Ethan opened the top button of his shirt. “Do I already look gray and boring?”
“Nah, never. Just white-collar. Do you have fancy coffee over there?”
“Of course.”
“And croissants?”
“Muffins, but they make them with strawberries, and I prefer chocolate.”
Jay smacked his hand on the table. “The hell’s wrong with that place? Give the man some chocolate muffins!”
The waitress came with their food, eyeing them suspiciously.
“Sorry about ourspecialfriend,” Chris said before she skedaddled away.
“We’re going to stay at Ethan’s parents’ house this weekend,” Anthony said nervously.
“I’m going to tell them about us.” Ethan sounded equally nervous.
Chris already knew about this plan, and he also knew Arthur and Ruth well enough to not have concerns about their reaction.
“Your parents are too liberal to make a fuss,” Jay said, “and you could have done a lot worse than Anthony. Maybe you guys should move in together.”
Both Ethan and Anthony seemed taken aback.
“Don’t pressure them,” Chris said, mixing his salad. “Wait until you two are ready.”
“Well, it’s not such a crazy idea,” Ethan said cautiously. “I mean, wecouldfind a much better place together.”
Anthony nodded. “And we do sleep at each other’s place most nights.”
“Then it’s settled,” Jay said, adding salt to his pasta. “Just make sure to have a good spare room for me. Sleeping at Chris’s this week has gotten me used to the good life.”
Chris’s body tensed.Shit.
Ethan leaned forward. “Wait, you’re sleeping at Chris’s?”
“What? Hmm...”
“Melissa’s out of town with the twins,” Chris hurried to say. “She’s visiting her family in Massachusetts. Jay’s keeping me company.”
“You didn’t mention she was out of town. I could’ve also come over.”
Chris knew Ethan was confused, not jealous. There was no reason for Chris not to have told him about Melissa going away.
“I’ve been feeling a bit down lately, so Chris invited me over to clear my head,” Jay said stiffly. “Don’t read too much into it.”
“Why were you feeling down?” Anthony asked.
“Just... stuff. Career, dating, my brother’s still driving me crazy. The usual.”
“You recently got out of prison,” Ethan said. “Cut yourself some slack.”
Jay snorted. “It’s been over a year, and Stu has a point with his nagging. I was actually thinking…” He shifted in his seat. “I was thinking of maybe opening my own garage to expand the business.”
“Like a chain?” Anthony asked.
“I wouldn’t go that far, but yes.” He shrugged. “It’s stupid really. I don’t have the funding for that.”
