Page 42 of Party of Three

The call was from room service. Buckley’s old friend, the general manager, was offering them a free breakfast, but the kitchen would be turning over to the lunch menu in half an hour.

My God, Mateo realized. They’d slept until ten.

He alerted the men in bed, then headed for the shower.

When he emerged, Buckley was using the in-room coffeemaker and Jeff was seated on the edge of the bed, scrolling through his phone, clearly waiting for his turn under the spray. The mood was quiet. Disconnected. Tense with morning-after vibes.

With a polite smile, Jeff darted past him into the bathroom.

Once he’d pulled on jeans and a T-shirt, Mateo sidled up to Buckley at the coffeemaker and embraced him from behind. Buckley wilted into him. Together they listened to the coffeemaker’s gurgle competing with the rush of the shower.

A short while later, Jeff emerged, wrapped in a towel. “Buckley, you’re up.” Brusque, officious. Like they were all on base.

When his boyfriend headed past Jeff with little more than a glancing touch on the small of the man’s back, Mateo’s doubt turned to dread. Was this really going to come to an end that quickly? Or was he reading too deeply into their smallest gestures because he was nervous as hell about their meeting that afternoon?

“Got another outfit for me?” Jeff asked.

Mateo nodded and went to his weekend bag. He was about to hand the folded jeans and a polo shirt to Jeff when his muscles all seemed to freeze in one instant. “Listen,” he started, but he wasn’t sure what he was going to say. Maybe something about moving up their big discussion so it wouldn’t be hanging over their heads all day. Then the villa’s doorbell rang, startling them both. Breakfast had arrived.

After giving the waiter a cash tip, they transferred the plates to the little dining table. In distracted silence, the three of them scarfed down their breakfasts, the laughter and ocean sounds drifting in through the open deck door like some radio transmission from the other side of the world.

Jeff finally broke the silence with, “You were saying?”

It took Mateo a second to realize the man was talking to him.

Maybe twenty minutes had passed since he’d first started trying to put his thoughts together while handing Jeff a change of clothes, and the man was acting as if it had only been seconds ago.

Jesus, we’re freaked.

“I can’t remember.” That was a lie. He could totally remember. Moving the meeting up, that’s what he’d been about to suggest. Why was he too nervous to suggest it now?

Silence descended again.

Jeff scarfed down his last bite of eggs Benedict and pushed the plate back. “Okay, here’s the plan.” For a second, Mateo thought his old crew chief was about to start the big talk right there, and his heart raced from a blend of anxiety and relief. “Checkout time’s at four, right?” Buckley nodded. “We should sit down and talk this out at two then. Fine. So I need a few hours to put my thoughts together before then. Do y’all know if this place has a business center?”

Buckley furrowed his brow. “I think so. Why?”

“This meeting needs an agenda.”

“Like awrittenagenda?” Buckley asked, sounding shocked.

Jeff nodded, folding his napkin as he rose to his feet. “I prefer to put my thoughts in writing. Helps me get clear about stuff.”

“Okay, but is it fine if I don’t?” Buckley said.

Jeff nodded. “Y’all do what you need to do. Before the meeting, I mean. At around two, I’ll meet you guys back here and we’ll talk through all this.”

Before he could stop himself, Mateo rose to his feet. “That’s hours from now. You’re just going to wander around by yourself?”

“I’m going to the business center. That’s all.” Mateo must have looked doubtful. “And y’all can take the time to get on the same page about this.”

“Whatever we have to say about this we should all say in front of each other.”

Jeff seemed shocked. He clearly wasn’t used to being bossed around by one of his old junior Marines. Or bossed around at all. But wasn’t that what this entire weekend had been about?Seeing new sides of each other? He wasn’t the Mateo Jeff had known a year and a half ago. If he’d been as confident and in touch with his sexuality back then, maybe their weekend in San Diego would have resulted in something like this. Something that felt like it had potential. But that wouldn’t have been possible because he hadn’t met Buckley yet. And it was Buckley who made this possible, Buckley who had brought him and Jeff together in ways they’d never connected before. And maybe he should say all of this right now, right here.

But that might catch Buckley off guard.

The three of them had made a plan, an agreement, and they should stick to it.

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