Page 49 of A Shared Mind

“So, you recognized Gina?” I asked as I held my menu up to block anyone from seeing me interact with Justin.

“Yes, but only because Ana has a large social media presence, and there were no pictures of Gina anywhere. Deductive reasoning. I’d like to talk to her to find out what she’s heard about her father over the years, but I’m afraid that’ll give them the impression I’m someone I’m not.”

I chuckled as I closed my menu and turned toward the swinging stainless door that led to the kitchen. A large good-looking guy walked out of the kitchen wearing a black and white striped apron. He glanced around and when he saw Justin, he grinned.

“Incoming, darlin’,” I whispered.

Justin glanced around and when he saw the guy, he stood. “Nico.”

“Hey, Teddy. You stood me up.” The guy didn’t seem too upset about it. When he walked over to the table, he bumped fists with Justin and gave me the up and down.

“I’m sorry, Nico. I had to leave town suddenly. Family bullshit. I wondered if I could get a raincheck for this evening?”

Nico turned his gaze on me. “Who’s this?”

Justin glanced at me and smiled. “He’s my friend. He came along to keep me company while I’m here to do some research. What time do you get off?”

Nico gave the two of us a filthy smile. “My shift ends at four-thirty. What time I get off depends on the two of you.”

I could see what the guy thought might happen, so I decided to play into it. “That’s cute. I’m Cl—Danny.” I stood and extended my fist to bump his. If Justin was using a fake name, I could too.

“Nice to meet you, Danny. Where are you guys staying?” Nico turned from me to Justin, waiting for an answer.

It was then I remembered Betsy, Hunter’s grandmother, had passed, and I was pretty sure her house was still empty. Knowing Steve, he’d let me stay there if I called him. Hell, I knew where the key was hidden.

“At my grandmother’s house. She’s recently deceased and my folks asked me to check on the property while we’re here. Gimme your phone, and I’ll give you the address. They cleaned all the booze out of the house, so I’ll go to the store. What do you like to drink?”

Nico handed over his phone, and I put in Betsy’s address in the Central West End, a very fancy area in St. Louis City that was also gay friendly. It was only a few miles from where we stood at the moment.

I returned Nico’s phone and he checked it. “Wow, that’s a cool neighborhood. Sure. How about eight? We can pregame at Grandma’s and go to the Lazy Lion on Newstead. It’s a mostly straight bar, but they’re friendly to those of us in the rainbow community. Oh, and tequila. I like expensive tequila.”

Without another word, Nico walked back into the restaurant kitchen. Justin and I ordered the toasted ravioli for an appetizer and split the chicken parm. The food was indeed very good.

Ricardo, our server, came over to the table as we were finishing up. “Your food is on Nico. Thank you for dropping by, and I hope you’ll come back.” I reached into my pocket and left a tip on the table before Justin and I left the restaurant.

As we crossed the street, Justin turned to me. “Danny, what’s the plan?”

I let him into the truck and as I glanced at the restaurant, I saw Nico step out of the restaurant and wave. I waved in return. I got into the truck and turned to Justin. “Find us a place to buy liquor. I happen to know Betsy didn’t drink, ever.”

Justin giggled and began pecking into his phone. “Uh, there’s a grocery store with a liquor department about half a mile up the road.”

Let the fun begin.

“Why are you dumping the innocent vodka out of the bottle and refilling it with water?” Justin was standing next to me beside the kitchen sink in Betsy’s home as I dumped a fifth of Tito’s down the drain.

I’d called Steve before we went to the grocery store. “Hi, Steve. It’s Clay. I’m in St. Louis and my truck broke down. I was wondering if I could possibly stay a couple of nights at Betsy’s house while I’m waiting for the truck to be repaired? I need to park a flatbed of hay I’m hauling to Arkansas in her driveway, and my delivery date is Sunday. I won’t make a mess, I swear.”

Steve had hesitated for a few minutes before he finally agreed. “Yes, of course, Clay. Do you need anything else? We cleaned out the fridge when we were there, but there’s a market that used to deliver for Mom not far down the road. The, uh, the key is under the chrysanthemum in the green pot on the back patio.”

“Clay, sweetheart, why are you dumping the lovely vodka down the drain?” Justin reminded me that I was in the here and now.

I turned on the cold water and began refilling the bottle before I capped it and put it into the freezer to cool. I turned to where Justin sat at the center island and walked over to him, placing my hands on his cheeks. “The best way to handle this situation is to get Nico to drink while we stay sober. We’ll drink shots. You and me from the Tito’s bottle, and Nico from the Patrons.”

I grabbed the bag of tortilla chips and rummaged through the cabinets until I found a baking sheet. “Can you turn on the oven? Let’s heat the chips and I’ll put some salsa in a bowl. Does Nico seem smart to you?”

Justin laughed. “I’m not trying to be judgmental, but he seems like a man who thinks with his dick. His uncle owns the restaurant, but I’m not sure what the future holds for him. I mean, Ramon is his father, so there’s that.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, I get it. I think we’re going to have to lead the guy on until he gets drunk and passes out. Give me a safeword, darlin’ in case we get into an area where we’re uncomfortable going with Nico.”