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“I certainly hope he agrees.”
“So, he’s not into the guy from the dog park?”
“No, he was talking about the dog toy. Apparently Luna‘s ball was really slimy. Anyway, Jesse is just… He’s just so…perfect. I can’t help but wonder if he’ll get bored with me.”
Cort took a deep breath and turned off the welder so he could focus his attention on me. “Look, I haven’t met the guy, so I can’t say for sure. But, if he’s making you this happy, I’m sure you do the same for him. Not everybody is comfortable with the Daddy/boy dynamic. So if you guys are compatible in that way, I think you should just focus on continuing to build from there.”
I gripped the back of my neck and stretched out my muscles. “Yeah, I know you’re right. I’m not gonna screw it up this time.”
Cort reached over and patted my knee. “I know you won’t, big guy. You got this. And even if he does dump you for some twink from the dog park, at least you’ll have these memories.”
My jaw clenched, and I was ready to punch Cort in the face when he started to laugh. He held up his hands in surrender. “Joking, I’m joking. Sheesh, you need to get laid or something.”
Yeah, I do.We’d been taking things slow, but that might’ve been creating a different kind of tension in me. At least that was something I knew how to rectify.
When I got home, the house was spotless, and Jesse had just hopped in the shower. Through the curtain, he explained that he decided to take Luna for a run after the dog park and wanted to wash off the sweat.
His clothes were in a heap next to the shower, so I picked them up and carried them to the hamper. As usual, I slipped my hand into each pocket to make sure he hadn’t left anything in them that didn’t need to get washed. I’d lost more than a few key fobs and important notes before I got into this routine. What I didn’t expect to find was a business card in his back pocket.
As soon as I saw it, that weird knot in my gut was back. Jason Millionia. Million-Hair Dog Walking Service. He had to be the guy from the park.
I didn’t want to draw any conclusions, but my mood suddenly took a downward turn.
Of course, I’d meant what I said about not forcing Jesse into anything. He was free to be friends with anyone he wanted. And if he wanted to be more than friends with anyone, that was his choice too. I just hoped that wasn’t the case. But, since we’d never specifically talked about it, that was a conversation we’d have to have sooner rather than later.
* * *
“Is this enough?” I gestured to the assortment of fetch toys and bones for Luna overflowing from a basket. “Considering we came here for one toy.”
Jesse tried to look innocent as he held up a stuffed zebra. “Just one more and we’re good. I promise.”
I sighed. “Put it in the basket.”
“I promise I’ll pay you back as soon as I get my first paycheck.” He grabbed the basket from my arm and headed to the cashier. “And business supplies might be a write-off, right? Also…what’s a write-off?”
I chuckled and pulled out my card so he could use the self-checkout aisle. “I don’t know for sure, but don’t worry about it. Consider these a congratulations-on-your-new-job gift.”
“I like how that sounds.” He leaned up on his tiptoes to give me a chaste kiss. Our first real PDA. Then he whispered in my ear, “Thank you, Daddy.”
I swatted his bottom and wagged my eyebrows. “You’re gonna get me in trouble for indecent exposure in here if you keep that up.”
He giggled and started swiping the items across the scanner. “But I don’t actually have a new job yet. They might not hire me. If they don’t, Luna will get these all to herself.”
I stood right beside him, pressing my hip against his as I took the items he’d just scanned and loaded them into a bag like it was a Jenga game. “They would be stupid not to hire you. You’re perfect.”
Jesse sucked in a stuttering breath and bit his lip as he turned to me. “I am?”
I nodded and brushed a soft kiss over his lips. “You definitely are.”
18
JESSE
Dog-walking was the best job in the world. I wondered why everyone wasn’t doing it. Even after just a few days, I knew I’d want to do it forever. I could make a hundred bucks a day in a couple hours and with only two or three dogs at a time, so I still had plenty of time to do my chores and make dinner for Harris before he got home.
Harris didn’t add dinner as a requirement on my chore list, but he seemed to appreciate being able to come straight home after a long day without having to stop and pick up takeout. Also, it was cheaper and healthier to cook at home, so I was happy to do it.
I still wasn’t a great cook, but I found a few websites for beginners in the kitchen and was learning how to put together one-pot meals that were quite tasty. Harris said everything was good, but I could tell he really meant it for some of the dishes. Those were worked into the weekly meal plan, and a few nights were left open for takeout or restaurants.
