“Home?”Charlie offered.
Ashshook his head. “It’s hard to think of it like that when I feel more at homehere than I have anywhere else. Even if-”
Heshut his mouth with a click as he realized what he’d been about to say, realizingthat if he confessed to his current dilemma over Declan, he’d also have to tellCharlie the whole truth.
“Evenif?” Charlie prompted, apparently curious.
Wouldit be so bad to tell him? News travelled fast in a small town, but Charlie wasundoubtedly keeping his share of secrets.
“I…it’s… can you keep a secret? Seriously, animportantsecret.”
Charlieglanced behind him, then looked back at Ash. “Do we need to go upstairs?”
Ashhesitated. He didn’t want to leave the store unattended, and he wantedsomewarning if Declan was going to interrupt them.
“Thereading nook,” Ash said, nodding over at the two plush, mismatched armchairshe’d set up in the corner. “I’ll keep a lookout.”
Charliewent over and settled in a chair without another word, his face suddenlyserious. He seemed like he was used to being told secrets.
Thatwas probably a good sign. If people were in the habit of trusting him, Ashcould, too.
Ashsat down in the other chair, keeping an eye on the door, his stomach in knots.
Declanowned the place now, or would do as of Monday. No one could take it away fromhim. Charlie wouldn’t hate him for this. He’d understand his reasons. Everyonehad only had good things to say about Charlie.
AndAsh really needed a friend right now.
“Okay,so… I have a confession to make, and I’m really sorry for lying to you before,but it was a condition in Marv’s will… I’m gay, but Declan… uh… isn’t? Or hewasn’t until yesterday, maybe? He kissed me and that’s never happened before andI told him it was okay to be unsure, but… now I’m freaking out because he’s mybest friend and…”
“Andyou love him,” Charlie finished for him.
“Yeah,”Ash said. That wasn’t exactly how he’d been about to finish that sentence, butit got right at the heart of the entire problem. “But I gave up on a romanticrelationship and now I just… don’t know what to do. Which I think is normal?”
“Totallynormal,” Charlie confirmed.
“Buthe’s been off-limits all this time and now he’s maybe not?”
“Soyou haven’t…” Charlie trailed off to a vague hand gesture that was probablysupposed to meanhad sex.
“No.”Ash shook his head. “He just kissed me. And then he bought me dinner toapologize for it, so… kinda still recovering from the whiplash. And I want tobe supportive. I really do. But it’s a lot, all at once, and I have feelings,too.”
“Ofcourse. And it’s okay, and your feelings also matter,” Charlie said. “You soundlike you need a cup of tea.”
Ashflopped back into the armchair, breathing a sigh of relief. As it turned out,that was what he needed to hear.
Hecould see why people only had nice things to say about Charlie.
“There’sno tea. Only coffee,” Ash said. He’d never been much of a tea drinker, but hecould have gone for a nice soothing peppermint tea right now.
“I’llget you some,” Charlie said, stretching his legs out in front of him. He wasn’ta particularly tall man, maybe half an inch shorter than Ash—who also wasn’ttall, and was glad they had a sturdy stepladder in the store—but he seemed tobe all leg.
“Theymust put something in the water here,” Charlie continued after a moment.“You’re the second person who’s come to me with something exactly like this.Although… I kinda knew the other guy had never been entirely straight.”
Ashlooked over at him, raising an eyebrow.
“Hewas my brother.” Charlie grinned. “Not-straight runs in the family.”
“Ihear you have two of those. Brothers, I mean,” Ash said. Not that he’d beencollecting information about Charlie, but people in this town loved to talk.
