seven minutes or so once it starts percolating. According to my dad, that's perfect. Not five, not eight, seven minutes. I'll set a timer once it starts boiling."
Getting the coffee going had been a good distraction, but with that done, I was all too aware of just how close to naked he was. I cleared my throat. "What are you doing up so early? And where are your clothes?"
He shrugged and gave me a cheeky grin. Little brat. He knew exactly how enticing he was standing there half-naked. "I didn't want to wake up mister grouchy pants in there digging around for clothes, and I always get up early."
"You do?" I raised one eyebrow at him because this was another thing that didn't line up with things Vic had said about him in the past.
"I do. Our shift at the station starts at seven-thirty, and I was worried if I didn't get into the habit of getting up that early every day, I'd oversleep on days I had to work. Last thing I want to do is show up late." He smiled and shook his head. "Heaven knows those guys give me enough shit without me adding being late."
I ignored the comment about the guys giving him shit because the smile on his face told me he didn't actually mind it at all, but I needed the kid to put on some fucking clothes.
He might not want to wake his brother, but I was willing to risk it. I set an alarm on my watch for the coffee and then quietly walked over to the tent. I reached in carefully for his duffle bag and pulled it out. When I had it, I tossed it to him. "There, put on some clothes so the mosquitos don't eat you alive."
He rolled his eyes at me and then made a show of pulling on a pair of shorts and a tank top. "Better?"
No. It wasn't. I much preferred him nearly naked, but I couldn't say that, so I just nodded and tried to change the subject. "So, do you like being a firefighter?"
"I do. The guys are great. They're like a family, and the work we do… it matters, you know?"
"It really does matter, and I've noticed that the guys at Station Sixty-nine get along great. Quite a few of them come into the club, and they all seem really close."
He nodded. "Yeah, we are."
"It must have been really hard on y'all when Keith was injured on the job like that."
"You have no idea. We were scared enough when we realized he was still in there, but then we got to him, and he was lying there, not moving. That was the terrifying part. Up to then, I assumed we would find him, and he would be like, What took you guys so long, and then we would just help him out. But the reality of his situation when we found him—yeah, it was scary."
"Hold on, you were one of the ones who went in after him?" Logically, I'd known someone had to go in after Keith, but I didn't know Andy was one of them. Just the thought of him going in after a fellow firefighter like that made me proud and turned my stomach at the same time.
"I mean, it was our crew that was there, so of course I did."
Of course I did . Like putting your life at risk for someone else was no big deal. I took a steadying breath, because if you were a firefighter, maybe it wasn't.
"Well, I'm just glad you all made it out safe."
A big smile spread across his face. "Even Nix. That's Keith and Caleb's dog, although he wasn't their dog at the time. Keith was rescuing him when the floor gave way. But I carried him out. Such a cutie. I'm glad Keith and Caleb kept him."
My watch buzzed, letting me know our seven minutes were up. "Okay, coffee's ready."
"Do we leave it on the fire?"
"We can, but the longer it stays on the fire, the stronger the coffee will get."
He grabbed cups and handed one to me before picking up the pot. "I only need one cup, then I'll be good to start my day." He poured himself a cup and then handed me the pot. "Vic'll probably get up now that he can smell the coffee."
"Probably," I agreed. I inhaled the scent of the coffee and let out a content sigh before I took a long drink.
Andy gave me an amused grin as he filled his cup with powdered creamer and sugar. "I swear I have no idea how people drink it black like that. I need my coffee to taste good."
"My coffee does taste good."
"If you say so. Now you asked me what I was doing up early. How about you? I'm sure since you're at the club most evenings, you aren't normally an early riser."
"No, I'm not, but there was a reason I wanted to get up early today." I checked my watch to see how much time we had until sunrise. Not enough to get out on the water since talking with Andy had taken longer than what I'd allowed for, but we could still catch it from the shore if we hurried. "Want to see?"
"Can I bring my coffee?"
"Yes, you can bring your coffee."
"Okay, then I'm in."
I always chose this campsite when I came here, so I knew just the place. I led him down to the water and then out onto an outcropping of rocks that were to our left.
"Here we are. Just have a seat." I sat down on the largest of the rocks and patted the spot next to me. He looked a little confused but joined me. "Now, just watch."
It was a perfect morning for this. West Texas was known for its harsh winds, but this morning, there was a light breeze that whispered across the lake, creating small ripples on the water's surface. We sat there quietly and drank our coffee, listening to the peaceful sounds of the crickets chirping and the birds singing in anticipation of the sunrise.
As the sun's edge broke the horizon, it sent a cascade of pink and orange streaming across the sky.
"Wow," he gasped quietly, enough not to spoil the tranquility of the moment.
As the sun moved higher in the sky, the colors spread and only got more beautiful, but the best part was the way each color was reflected on the lake's surface. It was breathtaking.
"Where are you two?" Victor called out, breaking the silence.
Andy looked over at me and smiled before pushing himself up. "Thank you for sharing that with me."
I watched as he made his way back to camp, where his brother waited.
Andy
So, to my surprise, I actually really liked camping. I mean, I hadn't gone into it expecting to hate it, but I hadn't expected to enjoy myself anywhere near as much as I had. I still wasn't a huge fan of fishing. There was a whole lot of sit around and wait , and not enough action for me. But I really enjoyed kayaking.
And sharing a tent with Jesse didn't hurt. He started out all snug in his sleeping bag, but during the night, he'd thrown back the top part. Which I understood since the tent did get warm after a while. Not just because it was summer, but because we had three grown men putting off body heat in there.
The great thing was, he only slept in a pair of boxer briefs, and since I got up first each day, I had the perfect opportunity to sneak a peek at his absolutely gorgeous body. The only thing that would've made it better would have been if there was a little more light when I got up so I could fully enjoy the view. Alright, that's a lie. The two of us sharing that sleeping bag would have made it much better, but that would never happen.
He'd made it clear that he thought of me as nothing but Victor's little brother, and if there was one thing I wasn't about, it was lusting after a man who didn't want me. I was a catch, dammit, and there were plenty of fish in the sea, as the old saying goes.
Not that he'd actually said he thought of me as Victor's little brother. It simply wasn't something we'd talked about, but the number of times I've been " kidded " this weekend had to set some kind of record.
Hey, kid, can you hand me that paddle? Hey, kid, do you want burgers or hotdogs for lunch? Hey, kid, when do you have to be back to work? Hey, kid, you need anything out of the truck?
If he hadn't been so laid-back and friendly, I would've thought he was trying to make me feel unwelcome or considered me a pest the way Victor's friends always had when I was a teenager. He was just being nice, though. Not only that, he'd taken the time to show me how to do things without making me feel small or stupid. Simple fact was, he was just a good guy, and I got why Victor left everything behind to move to Texas and help him open Kirby's.
One good thing that had come out of this trip was that after that first night, Victor had really seemed to relax and let me do my thing without him trying to coddle me like a child or watching me like he thought I was going to spin out of control any minute. I knew my self-destructive behavior had worried him, and I got it. I'd worried myself. That was behind me now, though, and I had new friends, a career I loved, and, most importantly, I had a purpose. I was fine, and I hoped over time, Victor would realize that.
"I thought we could stop and pick up something to eat on the drive home," Jesse said on Monday afternoon when we finished loading up. "I know you have to be at work pretty early tomorrow, Andy, but it's kind of a tradition in my family. Every time we come to the lake, we stop at the same place and have catfish."
"I'm not in any hurry," I assured him. "I don't have to be at work until seven-thirty tomorrow morning, and I made sure I had everything ready to go before we left, just in case it was late when we got home."
He grinned at me and gave me an approving look. "That was really smart of you, but I don't think it'll be that late."
Victor chuckled and shook his head. "You got everything ready for tomorrow morning before we left on Saturday? Where's my little brother, and what have you done with him?"
"Like I said the other day, being a probie at a fire station"—I rolled my eyes—"comes with a fair amount of teasing. The guys like to give me a hard time, so I try to make it my life's mission to make them work for it. And being late or disorganized would definitely give them ammunition."
"So it's not responsibility. It's self-preservation," Jesse teased.
"Exactly. So yeah, we have plenty of time to stop and get something to eat if you want."
The last thing I wanted was for him to have to skip something he considered a tradition when I already felt bad that they had to go home today because of me. Not that either of them had said that, but the club was closed on Sunday and Monday and wouldn't open up until 6:00 Tuesday night, so I'm sure their original plan had been to not go home until Tuesday morning.
Jesse had been right, and it wasn't late at all by the time they dropped me off at my house. My friend Mika's car was parked behind mine in the drive when we pulled up.
Jesse turned and looked at me over the seat. "Do you know who that car belongs to?"
"That's my friend Mika's car. He's pet-sitting, remember?"
"And you're positive that's his car?"
"Yes, Dad, I'm sure." I rolled my eyes at his overprotectiveness.
Victor laughed. "Now, aren't you glad you came camping with us? You got yourself another big brother."
"Great, just what I need," I grumbled as I grabbed my duffle where I'd stowed it in the backseat beside me. I hopped out, but before I left, I paused. "Seriously, guys, I had a great time. Thanks for letting me tag along."
I closed the door behind me and hurried up the steps to my house, but I noticed that Jesse didn't drive off until I'd closed the door behind me.