Chapter 55

Watching Andy climb the stairs to go get the dog…well, that was just a bonus. Scooter leaned against the bottom pillars and didn’t bother to hide his ogling.

Andy glanced back as he fished out the key. “See something you like?”

“Every damn day, darlin’,” Scooter said. “Every day.” He winked.

Andy laughed and opened the door, and after weeks of practice, managed not to get bowled over by Trick’s enthusiasm. “C’mon, let’s go out,” Andy said, and Trick barked once in excitement as he scrabbled for his leash. “Good boy,” Andy cooed as he fastened it to Trick’s collar, pausing to scratch the dog’s floppy ears.

He locked up again and came back down to Scooter, looking happy, relaxed and easy in a way that was all too rare. “I do feel like I should remind you that dog kisses and makeouts are not a great combination,” he said as he reached the bottom, teasing.

Scooter dropped to one knee, ruffled Trick’s ears. “Hey, Cogan’s, boy? Wanna?”

Trick jerked his leash hard enough to practically pull Andy over and didn’t stop until he got to the side of Scooter’s pickup, wagging his tail hard enough to send loose hairs flying.

Andy stumbled to a stop and shot a narrow look back at Scooter. “I feel like you’re cheating somehow here.”

Scooter opened the door so the dog could jump in, and then crowded into Andy’s personal space. “Am I? How’s that work?” He traced a little circle on the bare skin just over the collar of Andy’s shirt.

Andy’s eyelids fluttered at the touch and he made a soft little sound that might’ve been a hum or a whimper. “Definitely cheating now,” he breathed.

“Maybe a little,” Scooter chuckled. “Thought you might want to see Ghent. If no one’s told you about it.”

“Ghent is…” Andy’s eyes rolled up a bit as he thought. “The local gay spot, yeah?”

Scooter nodded. “It was trash for a while, cheap rent, no business. They’re trying to gentrify it up now, but still, I’d say at least forty percent of the residents are queer. Someplace we can go, walk around and hold hands and nobody will say anything.” He glanced down the main strip of Sandbridge. “Lotta local stores, women and gay run businesses. It’s…nice.”

“Yeah? Sounds like it.” Andy leaned up and kissed him, soft and easy, not putting much heat into it. “What’s Trick all excited about then? However much he needs a new collar and leash, I’m pretty sure he’s not going to scope the leather scene.”

Scooter snorted. “Nah, he’s going for Cogan’s—” Just the name got Trick whining and scraping at the window with his paws. “—which is his favorite place to scrounge food that dogs really ought not be eating. Get in, it’s a bit of a drive. Worth it, though.”

Scooter was a little nervous, actually; Cogan’s was New York style pizza, and the owners were native New Yorkers, but what if Andy wasn’t homesick at all. What if—stop it, Stahl. It’ll be fine. It’s damn good pizza. Not like there weren’t forty other small bistros and lunch shops around, if Andy wasn’t in the mood. And they could walk down to the Hague and back up through the gardens. It was pretty.

Andy spent most of the drive scratching Trick’s ears and watching Scooter, which was a little bit unnerving. Or maybe flattering? He wasn’t quite sure. Just when the lack of chatter was beginning to be too much, Andy said, “So how was Williamsburg?”

“Peaceful,” Scooter said. “Always liked it up there. My ma used to do volunteer stuff few times a year, and take me with her. I brought some stuff back to celebrate the re-opening. I’ll put packages together for everyone tonight. You all worked so hard to get everything back up to snuff. I’m real grateful.”

Andy opened his mouth, hesitated, closed it again. He tugged gently on one of Trick’s ears and said, “Kat said you would come back with food.”

“My secret is out,” Scooter said. Of course she’d tell Andy that. If he was really lucky, she hadn’t already gone into his apartment to show Andy all the photo albums. Maybe she’d wait until after they’d been together for a while before she decided to traumatize them both with that. He glanced at Andy, then gave in to the temptation to touch, taking his hand off the gear-shift to cup Andy’s knee.

Andy put a hand over Scooter’s, and then laughed when Trick rested his chin on top of their hands, staring soulfully up at them. “Beggar,” Andy accused, grinning.

“I swear, if I had a forwarding address for the Orange Monstrosity—” Scooter didn’t say Jeff’s name around the dog, if he could help it; Trick would howl and whimper. “—I’d send him a dozen photographs of how bad his dog is falling in love with someone else.”

“Fair,” Andy said. “I’m kind of stupidly fond of his dog. I’m gonna miss him.”

Scooter almost bit his tongue off not saying it. He needed to stop spinning castles in the air. Even if he and Andy made it to September, it would be too soon (wouldn’t it?) to move in together. But God, he wantedto say it. Let Jeff have the apartment; Scooter wanted to wake up with his arms around Andy’s lithe form, wanted them to stumble over each other in the kitchen, wanted to complain about the lack of space in the closet and not mean a word of it. He wanted it so bad he could taste it, so much he could visualize it in exacting detail, and had: Andy encroaching on every inch of his life and not being able to get enough of it.