Page 51 of Private Exhibit
Devon fidgeted for a moment before he asked, “Is your son–”
“Hey,” Andy murmured. He bent down, putting them on eye level. “Don't you worry about that.”
“But it sounded like–”
“He'll get over it,” Andy bit off. “Besides, if he can be off with some girl he just met, then I can damned well do the same.” He leaned down again and softened his voice. “I missed so much with him. Denied him so many experiences. I don't want to make that same mistake with you. Even if all you want to do tonight is walk around the city and pick a new favorite plant in every direction, I'm in.”
Devon's chest swelled with so much joy, he thought he might burst into tears.
Andy touched his cheek gently, then turned and walked away, shutting himself in the morgue, leaving a heavy silence in his wake.
Devon took a deep breath, slowly let it out, and got back to work.
His mind raced as he scanned the pages laid out on the desk.Oh gods. He was going to spend the night with Andy. What should he pack? How would he get there? How would he get home? What about dinner? And breakfast? And a shower?Shit.What if he had an attack? Devon shook his head. That last one didn't matter. Andy was a doctor. The man would know what to do, though it would completely spoil the night.
Devon blew out a heavy breath, forcing those thoughts aside as the scan finished.One thing at a time. All he had to worry about right then was getting through the files. Everything else could wait until the day was done.
Despite that determination, it was another hour before Devon finally sank into the rhythm of his work. Once he did, though, the stack of files steadily dwindled, moving fromTO DOtoDONE. He stopped for lunch, then jumped right back in. Devon eyed the clock as he worked. He was on-track to get through the whole pile by the end of the day. There might even be time to look up Dannika's file before he had to leave.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. Devon tried to ignore it, but then it vibrated again. He fidgeted in the seat, then quickly pulled out the phone, too distracted to focus. Besides, it was probably Oliver, which meant it might be important.
He found two new messages from Hayden Ross instead.
Hayden: Hey! How's it going? I just convinced Daddy to let me throw a little brunch tomorrow, and we'd love for you to join us if you can. Oliver, too!
After that came another message, listing a time and an address.
Devon blinked. They actually wanted him to come? And Oliver?
He blew out a heavy breath, feeling dizzy. It was almost too much at once. Andy wanting him tonight. Hayden wanting him tomorrow. Both invitations sounded overwhelming, but he'd been missing out on things like this all his life. He couldn't pass them up.
The brunch wasn't until mid-morning, so he'd still have plenty of time with Andy.
Me: I'll be there!
Hayden: Yay! See you then.
Devon grinned to himself as he put his phone away and got back to work.
He scanned the last file and groaned at the sight of all the flagged words.Damn. The handwriting on this one was especially bad. He worked through each issue, reading the context over and over before determining the correct word.
Devon eyed the clock. There was still an hour until the usual end to his shift, but Andy had said he wanted to get an early start on their evening. Truth be told, Devon wanted the same. He was going to need some time at Andy's place to adjust to new surroundings. Even without that, he was itching to experience whatever Andy wanted to give him.
He might never get another chance like this.
Devon returned his focus to the file. He was down to the last word, wondering if he'd have time to look up Dannika's file once he was done. Devon squirmed.Damn it. He wanted to get Oliver some answers, and the sooner, the better. But he also didn't want to miss a second with Andy.
Except Andy hadn't come back yet. And would he really feel comfortable running off for the evening while Oliver sat at home, all alone, dwelling on mysteries unsolved?
The morgue door opened. Devon's heartbeat kicked into high gear, and he couldn't help smiling at the sight of Andy coming into the room.
Oh hells. Dannika was going to have to wait. He wanted this too badly.
Andy's eyebrows went up. “Last one already?”
“Yeah.” Devon finished the file, forwarded it to Billing, gathered up the paper copy, and set it decisively on top of theDONEpile. He smiled with relief, knowing he'd get to start the following week with the desk completely clear.
Andy grinned at him. “You ready to go home?”
