Page 20 of The Boyfriend Gamble

Wally wasn’t a bully or anything like that…just not as considerate. More like a bull in a china shop.

Yet he did the most meticulous landscaping with precision and care. Almost in contradiction to the rough-and-tumble sports guy he was. He loved his rec hockey, but he’d also played football and lacrosse in high school.

Felix, to the best of my recollection, had never played any sport.

Wait…no, he’d been a figure skater before his dad died.

I wracked my brain, but couldn’t remember why he’d stopped. Grief? Money?

Nope, wouldn’t come to me.

But he’d been good. I remembered that much.

Julian nudged me again. “August is waving us over.”

All those inner ruminations had me no closer to understanding my best friend’s younger brother, but I dutifully followed Julian over to his fiancé. “What’s up?”

August pointed to a tree. “That one’s in really rough shape. I think a strong wind will fell it. Frankly, I’m not sure how it’s still standing.”

I winced. “How much?”

He met my gaze. “There are a dozen or so other trees that’ll require trimming. I can give you a discount—”

I held up my hand. “That’s not fair.”

“Well, Wally gives me good referrals, and Josette promised to look over my house and make some recommendations on updating the décor.”

Julian tilted his head. “Really?”

“Well, if I’m going to rent it out, it should—”

His sentence was cut off midstream as Julian tackled him and engulfed him in a bear hug. “Oh my God, that’s so awesome. You’re moving in with me. Finally.”

I smiled at my friend’s enthusiasm.

While he’d been out of the closet for practically his whole life, August had only emerged when his sister passed. Word filtered around Mission City, as it often did, when he’d come out. Some speculation passed through the rumor mill questioning if the two men had been together beforehand, but I knew August had decided to come out and had proclaimed his affection for his employee around the same time.

They’d been inseparable ever since.

I cleared my throat. “Okay, so, a discount?”

Julian vibrated happiness. His grin was so infectious. “I’ll happily volunteer my time. Like, as a wedding gift.”

“Uh, I didn’t realize you were that close to my sister and Felix.” I also wasn’t aware their impending nuptials were common knowledge. Although I supposed since they’d been thrust together since before they could sit up unaided, most people probably knew about this promise.

August offered a more-measured enthusiasm. “I’ll offer up my services as well. Wally’s a good business associate.”

More connections. Sometimes I marvelled at how small Mission City felt even though the population recently hit forty-thousand. We clung to the small-town moniker. Close enough to Vancouver to be useful, but far enough we were still a distinctive community.

I eyed the trees. “Well, why don’t you share the good news with Felix and Josette? Not that the tree needs to come down,” I quickly amended. “But that you’re willing to donate the work as a wedding present.”

“Their wedding is in what, two months?”

“Yeah.” I removed my hat, wiped my brow, then plopped it back on. “God, I hope this heat has dissipated by then.”

August slapped me on the back. “You keep wishing that. The rest of us will plan accordingly.” He eyed the backyard.

The grass went back about thirty feet before the wilderness began.

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