Scottie looked over and smiled as Gage and Newton took turns showering affection on Sasha. Even with a cast on one leg and one of those cones around her neck that made her look equal parts pitiful and ridiculous, her tail was still thumping on the floor as she did her best to scoot closer to them.
It was already plain to see that she was going to be a difficult patient, since all she ever wanted to do was run and play, and Scottie felt a huge lump start to form in his throat every time he looked at her. She might be on the road to recovery, but she still had a long way to go. He was determined to get her there, though, and to make her as comfortable as possible along the way.
Scottie owed her that much, at least.
“This girl is gonna be so happy when she can bounce around the house again,” Newton said, looking back across the living room to where Scottie was standing. “You can tell bed rest is not her favorite thing.”
“I know,” Scottie said, frowning as he shot his puppy a sympathetic look. “Doctor’s orders, though. I’ve been trying to bribe her with treats, but I’m pretty sure the actual reasoning is lost on her.”
Gage grinned and stood back up, planting a kiss on the top of his boyfriend’s head before crossing the room to join Scottie. “Pretty sure she’s going to milk this for all it’s worth if you keep bribing her like that. But I can’t say I blame you.” He nodded toward the kitchen. “Are you ready for some help in there? I know you’re not trying to make a romantic dinner for yourself.”
“I could make a romantic dinner for myself, thank you very much,” Scottie said, doing his best to sound confident and indignant at the same time. “And anyway, there’s not anything romantic about it. It’s a friendly dinner. A thank-you dinner.” From the wide smiles on his friends’ faces, it was clear that he hadn’t done a very convincing job of being indignant, but he was confident about the romantic part. Or lack thereof. Trenton might have been showing a nicer, softer side this week, but there was no doubt in Scottie’s mind that the man was straight. Regardless of all that, Scottie did still want to make the man a nice meal. And he was definitely going to need a hand with that. “But, um… maybe a little help? Just to get things going?”
“Absolutely,” Gage said, already moving past Scottie and into the kitchen.
“That’s what we’re here for,” Newton chimed in, standing up to join them. “What should we do first? What are you making?”
“I was thinking of something simple, like, um…” Scottie rushed over to the counter where he’d printed out a stack of recipes he’d found online earlier that day. “I’ve got everything I need for this kale risotto and, um… seared scallops? With some kind of herb-infused butter?”
“Oh, man,” Gage snorted. “None of that sounds easy, Scottie. Can’t you just make burgers or something? Steak, maybe?”
Scottie nibbled at his lip. “I don’t know if he likes red meat… and the recipes are supposed to be easy. Martha Stewart says they’re easy.”
“You are many wonderful things,” Gage said, clapping his friend on the back as he peered over his shoulder at the stack of recipes. “But you’re not Martha Stewart.”
“Come on now,” Newton said, shaking his head as he nudged his boyfriend. “This is going to be a great meal. Trenton is going to love it and we’re going to make it even better than Martha’s.” He gave Gage a pointed look. “Aren’t we?”
“Have I ever told you how sexy you are when you get bossy like that?” Gage pulled him close and leaned in to whisper something that Scottie definitely wasn’t trying to overhear, but that still made both him and Newton blush.
“No sex in front of the dog, please,” Scottie said, taking a step away to give them a little room while he tried to collect his thoughts. “But Newton, you really think we’ll be able to do this? You think it’ll be good?”
“Of course.” Newton dragged his eyes off Gage’s body for long enough to meet Scottie’s anxious gaze. “It’ll be the best. But we should really get started, you know… just in case someone has to make an emergency trip to the store.”
“Or an emergency trip for take-out,” Gage said, laughing as both Newton and Scottie shot him a mock glare. “I’m just kidding. Let’s do this. It’s gonna be awesome.”
Scottie grinned. He couldn’t help it. Gage’s laughter was infectious, and so was Newton’s determination.
Maybe this really was going to end up being a good meal. Maybe it would even be almost as good as Martha’s.
And if not, well… take-out really was still an option.
###
The doorbell rang right at six o’clock, and Scottie froze, half-expecting Sasha to start barking from the bedroom. But he didn’t hear a peep from that direction. The excitement from having Gage and Newton over, combined with the antibiotics and pain medicine Lane had prescribed, had really knocked her out.
Which was probably for the best, since Scottie really didn’t want her to over-do it on her first day back home from the clinic.
He did a quick visual check of the food—all perfectly arranged on the serving plates he had borrowed from Newton—and smiled. Everything really had turned out looking fantastic.
Thank God for Newton and Gage. There was no way Scottie could have pulled all of this off by himself. As it was, his two friends had only just left a few minutes before Trenton had shown up.
Scottie could see Trenton’s silhouette through the frosted glass panes on his front door, and his mouth suddenly went dry as he wondered for the hundredth time that day whether or not this had been a good idea.
Not the part about inviting Trenton over, really. That wouldn’t have been enough by itself to make Scottie nervous.
Well… not very nervous, anyway.
But with the uncertainty he’d felt all day about actually preparing dinner combined with Gage’s merciless teasing about it looking like a date, he hoped he hadn’t given Trenton the wrong impression.
Not that Scottie would have turned a guy like Trenton down, of course. He was a good-looking man. Smart. Responsible. Level-headed.
Basically everything Scottie hoped for in a partner.
Except for the part about him being straight, of course. Oh, and the fact that they had pretty much been enemies right up until three days ago.
Scottie’s hand froze on the doorknob. Oh, God. Would Trenton think Scottie was hitting on him if he answered the door with a smile? Would he even notice?
Would he care?
Whatever.
There really wasn’t any more time to worry about that now. With a deep breath, Scottie pulled the door open and put what he hoped was his best smile on his face as he caught sight of Trenton.
“Good evening,” Trenton said, offering a bottle of wine with a bow on it. “I thought I’d bring this over to celebrate.”
“To… celebrate?”
Scottie felt his eyes go wide, but he couldn’t help it. Had Trenton somehow read his mind about the dating anxiety?
Oh, God. Was this a date?
“To celebrate Sasha coming home,” Trenton said, smiling and giving Scottie a curious look as he stepped inside. “We don’t have to have it tonight, though, if it doesn’t go with what you have planned.” Then it was Trenton’s turn to go wide-eyed. “Or if you don’t drink. I’m sorry, I didn’t even think to ask.”
“I do,” Scottie said, closing the door and nodding quickly. “Drink, I mean. I do.” He took the wine bottle and glanced at the label. He didn’t know the first thing about wine, but it looked expensive. “And I’m sure it’ll go perfectly with dinner. I can’t wait to try it.”
Scottie felt suddenly awkward as they stood just inside the doorway. Was he being awkward? Too loud? Too… much?
“Great. Perfect.” Trenton’s smile grew wider for a moment as he held Scottie’s gaze. It was only after the silence stretched out between them for several more seconds that Trenton finally looked away, his eyes scanning the room before returning to Scottie. “Is Sasha home now?”
“Oh, yeah!” Scottie nodded enthusiastically, finally remembering his manners for long enough to move away from the damn door and actually invite Trenton into the rest of the house. “Come on inside. She’s sleeping right now, but you can peek in through the first door down the hall if you want. You’ll see her there. I’ll chill the wine if you want to meet me back in the dining room.”
“Sounds good,” Trenton said, giving one more of those wide smiles before finally turning and walking toward the door to Scottie’s bedroom, where Sasha was resting in her crate.
Scottie tried not to stare, but… okay, so he didn’t try very hard not to stare as Trenton walked away.
How had Scottie never noticed Trenton’s cute little ass before? And that smile? Scottie was pretty sure he’d never seen Trenton smile so much in the entire time they’d known each other.
In fact, now that he was thinking about it, he was pretty sure he’d never seen Trenton smile at all.
Ever.
Scottie had never realized how much a simple smile could change a person—not just their face, though there was a big difference there, but the way Scottie perceived him, and everything about him.
That smile made Trenton seem warmer, kinder.
Human.
Hot.
Scottie went back into the kitchen and placed the bottle of wine in the fridge. Then he looked around, momentarily feeling like he had just come out of some sort of daze or trance. God, how long had it been since a man had smiled at him like that?
Too damn long, apparently.
And this wasn’t even a date. Scottie probably would have passed out right there in the foyer if Trenton had actually been flirting or something.
He almost laughed out loud at the thought as he picked up one of the large serving platters and took it to the table.
Trenton and flirting weren’t words he would have ever even placed in the same sentence, but now he couldn’t stop thinking about it. What would it be like to look into those shockingly pretty eyes and see that sort of playful desire looking back at him?
It would be weird, probably.
But also… sexy?
God, he really was going to have to put that thought completely out of his head for tonight.
“What’s got you smiling?” Trenton’s voice behind him made Scottie jump, an embarrassingly high-pitched squeak escaping his throat as he held his hands in place around the platter of risotto, mentally double-checking that he hadn’t flipped it over while also confirming that he hadn’t actually just had a heart attack.
“I, um…” Scottie swallowed hard as he turned to face Trenton. “I’m sorry, what?”
Trenton laughed, another first for Scottie to witness. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. It just looked like you were having such a good time in here, smiling and sort of moving around like you were in a dream… I had to stop and watch for a second.”
“Oh, God,” Scottie felt his stomach drop to his feet. Trenton had been watching him daydreaming? Daydreaming about Trenton? Flirting? “I’m… that’s…” Scottie didn’t even know where to begin.
This was bad.
This was awful.
Mortifying.
This was…
“It’s okay,” Trenton said, still smiling that intoxicating smile as he closed the distance between them. He gave Scottie’s shoulder a little squeeze—just a simple, friendly gesture, but one that sent an electric jolt straight through Scottie’s body. “I do that too, sometimes.”
This was okay.
Scottie exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding as he returned Trenton’s easy smile. “Okay,” he said, finally feeling like he might be able to relax just a little.
This was really okay.
Now, as long as the food wasn’t cold and actually tasted as good as it looked, the night might even turn out to be fun.