Chapter 2

2

JACKSON

I can see the appeal of what made Eli and Trevor decide to make a life in Clay Springs. The town is sickeningly sweet and absolutely everything moves slower here. It reminds me so much of home back in Georgia. Twangy southern accents, fresh air that isn’t full of that city stink, and a redhead that has intrigued me for weeks.

“What’s with the frown?” Trevor asks curiously.

The day has wound down at the festival, orange light casting over the property as the sun slowly sets. I love seeing my friends in love with good men. Curly-haired Eli has Colby so wrapped around his finger that it’s laughable, but also sweet, heartwarming even. Then there’s my best friend Trevor with the gentle giant, Beau. Everyone is pairing off, quitting the fake boyfriend game. Except Benji, my free-spirited, golden retriever best friend.

“I asked Harper out and he said he’s allergic to bullshit,” I confess, voice a low murmur among the crowd of festival attendees.

Trevor’s lips form a tight line as he tilts his head, assessing me. “What’s the interest with Harper? You’re usually…” He trails off, looking for the right word. “Not interested in people unless you’re being paid.”

That’s true. It happens rarely. But it’s always someone who rebuffs my advances at first, someone who makes it hard, someone who makes me want to chase them. Harper’s eyes tell me yes , but his standoffish sarcastic attitude tells me no .

“Maybe I want to stay in town for a little while,” I say, ignoring his statement altogether.

Trevor teasingly punches my arm. “If you fuck around with Harper, Colby and Beau will probably kill you. From everything I’ve seen so far, they’re insanely protective of him. Despite him not really needing it. He did ask me to help him find a boyfriend…”

I stand up straighter. “When?”

Trevor’s eyebrows furrow. “At the wedding last year. He’s older than me, but not by much.”

“I’m the perfect boyfriend.”

“When you’re being paid,” Trevor argues like an asshole.

“Just because I don’t date much outside of the fake boyfriend thing doesn’t mean I can’t do it.”

Trevor groans. “Please don’t make this a competitive thing. Don’t you have to go back to Georgia by the end of the weekend anyway.”

“I don’t have to do anything.” I take a large bite out of the pumpkin scone I’d bought earlier. “I can be anywhere. I’m a free agent.”

Trevor hums but doesn’t comment. The two of us stand at the edge of the field, watching Eli and Benji dance among the sunflowers, glowing with the setting sun. Trevor and I have always been the more reserved boyfriends. Eli and Benji are the free spirits, the ones who get the johns wrapped around their fingers.

The festival wraps up slowly, with Beau and Colby rejoining the group towards the end. Time turns syrupy-slow, especially as we make the ride back to Colby and Eli’s place. I keep my eyes peeled for Harper as we make our way out of the crowd, but there’s no sight of him. Benji kicks me in the heel as he settles into the back seat of Colby’s Jeep. I aim a pointed glare at him, but Benji only rolls his eyes.

“Hey, so, Harper?” I ask into the silence of the car.

Colby’s blue eyes fly up to the rearview mirror. “What about him?”

Eli turns around in the passenger seat, look penetrating. “Harper?”

“He’s single, right?” I ask, gaze locked on Colby, hoping to see a hint of something on his face. But his gaze stays steely, carefully keeping Harper’s secrets. The only sign my question got to him are his knuckles going white as his hands tighten on the wheel.

“Yes, he’s single,” Colby confirms, teeth gritted.

Eli’s eyes flick from me to Colby, a frown inching across his face. “Is there something we should know?”

Colby’s smile is tight as he glances over at Eli. “Nope. Harper’s just really special to all of us. He’s single and doesn’t date much.”

“The service dog?” I question, because I’m too fucking curious for my own good.

Colby’s lip twitches at the corner. “Not my story to tell. Did Harper tell you why?”

I snort. “He said he has severe allergies, is allergic to bullshit, that Honey is his bullshit detector, and proceeded to sneeze and asked why I wanted to give him an anaphylactic reaction.”

Benji laughs loudly, hand gripping his stomach. “Oh my God, I’m in love with him. Do you think he’ll date me?”

I cut a glare his way. “Fuck off, Benji.”

A small chuckle escapes Colby as he pulls into the driveway of his property. I don’t miss the way Eli’s eyes twinkle at the sound of the laugh. They’re nauseatingly in love. Good for them. We’re all quiet as we climb out of the car, the gravel crackling underneath our feet as we head into Colby’s house. Benji and I have been crashing in the mother-in-law suite over the garage, and Eli’s been staying in the big house. Doesn’t seem like it’s much of a hardship for him.

The two of them should just get over it and live together already. But Eli is stubborn when he really wants to be. I glance over my shoulder in the direction of Beau’s house, sparing one final thought to Trevor for the night. We all gravitate to the back porch without a word.

I’d been a little hesitant about Colby when I’d first arrived. Eli is so pure, a bottle of sunshine, that I’d worried he’d been taken advantage of when he told us he fell in love with a john and promptly swept off his feet. But all I needed to see was the way Colby looks at him, like Eli is every wish he’s ever had fulfilled. Hard to deny love that looks like that.

“Beer?” Colby asks, blond head buried in the fridge.

Benji and Eli are already out on the porch, heads pressed together as they whisper about something on Benji’s phone. Curious.

“Sure.”

Colby pulls his head out of the fridge, hands me two beers, then tilts his head as he takes me in. I’m a little taller than Colby, but he’s got more bulk. My basketball days are long behind me. I don’t need the amount of muscle mass I used to require. But my height is something I can never escape.

“Harper is special to all of us,” Colby says, apropos of nothing.

“I get it.”

Colby’s finger trails through the condensation on the beer bottle, gaze firm on me as he carefully considers his next words. “I don’t know you too well yet, Jackson. But Eli speaks very highly of you. I remember Harper as a baby at family events. I held him in my arms before he even knew what life could be like. You’ve got to listen to him. If he says no, he means no. But I think Harper could always use another friend...”

My lips flatten into a line. “I can be friends with him.”

Colby clinks our beer bottles together. “Some love stories are a long game, you know?”

I snort. “Compared to you and Eli, yes, that’s true.”

Colby laughs because he’s a good sport. We join Benji and Eli out on the porch as the sky darkens with sunset, turning burnished orange with pinks and lavenders. I sit beside Benji on the outdoor couch, allowing Colby to take the coveted spot beside Eli on the smaller opposite couch. Eli immediately dips to burrow into Colby’s side, a contented smile tugging at his lips.

Benji pretends to gag. “Too much canoodling going on here.”

“You like it,” I tease, because he does. Benji might be a little shit, but he so desperately wants out of the game, wants to settle down, wants to be loved.

Benji waves his hand dismissively. “What time are we leaving tomorrow?”

I take a slow sip of my beer as Colby stares me down. “I think I’m going to stay.”

Eli sits up straight, eyes wide. “What?”

“I think I’m going to stay in Clay Springs for a while. Take a break from work, focus on my investments. Do you happen to know anywhere I can rent?” I aim the last question at Colby, pointedly ignoring Eli’s increasingly shocked face.

Colby’s smile is slow, but pleased. “I’ve got the perfect place.”

Benji scoffs in annoyance. “Jesus Christ. Now I’m all alone in Georgia?”

Eli’s head tilts. “You could take up the offer from Nolan…”

A furious flush dots Benji’s cheeks at the mention of Nolan. I look between Eli and Benji as they stare one another down, probably speaking telepathically to each other. Something only sunshine boys can do.

Benji finally shrugs. “I guess. I do love to travel…”

I hold my hand up. “Can you explain the details to me?”

A sheepish look crosses Benji’s face. “I’ve been contracting with Nolan.”

“What?” I almost shout, immediately terrified for Benji.

Nolan is a notoriously difficult client. I spent one night with him and still shudder at the memory. Pain play is not remotely my thing. Imagining Benji and Nolan together feels almost impossible, like a wasp and a golden retriever together.

Colby slaps his knees and stands. “I’m going to go get a snack so you boys can talk shop.” He bends down, presses a kiss to Eli’s curly head, then disappears into the house with a flurry. Avoidance if I’ve ever seen it.

“Spill it,” I say firmly, knowing it’ll rile Benji up.

But it seems to have the reverse effect. The man shrinks into the cushion, eyes on the darkening forest behind Eli.

“There’s nothing more to tell. I’ve been working with Nolan the past year. It’s fine. There’s not much left for me in Georgia now that…” He purses his lips as his gaze swings between me and Eli. “I’ll do it. I’ll keep you guys updated.”

“Does he hurt you?” I ask, because I spent one night with Nolan and have the scars to tell about it. Benji and I might snark at each other, but if someone ever hurt him, I’d go scorched earth for him. I’d do that for anyone I love, anyone in my life. Murder is defensible when it’s for a loved one, right?

Benji shakes his head, eyes distant. “No… he doesn’t hurt me.”

There’s something about his tone that unsettles me. His face is closed off and clearly says the conversation is over. Colby promptly returns with some freshly baked cookies, rejoining Eli on the couch. We finish the evening talking about sports, my favorite topic of conversation.

The next day I see Benji off at the airport.

“Please be careful,” I say softly.

Benji rolls his light blue eyes so hard they might get stuck. “I’m not useless, you know. I can take care of myself. And Nolan isn’t as difficult as you all make him out to be. Sure, he’s into pain, but he melts with me. I like him.”

That sends alarm bells off in my head. “You like him?”

Benji blushes and avoids my gaze. “Is that a crime?”

“Benji, he’s Nolan fucking Hastings. Most famous rockstar on the planet. He’s hiring you.”

Benji scowls as he jumps out of the car. “I can take care of myself, Jackson. And I can take care of Nolan too. You’ll see.”

My eyes track Benji fleeing into the airport until I pull away from the curb, losing him in the crowd of departures bustling through the sliding doors. Deciding to stay was an easy decision. A change of pace is exactly what I need. Something new, something different.

Colby has a friend in town with a few rentals, so it’s easy for me to hand over a stack of cash to get a decent apartment in downtown Clay Springs. Pre-furnished, there’s nothing to do but to settle in for a stay without a return ticket. The townhouse is brick with star jasmine crawling up the front, tucked between two other townhomes that are owned by rarely home businessmen, per my new landlord. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, with a giant shower made for two in the large owner’s suite. The kitchen on the main floor is a chef’s kitchen, thankfully, considering I love to cook.

I lean against the kitchen island, surveying my new home. It’s late at night now, otherwise I’d call my mom to update her. I’ll have to do my best to remember in the morning.

Settling in for the night in my new large suite, I feel beyond lonely in the California king bed. I spread my legs and arms out as far as I can, almost able to reach the edges. My phone vibrates with a message where it lies on my stomach. I assume it’s Claire responding to my text about a small hiatus and I’m proven right when I see her name flash across the screen.

Claire

Oh my God, I’m losing all my boys.

Not losing forever

Please. You’re going to fall in love too and quit

:(

Enlist Davis

Pass

Maybe I need to find a new job

I would be a good realtor

Only if it’s million-dollar listings

True

I’m just joking, you know… I’m glad you’re taking some time off.

I need it

How’s Trevor?

Come visit him yourself and see

Work was a good excuse, but not so much anymore… I’ll think about it

Night, boss lady.

Fuck off