Page 25 of Everything's Better With You
“It’s fine. I wondered how the tornado will affect your big plans this year? From what I understand, the sports programs were the most impacted.”
“That’s what we’ll find out this morning. In fact, I’m about to be late for our meeting with the adjuster. Can we schedule a follow-up?”
“Sure,” Malcolm said. “How about I call your brother? Manager? What are we calling Sandy Payton these days?”
“A pain in my—uh, my manager is good. Thank you.”
“Thank you, Leslie. This has all the makings of the feel-good story of the season.”
“Wish us luck.”
They disconnected and Les shoved the remainder of his cold food in his mouth. He left his dishes on the counter and kissed his mom.
“I’ll be back at some point.”
“Remember! Let me know when Joe is coming for dinner.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Les slid his wallet, phone, and keys into the back pockets of his black Levi’s and got a little pep in his steps out to the truck. “Today I get tosee Joe. At work. The first of many. And today is one day closer to the day I can call him mine.”
Then he hit his head on the side mirror of the truck, and stomped around the garage cursing for a moment. When the pain subsided, he climbed inside and started the truck with a huge grin on his face.
Nine
Joe
The sound of thunder woke Joe and sent him sprawling out of bed and into the bathroom.
“Bathtub, right? That’s where you’re safest in a thunderstorm.” He thought about calling Marti, but he’d left his damn phone on the bedside table. He crouched next to the edge of the tub, trying to decide if he needed to be in it. Maybe he should have grabbed the mattress. Did tornadoes hit the same spot twice? Within a week?
The unmistakable sound of male laughter filtered into Joe’s apartment and he frowned. Should he go tell them to run for cover? He was about to head for the door since he was supposed to be all responsible and shit now when he realized—
“Fuck.”
The sun was shining brightly through the bedroom window, meaning that rolling thunder he’d just heard was the hoofbeats of a student herd. God, was this going to be hiswakeup call every day? Sound carried in this old building, apparently, right into Joe’s bedroom. Maybe it wouldn’t be quite as noisy in the other apartment…but no, then he’d get the slamming of the doors all day and night.
Joe questioned his life choices while he did a quick round of stretches. He took a lengthy hot shower, and was about to hit start on the small blender he’d packed in his suitcase for his morning protein smoothie, when his phone buzzed.
I’m grabbing coffee, can I get you some?
Joe smiled down at his phone, his irritation gone at the sight of Les’s text.
I told you, you’re going to have to be here in the morning to see what I prefer.
Not that Leslie Payton would be spending the night with him in his current housing situation. Not with what was likely his whole football team upstairs. He thought he’d remembered Matty telling him that many of the athletes lived in Higdon House and that a lot of the football players had been there for two weeks already.
Stop it. See you soon?
Joe asked him where they were meeting and Les texted back the administrative building, conference room on the main floor.
Joe hadn’t spent much time in the ad building as a student, and now he was about to attend his first meeting as a faculty member of a college.
Who thinks this is a good idea?
Joe had struggled to put together an appropriate wardrobe for working at a college. Lots of button-down shirts and khakis, a nice stretchy blend that he could move in. He hoped the material would be cool enough during the muggy months and warm enough for winter with the proper undergarments.
That made him snort. Long johns were not exactly what he would have considered desirable undergarments to have. He’d much prefer something that showed off his hard-earned physique, the one he worked endlessly to maintain. His mainasset was world-renowned. It had a reputation of its own as the male equivalent to the JLo booty, according to the more salacious corners of the press.
