Is he a moaner or a screamer? Top, bottom, or switch?
For now, Justin’s imagination supplied the details, but he hoped he’d have the opportunity to find out for real.
Is he thinking about me in the shower too? He certainly seemed to notice me. Caution doesn’t mean lack of interest. I’m happy starting out as his fantasy lover. Fantasies sometimes come true.
Justin toweled off and dried his hair, spending more time styling it than usual, and adding a little product to keep a stray lock in place. He stood in front of his closet, debating what towear. The restaurant wasn’t fancy, and most customers would be there in flannel shirts and jeans, but Justin wanted to make a good impression.
He considered several outfits, changing his mind and switching shirts and sweaters until he found a combination that he had been told played up his coloring and eyes. Still casual, but a little nicer than what he wore every day. He paired that with a slightly dressier pair of jeans and his good boots, then gave himself a once-over in the mirror.
It’ll do, he thought. Justin wondered if Scott would dress up for their dinner and reminded himself that the other man was living out of a suitcase. For Fox Hollow, everyday clothes were good enough everywhere except the big hotel’s main dining room.
With a final glance in the mirror and a look at his watch, Justin crossed his fingers and headed out for his “not date,” hoping for the best.
Scott was waiting in the lobby when Justin arrived at the hotel and waved as he stood up and grabbed his coat. “Right on time. I’m hungry.” He gave Justin a subtle once-over.
“So am I.” Justin smiled.
Scott wore a collared shirt under a sweater over less faded jeans, fancier than what he had on earlier, and just right for where they were going. Justin was pleased that Scott had made the effort to dress up a bit, and he hoped it meant the other man saw it as an unofficial date, too.
“How did your other flights go?” Scott asked as they got into Justin’s SUV.
“Pretty typical.” Justin pulled out onto the highway. “Tourists in town trying to get their bearings or just looking for something to do. No lists like yours.”
“Sorry.” Scott looked chagrinned.
“Don’t be,” Justin hurriedly added, hoping that Scott realized he’d been teasing. “I didn’t mean that as a negative. You’ve given me a challenge, and I think the whole idea of researching and writing stuff for websites is interesting.”
“It’s the perfect job for someone who actually enjoyed doing term papers in school,” Scott joked.
“Which I guess makes me the kid with his head in the clouds,” Justin returned with a grin. “Great that we both found a way to do what we love.”Now if I can just do what I love with someone I love.
Scott grinned, and Justin felt his heart speed up. “Thanks for taking pity on me being alone for dinner.”
“No pity involved. I enjoyed our flight, and I thought we’d have a good time together,” Justin said.
“I’m sure we will.”
Justin’s intuition read tentative hopefulness in the other man. He vowed to set Scott at ease and prove he could be trusted.
“So…the fish house,” Justin said as they made the short drive to their dinner destination. “It’s a local institution. Been around for at least fifty years. Some people say it started from a seasonal fish fry, and others count from when it turned into a year-round place to eat. What matters is that the fish is always fresh, the platters are big, and the side dishes are amazing.”
“Oh yeah?” Scott angled himself as best he could to see Justin as they talked.
“Yeah. They change depending on what’s in season and what they run out of,” Justin continued. “French fries, coleslaw, potato or macaroni salad, carrots, and green beans. Dessert is homemade, usually pudding, cakes, pies, whatever the cooks feel like making.
“You’ll see nearly everyone from town sooner or later,” Justin added. “Long-time visitors, too. On weekends, there’s usuallylive music. Local bands play there when they aren’t in one of the bars downtown.”
“It sounds like people in Fox Hollow know how to make their own fun,” Scott said.
Justin nodded. “We do. There’s always something going on at the library, book clubs, knitting circle, art classes, free seminars, and movie parties. The high school sports teams have a rabid following, and so do the band and chorus. The community college offers all kinds of courses. There are groups for skiing, ice skating, winter fishing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, anything people want to do.”
“And here I thought maybe you were all a bunch of hermits,” Scott joked.
“Oh, we have a few of those,” Justin admitted. “Different strokes and all that. But most people are almost desperately social over the winter. And that’s not even counting all the special events around holidays: school performances, cooking classes, community theatre, decorating contests, and a lot more. We’re a creative bunch, that’s for sure.”
“Albany isn’t quite that social,” Scott said. “Or at least, you’d have to go looking for those kinds of activities. I’m sure they happen somewhere, but they’re not always easy to find or open to the public. Other than my gaming group, it’s been hard to get to know new people since I got out of college. That might be the one upside of working in an office, a built-in social circle.”
Justin felt sad that Scott sounded lonely, even as it presented another reason for him to consider relocating to Fox Hollow. “There’s always room for one more here,” Justin told him. “I mean, just sayin’.”
