“I’ll grab this round, but no ‘missed the boat’ stories until I get back,” they say, heading toward the bar.
Hunter slides back into the booth. We’re sitting side by side now, and his thigh brushes mine under the table as he shifts. I fight back a shiver, but thankfully, no one seems to notice. I use the moment to sneak a peek at him, and his dark eyes lock with mine for a second before he gives me a friendly smile. “Hey, stranger! How’s your transition back to real life going?”
I can’t read his expression. I want to believe he’s been missing me as much as I’ve been missing him, but he’s not giving anything away.
“Seattle’s felt a little gray,” I whisper, and when I’m sure no one’s paying attention, I reach down and give his leg a quick squeeze under the table. He sucks in a sharp breath, his brown eyes darkening with lust. Yup, there it is. He’s definitely still affected by me.
“Um, guys?” Serah says, and I realize with a start that Kelly is back with all the drinks, and Hunter and I have been just sitting there staring at each other for god knows how long. Shit.
“Um, yeah. What, sorry?” I stammer.Good job, Penn. Way to throw everyone off our trail.
“Come on, we need the almost-missed-the-boat story!” she says. She’s grinning as usual, but I can almost see the wheels turning in her head, wondering what the hell is going on. The girl misses nothing, I swear.
“Oh my god, I thought I was going to drop dead from a coronary right there,” Hunter groans, and we proceed to get everyone laughing as we relate the story of almost getting left behind in St. Croix and the mad drive back to the ship.
Hunter’s description of our “Amazing Race”-style sprint down the magically never-ending pier to get back to the ship with justmoments to spare is classic, and everyone’s wiping away tears from laughter after we finish the story.
“That’s one of the best vacation stories I’ve heard,” Cooper says, draining his beer.
“Yeah, we should be able to get some mileage out of that one,” I laugh. “So, what’s been happening around here?” I ask, and the conversation turns to everyone’s jobs and other news.
Hunter catches my eye a little later. “Are you gonna tell them?” he asks, one eyebrow cocked.
I swallow hard, nodding. “Yeah, I, uh, yeah. Yes. I am.” I take a deep breath.
“No time like the present.” He gives me an encouraging smile, and fuck, it’s nice to feel supported by someone who truly believes I can make this dream happen.
“So, uh, hey, guys,” I say, waving my arms around to get their attention. “Hey, so I have something I want to tell you all.” I look down into my drink, suddenly nervous as everyone focuses on me. This is it. By telling them about The Open Door, I’m committing to it. Like really committing. It’s terrifying, but at the same time, I find myself looking forward to the challenge. That might be a first for me.
“So, I just wanted to tell you guys about something I’ve been thinking about for a while now. And I’ve started doing some work on it, and it seems like now is a good time to tell you all what’s going on.” Five sets of confused eyes stare back at me from around the table. I swallow hard.
“So, um, for the last few months, I’ve started working on a project. I’ve decided to use my trust fund to start up and fund a special charity. It’s a shelter and community-center-type place for LGBTQ kids that we’re going to build up in Marysville.”
There’s silence for a minute as they take in what I just told them, and for just a second, I wonder if I’ve made a huge mistakeby telling everyone. But then the table erupts with chatter, all of it thrilled and excited.
“Oh my god, are you serious? That’s amazing, Penn!” Serah says, her eyes bright with excitement.
“Yeah, dude, that’s incredible! Congrats, man. That’s a huge accomplishment,” Logan says, and I wave off the compliment.
“Oh, it’s a long way from being a sure thing yet, but I did a lot of thinking about it while we were away, and I think the chances are pretty good that it’s actually gonna happen, so I wanted to let you all know about it.”
“I think it’s amazing,” Serah says. “Have you got any plans for long-term funding for it? Because I know for sure my boss, Matt, would be very interested in getting Rainy Day Games involved as a big donor on a project like that. I mean, if you’re interested.”
“Oh, well, yeah, I mean, that would be amazing, for sure,” I say, chancing a look over at Hunter, who’s almost beaming with pride. Seeing that look on his face does something to my insides, I swear.
“Actually, yeah, for sure,” Cooper pipes up suddenly. “I know a few people who would definitely be interested in getting behind a project like that. And I mean, some of these guys are, like, big-money, venture capitalist types. I can probably get you in the door with some of those folks.”
“Oh, yeah, wow,” I say, starting to feel a little overwhelmed with all the suggestions being thrown at me.
“Penn, have you considered doing an invitation-only presentation for a select group of potential big-money donors?” Kelly asks, all business, as they pull a tablet from their bag and set it on the table, stylus in hand. “I’d be happy to help you get it set up, and I know Carson Wells, my new boss, plus at least a couple of people I’ve worked for in the past, would be very interested in getting involved.”
And just like that, my friends are on the case, everyone talking and making suggestions and throwing out dates and ideas for how to bring in money, and I’m almost overwhelmed with emotion. Instead of being worried about meeting their expectations for me, I realize they’re gathering around me to help me reach those expectations. Suddenly, I realize with a jolt that they would never judge me for failing. In fact, if I let them, they’ll help push me toward success instead of letting me struggle and fail on my own the way my family has always done.
I look at Hunter, who’s smiling so big I think his cheeks might actually be sore tomorrow.
“So, I’d be happy to help you prepare for this big, important presentation,” he says. “If you’re interested.”
The heat in his eyes is unmistakable, and suddenly, it’s like we’re alone in the room, the world seeming to drop away. He presses his warm thigh against mine under the table, and I have to bite down on the inside of my cheek to hide the way I suck in my breath when a white-hot bold of desire shoots through my body and settles right in my balls, as my cock starts to fill inside my jeans.
