Page 75 of Love Unlimited

Ash laughed. Zhong was pretty much the opposite of their “boy,” but their geriatric patients didn’t need to know that. “Nope, not tonight. I have a guitar lesson.”

Mr. Isling narrowed his eyes. “It’s with someone special, though.”

“Man,” Ash complained cheerfully. “Did you used to be a detective?”

“Fifty years at the Crineola Savings and Loan, you know that. But maybe I learned to spot something.”

“I know. And you walked uphill both ways in the snow and never had a sick day.”

“Don’t get smart with me, young whippersnapper.”

Ash chuckled. “Have you ever actually heard someone say whippersnapper?” Acting like a B-movie caricature of an old man was one of Mr. Isling’s chief amusements.

“Me.” He pointed a frail and shaking finger to his chest. “I said it. And you’re trying to change the subject. I want details.”

With anyone else, Ash probably wouldn’t have shared, but Mr. Isling was amusingly nosy, and he’d already inadvertently found out that Ash was in a poly relationship before. “His name’s Dustin. He’s my boyfriend’s boyfriend.” Or something close enough to that.

“Ooooohhh…” Mr. Isling exhaled, jaw obeying him slowly though his eyes were alight with merriment. “Scandalous.”

“It’s a guitar lesson,” they defended.

Of course, it was more than that. It would be just the two of them without their partners. A chance to bond. Ash had no idea how it would go, but they were buzzing with excitement.

“If that’s what they’re calling it these days…”

Ash laughed again. “Where do you need lotion today?”

“The top of my back has been so itchy.”

“Got it. And I’ll get your hands. How are your toes?”

Mr. Isling looked down at his feet, two lumps under the thin blankets. “Still there.”

Ash relaxed a little bit, as they always did when Mr. Isling reported good health. They’d had a scare a few months ago when he’d gone into a diabetic coma because he hadn’t been managing his meals carefully enough.

Now he had an automated insulin pump and it was a huge relief, but still something that needed to be checked.

Ash looked at the half-eaten tray that rested on the overbed table. The small cup of pills that an earlier nurse left was empty, but he hadn’t done well on his breakfast. “You should eat your eggs. They have protein.”

“The cafeteria shouldn’t make them taste like rubber. Anyway, it’s too late. They’re cold.”

“You know the eggs are fine.” The cafeteria was actually surprisingly good for what it was. “You just want them to taste like chocolate cake.”

“Ohhh… that I would eat. Now tell me about this Dustin fella.”

He really wasn’t going to drop it. “Let’s see. He does some sort of software design. Works from home. His new project has been pretty stressful, but I think it’s almost over. Oh, and he has Auditory Processing Disorder, so he communicates in sign language.”

“That’s the boring part. I want the juicy details.”

Ash laughed. “Alright. He’s really sweet. He likes taking care of people.” To put it mildly. Watching Dustin take care of Landon made Ash just want to swoon, and when Dustin included Ash in it, it was just the best.

Mr. Isling nodded encouragingly.

“Nope, that’s all you need to know.”

“Is he handsome?”

Ash shrugged. “I think he is. He couldn’t be a model.” Ash used to model, and Zhong was sexy enough, with his ripped chest and broad jaw, that he could have, too. Dustin was a bit more gawky and lean, but he was perfect in Ash’s eyes.