His light-blue gaze landed on Fabrice. “Not everyone understands people like us. There’s pride in bringing joy through craft. There are quite a few daily events that require a very particular skill. It’s not a talent everyone is blessed with.”
Kirkland fascinated the hell out of Fabrice. He was older than Fabrice. Probably quite a bit older, but he didn’t look it. In fact, Fabrice would wager he was nowhere near as old as he presented with his perfect posture and stodgy attitude. He was perfectly poised and showed zero emotion. Kirkland made Fabrice want to shake him up a little. It didn’t seem he was the only one.
Tidy towed Fabrice against him. With Fabrice’s back against his chest, Tidy wrapped his arms around Fabrice and hung on.
“I appreciate his skills. In fact, I came in here to entice Chef Fabrice to let me enjoy one of his many talents. Do you want to join us?” He rested his chin on Fabrice’s shoulder. Sexual innuendo dripped from Tidy’s every word. Fabrice didn’t doubt for a second his expression matched.
Tidy’s heart sped.
Kirkland held his stare. No emotion crossed his features, but Fabrice’s mouth went dry, nonetheless. He knew Kirklandwasn’t as immune to Fabrice as he pretended. Every now and then, he caught a lingering glance. The way he stood too close. Fabrice felt the tension building between them.
“Your shift starts in an hour.” Kirkland paused.
Fabrice held his breath. There was something here. He wasn’t crazy.
Kirkland’s shoulders squared. His posture returned to its usual rigid stance. “You have no time for these antics.” His gaze flickered to Tidy. “I believe Crisp’s physical assessment is coming to an end.” Kirkland walked away, leaving Fabrice behind.
“Was that interest? That looked like interest.” Fabrice whispered the question in case Kirkland’s inhuman hearing still lingered nearby.
Tidy kissed Fabrice’s neck. “No one can resist you for long, babe. You’ll see.”
Fabrice accepted the continued embrace as he stared at the spot where Kirkland had been. Sometimes he wondered if he was insane or broken. He always seemed to want what he couldn’t have. That thought alone was enough to pull him from the trance Kirkland had woven. Fabrice didn’t know if the chase was all he cared about. No one deserved that treatment, especially someone who was already such an island like Kirkland. Fabrice was better off alone. At least that way, no one got hurt.
While Jay waited for Crisp to get x-rays and a full exam from Austen, Jay sat by the pool and shared a cigar with Jett. It helped the pain quite a bit. Neither of them spoke. The night had been draining as hell. As his muscles relaxed and the sky lightened a little more by the second, Jay realized there was something he needed to know.
“How do all these men learn everything from you?” He didn’t mince words or spare feelings. That wasn’t who Jay was. “You never get in trouble with Beau for gossiping, and I imagine that’s very frowned upon here.”
Jett laughed. It was filled with happiness, setting Jay free of any worry over the state of their friendship. “Beau knows I’d never risk my place with him. Life is just kind of boring here sometimes. That’s why I’m fucking almost every single guy here.” Jett laughed again. No guilt. “I need something to talk about in bed.”
The loud guffaw that left Jay hurt like hell. His ribs protested and screamed, but Jay couldn’t stop. His eyes watered. There was no way Jett knew how much Jay needed the laugh.Everything had been so heavy for the past twenty-four hours. It felt good to let things go.
Foster appeared beside him. “Hey. Is it okay if we talk?”
Jett stood. He had the cigar between his teeth, obviously intending to take it with him. “See you later. I need to catch a few hours of sleep before my shift.”
Jay nodded. He waited until Jett was a few feet away before calling out. “Sleep, Jett. That’s it.”
Jett’s loud laughter followed in his wake.
Jay couldn’t stop smiling. Even as Foster filled the spot Jett had left unoccupied, Jay’s mood didn’t dim.
Foster met his stare. He didn’t look angry anymore, so there was that. Foster held his hand out to Jay. “I’m Foster. It’s nice to meet you.”
Jay accepted the handshake. “Jay. I’m happy to formally meet you. Crisp talks about you all the time.”
Foster smiled. “Well, at least there’s that.”
Jay shook his head. “You know his silence truly was no reflection on you.”
Foster slowly blew out a loud breath. “Yeah, I know. Atticus reminded me I had told Crisp he could keep his secrets when I immediately noticed the way he always disappeared and generally acted withdrawn in certain ways. If I had pushed, I feel certain Crisp would’ve told me about you.”
“He would have,” Jay said without hesitation. “Crisp has always talked about how close you two are. We’ve been…” Jay fought for a way to explain.
“At peace,” Foster supplied.
Jay nodded. “Exactly. Our life together has been a quiet happiness. I guess neither of us wanted to ruin that. He felt he kept me safe. I didn’t have to share.” Jay felt like he should carry some guilt over that, but he didn’t. Their marriage was a good one.
Foster stared at the horizon, watching the sun slowly rise. Finally, he looked Jay’s way again. “So, you enjoy travel.”
