Page 57 of New Year

“Sun stroke?”

“I don’t think so. He said he wanted to talk in private, so I got him out of there.”

“But? There’s a detail you haven’t mentioned.”

Zack drummed his fingers on the countertop. “Mr. Jons deliberately mentioned they had security cameras on the grounds, which leads me to believe Nat had an altercation he doesn’t want to talk about yet.”

“His ex?” The darkness in Chase’s voice surprised him. Chase was in his recliner, across the room, but anger still radiated from him.

“Very likely, yes. I didn’t want to interrogate him in front of strangers. I could tell he was embarrassed and shaken up. Thank you, by the way, for not being nosy.”

“I could tell something wasn’t right. I care about Nat. Obviously, not the way you do, if that furious thundercloud hovering over your head for the last thirty minutes is any sign of your feelings. I’m pretty sure your glare could have parted the Red Sea the way it parted other patrons.”

“I wanted to get Nat somewhere safe and comfortable. If he did see Austin at Shindig today, then I probably made the whole encounter worse.”

“How? You were sitting next to me at a picnic table.”

Zack moved from the stool to the couch and tried to pick his words so he didn’t overshare Nat’s private business. “Nat had a moment this morning. A flashback. We talked, and it did have to do with his ex, Austin. It was probably still in the back of his mind if he saw Austin today. I can’t think of another reason why he’d upchuck in such a public place.”

Chase slammed his cane against the side of the recliner. “Son of a bitch. I’m not going to ask what this Austin asshole put Nat through. I’m old enough to make an educated guess. Just take care of him, okay?”

“Of course, I will.”

“And it might not be a bad idea to find out what this Austin’s last name is. Know what he looks like.”

“You’re right. Today was probably an accidental meeting, but now Austin knows that Nat is still in Reynolds. He might come looking for him. Men who like to control others don’t like being left. They want to be the ones with the final say.”

“Yeah. They do. And like I said before, I have a shotgun.”

Zack pulled out a smile for his oldest friend. “I doubt it will come to that, but it’s nice to know. I better go see to Nat.”

“Go, go. I’m fine.”

“Call me if you need help with dinner.”

“With all the food I packed away today? I’ll probably just make a sandwich later.”

Zack leaned down to kiss the top of Chase’s head before leaving. He used his keys to turn the deadbolt on Chase’s door, then let himself into his own place. He left his shoes by the door, unsure how clean they were, and followed the sound of running water into the bathroom. It was hard to believe that less than eight hours ago, they’d had such a lovely shower together.

“Nat?”

“I’m here.”

Kind of obvious, but okay. “What can I do?”

“Get in with me?”

Zack shed his clothes fast and tossed them on top of Nat’s pile. He’d wash everything later. Nat was sitting on the bottom of the tub, his back to the spray, which cascaded from his neck to his shoulders, and all the way down. Zack didn’t have a lot of room, but he mimicked Nat’s position, putting his feet on either side of Nat’s hips. It was uniquely intimate, considering they were both naked and drenched in hot water.

Nat’s chin rested on his knees, eyes half-shut under the onslaught of water, but he seemed more at peace than before. “Is Chase okay?”

“He’s fine,” Zack replied. “He’d worried about you. So am I.”

“I know. We’ll talk soon. Sit with me?”

“Of course.”

They sat together until the hot water began running cool. Zack was stiff and sore from not moving for so long, and sitting in such a weird position, but he still got them both on their feet. Dried Nat off then sent him to get dressed, while Zack dried and put on his robe. He took a few extra minutes to gather his thoughts and compartmentalize his anger at Austin. The shower had helped slough off some of his negative emotions, but he didn’t want to do or say anything to further stress out Nat.

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