Page 9 of Rainbows Over Cedarwood

Chapter Four

Colt sat in his car in the parking lot of the strip mall and grocery store. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so giddy over a simple meeting. He checked the clock on the dash. Five minutes until two. He might as well head into the store. He remembered Ashley drove a two-door car, but the rest of the details were a blur.

He opened his car door and climbed out of the vehicle.

“Look what the cat dragged in.” Ellis, one of Colt’s exes, strolled up to the car. “I never expected to see you here. Then again, I was beginning to think you were part vampire, what with the way you never seem to leave the diner. Allergic to sunlight, are you?”

Colt smiled. He’d forgotten about Ellis, but apparently the guy hadn’t forgotten him. “I’m fine with sun. I should probably get more.”

“How are things? Business seems good based on the cars always in the lot. Have you found a guy who can handle your other lover?” Ellis leaned on the fender of Colt’s car.

Although a tad stocky, Ellis was a handsome man. His dark eyes glittered when he talked, and he smiled often. The longer they stood together, the more Colt remembered the reasons he and Ellis hadn’t worked out. The gigantic tattoo of the hand on Ellis’ neck grabbed his attention. The thing had unnerved Colt when they were together and hadn’t gotten any less bizarre with the passing of time. He didn’t care if guys had tats or piercings, but not on the neck, head, face or the tops of the hands. Maybe he was old-fashioned, but he appreciated men without markings in such obvious places.

“The diner is fine—I assume that’s the lover you’re talking about—and no, I don’t have a boyfriend right now. Wasn’t really looking.” Colt noticed Ashley’s car pull into the lot and park a row over. Ashley left the vehicle first then helped Wyatt out of the backseat. “Sorry I’ve got to run, but I’m here to meet someone for ice cream.”

Ellis glanced over his shoulder in Ashley’s general direction. “Him?”

“Yes. I’ll talk to you later. It was nice to see you.” Not really, but he preferred to be polite. Colt looked both ways before he crossed the aisle then fell into step beside Ashley. “Hi. How are you both today?”

“You didn’t have to leave your boyfriend. We’re good. We could’ve waited.” Ashley allowed Wyatt to go first when they reached the door to the ice-cream shop.

“He’s not my boyfriend.” Colt bristled. Ellis would never be his other half ever again. “He was a learning experience. I’d be lying if I said I missed him, but I was taught some lessons with him, so it was worth the pain.”Will Ashley be worth the hassle, too?

“I see.” Ashley herded Wyatt into the store first then Colt. He lingered behind.

Was Ashley checking out Colt’s ass? He hoped so. Colt turned, but Ashley stood at the door and spoke to a woman. The lady didn’t appear happy. What the hell was she upset about? Colt snagged Wyatt’s hand to be sure he didn’t lose the kid then ventured closer to Ashley and the cranky woman.

“You really need to consider our offer.” She pinched her eyebrows together and glared at him. “It’s your duty as a parent.”

“I know my duty as a parent. I’m not seeing why you feel the need to get involved. We’re fine,” Ashley snapped. “Thank you, though, for your concern.”

“You’re an educator. Do you really think this is best for our children?” she asked.

“What I think is that you’re confusing my ability to do my job with things that have no bearing on that job. This isn’t the 1950s, okay?” Ashley glanced over at Colt and Wyatt and blushed. “I’m late for an ice-cream date with my friend and my son.” He strode away from the woman and joined Wyatt and Colt at the end of the line. “Sorry.”

“About what? You haven’t done anything wrong.” Colt let go of Wyatt and put the kid between them. “What’d she want?”

“To convert me.” Ashley folded his arms and the muscle in his jaw twitched.

“What?” Colt blurted. He’d lived in Cedarwood for eight years and had never been accosted by anyone in order to be converted. He wasn’t ashamed of his sexuality, but he also wasn’t going to advertise.

“Go ahead, Wyatt. Get what you want.” Ashley dropped his voice to a murmur. “I don’t want to discuss it in front of my son.”

The protective streak in Ashley appealed to Colt. “Want to get the ice cream and go to the park? You can talk and he can run off the sugar.” Besides, he wasn’t happy about Ashley’s irritation. This should’ve been a nice getting-to-know-you situation, not a trip to the ice-cream shop ruined by a pushy person.

“Let him eat first.” Ashley ordered his ice cream, a single scoop of chocolate in a dish, and a cone with a single scoop of chocolate for Wyatt then paid. He pointed Wyatt in the direction of one of the open tables. “We’ll be over there.”

“Cool.” Not wanting to be left too far behind, he ordered his single scoop of vanilla dipped in chocolate. “How much do I owe you?” he asked the girl behind the counter.

“Nothing. Your friend paid.” She grinned and offered him napkins. “Have a good day.”

His friend paid? How awesome was that? Colt strolled over to the small table and plopped down opposite Ashley. “Thank you. You didn’t have to get mine.”

“It wasn’t much.” Ashley shrugged and a smile fluttered on his lips for a split second. He kept his gaze low as he ate the chocolate ice cream.

Wyatt zipped through his cone in no time. Chocolate ice cream dribbled down his chin and a sprinkle stuck to his cheek. “I’m done.”

“Looks like.” Ashley wiped Wyatt’s face then retrieved a wet wipe from his bag and removed the sprinkle from Wyatt’s cheek.

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