"I told Gwen about the rumors. That's why she was asking about that, but the guy who was spreading them is gone now." He hoped that would be good news to Matt, but he kept his head down and wouldn't look at him. He then stood up and walked away toward the shore.
It was like he just wanted to get away from Bailey. He considered leaving Matt alone to deal with this, but he just couldn't.
Setting down his beer, Bailey followed him. Staying turned away, Matt asked him, "You heard about that? What people are saying about me?"
"I did. I should have told you, but I just felt I shouldn't bring it up. It seemed like it was better if you didn't know. That wasn't my decision to make. Sorry, I..." Bailey trailed off. He wasn't sure how to explain himself and not make Matt feel worse.
Now Matt faced him and the expression on his face was pained. "You talked to Gwen about it and not me. You went to her because you didn't trust me."
"No, of course not," Bailey told him. "I trust you."
"You know I'm desperate for money. Everyone knows," Matt said.
"That doesn't mean you would do anything," Bailey said. "You work hard."
"And what if the rumor was true? How would you feel then?" Matt challenged him.
"I would feel the same. I wouldn't judge you," Bailey told him.
Matt looked surprised. "Really? I'm telling you it's not true. I've never had sex for money."
"OK. I believe you," Bailey told him.
"Why?" Matt asked.
Bailey wasn't sure how to answer that. "I just trust you. I don't know why you're surprised. I trust you with Joey."
Matt hung his head. "Yeah. That's true. I guess I can't believe how hard I've fallen for you or how much I like you. And you..." He didn't finish, just took Bailey in his arms and kissed him. "Thank you for believing me."
Chapter 18
It was a rainy day. That wasn't too bad for Bailey since he had to work anyway, but Joey was on the porch with his toys, pouting at the rain and watching the waves crash. He would have gone out there even in the rain, even with the bigger waves, but he had to content himself with pretending to spot pirate ships.
Going to get some water, Bailey noticed that Matt looked antsy as he straightened in the living room. "What's wrong?"
"I ran out of thing to do," he said with a huff.
"You're just too good at your job," Bailey told him with a smile, but Matt was frowning.
"I want to be useful. Earn what you're paying me."
"You don't have to be doing something every second. You can just keep Joey company," Bailey told him, but Matt's frown only deepened.
"So you don't need me to do anything useful? Is that because you only hired me as a charity case because you knew I needed money for school?" Matt asked.
"No. I do need you so I can focus on work. And you got this house into shape," Bailey told him. "You have been a big help."
"I'm the help. An employee. Nothing more?" Matt asked.
Bailey felt like he didn't know what this conversation was about. He thought it was about Matt's job but now it was becoming personal. He got flustered, not sure what he could say without scaring him off, and suddenly Matt was walking away. As he went out to sit with Joey, Bailey heard Matt ask, "Do you want to read something together?"
Bailey could hardly go after him now, and what would he say? He was sure he wanted too much from Matt, so much he was afraid to think it. Saying it seemed impossible, but he could at least tell Matt that he cared about him.
Back at his desk, Bailey wondered if he should text Matt, but even then he had trouble putting into words what he felt. If he was completely honest, it seemed like he was going too far, but holding back and saying something bland and reassuring seemed pointless. Was he really this bad at expressing himself?
Then Matt came in and stood in the doorway to the office. He looked unsure then he sighed. "I'm really sorry about before. I didn't mean to pressure you like that."
"No, it's OK," Bailey told him, he was going to say more, but Matt cut in.
