“He had a dizzy spell. He’ll be okay,” his father said. “We’ll set him up in the guest room to have a lie-down until he feels better.”
“Oh, the poor dear,” Mrs. Jenkins said.
“You have a lie-down and I’ll bring you some tea and pie,” his mother said.
His mother decorated the guest bedroom in the same fashion as the rest of the house. Teal-blue walls with pictures of saints on every surface. Rory undressed and got under the covers. The cool sheets eased the tension in his body.
“Rory, dear, I brought your tea and pie.” His mother’s voice turned sugary sweet when he was ill.
“Thank you, Mother.” Rory sat up and took the tray.
“You take a nap here. You can head home when you wake up.”
“Thank you,” he said. “I’m sorry I ruined lunch.”
“Don’t be silly,” she said. “You weren’t feeling well. That explains your behavior.”
He didn’t tell her he felt fine until he talked with Duncan. It was better this way.
“If you need to stay the night, I’m sure we have some of your old clothes. They might still fit.” She eyed him up and down.
“Thank you. I’m sure I’ll be okay after a nap.” There was no chance he would subject himself to a night in this house.
“Of course.” She kissed his forehead. “You let us know if you need anything.”
“I will.”
She opened the window. A soft breeze wafted through the room. She shut off the light and closed the door behind her.
Rory ate the pie and sipped the tea in silence. It was two in the afternoon. He placed the tray on the bedside table and stared at the ceiling.
Duncan knows.The thought echoed in his mind.
He’d developed feelings for Bernard. His friends saw it, his brother saw it, and he was sure his father saw it when he pushed him to meet Bernard at the park. Did everyone know something he didn’t? Could he act on these feelings? Bernard might feel the same way. He told Bernard he was straight. Would he act differently if he told him the truth? Bernard needed to know, but he didn’t know how to tell him.
Chapter Fifteen
Bernard
Saturday, June 6/Sunday, June 7
RORY ARRIVED RIGHTon time to help Kelly move. Bernard opened the door, excitement jumping in his stomach at the thought of seeing Rory.
“Ready?” Rory asked.
“Yep,” Bernard said, stepping to meet Rory on the front porch.
They got in his truck and headed to meet Sarah, John, and Kelly at the storage facility.
Kelly and John were already loading boxes into a moving truck while Sarah and a woman Bernard didn’t recognize hauled boxes out of the unit.
“Well, it looks like you have plenty of help. We’ll just head out and have fun at the park,” Bernard joked.
“Ha-ha.” Sarah stuck her tongue out at him. “Just get in here and grab some boxes.”
“We saved plenty of fun for you,” John said.
Sarah introduced them to Mai Ishii, another real estate agent and friend of John’s. She’d traded for a higher commission property with John so he could sell it to Kelly. In exchange for the sale, she agreed to help Kelly move.
