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The man flat-out intrigued him.
“Are you going to be okay?” Clay asked.
“Yeah. I wish her family would take more time to think about this. That cabin was bought by the grandparents, so it’s been a part of them for a long, long time. This isn’t about money, but a knee-jerk reaction brought on by crushing loss.”
“If the memories are too painful, though, I can understand them wanting to get rid of it.”
“I do understand that, I do. But I’m not ready to give it up either. I’m hoping to reach a point where I can finally go back and see that place again with all its good memories. Our first kiss. The first time we ever made lo—” He broke that statement off; it was too private to share with Clay. He stared at the man who looked at him with so much compassion, it made his heart ache. “Katie and Caleb were my everything.”
“Though I’m crazy about my sisters, I’ve never loved anyone like that. Romantically. I can only imagine.”
Dane looked at the long porch, the creeping kudzu he had so much trouble containing and couldn’t help but smile. “She would have adored this house. She loved old plantation homes so much. If I’d started this kind of work when we were together, she’d be here with me, knocking down cabinets and reveling in getting her hands dirty. We’d talked about flipping houses because she’d loved those television shows. It had been her dream. And working on a place like this would have made her so happy.”
Clay was silent and Dane understood. What did you say to something like that? How did you respond to someone so obviously still grieving? It was why Dane didn’t have a lot of friends—not since he’d lost Katie. People didn’t know how to act around him, and he’d become nothing more than a loner who quietly worked on houses.
But he couldn’t complain about that part. He’d pushed those people away and he liked the work he did now. He’d found he was good at it, too.
Sighing, Dane ran his hand through his hair. So much for finally pulling his shit together. At least he wasn’t letting himself get lost in the bottle like his brother-in-law. But his in-laws were convinced he was clinging to the past. And he wasn’t sure they were wrong.
“Dane,” Clay started and then paused to lick his lips. “I’m here if you need a friend.”
Dane studied him a moment. “I’ve noticed that there’s…something between us. An attraction. Are you sure you’re not looking for more?”
“I am attracted to you. I can admit it.” Clay smiled. “But I think you need a friend more.”
“The truth is, it surprises me. I haven’t felt anything like this in two years.”
“But you’ve been attracted to men before?”
“Yes, even fooled around with one during a time Katie and I had broken up when I was nineteen. I’ve always known I was bisexual. But right now, my loss feels too fresh. I know it’s been two years, but it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long, you know?”
“I can understand that. But I’d like to get to know you. As friends, okay?”
“A friend, I could use.”Clay left Dane on the porch, his mind going over all he’d learned about the man. He could not imagine losing a wife and child, though in his case it would have been a husband and child.
But to have suffered that kind of devastating loss?
His heart ached for Dane.
He walked into the master bedroom he was using and pulled out his dirty clothes, planning to wash them in the utility room. He needed more. Or better yet, some kind of job if he was going to stay here. He didn’t even have a damn car anymore.
It was hard to believe he’d let himself get to this place, and he thought of his family in Montana. He should call his sisters. Check in.
Pulling out his phone, he groaned at the dead battery. He fished out his charger and plugged it in. While he waited for it to power up, his thoughts drifted to what it would be like to lose family as Dane had. He once again found himself admiring the man for the way he kept going. It made him miss his own sisters.
With that thought in mind, he dialed Callie first. Their father had died when Clay was in his teens, and his mother had to sell their home because there had been no life insurance. Clay’s two sisters had gone to live with an aunt. Clay had stayed with their mother in a small apartment. But they’d remained close despite the separation.
He’d left home at eighteen, though. That wanderlust had been too strong to ignore.
Still, he kept in touch with them when he could.
Callie answered. “Where are you now, brother dear?”
