Page 68 of Heart Me Up
“Try to relax. And remember, if this isn’t right, we don’t have to—”
“Iknow.” I blew out a breath. “Sorry.”
He chuckled. “Iknow.” He winked at me and I made a face at him.
We parked in front of the ranch house, and I forced myself to exit the car slowly. Hardly any visitors were allowed inside the gates, and this might be my only opportunity to look around. The house was one story, mostly natural wood with some fieldstone accents and a large covered front porch. A big white barn and some outbuildings were visible behind the house. On either side were paddocks where horses and even some sheep were grazing. Was that a llama? Maybe an alpaca; I wasn’t sure of the difference. I could tell a Cairn Terrier from a Norwich Terrier, but larger animals were a mystery.
I circled around the car to meet up with Foster before we headed for the front porch. The door swung open, and Will Graham came out.
“Foster and Craig! How are you?” We all shook hands. Foster and I had met Will last fall, and neither of us had seen him since. Unlike me, Foster had also already met Will’s two boyfriends. All three had stayed in our house for a few days in November, but it had been related to Foster’s job, so I hadn’t gotten to meet them at the time.
“Thanks for calling me,” I said. I’d been surprised to hear from him.
“Of course.” He smiled broadly and ushered us inside. “Though when I called I never dreamed it might end up being you two. All of us are hoping this goes well.”
We ended up in an enormous living room with an open kitchen and a big farmhouse-style dining table to one side. Will offered us drinks but we declined. I crossed and uncrossed my arms, not knowing what to do with them.
“Hang on a sec. The guys wanted to talk to you for a few minutes first. They’re out back, so let me go grab them.” He pointed us to an overstuffed leather couch before exiting through the back door. Will walked out onto a large deck and shouted something. He got a shout back and returned inside to plop down into one of the armchairs.
“How’s Malcolm doing?” he asked. Will had met Malcolm the same day he’d met Foster and me.
I rolled my eyes. “He’s an eternal pain in my ass.”
“Hey!,” Foster protested. Most of Malcolm and my interactions involved irritating the hell out of each other. As a bonus, it drove Foster up the wall, which was always amusing.
“Sorry,” I told him, then turned to Will. “I meant to say Malcolm is doing as well as can be expected for someone with his personality. I keep telling him he’d be less of an asshole if he’d get laid once in a while.”
Will laughed. “Oh, my god, don’t say that to Cole.” The back door opened, and Will dropped his voice to a loud whisper. “He’s on a matchmaking kick.”
“Did someone saymatchmaking? I’m in!”
I glanced up, and there was Cole Washburn in the flesh. After watching him in movies for most of my adult life, it was jarring to not only see him in person but also to see the big scar on the side of his face he’d gotten last year when some crazy person shot at him.
Foster and I stood up to shake hands with Cole and also with Jason Shelton, their other boyfriend. Cole and Jason greeted Foster warmly, and Foster introduced me to them. I was able to speak intelligibly to Cole and not stand there with my mouth open. He was even more attractive in person than on the big screen, even with the scar.
Okay, if Foster had to nudge me, maybe Ihadbeen staring. Just a little though.
“No, really,” Cole said as we all sat down. “Who are we matchmaking for?”
“No one,” said Will, a little too firmly to sound natural. “I was telling Foster and Craig about your latest hobby.”
Cole’s face lit up in a way I’d never seen in any of his movies. “I had so much fun! I only did it for our one friend, and he didn’t end up liking the guy I picked out for him—”
Jason and Will both started coughing.
“Hush, both of you. It wasn’t my fault.” He turned to us. “People on those apps can be so dishonest. I couldn’t believe it. But I’d love to try it again if you two know anyone who’s single and looking.”
On either side of Cole, Will and Jason had their heads turned in opposite directions, both of them wearing bland expressions with their lips pressed tightly shut.
“Oh, we’ll, um, keep it in mind.” I tried to imagine asking Malcolm if he’d let Cole Washburn set him up on a date. The way the corner of Will’s mouth kept twitching, he was probably imagining the same thing.
Will decided it was time to change the subject. “So, normally we have people fill out an application, but we know you, so we don’t need it.”
“And don’t forget the three of us stayed in your house last November.” Jason smiled kindly. “So also no need for a home inspection.”
Cole piped up, “Hey, did you ever get rid of that rock-hard couch?”
I started laughing so hard I almost fell over. “Oh, my god, Foster. Your fucking couch is famous.”
