Page 7 of Jack Frosting

“How else am I going to find Mr. Right Now?”

Eli rolled his eyes on his way out the door. “I’m saving all the furniture for when Clayton gets here.”

All of my stuff was now in Clayton’s basement. I had to admit even I was a little beat, and I was arguably the fittest of the group. I said as much out loud, not trying to brag, once we had gathered in the kitchen for more beer.

“Subtle, Jack,” Gareth said, smiling.

“What?”

“That was so much work. All my muscles are sore.”

Heat gathered on my face after Clayton laughed at Eli’s impression of me. “Sorry for thinking out loud, but I do work out for a living. If I thought through what I wanted to say, it would have been to thank you all for helping me move my stuff.”

“We can’t all be six-foot-three, but we still have muscles,” Clayton added with a flex.

I definitely didn’t stare, and Gareth didn’t catch me staring.

“Do you want to stay for dinner?” Clayton asked Eli and Gareth.

They had a mini conversation before Gareth answered in the affirmative for them.

“If you’re cooking, I can go pick up Henry and Trey from practice if you want,” Eli suggested.

“I was gonna order pizza if that’s okay, but I wouldn’t say no to you picking them up.”

I had met Henry a few days ago and had received only a grunt despite his father’s admonishment. Clayton had explained that Henry wasn’t handling the departure of his mother well despite the elapsed time. A grunt was better than nothing, according to him, so I didn’t take offense. My parents had split when I was ten. I could only imagine what he was feeling.

THREE

CLAYTON

After Jill left and I lost my job a few months later, I was beyond devastated. The only thing that kept me holding on to reality was Henry. He couldn’t afford to lose me too. But the divorce hit him hard.

He was quiet before, but now he was surly, almost angry. Eli didn’t have much advice since Trey was so young when his separation occurred, other than telling me to show Henry that I cared, that nothing had changed between us. I was still his dad and I would never leave.

The first time I hugged him after she left, he began sobbing, asking “Why did she leave us?” and it almost broke me inside. Who was I kidding? It did break me. I had the same question.

After that, he was stoic. It was like he put up a wall. He was still respectful and he still said ‘I love you’ but he had changed. And I hated that she did that to him.

When Gareth had mentioned Jack needed a place to say, a lightbulb went off. I had never thought of someone else living with us, but I needed the money. Jill’s child support payments weren’t exactly reliable, and unemployment wasn’t enough to cover the mortgage and expenses. Even with Christmas still several months away, I was worried. It was Henry’s favorite holiday, and I wanted to make it memorable. Especially this year.

Jack, it seemed, was just what our household needed. Having someone else around that wasn’t associated with the before times brought Henry a little more out of his cocoon of animosity, and it gave me another adult to talk to as well. He was a calming presence after what had been a tumultuous summer. He was the definition of chill, a personality trait I had never mastered. It only became worse after having a kid.

I heard the door open and close, so I called out. “How was school?”

“It was school, Dad,” he replied from the hall.

“You have homework?” I asked, but he had already disappeared up the stairs.

I busied myself with unemployment forms and searching for jobs until I heard the door again.

“Hey there, how was your day?” Jack asked, leaning against the door frame.

Jack, it turned out, was a really nice guy. The fact that he was a complete and total hunk was a bonus. A bonus that I wanted to fuck. I probably should’ve mentioned that optional benefit to him before he moved in, though I doubted he was a bottom. Not with a body like that.

I tried to come up with something that sounded exciting, but answered, “Quiet.”

“I was gonna see if Henry wanted to go for a run, then maybe I can take you both out as a thank you for welcoming me into your home.”