Page 66 of Off the Trail

Chapter 28

Shawn

I overslept at Blaze’s this morning and had to rush to be on time at work, so I’m wearing the same sweat-stained clothes from yesterday. I smell like Blaze’s deodorant. My ass is a little sore.

Life is good.

I guess I needed the extra sleep after the twin whammies of getting fucked for the first time and then baring my soul to the guy who fucked me. Blaze may not have expected my declarations, but every word was true. The life I’m building here feels right. I know I have more to figure out—like just about everything. But I’m up for it. Especially knowing Blaze has my back.

When it’s almost time for lunch, I’m about to ask Leo if I can borrow his car to make a quick trip back to the retreat—since I didn’t sleep in the cabin last night, I don’t have my usual gourmet packed lunch. But a panel van I’ve seen parked at the retreat makes an appearance before I can ask. Nolan emerges, throws open the side of the van and pulls out a crate.

“You here with my order of drywall screws?” Luis asks.

“Nope. Muffins, coffee, and chipotle chicken burritos,” the chef announces, whipping a cloth off the crate to reveal his creations.

The guys descend on the food. I’m starving but hang back. “This your idea?” I ask Nolan.

He looks at me like I’m nuts, then relents and winks. “Blaze thought you might be hungry. I gather you’ve been working up an appetite.”

I make an undignified sputter, and he smirks, glancing at the crew. “All this sweaty, dirty construction work, I mean.”

I can’t help but laugh. “Well, that was thoughtful of him.” I grab one of the individually wrapped burritos. “Thanks for delivering.”

After absorbing the compliments from the crew, Nolan doesn’t stick around. Along with a plate of cranberry crumb muffins, he’s left some paper cups and a carafe of coffee, which I glug between bites.

Leo joins me, filling his travel mug with strong, hot coffee.

“Damn, I wonder where he gets these beans. They’re dope,” Leo says, inhaling the steam rising from his mug.

“I’ll try to find out for you.”

“Thanks, man.” Leo touches my elbow with his. “And I’ve been meaning to say thanks for joining the crew. We needed some new blood. At this rate, we’re going to be ahead of schedule in a few days.”

“Really?” It feels like we’ve been getting a lot done, but I hadn’t noticed how much.

Leo smacks his lips after taking a sip of coffee. “Yeah, man. Between the rain and losing one of our guys, Luis was worried. But then you came, and everyone’s all smiles again. You saved the day.”

His words feel good. Not unlike the team high-fiving me after hitting a dinger that drives in a couple of runs. “Well, if I’ve been able to help, it’s all down to you being a good teacher. I’ve learned a ton.” We clink mugs in mutual appreciation. This is what I’m talking about. Being part of a team makes sense to me.

“So what’s the deal with you and Blaze?”

I fumble my paper cup, and some coffee sloshes over onto my thumb. Damn. I wipe my hand on my filthy jeans. “Uh. We’re friends?”

He laughs, not meanly. “Uh-huh. That’s cool.”

“We’re hanging out,” I say, which is the most vague-yet-true way to describe us I can come up with.

“Well, Blaze is a good guy,” Leo says. “We all want to see him happy.”

“Sure, of course.” Is this the warning talk? I’m glad Blaze has people who care enough to give it.

“You know his parents passed when he was young?”

“I know.” I wish I could have met them and been able to tell them what a great kid they raised.

He examines me steadily for a minute, then nods. My chest puffs out a little bit—I’ve passed some kind of test. And I can’t wait for the end of the day when I can thank Blaze personally for the food delivery.

We’ve been back at work for about an hour when a green SUV drives up to the construction site. It takes me a second to recognize Marika’s Land Rover. The woman herself gets out of the vehicle, silver hair pulled back into a loose braid.