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“Rosco is more than welcome to stay here, since I’m pretty sure the motel has a no-pets policy, but if you came up here expecting to crash my life for the next week or whatever, that’s not happening. I have a boyfriend, a job I really enjoy, and a life here in Weston. You are not part of those things, Kenny.”
“If you and your boyfriend are solid, he shouldn’t mind me staying over one night. We’ll leave in the morning.”
The “we’ll leave” pissed Michael off, cementing his suspicion that the only reason Kenny had brought Rosco was as a bargaining chip. A way to guilt-trip Michael into acquiescing to his requests for a few extra hours with his dog. A dog who’d always liked Michael more than Kenny, because Michael had taken him to the dog parks and on long walks and cuddled him randomly throughout the day.
But more than throwing Rosco in his face, Michael silently fumed over the “if he and his boyfriend were solid” remark. Michael didn’t have to prove his relationship to Kenny, and as proud as Michael was of Josiah, he didn’t want to hand Kenny any more ammunition. Kenny was very much the type to throw the boss/employee thing right back in Michael’s face.
“You should have called and saved yourself a hundred bucks in gas,” Michael said. “Especially since it sounds like your funds are limited.”
Kenny flat-out glared. He was used to getting his way and not to running face-first into obstacles he couldn’t bulldoze through or sweet-talk his way out of. Michael never used to fight him, argue with him, or care too much about anything beyond the computer. No more. Now Michael cared about every aspect of his life and the relationships most important to him. Kenny was no longer on that list of relationships. The only way Michael could give Kenny money was to ensure Rosco was looked after and not dumped on another neighbor when things got too hard.
“How are you going to feed Rosco?” Michael asked. “You know he has a sensitive stomach and needs high protein food. You can’t just feed him dollar store kibble.”
“His food is in the car. He hasn’t had dinner yet because I didn’t know where we’d be eating. Actually, I haven’t eaten dinner yet, either. How’s that diner I passed in town?”
“It’s good. Just avoid the soup of the day. It’s the same soup every day.”
“Why don’t you come along and show me what’s good?”
“How about instead, you check out the diner yourself. I’ll stay here, feed Rosco, and then make something for me, Dad, and Josiah.”
“Who’s Josiah?”
Oh yeah, they hadn’t been introduced in the yard earlier and that was Michael’s mistake. No wonder Josiah had fled to the trailer. He’d probably felt insulted by the omission and Michael needed to make it up to him soon. “Josiah’s the guy who was outside with me earlier. He’s been Dad’s daytime caregiver, and he rents the trailer from us.”
He’s also my boyfriend, I think I love him, and he’s the best thing in my life.
“He rents from you and you feed him?” Kenny asked in a sneering tone Michael had heard too many times when Kenny was complaining about his food to a restaurant server. It irritated him then and it irritated him now.
“He’s family. Dad adores him, and he’s a fantastic friend. He also cooks most nights during the week, and we never asked him to, so I can toss a few meals in his direction once in a while.” That was a vast oversimplification of what Josiah meant to his family but, again, Kenny didn’t need that kind of ammunition. He already had Rosco.
Kenny watched him silently for several long seconds. Then his eyes started to sparkle with familiar mischief. “Holy shit, you’re boning the help. Is he this so-called boyfriend or just a piece on the side? You know, I knew you had a thing for our third pool boy, Travis. Were you sleeping with him, too?”
“Who? Fuck, no, I didn’t screw around with any of our pool boys. Christ, I never cheated on you, Kenny, not once. I was too busy padding your bank account and taking your dick up my ass to have any time for fooling around.”
“Interesting. You didn’t deny boning the nurse.”
“My personal life stopped being any of your business the first time you cheated on me. If you want to go into town for dinner, that’s fine. Rosco and his food stay here. You can sleep in Dad’s room upstairs for one night. That’s it. If you choose to stay and keep playing up this Thanksgiving thing, you can go to the motel.”
Kenny scowled. “Fine. I’ll bring in his food and bowls.”
“Fine.”
Rosco barely twitched when Kenny went outside, content and happy to be with Michael again, and Michael felt the same way. He loved his dog so much and didn’t want to say goodbye tomorrow or ever again. But he had no real grounds to sue Kenny for custody of a dog. Even though their shared account had paid the vet bills and bought his food, Kenny had brought him into the relationship and both their lawyers agreed a judge would consider him Kenny’s property.
Kenny returned with a cloth bag, left it by the door, and went back outside. A moment later, headlights flashed and an engine roared.
It only occurred to Michael then that he hadn’t locked the front gate. No sense in doing it right now, since Kenny would be back in an hour or two, and they hadn’t had a single odd incident in the couple of weeks since Josiah’s attack. Instead of worrying, he filled Rosco’s bowls with kibble and water, and then inspected the kitchen for dinner ideas while his beloved dog ate.
Most of his dinner ideas would take too long and he was hungry, so Michael pulled out the stuff to make BLT sandwiches for everyone. Bacon wasn’t the best thing for Dad right now, but it cooked fast in a skillet, and they had plenty of lettuce and tomato. While the bacon began frying he called Josiah.
“Hey,” Josiah said. “Are you okay?”
“I think so. This whole thing is fucking with my head, but Kenny went into Weston to eat at the diner, and I’m making BLTs for us. Rosco’s here too, eating his dinner.” Josiah was quiet for so long that Michael checked to make sure his cell hadn’t dropped the call. “Hello?”
“I’m here. I, um, ate a frozen thing that was still in my fridge, so you and Elmer enjoy the BLTs, okay? I’ll see you in the morning.”
“What? You don’t have to hide in the trailer. Kenny is staying one night, because he’s fucking broke, and that’s it.”
