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“You do have good taste.” Relieved that Garrick was giving him a change of subject to cling to, he forced his voice to be light and easy. Remembering Rain’s disdain for standard swim trunks, Garrick had surprised him by ordering this set, close-fitting powder blue shorts with Rain’s favorite pony character on one leg and a rainbow on the other, and a matching rash guard shirt. It might not be as sexy as skinny-dipping, but it was more than satisfactory as socially acceptable swimming attire for public.
He liked the shirt part a lot because it was the combo of bare chest and baggy board shorts that he’d never much liked. It wasn’t so much that he’d craved a more femme option as that he wanted to feel more like himself, and this new outfit did that. All that was missing was his usual mindset of not giving a fuck for others and their opinions. He needed to stop worrying about whether Garrick’s dad approved of him. Garrick swore that Rain made him happy. Heck, he said he loved Rain. He needed to focus on that, not stupid worries.
That in mind, he stole one more kiss then hefted himself off Garrick’s lap. “Come on, Cookie. Let’s load up.”
Once they were underway, Garrick fiddled with the stereo volume before speaking. “I’ve been thinking. And talking to Stephanie at PT yesterday too. I think I’m going to look into trading in my old truck, get something more compatible with hand controls and easy loading of the chair on my own.”
“That makes sense.” Rain didn’t want to make too big a deal out of this decision, but he was well aware that this was another large step in Garrick accepting the permanence of his situation and making plans for his future accordingly. “I don’t mind being your chauffeur, but I can see where you’d enjoy driving again. Be able to set your own hours at work. You should do it.”
He tried to be way more upbeat and pragmatic about this than he’d been about the special leash for Cookie. Garrick independent was a good thing, and like Grandma had said, even if a person had the ability to do something on their own, they could still choose to do things together simply because they wanted to. Like Garrick might still ride with Rain sometimes, and Rain was going to work on trusting that he’d want Rain around regardless of need.
“Yeah. I’ll need lessons, and it might require a trip to Portland to find the right vehicle, but I think it might be worth it.”
“Your dad will probably cheer you on too. You’ll be able to do some of your own grocery shopping, get your endless supply of eggs and protein powder.” He gave an exaggerated shudder to make Garrick laugh.
“Hey now. The drinks I make myself aren’t that gross.”
“Yeah, they kind of are. But it’s okay. You’re cute and I lo—like you anyway.” He had to stop himself from the casual use of the L-word. If he hadn’t been able to get the word out back when Garrick had been waiting for it, Rain wasn’t about to toss it in as an oh-by-the-way in an ordinary conversation either.
“I like you a lot too.” Garrick gave his thigh a fond pat before Rain made the turn for the country road that led to his dad’s place. This wasn’t his first trip out this way as he’d picked Garrick up from here a couple of times, but this was the first invitation he’d had to a meal. Damn it. Now his flutters were back, which Garrick seemed to sense, because he added, “You’re damn easy to like. Just ask Cookie.”
“Cookie likes anyone with biscuits.” He snort-laughed, but it did work to relieve a little of his antsiness. “Your dad is maybe a little more discriminating.”
“He called me this morning to verify what you can eat. Twice. Maybe he’s nervous too. It’ll work out, baby. You’ll see.”
“Okay.”
“And you deserve a nice dinner and swim after the week you’ve had on clean-up duty. Everyone’s noticed how hard you’ve been working. Ryland and Adams both remarked on it yesterday. You’ve really stepped it up with your boss out.”
“Yeah, well, Bosler’s a pretty good role model, even if he does get cranky sometimes.”
“And he understood when you told him you were staying?”
“Yeah. Like Grandma and your dad though, I think he believes I’ll regret it, but he simply shrugged and said there’s always next year. Competition for a hotshot crew here will be tight though. Speaking of, Zeb keeps making noises about wanting to know my training regimen. I’m telling you, you could make extra dough as a personal trainer.”
“Have Zeb meet us at the park some morning. No fee. I enjoyed doing a plan for you, but not sure I want to make a career out of it. Your friends are always welcome at my place, though.”
