Chapter 6

Work wasn't too bad, and Nolan left on time. He headed home, stopping by the liquor store to buy wine. Before he checked out, he wondered if Ryder even drank wine. Maybe he didn't. It would be weird to show up with just wine and not beer, but he had no clue what type of beer to buy. Andrew had very strong views about beer. At the beginning of their relationship, he'd accidentally bought Andrew the wrong beer. Some guys would drink anything, but there were a lot of guys who would only drink certain beers. He didn't want to get this wrong after all the trouble they'd already had.

He was standing in the aisle when Lila Thompson, one of the other nurses at the office, stepped close and bumped him on the shoulder. He turned and flashed her a smile.

“Hey, how are you?” Nolan asked.

“Call me crazy, but I didn’t take you for the beer type,” Lila said.

"I'm not." For a moment, he thought about not telling her what he was doing, but he needed help deciding which beer to buy. "Do you know beer?"

“Duh, I grew up here. What’s up?”

He shrugged. "My neighbor grew up here. He's grilling tonight and invited me over. I can't show up empty-handed, but I don't think he's a wine drinker."

“Ah, Ryder Jameson. I don't know if he has ever drank wine in his life, but I know he likes this beer." Lila pulled a six-pack of bottles from the refrigerator and flashed a huge smile. "It's a Texas-based beer. Everyone around here likes it."

“Oh, thanks. I’ve never heard of this brand.”

"Not surprising. Like I said, Texas-based, and the brand didn't get popular nationwide until recently."

Lila screwed up one side of her mouth. "So, how is living next to Ryder going? He's kind of prickly. His wife was the best part about him."

“Wife?” Nolan racked his brain, trying to remember if he’d seen a woman at Ryder’s place.

“Oh, yeah, she died like three or four years ago. He moved back home recently.”

Pain slid through Nolan, but he suppressed the sadness. He had lost someone, too, but he wasn't telling people in this town. "Oh, I didn't know he'd lost his wife." Ryder had a wife. That was news to him. Maybe that was all the confirmation he needed that Ryder was straight, and he should stop thinking about him in any way other than just as a neighbor.

Knowing that Ryder was straight made it so much easier for Nolan. He didn’t need to be anything more with Ryder than friends. They could just hang out like guys did. There wouldn’t be any sexual tension, just two guys being friends.

Lila shook her head, sadness filling her eyes. “It hit him hard. He still hasn’t dated anyone. Girls around town call him a hot catch.”

Nolan’s eyes widened as he stared at her. She shook her head.

“Not me. I don’t swing that way.” Lila checked her watch and grimaced. “Oof, I have to head out. Have a good weekend.”

“Thanks,” he said as she walked away. His mind went back over their conversation. Had Lila just told him she was into women? He wouldn’t ask her at the office, but if he ever had time away from work with her, he would find out.

He bought the beer and wine, then stored them in his refrigerator when he got home. He knew red wine wasn’t supposed to be served really cold, so he took it out of his refrigerator about twenty minutes before six.

He'd kept busy doing laundry and cleaning the countertops. When Ryder's truck rumbled into his driveway, Nolan almost burst with anticipation. He needed to calm down. This wasn't a date. The man had been atrocious to him, and he needed to keep that in mind. Maybe this was a setup to do something awful. He didn't think that was the case, but still, a sliver of fear slid through him. Back when he was younger, a group of guys had tricked him into going to a remote location with them. He'd survived, but their beating had stayed with him for a long while.

The doorbell rang, and he damn near jumped. He moved quickly to his door and checked the peephole first. Ryder stood outside, looking way too hot for just a friend. Nolan opened the door and tried for a smile, though he was nervous, a little fearful, and a bit turned on.

“Hey,” Nolan said as he met Ryder’s blue eyes.

“The steaks have been marinating all day, so they’re ready. Why don’t you come over when you can. I’m just going to jump in the shower and will be out on the back deck in a bit. Don’t let Mavis trick you into thinking she’s hungry. She’s got plenty of grass.”

He blinked at Ryder as confusion filled him. “Oh, okay.”

“Mavis is my cow. The goats will try to eat everything, including your clothes, so don’t get too close to the fence.”

“Sure. I’ll be over in just a bit.”

Ryder waved, then turned and took off across his yard. The thought of his neighbor in the shower made Nolan's heart speed up. He needed a glass of wine. He decided to grab his plastic wine tumbler and take it with him. There was no way he could wait to partake until Ryder made it out of the shower.

"The man had a wife. He's not gay," Nolan reminded himself so he didn't get too excited. He was looking forward to the evening, though he knew he had to watch himself. He couldn't let on that he was gay, or everything in his life would blow up.