“Ker and I just started seeing each other,” Ash told them.
“My, my,” Mitch said. “Seems our brother is full of surprises!”
At that point, Ker visibly relaxed, seeing the playful banter between them all. It was different from the way he’d grown up, but he found that there was a definite appeal to this type of interaction. Maybe he’d judged Muriel too quickly, and she really was just a loving mom who teased her sons regularly just as she had said.
“Your family is really nice,” Ker said when Ash dropped him off later that night.
“Yeah, they can be a handful at times, but what can I say? I love ’em,” Ash said, smiling.
“Do you think they liked me?” Ker asked shyly.
“I’m sure they did.”
“Well, thanks for inviting me, I had a good time.” Ker yawned. “Sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about, sweetie. But I guess that’s my cue to say good night.”
They kissed, gently at first, then things got heated fast. They made out for a few minutes, and Ker was in heaven.This feels better than with anyone else I’ve been with.
When they finally broke, Ker sighed. “Wow. As much as I want to ask you in, I really need to get some sleep, and we both know that won’t happen if you come in with me.”
“You’re right,” Ash agreed. “But we’ll talk tomorrow and make plans to do something this week.”
“Okay. Thanks for a great weekend. I had the best time ever.”
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
Ash
Why did things always seem to go to shit at the worst possible time? He and Ker were embarking on a new relationship, and it seemed that fate was determined to keep them apart this week.
It started when Ash got to work on Monday morning. He and Hank were called in to their captain’s office to discuss a new case being assigned to them. It appeared to be related to a cold case that Hank had worked on a few years earlier, and it meant that not only did they need to follow up on some new leads, but they both needed to review the original case files to see if they could establish specific connections between both cases. And that all meant longer hours for the time being.
Then Ash got a text from Ker, saying that there were some issues with one of the projects he was overseeing, and he was stuck in more meetings than he cared to think about.
But they texted when they could and promised each other they’d get together again soon. At least the weekend was coming, when they could spend some time together Saturday at the community kitchen and then maybe hang out in the afternoon.
It was almost nine on Friday night when Ash got home, and after pulling a container of chili out of the freezer to heat up for dinner, he texted Ker to check in. When he didn’t get a response, he didn’t think much of it, just figuring that Ker had gotten in late and crashed just as Ash was planning to do as soon as he scarfed down his meal. He texted one last time, saying he’d see Ker in the morning, washed his bowl, and stumbled off to bed.
Ash parked in what he now thought of as his usual spot in the community kitchen’s parking lot. Walking into the facility’s back door, he saw Dean and Mack both working on food prep at one of the counters.
“Oh, good, you’re here.” Ash heard Joyce’s voice to his left. “Ker’s out sick, so I really need you today. Can you give Dean and Mack a hand, please?”
“Sure,” Ash replied. Fear crept into his gut. “What’s wrong with Ker?”
“He texted to say he was coming down with something and didn’t want to spread it to anyone else. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
Ash nodded.Is he really sick, or is it something else?Ash remembered getting no response from Ker either last night or that morning. This didn’t feel right.
After lunch was served and everything had been cleaned up and put away, Ash begged off coffee with Mack and Dean. Instead, he drove to Ker’s house. Rather than get out, he sat in the driver’s seat, debating what to do.Should I knock on the door or text him first?Concern won out, and he got out and hurried to Ker’s front door, knocking loudly.
After a few moments, he heard fumbling, and the door opened. Ker was wearing a ratty gray T-shirt and plaid sleeppants with a hole in one knee. Scratching his belly, he croaked, “Hey, Ash, what are you doing here?” His hair was sticking up in random places, and despite sounding awful, he looked adorable.
“Sorry to come by unannounced, but Joyce said you weren’t feeling well, and I wanted to see how you are. Thought maybe you needed something from the store.” Ash wondered if he sounded as lame as he felt. Clearly Ker was ill and not high as he had feared might be the case.
“Or maybe you thought I scored some oxy and wasn’t quite sober enough to go to the shelter this morning?” Bitterness crept into Ker’s voice.
