Take What You Want (43 page)

He shifted the truck into
reverse and started backing into the turn-around spot to head out of
the driveway. A few minutes later they were stopping outside the
entrance to the sand roadway that led to a spot called Norton Point
on the south facing beach of the island. Chase stepped out of his
truck and asked Alex to give him a hand.

“
What
are we doing?” Alex asked.

Chase tossed him a key ring
with a couple of keys jingling on it. “Use the tip of one of
those to deflate the tires on that side. We need to get'em down to
about fifteen pounds to drive over the sand.”

Alex caught the key ring.
“You can drive out onto the beach?”

“
In
certain locations and only with a special permit,” Chase said.

“
Sounds
like California,” Alex said. He crouched onto his haunches and
pressed the tip of the key to the stem to the first tire. The
hissing sound quickly came up around him.

Danni sat inside with the
air conditioning running and watched Chase and Alex move around the
truck working on the tires. She also saw the lingering touch Chase
shared with Alex at the rear tire; their image filling the side
mirror of the truck, with Chase's fingertips sliding down the length
of Alex's spine and the knowing look they gave each other. A knot
twisted in Danni's stomach. She'd never have guessed Chase was
capable of expressing intimacy like that with a man and making it
seem so natural for him. And, Christ, she hated to admit it, but it
was beautiful to watch.

Chase
drove them out to the point and stopped just before the breach in the
beach that opened up Katama Bay to the ocean; damage done several
years ago from a coastal storm. Several trucks and jeeps were
already parked a few feet from the tide line with set-ups looking
much like camping sites; with coolers, gas grills, and chairs set
beside each vehicle. Chase backed in beside the last truck and
parked.

“
I
think I see Jayson's truck parked a few spots down from us,”
Danni said. “We should see if they want to cook with us.”

Shit. That was one little
tid-bit he'd forgotten to tell Danni had happened while she was in
Colorado. Beyond a few random text messages, Chase hadn't spoken
much to Jayson since their argument a few weeks back and he really
wasn't sure where they stood now. As far as he was concerned, he had
no intention of apologizing for being with Alex and Jayson needed to
get over it.

Chase got out of his truck
and walked to the back of it. He opened the latch and folded down
the gate, then began handing items to Alex and Danni to set in the
sand. Alex helped him carry the cooler.

“
Does
Danni know what happened with your friend, Jayson?” Alex asked.

“
No,
I forgot to mention it,” Chase said. “Hopefully, it
won't be a problem.”

“
I
hope you're right, because he's walking up behind you.”

Chase
spun in the sand in time to see Danni embracing Jayson. He lifted
her up off the beach and twirled her around before setting her down
again.

“
Jayson!
It's so good to see you,” Danni squealed.

“
You,
too, sweetheart,” Jayson said. “You were gone too long
this time.”

Chase
watched their interactions and nodded when Jayson made eye contact
with him, then Jayson leaned over to Alex and shook his hand.

“
Nice
to see you again, Alex,” Jayson said, letting go of Alex's
hand.

“
You
two know each other?” Danni asked.

“
Yeah,
Jayson stopped over to the house while you were gone,” Chase
said. “He met Alex then.”

Jayson's eyes landed on
Chase. “Can we talk for a minute?” he asked, motioning
with his eyes away from the others.

Chase nodded and started
walking down by the water with Jayson right beside him.

“
It's
good to see Danni home again,” Jayson said. “I bet
you've missed her.”

Chase stopped in the sand
and glared at Jayson. “What is it you want to say?” he
asked Jayson.

“
I'm
sorry. That's what I'm trying to say,” Jayson said. “What
you're doing isn't for me judge, but you're doing the same thing to
me.”

“
How
the fuck do you figure that?” Chase asked.

“
By
not allowing me the opportunity to fully discuss this with you.
You're making assumptions I have a problem with what you're doing and
I don't.”

Chase forced a smile.
“That's not what I'm doing,” he said.

“
Isn't
it?” Jayson asked.

Chase
turned and started walking back to Danni and Alex and Jayson stopped
him. “Don't leave just yet, Chase. I want to clear the air
between us.”

Chase shrugged his
shoulders. “I'd like that, too, Jay, but not if you're going
to try and offer your opinion.”

“
I
won't go there, Chase,” Jayson said.

“
Okay,
then what's on your mind?” Chase asked.

“
So,
Danni knows about you and Alex. What about everyone else?”
Jayson asked. “Do you plan on telling the rest of your
friends?”

Chase
set his hands on his hips. “I already told you Danni knows,”
Chase said. “And why the fuck would I tell anyone else about
it? It's nobody's business. Besides, I have no idea what will
happen long term, so I hardly think it's necessary for us to put an
announcement in the paper – unless you've already done that for
me.”

Jayson shook his head.
“We're friends, Chase. It's not for me to talk about what
you're doing in your private life. I just thought because you and I
have been best friends, you might have told me about this before I
had to walk in on it and see it for myself.”

“
I
was drunk, Jayson; nearly passed-out,” Chase said. “Alex
said you didn't walk in on a damn thing,” Chase said.

“
Maybe
not at that particular moment, but it was implied,” Jayson
said. “Look, it doesn't matter, Chase. I'm apologizing and
saying I will respect your privacy – no matter what. Okay? I
just thought you would've mentioned you went
that
way
before now. That's all.”

“
It's
not exactly an easy subject to talk to your male friends about,”
Chase said. “But, yeah, this wasn't a sudden revelation.”

Jayson smiled. “I
didn't think so,” he said. “What about Danni? Is she
cool with it?”

Chase
glanced back up at Alex and Danni. He was happy to see Danni's body
language had relaxed a bit and she seemed to be enjoying Alex's
company. He turned back to Jayson. “We're
all
still adjusting to this,” Chase said, “And, that's all
I'll say about it.”

Jayson nodded. “Good
enough.”

Chase
saw his friend extend a hand to shake. He took Jayson's hand, then
yanked him in for a hug.

“
Call
me next week and we'll have that beer we've talked about,”
Jayson said. “Then, you can tell me the rest of what's going
on.”

“
There's
nothing more to tell, Jay, but I'll give you a call,” Chase
said.

“
I'm
gonna hold you to that, Chase. There's something else I'd like to
talk to you about, but not now.”

Chase nodded. “Next
week it is. I'll give you a call.”

Jayson nodded at Chase and
waved up at Danni; who had a watchful eye from the back of the truck
on the verbal exchange happening between Chase and Jayson. Chase
knew she'd be full of questions when he got back to her and Alex. He
shrugged off the tension and walked to her. There would be lots of
little tests like this in the future, Chase thought. If he wanted to
live the lifestyle he was thinking was right for him, he needed to
expect interactions like this and deal with it as soon as it
happened. The first step for that was dealing with Danni right now.

“
What's
up with you and Jayson?” Danni asked. “Why the tense and
secretive conversation?”

Chase
started setting up the beach chairs. His eyes shifted to Alex
propping up the umbrella into the sand, then went back to Danni. “A
couple of weeks back, I got really drunk,” Chase said,
spreading out a large quilt in the sand. “I passed-out on one
of Alex's lounge chairs by the pool and ended up sleeping there. The
next day Jayson stopped by and saw Alex and I laying on the lounge
together. Apparently Jayson didn't like what he
thought
he saw, so he stopped by my job site the Monday after that and he and
I had words. He said he came over to see me today to apologize.”

Alex stopped working on the
umbrella and looked at Danni. He wanted to see her reaction to this
and see how Chase handled it. Having an alternative lifestyle in the
privacy of your home was one thing. Having that lifestyle tossed out
into the public eye for judgment and scrutiny was another, and Chase
was opening the door for all of it.

“
What
the hell did Jayson see you doing with Alex?” Danni asked. The
color drained from her face and her eyes were wide with horror.

“
Nothing
sexual, if that's what you're thinking,” Alex said, stepping
closer to join in the conversation.

“
I
was talking to Chase,” Danni said to Alex.

“
And,
it involves me,” Alex added. “So, I'd like to be part of
the discussion.”

Danni met Alex with angry
eyes. “Of course, it involves you! Doesn't everything?”

Chase reached for Danni.
“You're being unfair to Alex, babe,” he said. “Alex
was helping me through a hellish hang-over. That's it. If it wasn't
for him, I'd probably have drowned in my own puke.”

Danni pushed Chase out of
her way and stalked to the cooler. She pulled a bottle of beer from
the cubed ice, popped the top, and walked away. Chase started after
her and Alex stopped him.

“
Let
her go,” Alex said. “She needs time to think and you and
I need to talk.”

Chase grabbed a beer and
tossed one to Alex, then sat down in one of the beach chairs.
“What's on your mind, Metcalf?”

Alex rubbed at the whiskers
on his chin. “Are you sure you want to open yourself up to
this?” he asked. “Not just with Danni, but everyone in
your life.”

“
What'd
you mean?” Chase asked.

“
What
you're going through with Jayson and Danni is only the beginning,”
Alex said. “There will most likely be worse altercations ahead
for you and anyone involved in the situation.”

“
You
mean, like yourself,” Chase said.

“
I'm
not worried about me, Chase. I don't have any more secrets, and I
don't give a fuck what anyone has to say about the way I live my
life. I'm worried how this will effect Danni, your family, and so
on. Just make certain this is what you
really
want before you drag everyone you love along for the ride, because it
will be a bumpy ride.”

Chase studied Alex's face
for a long moment, then he tipped the beer to his lips. “Are
you backing out?” Chase asked.

“
Nope.
Not at all,” Alex said. “And, if you still want me to
be part of this, I'll do my best to help you navigate around the
land-mines in front of you, too.”