Jimmy sighs. “Fine.”
Our food arrives, prompting an end to the talk about the sex barn.
We continue to chat while eating our overstuffed burgers and fries. Angus fills us in on his new job. It’s clear he loves it from the way his eyes light up when he talks about it. Jimmy tells us some stories from the gym, which make us all laugh. It also makes me swear off ever joining a gym. Having said that, I have enjoyed using Jimmy’s guest passes. Not that I stepped foot inthe gym. I get enough of a workout on the farm. Instead, we used the pool and spa facilities, spending most of our time cuddling in the hot tub. Angus joined the same gym, which means he and Jimmy get to work out together.
Richard and I have more in common than I could have guessed. We both married young, to our first loves, and both ended up divorced. However, his marriage lasted longer than mine. Still, I’m glad Billy never cheated on me.
Angus tells some terrible maths jokes, and gets Richard to impress us by solving whatever mental maths problems we all throw at him. I’m impressed at how fast he answers. Then again, he is a maths professor, so he should be good at it. I’m decent at maths. Decent enough to be able to put it into use in a farm context: working out how much feed to order, doing finances and so on.
After food, we play shuffleboard. None of us is any good at it, which makes it more fun. Then we have a go at axe-throwing, with varying results. It turns out, I’m pretty good at it, hitting the target almost every time. Jimmy and Angus throw the axes a little too hard to start with. I guess all that weightlifting they do has made them stronger than they realise.
It’s late when we leave the bar. We walk to a nearby taxi rank together—we’ve all had a bit too much to drink to want to drive—say goodbye, and go our separate ways.
In the taxi, I lean my head on Jimmy’s shoulder. “That was fun.”
“It was. It was about time I met Richard. Angus is totally in love with him.”
“They’re in love with each other.”
“Yes. I had debated giving Richard the best friend speech, but decided I didn’t need to. He’s not going to break Angus’s heart.”
“I doubt he will.”
Jimmy puts his arm around my shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“Me? Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I've got a feeling that something’s going on in that head of yours. Talk to me?”
“I was just thinking about how happy Angus and Richard are and how great it is that they’re planning a future together.”
Jimmy strokes my shoulder.
I take a deep breath. “Maybe we should start thinking about our future.”
“Are you asking me to marry you?”
“Not this second. But what about moving in together?”
“You do spend most of your time at my place.”
“If youwantme to move in.”
“IfI want you to? Of course I want you to! I love you.”
I sit upright and stare into his eyes. I’m aware that the taxi driver is paying us more attention than he should be, considering he’s supposed to be focusing onthe road.
“I love you, too.”
“I could help you move your things from the farm at the weekend,” Jimmy declares. “Unless that’s moving too fast?”
I chuckle and shake my head.
“I’m annoyed, though.”
I frown. “What about?”
“I was supposed to ask you.”
