And with a wave, they jumped into their car and roared away.
“These all your bags?” Dell asked, already tossing Mae’s canvas tote and overnight bag into the cab of his truck. As if the matter had somehow been decided.
Mae turned from watching the dust Vik’s tires had spurred down the lane. She leaned down to pet Young, who was jumping for attention, soft collie paws on Mae’s knees.
She could drive herself in the Kia. Pack more for the drive back that way.
But…she also couldn’t stomach the waste of unnecessary carbon dioxide.
“Yeah,” she said. “I’ll go lock up the ADU.”
When she returned a minute later, Dell had corralled the dogs back into the house, where they would wait for Liv’s arrival later in the day.
And without anything else to stall them, Mae somehow found herself on another road trip with Dell McCleary.
And even though it should have been easier this time—she’d been in this truck with him before, knew its dimensions, its smell, the feel of the seats, the proximity of Dell’s thighs to her own—she clenched her hands in her lap and stared out the window, any conversation starters that might have previously existed in her brain dead on arrival. Nerves jingled in her joints along with the potholes on the road as Dell navigated down to 101 and turned north.
They were quiet all the way until Lincoln City, where wordlessly, Dell turned into Starbucks. And for the first time in a half hour, Mae smiled.
* * *
“So,” Dell said as he turned back onto the highway, drinks in cup holders, “You should probably tell me about these friends of yours I’m about to meet. I’m assuming there’s more than Vik.”
Thank Christ this was apparently the right thing to say. After feeling the tension vibrating off her all morning, Dell knew he’d already started wearing her down with matcha. But only now did her shoulders finally fully relax.
“Well, Vik is married to Jackson, and since we’ll be staying with them, I guess I should start there. They’re both graphic designers, so, you know. Obviously they’re the hottest power couple of the crew.”
“Sure.”
“And then there’s Theo and Ozzy”—Mae’s voice started to lift in excitement, her knees turning toward Dell as she shifted in her seat—“who were the, like, ultimate slow burn friends to lovers. We always knew they were in love with each other but they were always dating the wrong people, which was excruciating to watch foryearsuntil they finally got a clue and got together. And as soon as they did they were like, boom, old married couple making soups and casseroles together. They adopted two cats after living together for a month.”
Dell could see Mae’s smile from the corner of his eye, bright and wide until it faded, her head tilting as she looked out the windshield.
“Theo and I butt heads sometimes, but I think it’s because we’re a lot alike, if in different ways. There used to be Dorsa and Camille, too, but they…kind of disappeared, last year, after they had a kid. Which it’s possible I’m still slightly bitter about, but! You’ll definitely meet Ben and Alexei.”
Mae’s voice perked back up.
“And I think you might like them the most. They’re the newest members of the group; we’ve only known them for a year or so. Which is wild to think about, because as soon as you meet them, they’re the kind of people where it’s like…I’m pretty sure I’ve loved you forever,you know?”
Dell did not know.
He made a noncommittal hum. Mae seemed to accept it.
“Jesus actually met Alexei at his church. Maybe I’ve mentioned that before? Anyway, Jesus and his husband, Steve, normally kept their church friends separate from our crowd, but Alexei sort of naturally bled over, and his boyfriend Ben came along with him.”
Mae paused, but in that pregnant way, like she had more to say burning inside her. Dell held his breath, eyes steady on the road. Maybe this was the day Mae finally talked more about Jesus. The best friend who had given her all the money that led her to 12 Main Street. The one who made his own death party playlist.
The bizarreness of the playlist, honestly, already explained to Dell why Mae and Jesus had been friends, but still. He wanted to hear her talk about him.
“Steve actually died, too, a few months before Jesus.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah. It was a heart attack, out of nowhere.” Another pause before she allowed herself to continue. “Steve was rich. Worked in something-whatever-finance. He always showed up to our trivia nights and movie nights and board game nights or one-of-us-needs-to-process-something nights, at least on the days he was able to leave the office in time, in these bespoke suits that made Jesus purr and pet him like a cat.”
Dell kept his eyes on the road, but he heard the smile in her voice.
“Jesus was the one who actually made himusehis money. Like until he met Jesus, Steve had been good at accumulating wealth, but Jesus made him actually enjoy it. Jesus worked hard, too; he was the whole heart of the community center where we worked, but…he made sure their lives were broken up occasionally, you know? By Disney cruises and trips around the world. At least, trips around the world to the places that are safe for gay men.”
