Page 30 of New Year

“We are,” Angelo replied, “and we’re amazing. We’re hoping to take a vacation sometime before the summer’s over, but nothing is coming together yet.”

“I’m sure you’ll make it happen. You tend to get whatever you set your mind on.” From their first introduction at Tim’s last fall, Nat could tell Angelo had wanted him. Every smile, every comment, even his body language. And Nat had wanted him right back. Angelo was the older, stable, commanding presence Nat had needed. But they weren’t endgame, and he truly was happy for Angelo and Bryan.

Jealous over what Nat didn’t have, but happy for what they did have.

“Tell me I’ll see you at Tim’s grand reopening, at least,” Angelo said.

“Have they set a date?”

“They’re still waiting on the city’s certificate of occupancy, but they’re hoping for next Friday. The twenty-first.”

Nat’s insides shivered with both excitement and dread. Excitement that the bar he’d loved was finally going to open its doors to patrons; dread that he could very easily run into Austin there, if Nat dared attend the reopening. Or go ever back, at all.

Think about it. We’re taking back our life, remember?

“I’ll do my best,” Nat hedged. “I really will try to stop by.”

“Good. I won’t keep you from whatever you’re doing. I’m fucking thrilled to hear from you again, and I really hope I see you next weekend.”

“Thank you for caring, Angelo. See you around.”

Nat ended the call before his emotions got the best of him, and he blurted out something embarrassing. Or dangerous. Angelo didn’t need his drama. He’d been in the explosion, too, and he had his own life to deal with. Nat could handle his own shit.

He had no other choice.

CHAPTERSIX

Zack loved watching Nat open up during his second week living with him, sharing meals with him, and even spending their occasional bit of leisure time watching movies together. Zack rarely had off nights, but Chase didn’t often need help until around lunchtime, which gave them some mornings to chill at Zack’s place.

Nat still didn’t talk about himself much, and he skirted around serious topics, which didn’t offend Zack in the slightest. Nat hadn’t done a single thing to lose Zack’s trust, so Zack sat on his curiosity and didn’t press.

Well, he didn’t press Nat. The restaurant industry in Reynolds was a somewhat insular bunch, especially those who’d been around for a long time. While Zack didn’t fit into that category, Chase did. And Shelton had also worked in multiple restaurants around the city. So had some of River Bistro’s other servers. It didn’t take a lot of sleuthing to learn Nat used to have an on-again, off-again boyfriend that several of the former Tim’s staff hadn’t liked the few times they’d met him. Nat had also had a brief fling with an older man last year, a Tim’s regular named Angelo Voltini.

Zack had searched the name online and been impressed, not only by how insanely handsome Angelo was, but that he appeared to be very successful in his field. Not to mention, he’d also been at Tim’s the night it blew up. Zack still inwardly flinched whenever he thought of Nat caught in such a dangerous, traumatic event.

Nat could have died that night, and Zack never would have had a chance to meet the kind, wounded, tenacious soul that he was.

Zack’s questions had stopped there. He didn’t bother calling the Mahers to ask about Nat, because he’d have to lie about why he wanted to know. He wasn’t hiring Nat, and no one with any integrity gossiped about their former employees with someone out of mild curiosity. Not saying Zack had never gossiped with other managers about problem employees, but not during an out-of-the-blue phone call with someone he’d never met before.

He did hear about Tim’s grand reopening on the twenty-first, and he waited all week for Nat to say something. But he didn’t. He worked for Chase during the day, sometimes driving him over to River Bistro so Chase could spend time in the office, or at one of the tables in the Mediterranean Villa room with his tablet. Existing with his employees and customers for a few hours. Chase may have trouble picking up a glass with one hand, but he could still hold long conversations with wit and vigor.

While Chase was in the restaurant, Nat’s time was his own. Sometimes, he hunkered down in a corner of the office to read. Other times, he left and came back when Chase called him for a ride home. Nat impressed the hell out of Zack by refusing comped meals. River Bistro had exceptional food, but Nat didn’t want favors or freebies. He didn’t want to owe Zack any more than the small figures on Zack’s tally sheet for things like laundry.

Late Wednesday afternoon, just before their first dinner seating, Chase and Zack were at the bar, going over a possible new appetizer for July. Mostly, they sketched the plate on a notepad and argued about individual artichoke leaf placements, their pencils battling it out on the page. All in good fun, but also both determined to be right.

Bull-headed stubbornness had been a huge contributor to their breakup.

A throat cleared hard behind them, a familiar sound that tried to be loud without being intrusive. Zack turned and smiled at Nat, who’d returned from wherever he’d gone today while Chase worked. “Time to go home?” Nat asked Chase.

“Yep, as soon as our takeout is ready,” Chase replied. “I can’t say no when the almond-crusted salmon is on the menu, and you aren’t saying no, either. You aren’t eating a turkey sandwich while I dine on this delectable fish with baked fennel.”

Nat scowled at Chase then huffed. “Fine. I don’t think I know what fennel is, but I’ll try it.”

Zack hid a flinch as Nat accepted free food from Chase but not from him. Then again, when they got home Nat might insist Chase dock it from today’s pay.

Kaylee came into the bar area with a paper bag and handed it to Nat. “Enjoy, you two. Good night, Chef,” she said to Chase.

“Good night, Kaylee,” he replied. “Good shift tonight.”

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