“I know. But sometimes I just don’t trust myself.”
Chris rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. You men make emotions so complicated. If you’re falling in love with him, just own it and act like it.”
“But what if something happens? What if they say he has to go back?” Atlas whispered, not wanting to put the idea out into the universe.
“I doubt that is going to happen, and I’ve handled cases like his before. The paperwork is almost ready for submission, and I’ll bring it by later in the week.”
He sighed, feeling a little better. “But what do I do at work?”
Chris shrugged. “There is only one way to handle this sort of thing: head-on. Talk to your friends, make sure they know the real story so they can be the ambassadors of truth. Even introduce them to Bazel, go out to dinner together. Try the usual social situations to make Bazel a visual part of your life rather than someone you keep at home. There hasn’t been anyone poking around since you caught the guy after him, so ease upa little. He’s been walking to the library and getting out of the house on his own, so include him in other parts of your life.”
“How did you get so smart?”
Chris grinned. “That’s easy. I’m not a man.”
“Very funny,” Atlas told her flatly. “We should get back inside before Bazel begins to worry.” He threw the ball a final time for Evie, and then they all went inside. Chris returned to the sofa to finish her wine, and Atlas found Bazel sitting in his chair, reading his book. He really seemed engrossed in it.
He and Chris began talking about books and things, and he explained what he was reading about. “Atlas says there are more books like this one.”
“There are,” she agreed.
“I get the idea that he’s going to give his library card a real workout. I figure we’ll go over together in the next few days so I can help him pick some things out.”
“That’s good.” She pulled her phone out of her purse and made a call. Atlas refilled her glass, and within a few minutes, she hung up. “Bazel, you can go in to the Y tomorrow and they will get you all set up with a membership. They will let you use the club for ninety days, and then after that you can decide if you want to join on your own or not.” She sat back in the chair. “You know, it’s like my job doesn’t seem to end.”
“You love it, otherwise you’d do something else.”
“Like what?” Bazel asked.
“Chris has a background in theater, so she has worked on a number of shows in New York as well as the rest of the country. She was quite in demand for a long time, until she left the city and came to our little town. She manages the theater in town.”
“Then why you leave?” Bazel asked.
“It was getting to be too much. Every time one of the shows ended, I had to scare up a new job, and I got tired of it. My family lives here. My father passed away a few years ago, and mymother needed help, so I fell back on my college degree and got the job here. Mom is still not doing well, so I live with her, and in return, she tries to run my life and fix me up with every single boy she encounters. I’ve tried explaining that I like girls, but she doesn’t seem to want to listen to that.” She drank some more of her wine. “Right now Mom is probably on the phone with one of her friends, trying to scare up a cousin or nephew for me to meet. It’s really a pain in the butt.”
“Well, I know an officer who is looking for someone. She’s a great person and a real ball buster. The two of you would probably get along great. You might know Larissa.”
Chris smiled. “I do. She and her girlfriend just broke up last month, and while I like her, I’m not getting in the middle of that mess. They are fighting over custody of their son and daughter, and it’s getting really ugly.”
Atlas shivered and glanced at Bazel, who seemed completely lost. “Larissa and Claudia had been together for six years, and they had children together.”
Bazel shook his head, probably trying to figure out how that was possible. “I’ll explain it later if you still want to know.” He nodded and turned back to Chris.
“They were happy until Claudia decided that it was all too much for her and wanted out. Larissa had the house, so Claudia left and then returned two weeks later, saying that she had made a huge mistake and wanted Larissa back, but she told Claudia to go pound sand. So now Claudia is trying to get custody of the kids, which isn’t going to happen because she left for someone else. But it’s making Larissa’s life a living hell.”
Atlas groaned. “I’m sorry I brought it up. I’ll have to bring Larissa some cookies or something the next time we’re on the same shift. Or maybe take her out for a drink afterwards. It sounds like hell.”
“It pretty much is.”
“And here I was trying to help you meet someone, but you already know everything there is to know.”
Chris held up her glass. “You boys ain’t got any drama on us lesbians.”
“I guess. So are you looking to date?”
“Yes, I am, but I think I’ve just about exhausted all the local lesbians, so I’m going to have to start going farther afield. After a while, you find out you’ve dated all the people in the area, and furthermore, you find out that the people you haven’t dated have been out with the people you have. It’s kind of weirdly incestuous.” She drank some more wine, and Atlas began to wonder if maybe she had already had a glass or two before coming over. “It sucks sometimes.”
Atlas and Bazel gazed at each other. Bazel seemed completely confused, and Atlas didn’t quite know what to say. His first instinct was to try to make the situation better, but that was beyond his abilities, so he kept quiet and let her talk. Maybe that was all he could do.
