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Chapter Ten

Thatcher

“Because I’m very, very interested in you for more than friendship. You’re nothing like any man I’ve ever met. Could you…? Could you ever be interested in me?” JD’s hopeful expression made me wish I could take a photo of him so I could look at it every day.

I shot back my bourbon and said the first thing that popped into my head. “Let’s table this discussion until we get home.”

“Because I’m very, very interested in you for more than friendship. You’re nothing like any man I’ve ever met. Could you…? Could you ever be interested in me?” His words echoed through my head the whole drive home.

I parked Penny and stared at the house without moving. Jordan hopped out with a big smile on his face, so I grabbed the pizza box and followed him inside.

“Could you…? Could you ever be interested in me?”

I placed the pizza box on the counter and swallowed the lump in my throat. “Drink?” I slid the pie onto a round pan and put it in the oven to stay warm.

“I’ll have a beer.” JD smiled brightly.

I nodded and pulled two bottles out of the fridge, opening them and placing them on the island. I walked around and sat next to Jordan.

After a gulp from the bottle, I placed mine next to his. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

Jordan sighed. “My last surgery is Tuesday.”

That was not what I wanted him to say at all. I knew he had one more surgery to repair his hand, but he hadn’t mentioned whether it had been scheduled or when it would take place.

“Oh, uh, do I need to take you to the hospital that morning? I’ll be off shift at six, or maybe I can take off a few hours early to take you. I assume your parents aren’t coming.”

He looked down at the counter, his cheeks pinking in embarrassment. “Uh, no. I didn’t tell you that so you’d change your schedule, and no, they’re not coming. I was just—”

“Trying to change the subject. Yeah, I get it.” I asked again.

Didn’t I feel like an asshole for hinting that his parents gave a damn? “I’m sorry for bringing it up.”

I drained my beer and got us each another. I pulled the pizza out of the oven and grabbed two plates, loading them with slices. That was when I noticed there was pineapple on half.

“Thank you for only putting pineapple on half. I like pineapple. I just don’t think it has a reason to be on pizza.” I put the plate in front of him, gathered napkins and pepper flakes, and sat next to him.

Jordan dug in without any prompting from me, so we quietly ate for a while. He was studying the quartzite countertop of my kitchen island as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

It was time to get something straight in my own head. What did I know about him? He didn’t seem horrified that I was gay, and he hadn’t hesitated to move into my beach house when I offered him the spare room.

“Can I ask about your sexuality?” I was treading on thin ice, but before my heart got any further away from me, I needed clarification.

He sighed. “I’m not one for labels. River decided I’m bisexual, so I never corrected him or the band. I had a boyfriend, Carson, while I studied music in Florida. When we graduated, he went to Boston to get a master’s in orchestration, and I came back here, hoping I could land a gig as a studio musician. I stayed in the apartment over my parents’ garage before they sold the house without telling me. That was when we all got together as a band. Most of us are sons of the members of From the Ashes.”

That was interesting. “Did you guys grow up together? I mean, except for Hardy.”

“No. I didn’t know anybody very well because I’d been in boarding school back East and then went to college in Florida. I went to see my grandparents during breaks at school because my parents weren’t particularly excited for me to visit them.”

“How did you guys end up playing together?” Man, it sounded like the kid had it rough growing up. I hated that for him.

“From the Ashes was asked if one of their old songs could be used in that summer movie a couple of years ago, Hurricane Alley. The song needed some work to mesh with the movie’s theme. I was asked to help with smoothing it out. I was happy to do it, and the band came together organically from there.”

“How about your grandparents? Are you close to them?” It wasn’t my business, but now I was intrigued.

“They passed while I was in college. I was close with them, and I really miss them. Do your parents live on the West Coast?”

I wiped my mouth on a napkin. “I grew up in Alondra Park. My father was a contractor and Mom was a secretary. I guess now they call them administrative assistants. Anyway, they were killed in a mass pile-up outside San Francisco. Thick fog and a wrong-way driver. They were going to see my mom’s sister. It was a while ago.”