Lark (First & Forever 5)
“I know it sounds nuts,” he said, “but it’s going to be great. After Noah and I met, we went to a coffee house and talked for almost four hours about the business, our vision for the future, and so on. He’s super organized and has a much better business plan than the one I’d been putting together. Plus, the fact that he’s a vet tech is a huge bonus, I think.”
I leaned against the counter and said, “Wow, you’re really going for it! Congratulations, Kel, this is fantastic.”
“It is. I’m equal parts terrified and excited.”
After a moment, I asked, “Should I even ask where Hudson falls in all of this?”
Kel frowned and swung a kitchen chair to face me, then sat down as he said, “Do you know where he is right now? In Chicago, interviewing for a job with a sports radio station.”
“Wait, what happened to the broadcaster job in L.A.?”
“Who knows? He was all excited about that one, and I’d more or less made up my mind to move back down there with him. But then this offer came up. They started wooing him, sending him gift baskets, promising him all kinds of perks, so he went to check it out. But did he even once ask if I had any interest in moving to Chicago?”
“He didn’t?”
Kel shook his head. “That’s what made me decide once and for all to go ahead and put down roots here in San Francisco. He completely takes me for granted and puts his career first. Did I mention he’s loaded and doesn’t need the income, at all? He’s just trying to keep himself in the spotlight, not even for his sake but for his dad’s. Anyway, I’m not going to start ranting again. I’m just making plans and building a life for myself, and if Hudson wants to be a part of it, he knows where to find me.”
“Way to take charge of your life and make things happen! I’m impressed. Now if only I could follow in your footsteps and figure out what I want to be doing.”
“You will.” He sounded confident. “And you said you like being a cam boy for now, right? Even if you don’t see yourself doing it long-term?”
“Actually, I shut down my fan page a while back and refunded the subscription fee my followers had paid for January.”
“Why?”
“Because of Dylan.”
Kel looked surprised. “He asked you to take it down?”
“No. He doesn’t even know I’ve done this.”
“I don’t understand.”
I shrugged and said, “I just didn’t feel right about getting naked for other guys, now that Dylan and I are involved.”
“Okay. I think I missed something though, because I didn’t realize you and Dylan were officially a couple. The last I heard, you two were just dating and hadn’t decided to be exclusive yet.”
“As far as Dylan’s concerned, that’s still the case. But I really care about him, Kel, and I don’t want anyone but him.”
My friend raised a brow and asked, “And he doesn’t know that, either?”
“No, and I’m not going to tell him. Not yet, anyway. It might seem like I’m trying to pressure him into more than he’s ready for, and I really want to avoid that.”
“So basically, you’re in a serious, committed relationship, and he isn’t.”
“It’s not as ridiculous as it sounds. I know for a fact he cares about me. He shows it all the time.”
Kel asked, “But then, what’s he waiting for?”
“There’s a lot he’s still working through, and I’m in no hurry. It’s only been a month. When he’s ready to make a commitment, I’ll be able to say yes without worrying about that job or anything else.”
“That’s good. But what are you going to do about money?”
“I’ll be fine for the next few months,” I said. “I have a lot put away, because my fan page really did pay well. And then, I’m sure I’ll figure something out.”
“If you wanted to, you could come to work for me in the meantime. It should be fun. We plan to have the doggie daycare open in a month, after we get the licensing transferred, paint it, and fix it up a bit.”
“That sounds great.”