Page 89 of Love It or List It
But a hundred kilometers north, they were bracing for a wicked ice stormbracketedby snow.The radar looked gnarly.Joe whistled under his breath.
Austin peered over his shoulder.“What’s up?”
Joe tilted the screen so he could see.“Think I’m probably going to have to go up London way tomorrow.”It wasn’t unusual; lots of local crews did that during the winter.London was firmly in the snow belt where Windsor wasn’t.Cleaning up after the storm would be an all-hands-on-deck situation.
Austin whistled under his breath.“Nasty.”
“Can I see?”
Joe slid the phone across the table to Will.“It’s looping, but that’s the prediction.If it’s accurate, the ice is going to take down a lot of trees.I’ll probably bring a crew up for a couple days.”He had the number of the cleanup coordinator for London-Middlesex.He made a note to text her if she didn’t message him within the next ten minutes.
Will frowned as he pushed the phone back.“Won’t it be dangerous to drive up there?”
“I’m not going anywhere until the 401’s been plowed and salted,” Joe promised.The highway was always cleared first.“But my guess is they’ll need help to clear roads and driveways.”He paused.“Power might go out tonight, so we should turn the heat up, and I’ll lay a fire in just in case.Charge your phone now, okay?Will, if it gets too cold upstairs, the couch is pretty comfortable.”
“I’m going to take Pepa out,” Austin said.“She’s not a fan of getting snowed on.Hey, do you think I could make her a snowshoe for the prosthetic?”
At that, Will almost smiled.“Are you gonna make her matching ones for her other legs?’Cause otherwise I’m not sure there’s a point.”
Joe snorted.“Sorry, I just had a mental picture of Pepa buried in the snow except for the prosthetic.”
“Oh, she’d be so unhappy.”He shook his head.“Maybe I’ll just get one of those fake grass pee pads for the front porch.It’s not like we use it for anything else.”
And then he was up and gone, Pepa trotting at his heels.She always knew when Austin was about to take her for a little walkabout.
That left Joe alone with Will for what might be the last time in a while.Joe opened his mouth to say something—please try not to bite Austin’s head off while I’m gone, maybe, orI’m glad you’re being less of a dick today—but Will beat him to it.
“He’s just like that, isn’t he?”He shook his head as the door closed behind Austin and Pepa.“‘Oh, she hates the snow, I’ll make her snowshoes and get her a dog potty.’What the fuck.No wonder you’re in l—uh, sleeping with him.”
Joe carefully decided to focus on the sentence Will had completed, rather than the one he deliberately hadn’t.He cleared his throat.Might as well strike while the iron was hot, or whatever.“You know that just because Austin and I are together doesn’t mean I love you any less, right?”
Will flinched as though Joe had slapped him, but his posture softened again immediately.
“I know that,” Will said.He poked at his empty plate.
Joe waited him out.Giving him silence to fill often worked better for getting Will to open up than asking probing questions.
“I do,” he repeated.“It’s just….”He wouldn’t meet Joe’s eyes.“It’s hard to see you, knowing my parents wouldn’t… couldn’t….”
Ah.Joe could see how living with two happy queers after being made homeless for his own sexuality might be painful.“You know that Austin and I don’t expect you to feel any particular way or to, like, be happy all the time or for us or anything.”
“Yeah, I know,” Will said again, but Joe couldn’t escape the certainty that he’d eased some tension.
“Just maybe try to take the angst out on inanimate objects and not us?”Or the shower drain, he added mentally.
Will gave a wan smile.“I can try.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
AS PREDICTED,Joe headed out the morning after, leaving Austin and Will alone together, which meant, despite Joe’s good intentions, Austin was now Will’s ride to school.For two mornings in a row, they sat in silence, listening to Austin’s new favorite podcast.At least they didn’t have to rely on his singing voice to fill the silent car.
The first night, Austin suggested they heat up leftovers when they got home, and he barely got an answer before Will stomped upstairs.
“Guess not, then,” Austin said to Pepa as he took her outside.
Will eventually crept down for food, but they didn’t talk.Or rather Will said nothing and Austin respected the kid’s space.Though he noticed that Will wasn’t exactly alone.Apparently Ozzy had a new favorite human.
Austin figured Will deserved a little unconditional love, and also cuddles.The poor kid could do with all the physical affection Ozzy could dish out.
