Hector smiled. It was a real one this time. “One of the people who was helping us escape was a woman named Gladys. My mother and Gladys took one look at each other and knew they had found their soul mates. They’ve been together almost thirty years now.”
“Your mother is a lesbian?”
Hector narrowed his eyes as he nodded. “Yeah, you got a problem with that?”
Will’s eyebrows peaked. “Why would I?” he asked. “I’m gay.”
Hector let some of the tension in his shoulders relax. He’d taken a lot of flak growing up because his mother had fallen in love with another woman. It was the same type of crap he’d taken over the years for liking men.
“Do you think having two moms made you like them?”
“You mean gay?”
Will nodded.
“No, because if I was like them, I’d like women, and I don’t. I like men.” Well, he liked one man specifically. He just knew going there—even in his fantasies—was a really bad idea. Will was way too young for him and so innocent of the world he probably shone like a beacon.
“Where is your mother now?” Will asked.
“Gladys and Mom live down south. They’re still doing the underground railroad thing, only now they do it together. I can’t even remember how many people went through our home while I was growing up, but there were a lot.”
Hector hadn’t understood it at the time, not until he was older. He had been young enough when his mom found Gladys that he didn’t understand what they had was taboo in that day and age. He just remembered his mother suddenly being happy after being so sad for so long. It wasn’t until he was older that he realized what they had found together was rare.
Or at least, he had thought that until he moved to Cade Creek. Now, he knew it was more common, but still as special. Maybe he’d be lucky one of these days to find something like that in his own life. Hector sighed as he looked across the table. He really needed to stop thinking that he might have already found it.
“What did you get done today?” Hector asked before he picked up his fork and started eating again.
Will smiled. “I got all of the trim sanded and ready to be stained except for the trim in your room. I didn’t know if you wanted me in there or not. I also got the caulking done on the tiles in the upstairs bathroom.”
Hector lifted his eyebrows. “That’s quite a bit, Will. Did you get any rest?” He’d wanted to give Will something to do so he felt as if he was paying his own way. He hadn’t meant for the man to work himself to the bone.
“I wanted to get it done before you got home so you could get some rest,” Will said. “I’m here all day with nothing to do. You’re the one who works here all day then goes to work all night.” Will cocked his head in the most adorable manner. “Do you even sleep?”
“I sleep,” Hector insisted, although, he hadn’t really been getting a lot of sleep lately, and it had nothing to do with work.
Will’s eyes widened. “When?”
Hector chuckled. “I sleep when I’m tired.”
If that were true, he’d be asleep right now. He just didn’t want Will knowing how tired he really was. Something deep inside of him, something primal, wanted Will to only see him as strong and powerful. Never weak.
“Why don’t we get this”—Hector waved his hand at the dishes on the table—“cleaned up and then you can show me what’ve done?”
Will nodded and stood.
"This was really good, Will. Thank you." Hector smiled when Will's cheeks flushed.
While Will gathered up the dishes, Hector carried the leftover food to the counter. He dug a container out of the cupboard and transferred the leftovers from the glass dish to a plastic one. He put the food in the fridge then slid the glass dish to the counter next to the sink for Will to wash before heading back to the table to gather up what was left.
Between the two of them, it took less than ten minutes to get everything cleaned up from dinner. It was kind of nice to have someone to help. Hector could cook, but he tended not to do a lot of it when it was just him. He hated cooking for one.
He also hated eating alone, so tonight was kind of nice, as well. He could grow used to coming home to someone in the house.
Fuck. Hector leaned against the counter, gripping the edges with his hand as he tilted his head back and stared up at the ceiling. There he went again thinking things he shouldn’t be thinking. Maybe he needed to consider finding somewhere else for Will to stay. He'd had that thought before, but maybe he really needed to consider it.
Hector swallowed tightly when the mere thought of sending the man away made bile rise up in his throat. He hadn’t been here more than a few days, and Hector was already looking forward to coming home to spend time with him. He liked eating dinner with Will, and just sitting and talking to him. He liked looking at him.
He really liked looking at him.
