Page 18 of Second Chances in Cedarwood

“Ours?”

“Where do we go now?” He might as well be direct.

“What do you mean?”

He’s going to make me work for this, isn’t he? Fine.“It’s pushy to ask, but where do we go from here? I’m not looking for a hook-up. I want a relationship. If that’s not what you want, then I can accept that. Just be honest with me.”

Jack snorted. “You sound like those dating commercials.”

“Probably.” He admired Jack’s ability to avoid a question. “What do you want from this?”

“If I say a good time, you’ll bolt, won’t you?”

“Not exactly.” He’d walk away from the sex part, but they could still be friends. He liked working with Jack. Why stop being platonic?

“What’ll you do?” Jack asked.

“You don’t want to answer, do you?” Henry disengaged from him and sat up. “Look, I’m tired of getting used. It’s happened a lot. People want me because they think I can help them. If you’re not interested in dating, then tell me. I can’t get your restaurant featured on television or in magazines and I can’t make you famous. All I can be is faithful to a fault.”

Jack sat up and stared at him. “I’ve been used, too. People want to gossip and they expect me to tell them what everyone else has said. They want money, too. It’s nuts because I’m a simple guy who runs a hot dog shop. I’m not important. I don’t need fame or lots of money…or to be on television.”

Some of the anger dissipated within him. He and Jack were on the same wavelength, but looking at the situation two different ways. “I disagree about your importance. You’re vital to this town.”

“You’re being generous.” Jack chuckled. “But I appreciate it. I also appreciate your forthright approach. You’re good at blunt, and I’m better at quiet. We’re also pretty damn good at being defensive.” He sighed. “I’m not a good boyfriend. I spend too much time at the shop or working on the books for the shop. I don’t talk much and I seem closed-off. Ask Anna. She’ll tell you I don’t say much.”

“You open up when you want to,” Henry said. “You’re opening to me.”

“You’re easy to talk to,” Jack said. “You’ve asked for the truth and here it is. I want to keep this going with you. I like working with you at the restaurant and getting together with you has been awesome. I feel alive again.”

“But?”

“I’m scared and worried you’ll want things from me I can’t give,” Jack said. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to try.”

“Then we do that. We try, but we go slow.” Henry stretched back out on the bed and reached for Jack. “We give us a chance and realize we’ve both been hurt. Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“I do have one restriction.” He had to get this out now or he’d regret not speaking up.

“One?”

He shrugged as Jack snuggled up to him. “If we decide to date, then I want it to be just us. If you’re wanting to play the field, then I’m not the right guy.”

Jack nodded, then draped his arm across Henry’s abdomen. “I’m a one-man kind of guy, too.”

“Good.” Relief washed over him. He needed to know he was the only man in Jack’s romantic life. He was too old to play games and he wanted to settle down eventually. No, he wanted to settle down with the right guy.

Jack?

Maybe.

* * * *

The next afternoon, Jack headed up to the shop. He should’ve gone in the morning, but he and Henry had had too much fun lounging in bed. The respite soothed his soul. Henry seemed to know how to rile him up, but also how to calm him back down again.

Unfortunately, their relaxation could only last for so long. He needed to balance the books and order more supplies for the coming weeks. Besides that, he needed to make the chili for the week and ensure he had enough cheese grated for when he opened on Tuesday.

He’d had a wonderful weekend. For the first time in forever, he felt normal. He wasn’t stressed or irritated. His ex showing up hadn’t been the best thing that could’ve happened, but Henry had leveled him and encouraged him to delete Dexter’s number from his phone.

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