Art laughed. “I suppose so. So what has your day been like? Did you go to that volleyball meet you texted me aboutyesterday?”
“No, no. I ended up getting stuck on the phone with my daughter. There were issues with my insurance going through on sometests.”
“Oh, no. The insurancegame.”
“It’s fine. I didn’t fill out the paperwork correctly, so she was giving me hell over that. But if I can’t work her up about something, I don’t see what the point of livingis.”
Art appreciated the joke before asking, “Has she settled on a time tovisit?”
“She’ll actually be visiting next week,” Wes said. “She has her court dates, and then she’ll be flyingin.”
“Oh, nice,” Art said. “I hope everything goes well with that case she’s workingon.”
“I hope so too. She’s been working on this for…I want to say three years now, and she spent some of that time working from Justin’s when I was recovering, so I’m glad she’s able to give it her full attention right now. At any rate, I’ll be happy when she gets here, because it’s been too long. I’m just pleased to have herover.”
“I’m sure that will bewonderful.”
“So what are your plans for the rest of the day?” Wesasked.
“Have you gone on one of our nature trails in the neighboringwoods?”
Wes shook hishead.
“Oh, really? I suggest you take some time to appreciate them. They’ve carved out some beautiful trails. Along with my other activities, there’s a Nordic-walking group I meet up with every weekend. I was thinking it’s a beautiful day for it, so I was going to make my way there after I deliver Frances her vegetables.” And just as soon as he said that, he felt the need to invite Wes along. To his surprise, Wes replied with, “That sounds like it will be nice. I’m signed up for my second Zumba class, but this seems like it could be moreenjoyable.”
Art chuckled, recalling Wes’s messages about his unpleasantexperience.
“Haven’t sweated so much in my whole goddamned life,” Wes grumbled before smirking, as though he enjoyed complaining toArt.
“I do enjoy a good sweat every once in a while.” Art couldn’t help his wording, and appreciated his innuendo, especially as the expression on Wes’s face suggested he did aswell.
“I’ll bet you do,” Wes replied, and the way his voice deepened… Art couldn’t deny his own excitement at the very idea of Wes enjoying such asweat.
He dismissed his fantasy just asquickly.
While it hadn’t been so long since he’d messed around with another man, he was certain that Wes, knowing how far Art had drifted from what he looked like when he was younger, couldn’t possibly be interested in what his body had transformedinto.
Still, Art could feel his face turning pink, and he sneaked a glance back to Carol, who still wasn’t even pretending to keep busy with her gardening. Art quietly judged the less than impressive state of her peppers, surely the result of how easily distracted she couldbe.
* * *
Wes and Artwalked alongside one another, tailing behind a small group that seemed to be heading in the same direction, though Art slowed like he was trying to allow them to get a little fartherahead.
Wes had read about the hiking trails in the pamphlet he’d reviewed with Justin and Kelly when they were first discussing the possibility of him getting a place there. As they neared the main gate, Wes noticed a sign designating different trails of varying lengths and difficulty with differentcolors.
“I usually take the white trail because it’s longer, but yellow is just fine too,” Art said. “Orange and red are a little more work than I’d prefer today, but I can muster the energy if that’s what you’re in the moodfor.”
“White sounds like a nice leisurely stroll, which I think I’dprefer.”
“You sure you’re up forit?”
“I survived a Zumba class. You think I can’t handle a leisurely stroll in thewoods?”
He earned another laugh from Art as they ventured onto the trail and followed the trees marked appropriately for the whitetrail.
An occasional cool breeze offered some relief from the oppressive humidity thickening the air and making the walk that much more of an effort, something that made Wes particularly pleased with choosing the least strenuouspath.
“Last time I went on a walk in the woods,” he told Art, “it was with my great-grandkids. There’s a park not far from Justin and Erin’s place, and they have pathways paved throughout. Now this park is a lot bigger than the one near downtown, the one we had that talk at. And much busier. Has two kids’ play areas with all sorts of equipment, and you can hear them screaming and hollering to each other. You can hear parents scolding them when they misbehave. It was a bit of work for me because I haven’t gotten much exercise after my heart attack, but it was nice to be back outside and active again. Funny, I made a pact with myself that day that I was going to take a walk every day from then on, but you know how life is…so many pactsbroken.”
