Sundae's Best (Briar County 2)

The thing was, Deacon couldn’t even say why he’d been smiling, not really. All he’d done was text Grady about naming the ice cream, so Leroy and his mom had to have been seeing more than had been there. He couldn’t think of any other possibility.

He only stayed for another half hour or so after that, then said his goodbyes and made his way out of his granny’s house. He didn’t pull out his phone until he was in his car.

Really? This is probably one of those situations where you’re just being nice and I should graciously say thanks for the offer, but I didn’t really do much. I’m apparently not very gracious at all, so my answer is fuck yeah! I get to name my own ice cream flavor. How many people can say that?

Deacon couldn’t help but chuckle. He liked how honest Grady was, and that even though life hadn’t been easy for him, he clearly hadn’t stopped living it the way Deacon had. He’d lost his family because of his sexuality, and then he’d lost his best friend to a car accident. Still, he took chances and explored new areas, and from what he’d said, dated, risking his heart in a way Deacon wasn’t sure he could ever do again. Even moving to Everett, trying to talk to Deacon and Patricia, was brave in a way Deacon wasn’t. He envied Grady that, his enjoyment of life and his willingness to pick himself up and keep going.

I get veto power, Deacon replied.

I choose to ignore that. Three dots popped up to indicate he was still typing, so Deacon waited. You should teach me.

Teach you what?

To make ice cream. Well, to make my ice cream, I guess.

That wasn’t something Deacon did often—make ice cream with people. It was usually something he preferred to do alone. He thought for a moment, debating if this was something he wanted to share with Grady; hell, if he even could.

It must have taken him longer to reply than he realized because another text came through. I didn’t mean to be pushy. I was playing around. I understand that it might not be something you’re comfortable with.

Somehow, that response just opened him up, made this whole back-and-forth seem silly. Damned if it didn’t somehow make Deacon want to share this with Grady.

Nah, it’s fine. We’re closed on Mondays, so how about then? He usually made the ice cream while the shop was open, but this was different. He didn’t want an audience or for his employees to wonder why he had Grady there.

Plus, he wanted to protect this newfound friendship. He didn’t want to let anyone else into it because he was afraid that would change things. It gave him something he needed, and the last thing he wanted was to risk that.

Sounds good. It’s a date, then. Let me know what time.

Will do.

Deacon set his cell on the center console. He’d been sitting in Granny’s driveway for so long he was surprised none of his family had come out.

He turned the car on, backed up, and began to drive.

He was going to teach Grady how to make ice cream and let him name the flavor. He thought Patricia would like that, that Nathan would as well.

The part that didn’t make sense was how much he was looking forward to it, how much he wanted to share this with his new friend.

Chapter 9

Grady

Grady was obsessing over what he was going to name this damn ice cream flavor. He still couldn’t believe Deacon was letting him do it. That might seem like a small thing to some people, but it wasn’t to him. It was clear how much Briar County loved Sundae’s Best. It was busy every time he happened by, and he’d hear people at Covington Supply Co talking about it. Deacon worked so hard to make it a staple in Briar County, a place families went to celebrate and connect. Nathan used to talk to him about that, and now, to have a flavor he helped create, would learn to make and name… Christ, he still couldn’t wrap his brain around it all.

He was at work now, and as he finished his shift, he kept thinking things like…bourbon caramel swirl, bourbon chocolate chunks. Everything sounded as ridiculous as he would likely sound if anyone could hear his thoughts.

Before he knew it, he was clocking out for the day. He headed back into the main part of the store, and when he did, he saw Monroe and Holden talking. He didn’t plan to interrupt them, but Roe caught his gaze. “Hey, man. You out of here?”

“Yeah. I got that whole tool section rearranged.”

“You finished?” There was a slight edge of surprise in his voice.

“Yep. Got her all done.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that.”

“It’s what you pay me for,” Grady replied teasingly. “What are you guys up to?”