Since I didn’t have to worry about him leaving—Scott had the truck keys—I continued along with his mom. When close enough to Scott, I extended my hand. “I’m Dash.”
“I’m Scott.” The sure clasp and direct stare eased any lingering nerves.
“I owe you. I’m not sure he would have come to Dallas if you hadn’t intervened.”
“That’s why Iwin,” Scott called loudly to Beau. I probably shouldn’t have chuckled. His mother absolutely shouldn’t have laughed. She knew all of the obstacles Beau had faced, but evidently, she and I had our flaws.
Beau ignored us as he gathered our belongings.
“I was afraid I pushed too hard after mama-Brooks was worried. Seems all went well enough,” Scott said.
If only Scott knew the truth. The intensity of the mock trial had nothing on dealing with Beau Brooks. Beau stalked past like a pack mule, loaded down with primarily my luggage. “Why do we have to talk about this outside? Or at all. Just go inside,” he huffed.
I’d give him a break for now, but I wanted to know everything. Much like all those years ago, I was drawn to the familiarity and love within this family. Scott knew how to handle Beau, so I now deemed him my mentor. When Beau held the door open, still holding all the luggage, I went inside, happy to be there.
We opted for dinner at a local Birmingham spot: Ellen’s. Named the best burger joint by the local Birmingham newspaper, three years running. We chose to sit on the covered porch, the nearby standing heaters mitigated the slight chill in the air.
I was far past the idea of everyone automatically knowing I was gay because Dash was there with me. My current assessment of the evening landed somewhere between relaxing and easygoing. The chatter between the four of us flowed effortlessly. Dash was the perfect gentleman, just as I’d always known him to be.
He sat next to me in the booth, leaving just enough space between us that I suspected we looked like friends. His half-eaten burger, no onion, no cheese with French fries on the side, all served in a red plastic basket, hadn’t budged from the place the waitress had served it.
Manners were natural for him. The expanded paper napkin in his lap looked nothing like mine, which was crumpled on top of my basket I’d shoved to the center of the table. I’d gone at my food like I was on a survival mission and hadn’t eaten in a week.It took about a minute for me to figure out Dash was done before I finished his burger and ate the remaining French fries out of his basket.
A jukebox serenaded us with some older country tunes. The kind that made you cry if you listened too closely. Scott had made such progress on the house that we’d had free time this evening.
We hit up the game place next door before dinner. We played Putt-Putt, rode the go-karts, hit some balls in the batting cages, and spent way too much money in the arcades. I was admittedly rusty at anything more than playing football but still managed to beat Scott in two of the four competitions. The loss that hurt the most wasNinja Assault. He beat me soundly, officially becoming my former best friend.
My cheeks were sore from all the grinning I’d done tonight. The rivalry between Scott and me came back with a driving force. My old man barely had one foot in the grave, but man, the oppression he’d caused was lifting at lightning speed.
The unexpected thought of my father had a dark vengeance creeping around the edges of my heart, my fingers clenched into a fist. My deep cleansing breaths drew Dash’s attention. I ignored his questioning glance and did my best to tamp down the anger threatening to overwhelm me.
My father had no place in my happiness.
Dash did though. He’d been spectacular today. A mix of kindness, wisdom, and a scent that made me want to cannonball into my commitment to him. Even his sweat-soaked labor, weeding flower beds, hauling every bit of junk to the curb, and cleaning out the garage, had a magnetic charm. In mere hours, my mom and Scott had fallen under Dash’s spell too.
My head was a total roller coaster of chaos tonight. I tried to refocus my attention on the conversation at the table.
But how? With Dash beside me, I swore I could feel his heartbeat in sync with mine. Maybe it was because I squeezed my big body into the booth, claiming more than my fair share of space. I had one arm casually draped over the booth’s back, the other rested on the low partition wall separating the booths.
“You’re quiet over there. Does that mean you agree?” Thankfully, my mom’s question snapped me back to reality. I raised an eyebrow, needing more information. Her grin widened. The stress of the past was lifting off her too, and I liked seeing that.
“I said, we’ve planned to leave around five in the morning to allow time to unload at my house, clean up, and be at the attorney’s office by ten. You and Dash are staying with me, just in case there was any question.”
“I offered to get a hotel room, but she insisted we take her second bedroom,” Dash added, his face asking the question that his words didn’t. Did he think I actually had a say?
Three pairs of eyes fixed on me. I shrugged and said, “Okay.”
“Dash, Beau drifts off while you’re talkin’ to him all the time,” Scott said with sarcasm, flicking a lettuce scrap at me. It didn’t go far before falling to the table.
“I feel like he knows that by now, ass. But thanks for lookin’ out for him,” I added dryly. My mom’s contagious laugh had me shooting her a wink. She clearly enjoyed the banter.
“Do you want me there at your meeting with the attorney?” Dash chimed in. “I can review anything you need me to.”
“Probably a good idea. Everything played out so bizarre in the end.” I kept my eyes locked on my mom, waiting for her approval. “It seems straightforward. The only will found pre-dates the divorce. My mom’s the main beneficiary, but he gave me half. What I get goes to my mom.”
Her smile, a good mix of sugar and sweet, made me happy. “You need to keep your money, honey. You earned every cent dealing with all that drama.”
That wasn’t an option. Her debt levels were too high due to the legal costs she’d paid while fighting to get me back. I shook my head, turning to Dash for backup, only to find him smiling at me with the same gooey sentiment as my mom.
