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“How can I help?” I ask.
“You can pour yourself a drink and take a seat,” Shawn says. He maneuvers around me and taps my hip as he passes. A spark runs through my body with the press of his fingers. “How was the rest of your work day?”
“Good. Uneventful. The kids were disappointed to get a shot from me after you gave them free admission to the weekend camp in January. Thank you for that,” I say. I slide onto a stool, and my legs swing back and forth. “That was very kind of you.”
“Don’t mention it. I try to hand out as many vouchers as I can to kids in the community. The revenue and finance departments might hate me, but I don’t care.” Shawn bends over the stove and stirs the pot. “Need a wine opener?”
“Yes, please.”
“Top drawer on your right.”
I lean over and rifle through a collection of scissors and other odds and ends. “Not hiding anything shady in here, are you?”
“Like I’d put all my weird shit out in plain sight,” he laughs. “That’s what my bedroom is for.”
“Don’t tempt me. I’ll go snoop.”
“Snoop away. What’s mine is yours, frog legs.”
I throw the wine cork at him and pour myself a glass. “Would you like some?”
“Sure. Thanks.”
“To the best fake boyfriend I’ve ever had,” I say, and Shawn grins.
“To the most beautiful fake girlfriend in the world,” he answers, and I blush.
“Stop. You pretended to date that musician. She’s gorgeous.”
“So? I said what I said. Most beautiful.” He knocks his drink against mine, and we take a sip in tandem. “Wow. That’s good.”
“It’s from the liquor store up the road. I got it for twenty bucks.”
“Impressive.” He takes another sip and moves back to the stove. “Doing anything fun this weekend?”
“Maggie and I are going to try to get together. You leave for California soon, don’t you?”
“Thursday. We kickoff around one in the afternoon west coast time on Sunday, then we’ll fly back home that night. We’re playing the worst team in the league, but I don’t want to let our guard down.”
“You’ll be fine,” I say. “Do you like road games?”
“Seeing different cities is fun, but I enjoy being home. It’s not even like I have something waiting for me here like some of the other guys.” He pulls a pan out of the oven and sets it on a hot pad. He turns to face me and leans against the counter. “It’s just nice to sleep in my own bed. To be in my own space.”
“I understand. Well, I don’treallyunderstand, but I know what you mean. Whenever I have a medical conference or I’m out of town, it’s fun for a day or two. Then I’m counting down the minutes until I can be back where I feel safe and secure.” I smile. “And, hey. You do have things waiting for you here. You have Maggie and Aiden and Maven. And you have me. We’re friends.Bestfriends,” I add. “You’re not alone. You know that, right?”
“Yeah,” he says. Our gazes meet, and we stare at each other. “I do know that.”
“Good. Do you want to continue this heart-to-heart, or can we eat first?”
“Food. We don’t have much time before the familial discussion begins. Maybe we can show up drunk,” he suggests. “That would be a hoot.”
* * *
Half an hour later,I’m full.
We pile our dirty dishes in the sink, and Shawn waves me off when I try to offer to wash them. He pulls me to the couch in his living room and hands me a blanket.
“Am I—do I—should we touch each other?” I blurt out. “Keep our hands to ourselves?”
