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There wasn’t any tiny font anymore. Instead, directly above the Barks, Birds, and Booze sign was another sign: Stonewall Investigations. The white font was elegant and clean, with a bright rainbow cutting through the middle of the text, reaching through the treated birch sign and then coming out of the sign, a rainbow now seeming to be permanently attached to the front of the store. Underlining the Stonewall Investigations was a blue river, glittering like real water whenever the sun hit it just right.
“Wow,” I said, “I love it.”
“Pretty sick, huh?” Darien said, snapping shots with a professional-looking camera. “We got a local queer designer to make it for us.”
“It’s perfect.” I couldn’t help it. I took out my phone and started snapping my own pics. It was a beautiful sign, but more than that, it was a stamp of big ol’ gay support in a town that sometimes lacked it. Not to say Blue Creek was anything like the horror stories some people have about other small towns, but we still had our fair share of shitty people.
This bold and permanent rainbow on the town’s main street would be a constant reminder that Blue Creek welcomed all kinds of people.
“Stonewall’s here to stay,” Austin said proudly, hands on his hips. He wore a dark gray shirt and light jeans that were rolled up at the cuff, showing off a thin red ankle bracelet sitting above his perfectly clean white Vans. His pearl earring glittered almost as much as the sign did.
And that means Austin is staying.
The thought made my heart feel as if it had tripped over a crack. I couldn’t even tamp down my smile if I wanted to.
“I’m gonna work on getting some more shots, boss. Need anything special?” Darien asked, scrolling through the photos he had already taken.
“I think Zane wanted one when it was all lit up, but you don’t have to wait here for that. You can always come back whenever you’ve got a chance.”
“Gotcha. I’ll probably walk down to the café and wait until it gets dark then.” Darien gave a friendly wave and started down the street, his pink shorts matching the exact shade of roses he walked past.
“Think Shelly’s going to be pissed we’re overshadowing her sign?” Austin asked.
I shook my head. “No, I doubt it. The one you have to be worried about is Houston. He’s the vindictive one.”
Austin laughed, the sound as intoxicating as any shot of alcohol would be. “He’s been hanging around in our offices a lot.”
“Yeah, I know. He’s probably scoping you guys out. Trying to figure out weaknesses he can exploit.”
“I’ll make sure to keep an eye on him, then,” Austin said, turning to me. The breeze whipped up, and I was hit with a blast of his cologne, almost causing me to drop to my knees right there and then.
I managed to stay on my feet, though, thank you very much.
Austin’s eyes locked mine in place, his gaze as powerful as if he had a head of snakes. “You know, I was going to head home and work some more, but this moment feels a little too big not to celebrate. Want to go to the Library and grab a couple of drinks?” Then, as if Austin caught himself in something, he amended, “We can just talk about your case. I’ve got some updates for you.”
I wanted to say that it was fine, we didn’t have to talk about my case, and we didn’t have to turn drinks into business. We could just be.
Instead, I kept my mouth shut and shook my head. Every bone and cell and organ and molecule in my body shouted at me to say yes and go get drinks with him, but for some ungodly reason, I still shook my head.
“It’s been a long day,” I said, not wanting to tell him I was running on a total of five hours of sleep between the last three days. “I should probably head home.”
Austin’s smirk slanted, and his eyes lidded. A dash of sun hit him just right, painting his strong features as if with a brush, strokes of gold light making his tan skin shimmer and his hazel eyes glow. Disappointment creased the space between his well-maintained eyebrows, framing his eyes even more.
And then something happened. A memory cracked through, brief and as flimsy as a wet napkin, but it was also undeniable and sent a rippling wave of emotion through me.
I remembered those eyes. I couldn’t pull up anything past the eyes, but in that moment, I didn’t need to. I had all I needed in front of me.
“You know what, forget it.” The giddiness was difficult to keep from bubbling over in my tone. “Let’s go grab drinks. This is a moment that needs to be celebrated.”
Austin’s smile returned, and the creases disappeared, and his hazel eyes glowed bright.
