Page 28 of Cherry Picked
“What’s going on, Goodman?” Knox mumbled into Gage’s hair.
“Oh, nothing much.” Gage linked his fingers with Knox’s. “Jack was just telling me he can’t sleep with Hawk because Hawk’s much younger than him, they work together, and he doesn’t see himself in a committed relationship.”
“Is that right?” Knox lifted his head and fixed me with a hard, green gaze… which was when I remembered that Gage Goodman was fifteen years his junior, and they’d met when Gage came to work for Sunday Orchard.
Fuck.Maybe Porter would have been the better Sunday to discuss all of this with.
“So you told Hawk no,” Gage said, calling my attention back to him. “And that was when he decided that he was going to use a hookup app.”
I nodded. “And I told him he was going to make a big mistake, but he forbid me from talking about it anymore, which is why I came here. I thoughtyoucould discuss it with him.”
Gage bit his lip. “You wantmeto talk to Hawk about hookup apps? I can do that.”
“Goodman.” Knox’s tone held a warning, but laughter lurked just beneath it.
“What? I’m super qualified for this! Leave it to me, Jack. Hawk’s a good-looking man. I’ll help him create a profile and make sure he meets tons of guys who want a mutually beneficial, singularly satisfying sexual experience. Easy peasy.”
“But that’s not… I don’t want you to… It’sdangerous,” I reminded Gage. “It’s not all fun and games!”
“Ehhhh. It’s mostly fun and games,” Gage argued, eyes dancing. “If it’s not, you’ve been using the wrong apps.”
“He could find himself hooking up with a serial killer,” I snapped, standing up so quickly I tipped my chair over. “Or, worse, someone who just uses him for sex and breaks his heart!”
Gage finally lost control of himself and started laughing hysterically. As if this was a joke.
“Knox!” I thrust out a hand to him. “You get what I’m saying, don’t you?”
Knox sighed. “You’ve got it bad, my friend. And I can’t say I don’t understand because lord knows I do.” He tightened his hold on Gage. “I really do. But my brother is a grown man. If he wants to get his dick wet, that’s his business. He’ll survive. He’ll figure out what he really wants. You both will.”
“There has to be a better way. I just want him to find someone who cares about him,” I said softly. “Someone who’s not just trolling for a quick fuck. He needs someone who knows his favorite ice cream and will think it’s cute that he sometimes drools when he sleeps. Someone who’ll love the things he loves because he loves them and won’t make him self-conscious about it. Someone who’ll realize how fuckingluckythey are to touch him… and who understands I’ll kick their ass if they mistreat him.”
I cringed. I sounded ridiculously sappy. I sounded… jealous.
Because you are, Wyatt. You don’t want to want him, but you don’t want anyone else to have him either.
Gage wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes and gave me a pitying look. “You can’t think of anyone in town who’d feel that way about Hawk, huh?”
I looked at him blankly, and Gage rolled his eyes. “Right. Well. I’m on the case.” He leaned back into Knox. “I’ve got a slew of eligible gay men in mind, starting with the environmental guy. And… oh! Baby, who’s that bendy guy who teaches yoga at the senior center?”
“Joey Kincaid,” Knox supplied. “He’s an artist. Hawk might like that.”
“The one who does the shibari photography?” I gasped.
“Yeah.” Gage tapped his lip thoughtfully. “When I first moved to the Hollow, his profile kept popping up on Grindr. Pretty sure he lives four hundred seventy-five yards away from the diner. He could… show Hawk the ropes, so to speak. Or there’s Remy Fortnum. He’s a brilliant carpenter.”
“Remy’s a player! He’s slept with almost everyone in town,” I said desperately.
“So he’s got excellent references, and he’s good at… handling wood.” Gage smiled. “See? We’re off to a great start already. You came to the right place, Jack. We’ll make sure to find someone who can take care of all Hawk’s… needs.”
My stomach roiled. I opened my mouth to argue with him but closed it when nothing came out. Instead, I nodded and muttered something that should have been thanks but came out sounding more likenever mind. Then I slunk back to my vehicle and made my way home.
The universe wasn’t finished fucking with me, though.
When I tried to lose myself in a renovation project—an addition to the house that I’d been working on by myself for weeks and couldn’t wait to show Hawk—I was so distracted that I ended up cutting the power cord on my new jigsaw rather than the trim board I’d been aiming for. The huge spark it sent up caught the sawdust in my work area and burst into flames I’d had to whip my shirt off to smother.
Trying to fix something and lighting it on fire instead was a really fitting metaphor for the day.
I crawled into bed hours later, exhausted and lonelier than I’d been since I moved to the Hollow. But no matter how many times I rolled over and punched my pillow, I couldn’t settle into sleep. I kept wondering where Hawk was, what he was doing, how he was feeling. I wanted him beside me. Smiling at me. Confiding in me.
