Page 31 of Out of the Storm

“Or, uh, I can leaveif—”

“You want to watch me run the radio show?” Gary blurted out, cutting him off.

“Yes?”

“Wow!” Just like that, every bit of worry Gary had about his limited time and fragile heart vanished completely. “I’d love that!”

“Yeah?”

Gary unclipped his helmet. “Yeah!”

Now Jeff was smiling one of those perfect smiles of his, one that made Gary feel weak in the knees. Thank God for the bicycle seat beneath him.

Unable to eventryto feign nonchalance, Gary exclaimed, “I’m touched! Thrilled, even! Let me put the bike away, and then I’ll show you how I set everything up. I need to inhale some food first, though. I hope vegetable burgers are okay.”

“Vegetable... burgers,” Jeff repeated, his tone suggesting he was completely flummoxed by the notion.

Gary hopped off his bike. “Yeah, I know, but trust me, you’ll love ’em.”

Once they were inside, Gary started cooking a couple of vegetable burger patties in a pan while Jeff watched nearby. Leaning against the wall. Always with the sexy leaning. Boy, Gary’d probably never be used to that, even if he and Jeff saw more of each other in person.

When the burgers were close to ready, Gary took out the ketchup and mustard from the refrigerator, but then Jeff nudged him aside and reached for the mayo. Interesting choice. Jeff clearly had some kind of affinity for the stuff. No wonder he had been borderline offended by Gary’s version of potato salad.

After they were sitting across from one another, Gary waited as Jeff took a bite. He chewed a few times, and Gary thought he looked... confused, maybe, but not disgusted.

“What’s the verdict?” Gary asked.

Jeff held up a hand and rocked it back and forth.

Gary smiled. “I’ll take it,” he said with a pleased nod.

After several more bites, Jeff said, “It’s not bad, really. Goes well with the mayo.”

“I’ve never had it with mayo myself. Looks tasty, though.”

“Here,” Jeff said, holding out the burger. “Try it.”

Gary froze. Were they somehow close enough to share food already? If so, when did that happen? Did Jeff like him? Did Jeff offering a burgermeansomething? Gary couldn’t manage to make himself take the burger, but he couldn’t make himself refuse either. It was just soniceof Jeff to offer.

“Uhm...” Jeff waved the burger back and forth. “Hello?”

Jesus, Gare, it’s a burger, not a marriage proposal!

“Sorry, wow, yeah, I’ll try it,” Gary said, forcing himself to take the burger from Jeff’s outstretched hand. He tried a bite, but with his lingering embarrassment over having frozen in fear from being offered a burger, he couldn’t really taste the mayo. Still, he knew he’d better say something. “Yum-o!”

Yum-o?!Gosh, what a nincompoop he was.

Gary handed the burger back to Jeff who was looking at him funny—the corner of his mouth upturned to form a half-smile, his brows knitted together like he was slightly concerned with the health of Gary’s obviously faulty brain.

“Sorry,” Gary said. “I think I’m still kind of shocked that you wanted to see me perform.”

“Why? It’s a radio show.”

“Wait, aradio show? Here I thought you wanted to watch me read Shakespeare.”

Even though that had Jeff rolling his eyes like he thought Gary had lost his marbles, he still chuckled a little. “Imeantthat not many people have the chance to see a live radio show.”

“Yeah, I suppose that’s true.”

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