TRASK HAD discovered this beauty among the hodgepodge of items on sale in the antique barn. He ran his hands over the wide expanse of the triangular-shaped tabletop as he mentally reviewed Felipe’s apartment space. That should fit in the corner quite nicely. But he wanted to be sure. This was Felipe’s gift. It had to be just right. Only there was no easy way to pop over to his place to take measurements. He’d eyeballed the space when he’d picked up Felipe for their trip to Pittsburgh, but the imp hadn’t let him out of his sight long enough pull out his tools.
He sat back on his heels and pondered the problem. There was only one real solution. It was one Trask was reluctant to take. Trask studied the table. Time to suck it up. This was for Felipe. He took out his phone and scrolled through to the group text Felipe had set up so they could discuss dinner plans together. A quick flutter of nerves hit him, and he ruthlessly quashed it. Felipe’s father had extended the invite. The least Trask could do was to meet him halfway.
He found Donato’s number, took a quick picture of the table, and laid out the measurements. He composed and erased several messages before settling on one. Would you mind doing a favor for me? I’m looking at this table for Felipe, but I want to be sure it will fit in the corner of the living room where his crafting tubs are. Would you mind taking a couple measurements? He hit Send and pushed away the uncomfortable feeling. It was done. No sense angsting over it.
A weekend alone with Felipe had hooked Trask hard. Despite Felipe’s worries that he’d talk too much, there had been plenty of times when he’d been silent while he was working on his schoolwork or on the sewing project he’d brought along. Trask had taken advantage of those times to enjoy the silence and read. It had been good to share those quiet times, to share calm without it being awkward. As much as he enjoyed quiet, Trask had a surfeit of it in his life. When he wasn’t still, Felipe was always entertaining. Trask was sure he aggravated Felipe more than Felipe aggravated him.
But a little exasperation was good. Kept them from getting complacent. One thing Trask had learned over the many years of failed relationships was that they took work, and if both parties weren’t willing to work at it, they might as well put a halt to it quickly. Felipe wasn’t one to back down from a hard conversation. He might flail and stomp off and engage in other dramatics, but he always returned to have it out, and he listened, which had been a surprise, Trask would admit. He was a never-ending revelation. Those who took him for a shallow diva were missing the chance of getting to know an amazing man.
Felipe had eased Trask’s brood over the events of Thanksgiving. Of course, he’d shoved him right back into another brood over this damn dinner with his parents. Christ. Families. Trask just didn’t know how to deal.
Trask crouched to examine the table closer as he waited to see if Donato would respond. The surface was nicked and scarred but nothing he couldn’t fix with some sanding and varnishing. It had been made from red oak, and it would shine when Trask had finished fixing it up. Felipe would love every inch of it. Trask could almost picture his excited delight, and it put a smile on his face.
One of the legs was wobbly, and Trask ducked underneath to investigate. The side panel of wood against the leg had rotted through. He could replace that easy. There were half a dozen cubbies and drawers, perfect to organize Felipe’s tools and supplies. It would be so much nicer for him to have them on hand instead of storing it all in those plastic tubs he had around his apartment. One of the drawers stuck. On the same side as the rotting plank. Wood had probably swelled too much, warped the runners. It would take many hours of manual labor, but Trask could do it. He’d sweet-talk Ryan into letting him use his workshop.
His phone dinged, and Trask pulled it out. That thing is going to need a lot of work.
The man had to see the beneath the surface. Yeah, but nothing a little TLC won’t fix. And a visit to the lumberyard to see what he could find to match. Some of the wood was beyond saving, but not most.
You have an eye for potential.
Trask hid his grin as he got back up and dusted off his seat. That was an encouraging sign. If it didn’t fit just right in the corner, it could still take the place of Felipe’s rickety table. The corner was ideal because it would give him more room. Felipe’s space wasn’t as limited as Trask’s, but it was still tiny. Thanks. I’m getting it before someone else sees this potential.
I’ll double-check the measurements, but I think you have a winner.
Trask put his phone away, a little more confident that their dinner plans wouldn’t be the awkward affair he dreaded. He set off, looking for a staff member to negotiate with.
If he played this right, he could get the table at a steal and it would be a beauty when he was done. Probably wouldn’t get the repairs finished before Christmas. Time was just racing by. But there was no rule that said a gift couldn’t be given on any day for any reason, and Trask couldn’t wait to see Felipe’s whole face light up when he saw the finished piece.
He had just loaded the purchased table onto his truck when his phone rang. A slow flush of pleasure filled him as he recognized Felipe’s ringtone. The imp had stolen his phone and programmed his own song with Timberlake announcing that he was bringing sexy back. It absolutely fit his sass and confidence and never failed to make Trask smile when he heard it.
“Yeah, imp?” Trask slid into his truck and set it on speaker before he pulled out. “What’s going on?”
“Every dangly bit I own is freezing solid. Especially the fun ones,” Felipe grumbled. “My heater is acting up. Dipshits don’t know how to shut off their fucking windshield wipers, and if I get struck in the face one more time with dirty, icy water, I’m going to shove a Christmas tree up their ass and make them my own personal angel tree topper. I’ll even make them wings.”
Trask winced at the imagery. “Damn, that’s vicious.”
“So’s ruining my eyeliner and making this damn job more miserable than it already is.” Felipe sighed. “Did you get the picture I sent you?”
“I did. I like the look on you.” Eyeliner made Felipe smolder. He didn’t need it, but Trask wouldn’t complain. “You know I’ve always wondered. When you wear those skirts or women’s costumes that you sometimes do at cons, do you wear women’s underthings as well?”
“Always wondered, hmmm?” Felipe’s voice dropped to a seductive purr. “Did you wonder this before we hooked up?”
“Maybe a time or two.” Trask was only human, and Felipe was the sexiest man to ever strut into a con. It wasn’t so much his looks. Those weren’t bad. It was his confidence. It just oozed from him. Confidence in his look and in his skill in pulling it off.
“Why, Trask Briscoe, you naughty man,” Felipe teased with glee. “I love it. Just you wait until I get my hands on you. What are you doing tonight?”
“Closing up the Den.” Trask thought of an evening with Felipe with regret. He’d learned to recognize that tone from Felipe, and it stirred his blood every time. He wasn’t sure when he’d get the chance to see Felipe again and have him make good on the promise in his voice.
“Why don’t I come over after I get off? I can grab Lady, pick up something to eat for us on my way down, and we can relax together until it’s time to go meet my folks this weekend.” Felipe did not sound at all worried about a situation that filled Trask with dread. The thought of Felipe being with him tonight gave him something else to anticipate. “Do you have to be at the Den tomorrow too?”
“Yep, we’re going to be packed. Full day of events.” Trask’s loft was too small for two good-sized dogs, but Sophie and Lady got along just fine, and they’d survive the crowding for a couple of nights. There was more room at the Den, especially when they had access to the outside. Trask doubted they’d see Lady again after she found the doggie door. “Gillian is going to close up for me, so we can leave in plenty of time for dinner. Come on down. I’d love to see you, Felipe.”
“I’m mentally already there. Ugh, the cellmate the tollbooth over is giving me the side-eyes. Probably going to report me for being noncompliant. I’ll see you later.”
Felipe was trouble and a half in the most delightful way. He just skated through life. Obeying the rules when it suited him, flipping the rules off at other times, and somehow managing to always stay mostly on people’s good side. And though there could be a bite in his words, there was no deliberate maliciousness in him. He was simply himself with no apologies to anyone.
At least Trask felt that he’d lightened the man’s day a little bit. He knew Felipe was all ready to go job hunting when the New Year started and he had his degree in his hand. There had to be more job opportunities for him in Richmond than Southern Maryland. Trask wasn’t sure how Felipe would take the suggestion, though. He bitched about the county he lived in, but it was clear that he loved it too.
Trask pulled up in front of Ryan’s house. His friend was at the Den, taking the morning shift, but to Trask’s surprise, Reva’s car was in the driveway. He’d expected Ryan’s fiancée to be out, getting last-minute Christmas shopping done or running errands for the wedding early next year. Well, he couldn’t ignore her while co-opting Ryan’s workshop. That would be rude.
Trask stuffed his work gloves in his back pocket and went to ring the doorbell. Reva opened the door with a wide, welcoming smile, the scent of baking wafting out. There was chocolate in the air and pecans. Next to coffee and macaroni and cheese, fresh baked goods were a weakness of his. “Smelling good there, Reva. It lured me all the way to the door.”
Reva smiled with her whole being, not just her mouth. She had a diamond-shaped face with a long, narrow chin and broad cheeks. She beamed at him now and opened the door wider. “Trask. What brings you here? Ryan forget something? Come in. I just pulled some cookies out. You can take a box to the Den.”
He was not one to turn down Reva’s oatmeal pecan and chocolate chip cookies, especially hot out of the oven. “I need to shove something in Ryan’s workshop. I know he’s not working on anything at the moment, and I’d like to borrow it for a few weeks.”
Reva had the house all decorated for the holidays, from stockings going up the staircase to a Christmas village set up on the sideboard in the dining room. Down the hallway, the tree was decorated with scarlet bows and candy canes, fully lit, and holiday music played on the radio. She’d made a home for his friend, a warm, welcoming home, and Ryan deserved every bit of that happiness.
“Wow, Reva, you’ve really done it up.” Trask nabbed a hot cookie off the tray and inhaled its scent before taking a bite. Maybe he should pick up some Christmas decorations, nothing crazy, but something that he and Felipe could put up tonight. It might make it seem homier for him.
“If you’re going to do it, do it all the way.” Reva slid another tray of dough into the oven. “Let me grab my jacket and I can help you.”
“Thanks.” It would definitely go faster with two people, and the table wasn’t that heavy with the drawers taken out, just awkward to get in and out of a truck all by himself. “I found something special at one of those places they call an antique barn when half of them are full of junk. But repurposed junk could turn out mighty nice.”
“I can’t wait to see what you’ve dug up.” Reva pulled her hair out of its messy knot and jammed a battered hat over the long black locks. She’d never been one to mess with her appearance, and Trask almost never saw her in makeup, but she had an appeal to her that went beyond beauty.
“Oh, she’s gorgeous,” Reva said when Trask pulled off the cloth covering the table. “You don’t have room in that dinky place of yours. What are you planning on doing with it?”
Trask gave her one of his slow smiles to let her know he was teasing as they eased the sucker down. “You angling for a wedding present, Reva?”
Her dark eyes turned serious. “You being there as Ryan’s best man is the only present we need. Don’t think I don’t know what you did for him. How you helped him out of that nightmare.”
“Ryan’s a fighter. To me, sponsoring someone helps me out just as much. Keeps me on the right path.” Trask fumbled the gate latch with one hand and nudged it open. “I’m really proud of Ryan. He’s come a long way in four years.” And in that time he’d become one of Trask’s closest friends.
“What are you doing for Christmas?” Reva asked as they maneuvered the table into the little workshop.
“Not entirely sure yet.” Trask ran a hand over the tabletop, envisioning it done. He couldn’t wait to get started, but it couldn’t happen tonight, not with Felipe visiting. “I suspect Felipe will have a large say in that.”
“Felipe… that the boyfriend Ryan told me about?” She didn’t have an edge to her voice, for which Trask was grateful. It meant that despite Ryan’s dislike of cosplayers, he hadn’t been telling tales to Reva. Maybe Ryan had decided to wait and see before passing any further judgment.
Boyfriend. That label didn’t fit Felipe. He was more than a boyfriend. Trask wasn’t quite sure what he was or how he’d gotten to feel so right in only a few months, but he couldn’t deny it. “He’s Felipe. He’s undefinable.” Trask carefully covered the table with the worn blanket again. He’d get to work on it the moment their weekend was over. “He’s going to go nuts over this.”
“There’s a house for sale down the street,” Reva said with a thoughtful look in her eyes. They left the workshop, and she pointed down the way. “Small place, though considering your loft, it’ll probably seem palatial. It’s got a big fenced-in backyard for your girl.”
Buying a home. Trask shoved his hands in his pockets. That was a big change. Maybe one he’d been considering for a while, but not something he would want to rush into. Still…. Trask paused to take a look around him. The neighborhood was nice, older with lots of trees and a few hidden parks. Though there was nothing about it that made it seem like it was near the city, they weren’t actually that far from the Den. A ten-minute drive on a bad day.
He had the money for a good-sized down payment, the credit to negotiate a decent mortgage… it was a big step, though. “Where’s it at?”
Reva grinned, her eyes gleaming with delight. “It’s the little Lowcountry-style house, corner lot at the end of the street. It’s been on the market for a bit.”
Trask knew what that meant and gave her a sideways glance. “I take that it needs work.”
“Nothing that a man who likes that sort of thing would mind. The covered porch is rotting and needs to be redone. The roof needs to be replaced, but the foundation is sound. The interior is dated, but I doubt you care about that.” Reva gave him a friendly nudge with her elbow. “I’ll admit I looked into it. I was thinking of flipping it with Ryan’s help, but then I thought about how happy he’d be to have you down the street and how happy your girl would be to have that yard. It’s a win all around.”
Trask couldn’t deny that Sophie needed more space. It wasn’t fair to keep her so penned in. The loft had been a welcome space when he’d moved in after his last stint at rehab. But that was a long time ago, and if he was honest with himself, he’d admit that he’d been feeling for a while it was time to move on.
“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to take a look at it.” Trask tucked his work gloves into his back pocket. “Know any good contractors if I’m interested?”
Reva beamed. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
Trask couldn’t help but smile in return. “Somehow I thought that might be the case.”
He talked with her a few more minutes while she packed up a box of cookies and then rode down the street until he saw the house Reva mentioned. The flowerbeds in front of the windows were overgrown with weeds. Trask would probably just plant some no-fuss bushes. No reason to get fancy. The place needed a good coat of paint, a little sprucing up, but nothing he hadn’t taken care of at Joe’s place.
Trask got out of his truck and peered through one of the windows. It looked as if there was more space on the inside than it seemed from the outside. Reva was right. It might only be one level, but his entire apartment could probably fit in this living room. Trask shoved his hands into his pockets, attempting to quell the little shot of excitement. No sense in jumping into something because of pure emotion, but damn, he did like the bones of the place.
He went around to the backyard and smiled. Oh wow, Sophie would just go nuts. There was room to play fetch, to race around in circles, shady trees for her to flop under when she finally wore herself out. The sun porch was a sagging mess that would have to be completely torn down. But then he could expand it another few feet out. He loved being out on his balcony in almost any weather. This would be even nicer.
Whistling to himself, Trask grabbed one of the realtor’s business cards, tucked it into his pocket, and headed to pick up Sophie before going to work.