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“Can I have some of that?”
“Of course.”
“What about vegetables?”
He bit his lip, then brightened. “Um, I have macaroni and cheese.”
“That’s not a vegetable. How do you eat like that and still have zero fat on your body? You’re a terrible role model for your brother.”
“I know,” he said, sighing. “I guess I got in the habit because it’s easier and cheaper just to buy the things I know he’ll eat when I go to the store.”
“But he won’t learn to try new things if you never buy them.”
His face fell. “That’s true. I’m a terrible brother.”
“You’re a great brother.” I continued to take the food out of their containers and put them on plates and then popped them in the microwave.
I stood for a moment looking around the beautiful cabin interior. The countertops were granite and the appliances high end stainless steel. Expensive tile floor that looked like wood graced the floor and everything looked expensive.
“So this Suzanne just gave you the use of this place out of the goodness of her heart?”
“Yes. Why? Is that so impossible to believe?”
“Not impossible, no. Difficult, maybe. What’s her angle? Does she realize you’re gay?”
His cheeks turned that pink color that made me want to eat him right up. “Yes, of course. There’s no angle. Suzanne can be irritating, but nice,” he said, his tone defensive.
“Glad to hear it. Did I hear you correctly when you told me she gave you a sign on bonus when you were hired?”
“Yes, and it really came in handy at the time. It actually made me decide, because I had been thinking about taking a different job.”
“Did you mention that to her?”
“I told her I had another offer at the interview, yeah. And that I had to think the offer over. I told her I’d get back to her, and…well, I guess that’s when she offered me the bonus.” He plunked the dish down in front of me, still a little irritated.
“And that didn’t strike you as odd?”
“I’m good at my job,” he said, his voice holding a hint of irritation.
“I don’t doubt you are, but you work in a cubicle, Jace. I saw it. It’s probably a pretty good job, don’t get me wrong, but…”
He stood still for a moment, thinking about it and his shoulders slumped. “No, it’s a terrible job, actually. I don’t want to go back. I’ve never been happy there, but I need the salary. And I don’t have a lot of time to look for another one right now. I have too many bills to pay.”
“My point is that it seems to me to be a mid-level kind of job. Not any kind of supervisory job or one specialized enough to seem to warrant a sign on bonus.”
“Oh. Well, maybe so. I guess. But what are you implying?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll be interested to see what I can find out about her background, though.”
“She’s a really nice lady. That’s all.”
“Okay. If that’s all it is, we won’t find anything when we check her out.”
He busied himself with finding napkins and silverware, plunking the plates down a little too hard. I ignored his little snit and settled in to eat, because I was starving. That was unusual for me, as I hadn’t had a really good appetite for years. Maybe it was the sex, or maybe just Jace and the way he made me feel. I took a big bite of the roasted chicken. It was delicious and I hadn’t realized how hungry I had been. I looked up at him to see him chewing thoughtfully for a moment and then he turned to look at me.
“I don’t know, Logan, that all seems farfetched. What kind of ulterior motive could Suzanne of all people have for wanting me to work at her company? I’d never met her before I interviewed.”
“I don’t know, but that’s what I’d like to find out. It just seems pat. Too much so, and I don’t trust it.”
