AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He agreed to my suggestion, but he’s not happy about it.
Maybe their visit would reveal why.
“YOU’RE NOTenjoying this, are you?” Gary murmured.
Dan jerked his head away from the view of Memorial Bridge. “What makes you say that?”
He shrugged. “Instinct.” The Connecticut River Walk was their first stop, and already he was aware of… something he couldn’t put a finger on. “I thought you’d like the walk as it was such a beautiful day. But if you don’t, there are plenty of other places we can visit.” He grinned. “There’s always the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden.”
Dan gazed at him with wide eyes. “Seriously?”
“Or there’s the Casino, the Basketball Hall of Fame….” He grinned again. “The Springfield Armory.”
Dan snorted. “Yeah. I can imagine the fun times you hadthereas a kid.” He leaned against the railing and folded his arms, and Gary tried not to let the sight distract him. Dan in jeans and a button-down blue shirt proved to be just as attractive as Dan in a suit.
Let’s not be coy about this. Dan in jeans is hot.And the fact that Gary could be honest about that only went to prove how far he’d come. It was useless to deny it.
“Earth calling Gary. Come in, Gary.”
He blinked to find Dan regarding him with obvious amusement. “Sorry.”
“Do I want to know where your mind took you?”
Hell no.
Dan continued, “Okay, I’ll admit, this wasn’t what I had in mind when I asked you to bring me here. So let’s try an experiment. No hesitation allowed. Say the first place that comes to mind when you recall your childhood.”
“Forest Park.” No sooner had the words left his lips than he felt as though he couldn’t get enough oxygen. “No… wait….”
Dan was already on his phone. “Let me see.”
No. No. We can’t go there. His stomach roiled.
“Oh, this looks great. Duck ponds, a rose garden, covered bridges, even a zoo….” Dan’s face lit up, and right then Gary knew he’d take him there simply to see more of that light.
That didn’t mean he’d show Danallof the park.
“Fine. Forest Park it is.”
“But let’s grab some food to take with us,” Dan added. “There are picnic tables where we can eat lunch.”
Something coiled around his chest… tighter… tighter….
“There are plenty of places to eat,” he countered, striving not to croak out the words. “We don’t have to stick to the tables.”
Dan bit his lip. “How about we get there first?Thenwe can decide.”
“There’s a Subway right by here.” He pointed to the left along the river walk.
“Great. Let’s go.” Dan flung out his arm. “Lead the way.”
As they strolled along, Gary couldn’t keep one thought from invading his mind over and over.
This is a bad idea.
BY TWOo’clock, Gary’s stomach was growling. “You ready to eat?”
Dan nodded, tossing food to the ducks and other birds who’d flocked to the water’s edge. “That’s the last of it.” He crumpled the plastic bag and tossed it into a nearby trash can. “So many ducks, and different kinds too.”
