“It was good. I stopped by my sister’s earlier. She’s doing well today, reading like crazy.”
“That’s great. Can she… never mind.”
“What is it?”
“Well, I’m doing this book club thing at the library. Francie gave her okay. I thought maybe your sister would like to join.” He doesn’t know how bad her condition is or whether she’s even mobile.
Will crosses his arms, looking thoughtful. “The hospice isn’t that far from the library, and she doesn’t haveto stay the whole time if she doesn’t feel up to it. I can’t commit, though—she has good days and bad ones.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. I still need to decide on a date. I’ve started working on some ideas for posters to hang around town. Wanna see?”
“Sure.”
Before they can take a step, someone bumps into Will from behind. “Watch it, perv.”
Owen sees red. He opens his mouth to call out that asshole, but Will raises his hand to calm him down. “It’s fine.”
“How is that fine?”
Will’s smile doesn’t reach his eyes. “Let it go. I would like to see what you’ve been working on.”
Owen nods, though he’s still agitated.
“Why do you look so nice?” Bradley asks Will once they join their table.
“Meaning?”
“This shirt is new, and you’ve put something in your hair—it’s shiny.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about. Drink your beer.”
Owen watches Will, and he can’t help but agree with Bradley’s assessment. The fact that Will is blushing is also telling. Owen has a silly thought that maybe Will hoped to run into him tonight, and that was why he gave it an extra effort. He dismisses the idea before it can blossom, though it leaves a nice feeling in his chest.
“You wanted to show me your posters,” Will says.
“What? Oh, right. They’re more like sketches.” He pulls out the paper he worked on during his shift, suddenly feeling self-aware. He hasn’t shown his work to anyone in a long time, excluding Nate’s rude snooping this morning. “They’re just some ideas I was playing with, nothing special.”
Will puts out his hand, his smile reassuring. “I’m not an art critic. Don’t overthink it.”
“Right, okay.” He hands Will the sketches, watching eagerly as he flips through them with a thoughtful expression. Even Bradley and Esteban are watching.
“Those are beautiful,” Will says, looking up to meet Owen’s eyes. He’s holding the one with the sketch of the library. There’s a moon in the sky, and Owen has tried to make it seem like the moonlight is casting light on the building. He only had basic colors to work with, but he’s proud of how it turned out.
“Show it here,” Bradley says and reaches to take the sketches. “Those are nice! We aren’t used to hanging out with talented people.”
“I’m talented,” Esteban says.
“At what, taking naps in your truck?”
As they laugh, Owen takes back his sketches and slides them into his backpack. The four of them slip into casual conversation, though Owen sometimes loses track of the subject when he glances at Will. The battle between wanting to stare at the man and not wantingto be obvious is tiresome.
They get their food and drinks, then Bradley and Esteban say they need to go, which Owen selfishly doesn’t mind one bit.
“You play pool?” Will asks and brings his beer to his lips.
“Not really. I tried a few times, but the holes are too narrow for me.”
Will chokes on his beer. Owen realizes what he said and bursts out laughing. “Not like that!”
