Page 4 of Pretty ’n Peak

“We’re doing some construction around the lodge. All Neil’s ideas.” Sebastian’s words were filled with pride and contentment. “That’s why we’re here tonight. A little treat for my boys.”

“And anyone else who wants to watch…” Jamie purred. “Daddy’s doing a rope demo.”

Austin smiled, though it was wan. “Sounds like fun.”

Neil broke in, making a shy offer. “You can watch. Um, it’s in an hour. And it’s our first public demo outside of the Meadowlark.”

That brought a real smile to Austin’s face. Neil sounded like a sweetie. “Thanks. I might attend. My vision isn’t good enough to get much out of it.” He gave a nod toward where his white cane was tilted against the couch.

Typically, he folded it up to be out of the way, but when he was in a crowd he left it out as a signal. It avoided dozens of repetitive or awkward conversations introducing his blindness, or misunderstandings when a flirting sub expected him to read visual cues that he couldn’t follow. Plus anyone who saw it and steered clear wasn’t someone he wanted to know anyway.

“Oh, sorry. Of course. Is there something we could do to accommodate you?”

Austin appreciated Neil’s simple response. So many people either jumped in, assuming they knew what he needed, or got awkward when they didn’t know what to do. On the other hand, he shouldn’t have been surprised. Jamie had a disability, a prosthetic leg, and he wouldn’t date anyone who wasn’t respectful of both his many abilities and his needs.

Austin considered the question. Hearing more verbal information about how Sebastian was wrapping rope around body parts that he couldn’t see or touch wasn’t necessarily erotic or very informational. If it were just the four of them, he might ask to sit close enough that he could hear their soft gasps and breaths, but even that would be like sitting on the outside of something he couldn’t be part of.

It was more likely that he’d sit on an uncomfortable folding chair with strangers crowded around him, which wasn’t his idea of sexy.

“You’d actually be welcome to join us,” Sebastian offered. “Only I touch Neil, but you know Jamie…”

“Ooh! I volunteer!” Jamie squealed. “Does this mean we can do suspension?”

Austin could at least smile at his enthusiasm. It was by far the most promising offer he’d had all night.

“Thank you, Jamie. Maybe some other time, though. Tonight is a special night for you guys, and I’m not in the right headspace.”

He could barely remember when he had been in the right headspace.

He wasn’t even sure he could remember what that felt like.

“Alright, you’re off the hook tonight,” Jamie chided, “but don’t think I’m dropping the offer for the Cuffd Destinations weekend. You need a vacation.”

Austin shrugged. Maybe he did.

2

Mateo

Mateo slammed the door of his pickup truck while his brother, Diego, got out on the other side.

He went into the office, noting as he did that the new sign he’d made looked good over the entrance. More professional.

The inside was the same as it had always been, the scuffed yellow walls and desks littered with invoices unchanged through the decades. The ancient window air conditioner wheezed loudly, which was definitely something they should upgrade this year.

He made a mental note.

“Mateo, ¿Qué pasa?” His mother looked up from the computer to greet him amid the cheery din.

His sister, Maria José, sat at the next desk, and Señora Santiago, a grandmotherly woman who had been with the company since he was a child, was in today, slowly typing away while she took a call. He spotted his father, his other two brothers, and a handful of employees in the back, putting tools away and shooting the shit.

He returned to his mother's question. “Hello, Mamá. El proyecto está casi terminado.” He went on to tell her what was left to wrap up the project, with a few comments from Andrés in an easy mixture of Spanish and English. His crew had been installing a swimming pool and deck for a house in the Salem suburbs, and they mostly just needed to lay tile around the edges, plus a few other things.

His brothers Andrés and Ian wandered toward the front, talking about dinner, and he intercepted them. “Hey guys, can you help me empty out my truck?”

They both nodded in agreement. “Por supuesto. You switching to a different job next week?” Ian asked.

“Ah, no.” Mateo resisted the urge to check his phone again. He felt like it was burning a hole in his pocket, a little secret that had had him equally excited and nervous for the past few months. But nobody else knew anything about it.