Page 7 of Finding Alfred
Outside of town. Way outside of town. Almost an hour away from the main drag, but a little bit closer to the offices, which were on that far side of Foggy Basin but still outside the city limits. That was where I found a house. It was cute, small, but I didn’t need much. The owner was willing to do a rent-first situation, making it a good option to live there for the first few months before deciding whether to buy. And it was vacant, so Icould move in right away. I didn’t waste any time, dropping the deposit immediately. I would arrange for my stuff over the next few days.
It had only taken an extra week or so to find it. But in all that time, I hardly saw Jackie. I wondered where he was and whether he was hiding from me. I drove into town and parked my old PT Cruiser in the parking lot a few doors down from the bookstore, then walked up the street. People were friendly here, and everyone had started waving to me when I passed by. In a small town like this, everyone would quickly know who I was, but that kind of felt nice.
Jackie was not at the counter, and my heart fell. But why was I looking for the man anyway? I didn’t want to see him. It was just that he had been here everywhere and constantly in my face, and now he wasn’t. He stopped calling, stopped texting. He was never at the bookstore. It was weird and not Jackie-like.
I meandered through the shelves until I found Eddy. “Hey, what’s Jackie’s deal?”
Eddy made that face he always made when things weren’t going well on his games. “I think maybe you hurt his feelings. I know you’ve been busy, but at least be friendly, right?”
Friendly? We were beyond that. “I, uh, don’t think you understand.”
Eddy huffed. “He likes you. You know that, right?”
“More than like,” I mumbled. And… I was going to have to confess, wasn’t I? Well, I had started it by ambushing him.
“What aren’t you telling me?” And there was his glare.
“Okay. Okay. We hooked up. After your wedding ceremony. Happy?”
“Ah ha!” He pointed at me, eyes lighting up, mouth making anO.
I shook my head. “You had no idea.” He was so ridiculous.
“No, you’re right, I didn’t. But now things make sense.” He held up a finger like fucking Sherlock Holmes or something. “And yeah, I’d bet money you hurt his feelings. He comes off all carefree and tough, but he’s a marshmallow like Brock.”
“Pft…” Jackie was no marshmallow. Brock, yes. Jackie? Nope. Not that he wasn’t sweet, I’m sure he was. It was only that his fierce sexiness outweighed that. And…ohmygawd. I was not standing here thinking about sex.
“Do you like him? Like-like him? Or…”
Truth time. “I don’t know how I feel. He’s a lot. You know? And I’m…well, me.” And that meant quiet. Sedate. Introverted. My idea of a fun day was reading a good book, drinking coffee, and being alone. If I got together with Jackie, that would never happen. He’d be in my face all the time. He was wild. Eddy was crazy, thinking he was soft inside. He was a tiger, teeth and all, and I did not want to get eaten alive.
“Okay, but he’s been moping like…I don’t know what. But…”
“No. Don’t go there. It’s not going to happen.”
I swear he had hearts in his eyes when he fluttered his lashes at me. “But it would be so cool if my best friend and Brock’s best friend were together. We could double date—”
“Oh fuck no. I’m not double-dating with you. And I’m not your best friend, Greg is.”
“Uh, no. Greg is my brother. He doesn’t count. You’re my bestie.” He actually hugged me. Okay, half a hug, since he had his hands full.
“I work for you. What the fuck even?” I awkwardly pushed him off me.
Eddy laughed and shoved the book he was holding back on the shelf. “So? You can be my best friend and still work for me. I mean, you were the only one who stood by me when the rest of the world thought I was losing my mind. You’re solid. And…”
“And now you’ve latched on to me to be your best friend. Whatever, dude.” I rolled my eyes, but Eddy bumped into my shoulder with his.
“Hey. You know you love being my bestie. Stop being so cranky. This is where you can relax and be happy, Alfred.”
“Has it ever occurred to you that some people might have a different idea of happiness?”
“Nope.” He sounded serious. He was a different sort, had always been anxious, and saw the world in a different way. I had to admit, Foggy Basin and Brock had been good for him. But I didn’t think it would do the same for me, especially if Jackie—nope. Not going there.
“Anyway, I came over to tell you I put the deposit down on my new place, and I’ll be heading back to the city to get my stuff over the next few days. So I won’t be around.” I was tempted to give him a snarkyhappy now?But I refrained. It was a slippery slope.
“You should take Jackie to help you.”
“No, I should not. My boss and best friend hired some great movers to do that.”
