Ozzie nodded. “We do. Out front and out back, plus a number of businesses in the square have exterior cameras as well.”
She turned to Sheriff Cavanaugh. “Can I grab a uniformed officer to help me go to shops around the square to get whatever footage they might have from, say, the last two hours?”
He nodded. “Good idea. I’ll let you take the lead on that.”
“Will do, Sheriff.” She gestured to the destruction. “Tommy said the perpetrator was a man wearing sunglasses and a medical mask. From what we can see, he was efficient, which means he might’ve already been familiar with the place.”
My parents had never set foot in any of the Queer Row businesses, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to find that they’d spied on me.
“I’ll leave you to it, then,” Sheriff Cavanaugh said, tucking his notepad away. His eyes went back to Ozzie. “You okay, nephew?” he asked, softening his tone.
Ozzie swallowed thickly. “I just—Tommy was hurt, and it could’ve been so much worse.”
As he was talking, Major, Tristan, Beckett, Holden, and Ren pushed past the ring of onlookers and approached us. You’d think I’d be less nervous—hell, nearly all of them had seen me at the Rainbow Note, and apparently our whole friend group had witnessed me ogling Ozzie’s ass for an entire year.
I still wanted to sink through the pavement and disappear.
The fact that Ozzie was being so understanding somehow made everything feel worse. Not only was it my fault his new restaurant had gotten wrecked, but I was also having a fucking heart attack about admitting that we were together to our friends.
“Hey,” Ozzie said low in my ear. “Whatever fatal scenario you’ve got going on in your head right now, stop it. This is allowed to be hard for you. I can’t imagine having to come out like this. This did not go the way it was supposed to, and that is entirely unfair.”
I slid a glance his way, barely able to make eye contact. “Is this even worth it to you? I know that for a lot of guys, sleeping with other people is not that big of a deal, but for me it is, and I don’t even know if I can call you my?—”
Ozzie’s expression stopped my babbling. “Hey. We’re going to unpack all that later, when we have time. But let me make one thing perfectly clear: you are my boyfriend. None of this is your fault, and yes, you’re worth it. Completely and utterly worth it.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t see how that’s possible.”
“It’s not only possible, it’s a fact. I want to be with you, and that includes standing right here, right now.”
I cleared my throat, so frustrated by my tears I could only nod.
Our friends joined us, and Ozzie gave them the lowdown. I stayed quiet, waiting to see what they thought about everything.
Major was the first to come up to me. “Hey, Walk. This sucks, brother. It’s not fair, and I’m so sorry,” he said, wrapping me up in a hug. “But I’m so happy that you and Oz finally—finally—figured your shit out. I can’t think of a better man for him than you.”
I smiled into his shoulder, appreciating his gentle teasing.
Next was Beckett. “I know this isn’t the right time to go into it, but I counsel a lot of people who are figuring out their sexuality. It doesn’t have to be biblical or spiritual or anything like that. We can just talk as friends.”
“Thanks, Beckett. I think.”
He grinned, then stepped aside as Tristan, Holden, and Ren took turns giving me hugs and words of encouragement. I was still numb by the end of it, and I had no idea what to think of Sheriff Cavanaugh’s investigation, but I was more hopeful than I would’ve been had I been going through this alone.
CHAPTER26
ozzie
Major had Leo grab some plywood to cover the broken window, but it took another full day for the police to release the restaurant back to us. Uncle Ryan explained that Detective Crow would review the surveillance videos from around the square as quickly as possible, depending on her other active investigations.
Wednesday morning, the Lost Boys and some of our friends and family gathered to help us clean up the mess.
“Okay, y’all,” Ginger said, her voice a little shaky. “Uh, to get out the spray paint, use rubbing alcohol on the wood and vinegar on the leather. It’ll take a while, but stick with it.”
She’d admitted that seeing the restaurant trashed like that had brought up a lot of shit from her old life. Still, she was right about the alcohol and vinegar, even if they did smell to high heaven.
I shouldn’t have been surprised when Jules, another volunteer from Lupe, joined us, managing to look elegant even in cleanup clothes. She and Ginger had become good friends after an incident in which Ginger had said something unintentionally offensive to the trans community. Jules, a trans woman, corrected her with grace, and Ginger immediately and sincerely apologized. They’d worked closely together ever since.
Beckett was convinced that they were meant for each other, but I didn’t see it. Then again, I would’ve never guessed that Walker would want to be with me, so maybe I wasn’t the best judge.
