I’d brought in a small ice chest, and when I handed it to him he asked, “What’s this?”
“Tamales, made with my Gran’s secret recipe. I know how much you love them, so I brought you a dozen.”
His eyes lit up. “You’re my hero, Woods. When did you make these?”
“Last night, with Hal.”
As I followed Tank to the kitchen, he teased, “I can’t believe you two spent your last night together doing something that wholesome.”
“It’s not actually possible to have sex twenty-four hours a day. We occasionally had to pause for other things.”
“Point taken. So, how was the visit?”
“It was wonderful.” I took a sip of my drink and fought back a cough. “This is about ninety percent vodka.”
“Well, yeah. Otherwise you’d just be drinking tomato juice, and what’s the point of that?” He was right. I took another sip as he asked me, “How sad are you that he’s gone?”
“I want to curl up in a ball and stay in bed for a week.”
“I figured this was going to go one of two ways.” He stuck the tamales in his refrigerator and turned back to me with a concerned expression. “Either you two weren’t going to get along at all and he’d bail out in less than forty-eight hours, or it was going to go so well that you’d miss him like crazy when he left.”
“The latter.”
“Let’s go sit down. I want to hear everything, including how the city boy handled ranch life.”
We moved into the living room, where Tank had a Bloody Mary of his own and a pitcher of refills waiting. Like me, his home had been decorated in “American Bachelor” with a huge TV, a giant, dark blue sectional sofa, and a coffee table big enough to hold an extra-large pizza. He’d one-upped my decorating style by framing football, rugby, and hockey jerseys and hanging them up in place of artwork. He was passionate about sports, and I’d always admired the fact that he’d turned that passion into a career as a sports journalist.
“It was rough at first,” I said, as we settled onto the sofa. “Not between him and me. We picked up right where we left off. But the ranch was completely alien to him, and I think most of the animals freaked him out. He settled in after a few days, though. He even bonded with the dogs and some of the horses—not to the extent that he was willing to go horseback riding, but he made progress.”
“So, when are you going to see him again?”
“June. He’s coming back as soon as he finishes school, hopefully for a week or two. But I have no idea when I’ll see him after that.”
“Why?”
“I’m sure he’s going to be offered a job in his field after graduation. Once he starts, it’ll probably be months before he can take a vacation.”
“He must be good, if you’re that certain he’ll land a job fresh out of school.”
“He’s brilliant. He brought along a pair of sketchbooks, and they were full of the most beautiful, creative designs—stuff most people wouldn’t be able to dream up on their best day. He has alot of self-doubt, but he really shouldn’t because he’s incredibly talented.”
“Well, if he can’t come to you, you can always go to him. Between Dwight and me, we can hold down the fort for a weekend.”
“I appreciate the offer, and I’m sure I’ll take you up on it when the timing is right. But he’s going to be busy while he’s trying to get established at some big, fancy company. I don’t want to get in his way, or make demands on his time when he’s already going to be stretched thin.” Tank sighed, and I asked, “What was that for?”
“You wouldn’t be another item on his to-do list, Ryder. You’d be his break from it all.”
“Maybe you’re right. It’s just too soon to plan anything beyond June.”
“Did you two discuss your next step as a couple? Where do you go from here?”
“There’s nothing to discuss, because a long-distance relationship is our only option. I want to be with him so damn much, but I can’t give up the ranch. At the same time, I would never ask him to choose me over his career. With all of his talent, he’s going to be incredibly successful. He’ll only end up resenting me if I get in the way of that.”
“Yeah, I guess long distance really is your only choice,” Tank said. “Well, that or break up, which I know you’re not about to do. It’s obvious you’re totally into this guy.”
It was more than that. I was falling in love with Hal, but I wasn’t ready to admit it—not to Tank or anyone else.
I ended up hanging out with my friend the rest of the day. He made us lunch, and we watched ESPN for about five hours straight.
