Page 12 of Lorcan
“Uh…” His frown didn’t lessen. “This is moving fast.”
“Then let’s slow it down. I don’t know about you, but I could use another friend.”
“Friend?” He sort of croaked that—clearly uncomfortable.
“We both live in Mission City, correct?”
“Yeah. I’m in an apartment building on Second Avenue. It’s pretty crappy.”
“And I live in a new-build condo near the highway, as I said.”
He brightened. “Some of those units have such pretty views.”
“Mine does. I can see Mount Baker from my balcony. A balcony I can enclose, so even in the winter, I can sit out there. Tell you what…how would you like to see my view? Maybeone day you can come for lunch. I’m surrounded by fast food options. Or if you trust me, I can cook you something.”
“That sounds like a lot of trouble.”
“Trust me, it’s not. If you want, you can come and hang out. See the view—if we can. Plenty of rain this time of year.”
“And even snow.”
“Yep, even snow. I’m looking forward to it. I have my winter tires on my SUV and am ready to deal with any kind of weather.”
His brow did this little furrow thing I found adorable. “I need to get new winter tires.”
I waited, but he didn’t elaborate. “What do you do? If you don’t mind me asking—”
“I work construction. These days, I’m doing a lot of drywall, but the foreperson is planning to rotate me through a couple of other positions as well. She’s shorthanded and I’m, well, a jack of all trades. So to speak. And you’re a psychologist. That’s…just, wow.”
“Please think of me as a regular guy who’s looking for friends.”
“A friend who might be able to hook me up with some counseling.”
“Yes, that’s true.” Again, I gently stroked his hand. “The forecast is for sun on Saturday. I was planning a long walk in Heritage Park. Join me? Then we can have takeout at my place. Perhaps see the dormant volcano across the border in Washington State.”
He sighed. “Let me think about it?”
“Of course. Zero pressure, okay? This isn’t about pups, Daddies, or dating. This is just two guys hanging out and getting to know each other.”
“Yeah, okay.” He yanked out his phone. “Are you comfortable giving me your number?”
“Absolutely.” He unlocked his phone and handed it over. I noticed that he, like I, used a passcode rather than facialrecognition. After typing my number into his contacts, I sent myself a text. “Okay. So, the next step is up to you. If you want help to find a counselor, I can do that. If you want to go for a walk on Saturday, I can do that. If you want me to give you time and space, I can do that as well. Whatever you need. Okay?”
“You make it sound so easy. Lately, everyone has wanted something from me. I mean, it’s one thing for your boss to ask you to work—I’m appreciative. It’s another to have investigators crawling up your ass asking for things you just don’t have.” He accepted his phone back from me, but didn’t meet my gaze. “Sorry. You didn’t need to know that.”
“You never have to apologize. I’m a good listener. I even promise to leave mycounselorhat at home.”
That made him smile. “You seem like a really good man, Cody.”
“As do you.” Again, I offered a gentle smile. “It sounds like you’ve had a rough go of it. Hopefully things will look up from here.”
“Yeah. I guess so.” He scratched his bearded cheek again. “I feel like I’ve gotten all my chances and have blown all of them. That this is the best it’s going to be.”
“And that would be bad? A job, making friends, hopefully coming out from whatever you’ve been through—”
His gaze sharpened, and he pulled his hand back.
Oh shit.
