9
Kenneth was the worst kind of shit disturber, and Seb was going to kill him as soon as he came up with somewhere convenient to hide the body. He’d been caught up in the banter that he and Kenneth had developed over years and had stumbled blindly right into trouble as Kenneth led the conversation to Seb’s father.
Kenneth leered at him, like he was still waiting for the “Who’s there?” to a terrible knock-knock joke. Martin’s face was clouded with a mix of hurt and anger that Seb didn’t understand.
“What time are you heading back to the city?” he asked Kenneth.
Kenneth frowned. “It’s only Saturday. I thought I might—”
“I have to get some work done. Big show coming up, remember? Can’t tell the Schiller people that I’m late on the delivery because my agent distracted me, can I?”
Kenneth’s lips thinned. “Of course not.”
The rest of their meal was awkward. Martin spoke when spoken to, and Kenneth’s teasing turned half-hearted, which left Seb with the task of trying to keep conversation going. Mostly, they ate in silence. Seb snuck glances at Martin and tried to understand what part had upset him so much. Was he angry that Seb hadn’t told him who his father was?
Back at the bookstore, Seb hustled Kenneth up to the apartment before he had the chance to say anything else to Martin.
“I don’t know what game you came up here to play, but you can be a real asshole sometimes, you know that, right?”
“Of course!” Kenneth’s smile was unrepentant. “Although in fairness, I didn’t come up here with a game plan. I wanted to check in on you. But then I saw that beautiful man downstairs, and—”
“You can’t fuck with him like that! There was no reason for you to be such an ass!”
“I beg to differ.” Kenneth collected his overnight bag and stuffed his scarf into it. “Watching the way you lurched to protect him at every opportunity has been all the payoff I need.”
“What?” Confusion blended with Seb’s irritation.
“You’re such a sucker for outcasts and lost causes. How could you not be attracted to him?”
“I’m not!” He sounded petulant, even to his own ears.
“Of course you aren’t, honey.” Kenneth rested a palm on his cheek. “It’s understandable. Those hangdog eyes follow you everywhere. It has to be good for your already considerable ego. And he has an amazing ass. You’ve noticed, right? Good thing he’s so calorie conscious.”
Seb ground his teeth and tried not picture Martin’s ass. “Please call the next time you want to make the trip out here, okay? I’ll make sure to be out of town.”
Kenneth snorted as he zipped his bag shut.
“I think twenty-four hours in this tourist trap will last me for at least a decade.” He reached out and pulled Seb into a quick hug. Seb held himself stiff for a second before he relaxed enough to pat Kenneth’s shoulder. Seb knew exactly who his friend was. Kenneth would always have his back, even if it was to stick the occasional knife into it.
* * *
Seb waited until just before six o’clock to go back down to the shop. Martin and Cass were huddled around her laptop.
“It’s still stupid.” She slumped back in her seat.
Martin glanced over the top of the laptop screen to meet Seb’s eyes, but as Seb went to wave a silent greeting, Martin quickly looked away again. He squinted and chewed on his lower lip.
“What’s the first piece of art you remember making that you were really proud of?” he asked. Cass shrugged, and Martin’s face went pinched. “Okay, go home and ask your parents what they remember.”
Cass snorted. “They’re going to say something stupid like the time I thought I’d fingerprinted a whole galaxy on craft paper.”
Seb smiled. He’d had some of those. He’d shown them proudly to his grandmother, so enthralled with the way the colors swirled and splattered together. The whole universe on a piece of smooth white paper.
“Ask them.” Martin put his hands on his hips and snuck another look at Seb. “Make a list. I have an idea, but you need the list first.”
“Okay.” Cass shrugged into her coat and slipped the backpack over her shoulders. “I’ll see you later.” She let herself out. Martin followed her and locked the door with a click. When he turned, his gaze was on his shoes, and he made as if to walk past Seb, so Seb reached out and caught him by the wrist.
“Kenneth went back to the city.”
