Page 27 of Cherry Picked
Yes. Webb would be perfect. I mean, okay, he’d lose his shit if he heard about Hawk’s cherry-popping plan, but rightly so because that plan was terrible. He’d sit Hawk down and…
I groaned. He’d probably try to put Hawk in a time-out or send him to bed without dessert like he was four instead of twenty-four. I didn’t want Hawk humiliated in the name of protection. Not to mention, Webb had zero experience with gay hookup apps.
Maybe Knox would be the better big brother to approach. Knox was experienced and levelheaded. He’d lived in Boston, for goodness’ sake. Surely he’d done the hookup thing dozens of times, if not hundreds. Maybe even… thousands.
I hesitated again.
Okay, possibly Knox hadtoomuch experience.
Gage, Knox’s boyfriend, would be the best bet. Gage was Hawk’s age, so he wouldn’t treat Hawk like a kid. He’d used hookup apps in the past, but he was also in a committed relationship with Knox, so he’d be able to explain the difference in a way I couldn’t. He’d tell Hawk to slow down and not rush things. For his own good.
I started my truck and headed for Sunday Orchard, but instead of pulling into the main driveway between the farmhouse and the barn they’d converted into a gift shop, I headed around the back and parked in front of a small orange cottage at the rear of the property.
The Pumpkin House was at least a hundred years old—maybe older than the farmhouse where the rest of the family lived—but it had sat vacant for most of the time I’d lived in the Hollow, and I’d always thought it looked a little sad. Now, though, the cottage was full of life, with freshly painted shutters, white curtains riffling in the summer breeze, and long columns of brightly colored flowers marching up the path to the front door. In the side yard, Gage Goodman sprawled on a folding lounge chair in a pair of bright pink surf shorts and nothing else while his boyfriend mowed the lawn around him.
“Hey, Gage? Can I talk to you?” I asked above the loud buzz of the mower.
Gage opened one eye and peered at me. “Jack? Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” I hesitated. “Probably.”
Knox lifted his eyebrow at me from across the stretch of overgrown grass, but I shook my head and pointed at his boyfriend before taking a seat in the lawn chair next to Gage.
He reached for an iced coffee that had been hidden in the shade under his chair and took a deep slurp. “What’s up?”
“Well, the thing is…” Now that Gage’s dark eyes were on me, I shifted awkwardly. Hawk would not be happy if he knew I was here. I was trying to protect him, but he’d see it as me interfering or viewing him as a child when that was theoppositeof my problem these days. “If I tell you something, will you keep it between us? And, uh, Knox, I guess?”
Gage frowned. “Okay…”
“It’s Hawk…”
“Ohhh.” Gage sat up in his chair eagerly, lips tilted in a knowing smirk. “Oh, god,finally.I’ve been waiting months for you to open your eyes, man.”
I frowned. “You’ve noticed what’s going on with him?”
“Dude, the whole town has. Pretty sure only you and Webb have had blinders on. I think even the cows in the field know and are placing wagers with their bovine bookies about how long it would take you to catch on.” He looked at me seriously. “Don’t let their big eyes fool you. Those cows are criminals. Remember what happened when O’Henry Brush’s cattle got loose this spring? Tip of the iceberg, man.”
“Riiiight.” I began to doubt whether Gage had been the correct person to approach about this after all.
“You know there’s not a person in the Hollow who doesn’t adore Hawk,” Gage went on. “He’s the heart and soul of this town. He deserves someone who appreciates all of him… I mean, I don’t need to tellyou, right?” He chuckled and slapped my leg playfully. “I am very on board for Hawk to get his happy ever after. How can I help?”
“Well.” I blinked. “I was thinking he could use a non-brother friend to help him navigate the, ah… the dating scene.”
Gage’s smirk faded into a confused frown. “The dating scene.”
“Yeah. That’s what we’re talking about, right? Hawk’s going through something right now that’s got him all twisted up, and he’s decided he needs to lose his… I mean… he’s decided he wants to try hookup apps.”
Gage’s jaw dropped, and he stared at me in blank horror.
I nodded grimly. “Thank you! At leastsomeoneunderstands how serious this is. I’ve tried to tell Hawk it’s a terrible idea, but he won’t listen. He’s confused. He actually…” I hesitated, then admitted, “He actually said he wants to sleep with me.”
Gage’s eyes widened comically. “He told you that? Hot damn, Hawkins.”
“He did. And I said no. Obviously.”
“Obviously,” Gage repeated faintly. Across the yard, the mower cut off. “Uh. Just so I understand… what’s so obvious about you saying no?”
“I’m too old for him. He works for me. I’m friends with his brothers. And… I’ve never seen myself in a committed relationship. That way lies madness.” I winced as Knox slid onto the lounge chair behind his boyfriend, wrapping his grass-coated arms around Gage’s waist and nuzzling the back of his neck. “I mean, not madness for everyone. Not madness for you guys. Or Webb. Or… other people. But for me.”
