Chapter 97

“You didn’t know anything about running a restaurant until you decided to take that on,” Debbie pointed out. “You’re smart. Me, I get bored too easily. And Jeff, well…” She smiled fondly at her (dear lord) husband. “You two talk it over. We’ll get a hotel and see you tomorrow.”

“Wait, what?” Jeff whirled around, staring at Andy. “Why would they talk it over?”

Debbie tucked her arm through Jeff’s. “I’ll explain it to you when you’re older. G’nite, Scooter. Andy.” And then they were gone.

Andy leaned on the broom and gave Scooter a smile. “I think I like her.”

“The rental, that’s gotta be her idea. Jeff…Jeff cannot be trusted with money. Much lessmoney,” Scooter said. His head still hurt. “What…How much…What does Jeff Tucker think he owes me?” There, that came out sounding not quite so horribly greedy. A couple thousand dollars could go a long way to fixing the shortage over the winter.

Andy left the broom against the counter and walked over to slip his arms around Scooter’s waist. “If I tell you, do you promise to actually keep it?”

That…sounded worrisome. Scooter shoved it aside for the moment. “I was actually planning to ask you if you wanted to move in with me, you know, before Jeff came home. I just…don’t want you to think it was in response to his showing up. It’s your home, and you can stay there as long as you want to.”

“You were?” Again with the tone of surprise.

Scooter added one more note to his mental complaint of why did Kat get to be the one to hit Nick? Andy always seemed astonished by little kindnesses, things that should have been normal, or at least not momentous. “Yeah, I was.”

“Mm, okay.” Andy leaned his head against Scooter’s shoulder. “Though it kind of sounds like they’re not going to need a place for very long anyway.”

“They might not need a place,” Scooter said, putting his arms around his boyfriend, “but I kinda need you in my place.”

“That sounds…good,” Andy said. He tipped his head up for a kiss, hands working their way slowly under Scooter’s shirt to splay warm across the small of Scooter’s back.

“Yeah?” Scooter slowly bent Andy backward, kissing, making Andy cling to him in order to keep from falling over. Feeling the heat of Andy’s body through his clothes, listening to the way their hearts pounded, feeling the way his breath raced in and out of his lungs. He teased at Andy’s mouth with his tongue and slid an eager hand down Andy’s chest, wondering if Andy might be interested in maybe getting fucked bent over Scooter’s desk—

The check fluttered out of Andy’s breast pocket, and while normally Scooter would ignore it in favor of having his wicked way with his boyfriend, that seemed like a piece of paper that shouldn’t randomly be forgotten. He picked it up, glancing at it idly as he straightened.

He froze. “Oh, God.”

“You promised,” Andy said quickly. “You have to keep it.”

“Oh, God.” Scooter didn’t have any other words.

Very verycarefully, he put the check in his wallet and pulled out his phone.

Kat, you need to come over here. Now. I think I’m hallucinating. I need you to verify that Jeff just gave me a check for a. Hundred. Thousand. Dollars.

New text from Kat: Did he steal it?

Debbie sd he won it at slots.

New text from Kat: Then yes, that sounds like something Jeff would do. They are in town? We will come out tomorrow.

I am going to be having the sex soon. Go away.

Scooter took a deep breath. He didn’t…entirely…want to take that sort of money from Jeff, but…The way Debbie had handed it off let Scooter believe they didn’t particularly want him to even make a token protest.

“I…I need to think,” he said weakly.

“You’re not throwing it away,” Andy said.

Scooter shook his head. “No, I just. I need.” He waved a hand vaguely.

Andy leaned up and kissed Scooter’s cheek. “I’ll take Trick for a nice long walk, give you some time to process. Want me to sleep at the apartment tonight?”

“No,” Scooter said, because that was easy. “No, come home to me. Just…Need a little time.”

“You got it,” Andy promised. He kissed Scooter again, a quick peck on the mouth, and left.

* * * *

When Andy came back from walking the dog, Scooter was on the sofa, a picture frame tucked up against his chest. Trick, worn out from the long walk, hopped up next to him, panting agreeably. “Hey,” Scooter said, voice a little hoarse. “Good walk?”

“Yep,” Andy said. He sat on the other side of the sofa and kissed Scooter in greeting. “Pretty moon tonight. You okay?”

“Yeah,” Scooter said. He brushed his fingers across his cheeks, as if to catch tears that weren’t there. “Jus’ thinking, s’all.”

“You’re not thinking of doing something noble and stupid like refusing the money, are you?” Andy leaned against Scooter’s side, getting comfortable.