Just Us Box Set

Can’t Buy His Love-5

I wasn’t as sore on Thursday, though I still ached a bit. I called Mrs. R. at home and asked if she could cover the front desk for my lunch “date” with Gregory. She was more than happy to have something to do. Maybe I would end up hiring her part time. She was available, more than qualified, and capable of handling the clients, most of whom she’d known since they were kids.

When Mrs. R. arrived, I explained a few things, made sure she had my cell phone number and then made my way across the street to the daycare center. The kids were sitting in groups at small tables in a side room. Gregory wore an apron and had just finished serving everyone. He and the staff settled the kids before leaving them to the joys of eating and loud conversation.

Gregory waved me to one of the larger tables where two plates were already waiting, filled with our food. “I’ll be right there,” he said before finishing his tasks.

A minute later, he sat across from me. “You came,” he began, grabbing a crust-free sandwich in one hand and taking a bite.

“You invited me. No way was I missing this. It’s a step in the right direction.”

“Which direction is that, exactly?” he asked, chewing his food while keeping an eye on the kids.

“A date. With me.” I tried out a charming smile and Gregory’s cheeks turned ruddy. “No strings, I swear. Just a chance to get to know each other, maybe become friends of a sort?”

Before Gregory could answer, a kid started shouting that a girl had stolen his sandwich. Gregory got up and quickly took care of the crisis. On returning to our table, he said, “Why do you really want to go out on a date with me, Wheeler?” He drank some juice, then placed his chin in his hands. “The truth, please.”

With him staring at me like that with clear, intent eyes, I couldn’t lie. He seemed to be the kind of man who needed honesty in everything. “It’s true, I’m a horndog. I want you like I’ve never wanted anyone before. But, something about you makes me want to go…further. You intrigue me, inspire me, make me hot, and I just want to bask in the glow of your presence for a few hours, whether or not you ever say ‘yes’ to more than a date. Is that truth enough for you?” I took a breath and hoped for the best.

The expressions that flitted across his face were legion. He didn’t speak while we finished our meal. Only afterward did he say, “Thank you for your honesty.”

He got up from the table and asked me to wait for him by the front door while he helped his staff clean up and resettle the kids in the play area.

When that was done, Gregory escorted me back to the gym, which I thought was a sweet gesture. We stood before the glass and I waved to Mrs. R. so she knew she could leave whenever she wanted to. She gave me a “thumbs up” sign and headed toward the ladies changing room.

“It was sweet of you to have lunch with me and a bunch of toddlers.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. By the way, the fruit cups were divine.” This made Gregory laugh, something I definitely wanted to see more of.

“You’re easy to please, I see.” He ran a hand through his hair and sobered. “Look, I know what people in this town say about me. I have a reputation for being standoffish, frigid…”

“Ice queen,” I offered, and held up my hands when he glared at me. “Hey, just trying to be helpful.”

“As I was saying, I feel I’ve misjudged you. What you did for that little boy, how you jumped in to save his life without hesitation, not many would, and I just wanted to thank you. I think there’s more to you than your admittedly nice exterior”—did he just compliment my looks? Hot dog!—”and yes, maybe I’d like to get to know that version of you better.” He shuffled his feet a little. “I had a…bad experience a while ago, which colored my worldview. Perhaps I’ll be able to share that with you, sometime.”

“I make no claim to being a psychiatrist or a great listener, but for you? I can try to be, if that’s what you need.” I hoped I didn’t sound desperate.

“Thank you. Hey…” He stared at me with a half-smile that was fast becoming catnip to me. “I’ll be finishing up a mural in the daycare center on Sunday. You could stop by, if you’d like, and keep me company. Maybe help me mix paint? It’s up to you.”

I did a mental fist pump. Yes! Calmly, I responded, “I’d love to.”

“Great. I’ll see you then, okay? And take it easy the rest of the week.”

“I will.” I watched him walk across the street, the breeze causing his apron strings to flutter in the breeze. I finally had an “in” with Gregory Wang. Here’s hoping I don’t f**k it up.

* * * *

Maury Landrum, Tory’s boyfriend, gaped at me in shock from where he sat on the couch. “Hold up. Did you just say Gregory Wang, the ice queen who won’t give it up to anybody in this town, invited you over to watch him paint?”

It was Saturday night and I was spending time with my friends in their home at the Misty View Motel. Maury had finally moved in with Tory a month ago. I was feeling a lot better, too. The stiffness was mostly gone, and I ached only a little now.

I scowled from where I sat in the loveseat. “I don’t see why that’s shocking, and don’t call him an ice queen.”

“Didn’t I tell you he would be the one?” Tory added as he brought beers from the kitchen to the living room. We were having a Deadwood marathon.

“The one to what?” I asked as I took my beer from him and nodded.

“Never you mind,” Tory replied as he sat beside Maury and placed an arm around his shoulders.

“So all it took was saving a kid’s life and getting hit by a car to get his attention. Well, if I’d have known…” Maury said.

“Hey now, don’t even joke about that,” Tory chided, and Maury kissed him quietly.

It was always a sweet pain to see my friends so happy together. In the beginning, it hadn’t been so great between the three of us, what with Maury’s almost unrequited love for Tory, and Tory’s cluelessness about it. And then my turning up—which stirred up my past history with Tory—hadn’t helped, and my flirting caused more harm than good. Thankfully, we were able to move past all that, and Maury no longer thought I was trying to steal Tory away from him. As if. I preferred a challenge, like Gregory.

I sighed. “Whatever the case, it’s an opportunity I’m not planning to waste. I will make the most of it.”

Tory snorted. “I bet.”

Slightly miffed, I said, “Just because I’ve always been a bit of a player doesn’t mean I can’t change, you know.”

“Fine, fine,” Tory replied. “But be careful with him. He’s not like your usual boy toy. You could hurt him. A lot.”

Maury chimed in. “Yeah. I mean, he was always a bit of an ice”—at my look, he changed his words—”a bit standoffish, let’s say. More of a loner. But when he returned home early from college, he shut everyone out completely. He would relax only around kids, which was why his parents helped him set up a daycare center. It was the only thing that seemed to give him…peace. No one knows what happened while he was away.”

“I can only hope for the best,” was all I could respond.

Tory kissed Maury’s cheek. “Me, too, buddy.”

The three of us spent the rest of the evening arguing over the merits of Swearengen and Bullock. In between discussion, I thought about the next day with Gregory. What was I getting myself into?

Uncharacteristic as it was for me, I was nervous. I could so easily mess this up by being the clueless guy I’d always been. Maybe Gregory liked that in a man. I sincerely hoped so.