"It's not like you're overloading me with work. And anyway, I like doing stuff for you and Joey. I'd do it for free, but I need money for school," he said with a grin. He was just too sweet.
"OK. We are grateful for you and everything you do," Bailey told him. He was tempted to ask what had driven him to drink like that, but he didn't want to sound like he was interrogating him. He moved on to an easier question. "How are you feeling this morning?"
"Not too bad, but not great," Matt said.
"I'm going to call Joey to come eat his cereal. He's watching boats," Bailey said.
Matt stepped out of his way, but then as Bailey was passing by, he asked, "Do I need to apologize for kissing you?"
Bailey stopped and turned and realized he was now standing too close to Matt and staring into his blue eyes. "I... No," Bailey said and sounded breathless. He didn't trust himself to say anything else so he just rushed away.
That evening they put the new grill to good use and had a barbecue and not just for them. They invited a few neighbors over including Joey's little friend Louise and her parents, and two other kids were going to be coming over with their parents too. Gwen was working but she said she and her boyfriend might drop by later.
The barbecue had been Bailey's idea. He needed something that would keep him from being alone with Matt once nightfell. He and Matt did end up working together in the kitchen, preparing the food that was going to go on the grill and the sides.
Unlike Bailey, Matt didn't seem ill at ease at all. It was much easier for him to forget last night than for Bailey. Though it might not be flattering, it made it easier for Bailey to act like the kind of man who didn't lose his head over a drunk kiss from a hot guy.
As Bailey and Matt were getting things ready, Joey was very excited about the barbecue and eager to help. "You'll have your own guests at the barbecue," Bailey told him.
"The kids," Joey said.
"Right. It will be your job to make sure they have drinks and food and everything they need," Bailey said. "Is that going to be too much for you?"
"I can do it, Daddy," Joey said, taking his hosting responsibilities very seriously.
As soon as they started bringing out the food, the guests started arriving. "We saw you and ran over to see what you were putting on the grill," Chad, their neighbor from a few houses down the beach said. Seeing the thick burgers, he clapped his hands together. "Those look good."
His husband, Franco, was more subdued. "Thank you for having us."
Their two kids were being informed that they were Joey's guests. "Just mine," Joey told them. "I'm gonna do everything."
"He's playing host, huh?" Chad said then he eyed Bailey and Matt. "And you two, are you playing...?" Franco elbowed him.
"Let's get you some drinks," Bailey said and gave Chad a quick glare. He wasn't sure Matt would feel comfortable telling off a guest, so he was ready to do it on his behalf if Chad didn't zip it.
"He'll behave. We don't want to have to go home early. Again," Franco said pointedly.
Chad looked sheepish and he did stop insinuating things and turned to talking about some new investment he was very excited about. Listening to him, Matt looked bored but Bailey was relieved.
The other guests didn't say anything about him and Matt, but they did give them significant looks sometimes. Bailey told himself that it couldn't be helped. Having a manny as gorgeous as Matt was bound to make people wonder what might be going on between them, but Bailey didn't like people thinking that way about Matt. He was a good guy, kind and helpful and always patient and ready to include Joey in whatever he was doing.
Right now, Matt was letting Joey put the top half of the bun on the burgers he just finished grilling. "Oh, no. I put it on crooked," Joey said.
"It's OK. It doesn't have to be perfect," Matt told him.
"But we can't let it fall in the sand. It's for the guests," Joey said and he fixed it.
"Now it's safe. Who gets that one?" Matt asked. "Maybe your dad."
"But I have to take care of the kids, Matt. You take care of Daddy, OK?" Joey told him and Bailey quickly turned away before he started thinking of all the different ways Matt might take care of him beyond just getting him a burger. And he was ready to get mad at everyone else for having a dirty mind when it came to Matt.
Taking Joey's instructions to heart, Matt came over to him with a burger. "You said you liked yours with barbecue sauce and no cheese, that's what I have here," he said.
"Thank you, but I was just about to take over at the grill to give you a break," Bailey told him.
"I like grill duty, but you can have a turn when you're done eating," Matt told him with a smile.
Bailey noticed that he grabbed a drink for himself and he went for a soda though they had beer and wine. He did that before too. Was that because he didn't trust himself or did he think Bailey would judge him?
