“I don’t know…”
“Do you got someplace else to be?” His words challenged, as though he knew the answer.
“N-no.”
“Then come tomorrow.” He stood and collected the empty plates.
“Maybe.” But probably not, although those big blue eyes were nice. Cort might be the soft touch I needed to get through the rest of the winter.
CORT
Damn. Who washe? I never had trouble concentrating on the readings before, but the moment he entered the store, I spotted him and couldn’t look away. I’d been in New York long enough to recognize a homeless person, having given my fair share of dollars to the regulars I saw on a daily basis. As I understood it, we were all one step away from falling on hard times, and I had no reason to punish anyone for being unlucky.
But this guy—Harlan—he seemed different from the people who hung out in the subway station or stood on the corner of Second and Houston, panhandling. He didn’t look comfortable in his own skin. Almost as if he wasn’t used to being homeless. I knew one thing for certain: he hadn’t been homeless for long. Not with the way he gobbled up the plates of cheese and crackers. I could tell that was the real reason he came in, but I didn’t begrudge him. The world was a hard enough place without strangers judging each other.
“It went well tonight, don’t you think?” Race, the owner, leaned on the big wooden desk he used as a sales counter. It was original to the store, he explained to me on the first night I came into the bookstore. As he saw me on a more regular basis, we got chummy, and I started hanging out there. After a few months, I offered to help him with the setup for the readings, since he mentioned he had a bad back.
“Very. I had to read a Jane Austen book in high school and never thought much of it, but I’m enjoying hearing it read to me.”
He nodded. “It can be heavy to read but enjoyable to hear. Like Shakespeare.”
“Yeah, I couldn’t get into that at all. Maybe if you had someone come read that too?”
“Perhaps.” The overhead lights gleamed off his glasses. “You met a friend tonight, I saw. First time I’ve seen him here.”
Instantly, I wanted to hide the fact that Harlan had been sneaking cheese and crackers all night. “Uh, yeah. We were talking about Jane Austen.”
“Oh?” He quirked a brow, and I heard the skepticism in his voice. “He read Austen?”
“Now, now. Don’t go makin’ those assumptions again. Remember what you thought when I first wandered in here.”
His laughter filled the store. “Do I ever. I thought,Holy hell. How did this bull in a china shop ever find his way in here?”
“Uh-huh.” I leaned my forearms on the desk. “From the questions you asked, you thought I couldn’t even read. Bet you figured all I was interested in was comic books.”
A telltale blush stained his cheeks. “Well…you got me there. Either that or muscle magazines. Who could blame me, with the way you’re built? But you’re right. I made a snap judgment, and I’m sorry.”
I waved him off. “No big deal now—but it goes to show not everyone is what they seem on the outside. Harlan might be well-educated and down on his luck. Who knows?”
Again, that skeptical expression crossed his face. “Doubtful. But I see your point. All I’m saying is to be careful. You’re a trusting person, Cort. I’d hate to see you get hurt.”
“Thanks. I appreciate your concern.”
No one could hurt me more than I’d already been, so I wasn’t too worried. Home had never seemed as far away as it did when I lay in bed alone every night, listening to the sounds of traffic rolling past my window. Sometimes I wondered if I’d made a mistake, walking away from my family and the life I left behind in Texas, but then I remembered my daddy’s face, so hard and angry, and I knew there was never going to come a time when I would be his son again. Not if I wanted to be the real me.
Besides, after tonight, I doubted I’d see Harlan again.
Chapter One
CORT
“Oh, lookit him.He’s a hottie.” Frankie passed me the iPad. We were hanging out in my apartment, and Frankie, having decided it was time for me to “get laid,” pulled up some new dating app he’d heard of. From the picture on the screen, I had to admit, he was right on the money. Standing next to a big black stallion and wearing nothing but a pair of chaps over his jeans, the guy was hot as fuck. “And his bio says he’s also from Texas. Maybe you two know each other.”
Lounging on the sofa, Austin snorted with laughter, almost spilling his beer. “Frankie, you dumbass. Texas is kind of big, you know? Bigger than New York.”
“Oh.” He flashed a sheepish grin. “Yeah. That was kinda stupid, huh? Geography was never my strong point in school.”
“Obviously,” Austin said and ducked when Frankie threw a chip at him.
