Page 75 of The Road Home
"I'm off to the bus stop. Will you let Tippy in before you leave?"
"I will. Be safe and call me if you need anything." Jared kissed him once more, but pulled back as he heard Cameron's truck pulling in.
Orson smiled. "I hope they like it."
"Me too." Jared watched as Orson left the shop and walked down the driveway. He hated letting him leave, and wished he could go with him. Each time they parted ways, he worried Orson would find someone else. Someone willing to take a relationship public. It was a fear that he needed to get over, and something he planned on changing as soon as he could. If he could.
Cameron climbed out of the truck. "Was that your new roommate?"
Jared nodded. "His name is Orson."
Cameron stepped into the shop. "Cute guy."
Jared's head snapped up at Cameron's words. "Cute?"
"What, you can't blame me for noticing, can you? I like smaller men."
Jared shook his head. He'd worked with Cameron for years and had never heard him talk about another man. He assumed that Cameron was straight, but like him, worked too much to date. "I didn't know you liked men at all."
"Ah, yeah. I don't bring it up a lot, but I don't hide it." Cameron shrugged. "So, is he gay, single?"
Jealousy hit Jared hard. He didn't like Cameron looking at Orson or thinking of him that way. "Um…" He ran his fingers through his hair. "He is gay."
"Hmm, maybe I'll have to ask him out if he's single." Cameron walked over to the hutch. "This what you want to haul?"
"Yeah, it's a wedding gift for a friend." Jared tried to focus on the hutch and not the fact that Cameron wanted to date Orson.
"Beautiful work, man. You always amaze me. I don't know how you do it." Cameron ran his hand down the side of the hutch. "I should have you do a dining room table for me. I just bought a house in Holliday, but don't have anything to furnish the place yet. Just the stuff in that tiny apartment I had."
"Take a look at the stuff against that far wall. If you like any of it, it's yours for helping me out all the time." Jared waved an arm to a stack of finished items he had yet to post on his website.
"I'm not taking anything. I'll pay you. I know how much time you put in working on this stuff." Cameron ran his hand over a dresser, then moved to a bookshelf. "I need a couple bookcases. You got any others?"
"No, but they are easy. I can do a couple of them for you. Just tell me what you're looking for."
"Something like this would be perfect, but I need two or three. I also need a coffee table for the man cave I'm building."
Jared laughed. "Man cave? Seriously? You don't come off as the man cave type."
Cameron shrugged. "I was broke in college. Spent all my time gaming when I wasn't studying. I also have a movie addiction that would put most people to shame."
"How did I not know all this about you?"
"We never really took the time to have a heart-to-heart, did we?" Cameron smiled. "Honestly, I'm a homebody. I spend a lot of time gaming and watching movies. I guess my man cave will be like your wood shop. Just a place to unwind and hang out. You know how it is when we get off work and can't shut our minds off."
Jared nodded. He knew too well. It wasn't something they talked about often, but dealing with the things that came through the emergency room every night took a lot out of a person. Many nights Jared would come home and turn his mind off by coming into the shop. At least he used to. Now, he turned to Orson. There was something about stepping into his arms that took away the stress and darkness from everything he'd seen at work. "Yeah, I get it. Some nights are worse than others." Jared leaned against the wall. "You know, if you ever need to talk about things…."
"Yeah, you too. I'm good though. Most nights at least." Cameron walked over and leaned beside Jared. "I'll buy some of that off you when we get back from dropping the hutch off."
"You need help moving them into the house?" Jared asked.
"Probably, and I'm guessing since we both work tonight, we won't have time. Can we do it Sunday?"
"Yeah, that's fine. Did you change shifts?" He thought Cameron had Wednesday and Thursday off.
"I'm off Saturday and Sunday now. I switched with Tom. He needed to change. Something about his kid's baseball games."
"Well, that works good for me. I'd rather work with you than him." He didn't like the stuffy, better than everyone else doctor who started working with them about a year ago.
