I frown into the phone. “No, it’s not. It’s just a video, Jude.”
Jude slides next to his partner in business and in life, and I see Cat’s face fill the screen next to his.
“Anyway, I liked it. Reminds me more of the Matt I know in the kitchen.”
I frown deeper at them.
Cat jumps in. “In life, you take things as it comes. In the kitchen, you are focused, serious, and detailed. It’s just nice to see it spill over to the videos. It lets people see you.”
“And that will be great with the upcoming food festival. Don’t you have to do a video with the winner?” Cat adds.
“Yeah, I do.”
“Can’t wait to see you, man,” Jude adds. “We need to really catch up when we are in Dallas for this event.”
We chat a bit longer, making plans, but I have to get off the call to go pick up Theo, so I don’t bother to correct Jude that the Matt I can be in the kitchen: too fixated, too serious, isn’t the one anyone really likes.
That Matt is too close to the quiet kid I used to be.
After Theo came to Sunday dinner and then to my cabin, I haven’t seen him for about three days. When I roll into Black Diamond to collect him for a few days together at my place, the desire for his body next to mine has flamed to a full-on need and not merely a basic want.
“Hey, sugar.” I give him a quick kiss over the bar.
I don’t like what I see, hints of purple trail under his eyes, like he hasn’t slept well, and he turns to sneeze a few times. Frowning, I grab his arm and pull him back to the bar. I kiss his forehead. Nope, no fever. At least he isn’t getting sick again.
“Here you go.” Smirking, Quinn slides a few stacks of paper and napkins over to Theo.
“What’s that?”
Theo blushes and hands me a beer.
“The numbers your boy had thrown at him tonight.” Quinn’s smirk falls off, softening as Bishop walks in. His gaze returns to me. “Apparently, his smile works wonders.” He gives a soft squeeze to Theo’s shoulder. “Looks good on him.”
Theo blushes harder, not meeting my eyes. Clearly, Quinn isn’t reading the tiredness on Theo’s face like I am, only the smile.
“You two go on.” Quinn’s eyes are on Bishop, though, so the dismissal is probably more for their sake.
“See you tomorrow.” Theo slips the papers with the numbers in the trash and tucks himself under my arm. As soon as we make it outside, it’s a short walk to my parking spot, my vehicle all warm and waiting on him. When I buckle him in, I catch his lips and kiss him softly.
“Are you cold? Not feeling well?” I climb in the driver’s side, handing him a bottle of water I had in the cupholder for him.
“It’s warm in here. But I feel fine.” In fact, Theo snuggles into the leather like he is trying to get closer to the heated seats. I turn up the heat from the control on the steering wheel.
“I stayed out at my cabin last night. Some people Quinn’s age started a delivery and cleaning service, so we use them for Mann Properties. I had them come clean again yesterday, and the cabin is nice and warm.”
Theo smiles at me, curled in small against the captain’s chair in the passenger side.
“I’m glad you wanted to spend a few days out here, sweetness.”
“I like your cabin.” I squeeze his hand on the console, happy our trip out here the last time convinced him to come back with me for a few days. He has to work at Black Diamond, but the crowds are more midday this time of year, so the drive is less of an issue.
At the cabin, I purposely left the lights on, giving off a warm glow. Despite the warm weather, the next few days promise a cold snap, meaning anything from cool winds to ice or snow this time of the year.
“You can take a shower if you want. I’ll finish up dinner, and then it’s a movie on the couch for you.” We make our way inside, and I carry his light backpack to my bedroom.
Theo gives me a small smile. Is he thinking of what we shared on the bed dominating the space?
During his illness, I found out Theo loves movies, the more recent the better. It’s like he hasn’t seen anything at all for the past few years. I cue up the streaming service so he can easily flip through it when he’s done in the shower if he wants.
