Reservations

When Luke continued to stare at Levi’s profile, Levi reached for the towel to wipe off his hands and finally turned to look at his brother. Luke had so much to learn, and Levi just needed to make sure he was there to teach him, help guide his brother. If Luke stayed true to himself and kept an open mind, he wouldn’t struggle like Levi had.

“I was embarrassed in the beginning. It felt like I was resorting to things I never wanted to do, so I led you to believe something else. I was wrong about it all. I prejudged the situation. It’s not at all what I thought, but I still kept it from you and Logan because of the stigma.”

“Logan said he figured it out a while ago, and it’s a gay dance club,” Luke said as Levi tossed the towel over the curtain rod.

“That’s what it is. I met the manager at the clinic right before Dad died, and he offered me a job when the coffee house went out of business. I only told Mrs. Gathright because I knew your counselor was going to eventually talk to her, and when she started poking around, I didn’t want anything to get in the way of you and me,” he said.

“So why were you embarrassed?” Luke asked.

“Because I’m dumb, and I think about all that crap out there, right outside our door,” Levi explained. He grabbed the brush and turned back to the mirror to rake it through his hair. “You’re such a better person than I am, Luke. I needed money for us, and I thought I was lowering my standards, but I wasn’t. Those are really good people, and I think you would have seen that before I did. They’ve been great to me. Honestly, they were the best thing that could happen to us.”

“You make great tips,” Luke added.

“I do.” He nodded at Luke in the mirror and grabbed the hairdryer. “I have to wear underwear as my uniform, though.”

Logan came around the corner. “No wonder we aren’t allowed to touch your laundry.”

Levi rolled his eyes, like they would ever voluntarily do his laundry.

“Like just underwear?” Luke asked.

“Yeah,” Levi said, watching Luke’s smirk.

The bathroom wasn’t large, and they were having a family gathering right there while the gel hardened and time slipped away, but Levi still paused, letting Luke ask anything else he wanted to know.

“I bet Thane likes that,” Logan teased, pushing away from the door, going back toward the living room. “And that spray tan you keep getting.”

“Wanna know anything else, Luke?” Levi asked.

“Don’t lie anymore. I’d be getting some lecture right now if I lied,” Luke said and left him there alone. Levi grinned at the reprimand, because Luke was right. He chuckled and turned on the hairdryer.

~~~

Thane walked the distance of the outside walkway to the employee entrance with his phone stuck to his ear, listening intently to his Realtor explain the final details of the counteroffer to the counteroffer to the counteroffer of his offer on the house he’d wanted in Ellicott City. As suspected, they’d come way down on price, but now they were penny-pinching, trying to get every last cent they could.

Since everything in Thane’s professional life seemed to be suffering, Thane had started counting the days and his dollars until he could get back to Maryland. All parts of his life were behind, and his company’s bottom line reflected his absence. They had a little over a month left, maybe six weeks, until Logan finished his last class mid-August, and if he played his cards right, maybe they could be back in Maryland soon after.

The complicating factor was with the current homeowners—they had to quit stalling. No way could he take Levi and the boys back to his one-bedroom townhome, and at this rate, that would happen if he didn’t get this purchase nailed down.

Distracted by that Levi-is-near feeling washing over him, Thane grabbed the door as a shadow cast over him from behind. He pulled it open wide and stepped back, hoping to finish the call before going inside.

“Make it happen with the title company. Keep tomorrow’s appointment. I don’t want to have to come back there in a week. If I can’t take possession in the morning, I want access to the place. I’ve got meetings with my contractor and designer scheduled…” Thane abruptly stopped speaking as Levi grabbed his waist and whispered boo in his free ear. His guy slowed long enough to give a teasing flip of his finger up over his lips to nose. “You’re late.”

“I am,” Levi said, now walking backward. “Our protective service worker stopped by the house.”

That had Thane forgetting the call as he lowered his arm. “Why? Something wrong?”

“Nah, I don’t think so. It was a drive-by. That’s what we nicknamed ’em, but they gave us the thumbs-up to move, and she thinks I could get a job as an intern for the next six weeks. It’s part-time, but pays good.”