CHAPTER SIX
CLAY
What the hell is wrong with me?
Why in fuck’s sake did I just tell Nicholas that I’m bi?
We walk into a darkly lit gym, high-octane club music blasting over the speakers. I catch a glimpse of the machines, filled with sweaty people, and follow Nicholas to the front desk as I simmer in frustration at myself.
Awkward as fuck.
I’ve never told anyone I’m bi. It’s not even true. Or, at least, I don’t know if it’s true. But I’m trying not to react to how gay everything is, and he keeps smiling and looking at me with his big eyes like he thinks I’m adorably clueless.
And I am clueless.
Clueless and holding a basket of flowers and pretending I know the first thing about being bi while Nicholas hands off a bouquet to a burly man in a tank that shows his pierced, hairy nipples.
I am in so, so far over my head.
“You’re Randy’s grandson?” the man asks me. “You mess with Nicholas’s heart, a whole gym full of fitness gays will kick the crap out of you.”
Nicholas laughs warmly, easing over the moment tactfully. “It’s not like that. He’s just here on business, and kind enough to help me with deliveries.” He turns and takes the last bouquet out of my basket. “This is Gunther,” he says, nodding to the man behind the counter.
Gunther curls up a smile. “In that case,” he says and jots his number on the back of a business card, sliding it across the desk. “Call me while you’re in town.”
My mouth slightly opens. Nicholas gives me a pleasant smile, and I panic internally. It takes a full three seconds of mental fumbling before I’m able to respond. “I’m going to be busy,” I mumble, but thinking it might be rude to leave the card there, I take it anyway.
Gunther shrugs. “You know where to find me,” he says casually.
I stand there, not trusting myself to say a word after my blurted confession on the street.
Nicholas seems to take sympathy and leads us out of the gym, thank god.
“You’ve probably seen enough of Allentown for one morning,” he offers and shuffles his empty basket to me. “If you don’t mind dropping these off at the shop, Kavya can point you toward the back. I remember that Randy kept a list of everything he needed to repair. He wrote it in big black marker on the wall in the basement. You probably want to start there. And please, access the basement anytime you need for repairs. I won’t stand in the way of the place getting fixed up! If you have to work in the front of the shop, just let me know, and we’ll figure out a time when it’s closed. Sound good?”
Grateful for any excuse to end this, I nod slowly. “Sure. Thanks.”
“Thanks for helping with deliveries,” he says as he takes my full basket, now carrying one on each arm. “I’ll be in the shop all day if you need me.”
Before I can reply, he’s off down the street again, whistling to himself.
Slowly, I manage to get my head on straight.
I’m making a mess out of this.
I walk back to the shop, rehearsing what a fool I’ve been. I’ve gone from being theoretically bi-curious to outing myself and having hairy men flirt with me in gay gyms. Now the entire time I’m in Allentown, I’m going to have to contend with people assuming I’m something that I’m not.
Including Nicholas. I care what Nicholas thinks about me, and it sucks.
The sooner I can sell this place and get out of Buffalo, the better. I just need to properly assess the condition of the property first. After that, I’ll find a buyer who wants to pay me a buttload of money to keep the place exactly like it is.
Or something. I’ll figure out the details later.
When I get to the shop, Kavya directs me to the basement as she constructs an elaborate vase full of flowers, eyes on her work the whole time. Impressed by her scissor skills, I head down the creaky stairs and find a basement stacked to the ceiling with cardboard boxes and the list of repairs written on the wall like a horror villain lives here.
The list is long and unsettling, everything fromupstairs pipes badtoreplace shop toilet.Most concerning, the word foundation has been written, crossed out, and rewritten several times, and there’s an exclamation point after roof.
Roof!
