RR-CDA (15 page)

Owen fiddled with his tie in the mirror for what felt like the tenth time in two minutes. He hadn’t worn one since he’d quit working for Black Shield and hadn’t missed the noose even once. But he’d agreed to go out to a nice restaurant with Cole to celebrate a holiday meal before they were both pulled apart with previously arranged Christmas celebrations. That meant a dress shirt, tie, and jacket.

Thankfully, he made it look good.

“Whoa, boss.” Moe skidded to a stop and stared at him. “You’re going to break some hearts.”

“Thanks.” He really was, wasn’t he?

“I just wanted to let you know that Jane is running late, but Brad is going to stay later to cover until she arrives.”

All thoughts of his date flew from his mind. “Do you need me to stay? Brad has been here since noon.”

“No.” Moe held up his hands and backed away. “No way. Jane was very specific that you were under no circumstance to stay. I assume she knows all about your . . . whatever it is you’re doing tonight. She won’t be long.”

Jane was his right-hand woman when it came to the bar. She was also a great friend who’d always been there for him. She had taken one look at his face after Cole had left and knew something good had happened between them. Hell, she’d been the one to suggest the restaurant and book reservations for them. If he did anything to ruin tonight, she’d most likely kick his ass.

Still, the bar came first. “Fine. But if she doesn’t show up by ten, I expect a call. I’m taking my date out for supper, and we should be done by then.”

“Deal.” Moe smiled. “It’s nice to see you happy. Have a good time tonight, boss.”

“Thanks. I will.”

Well, he would as long as he wasn’t late. Cole had agreed to drive them and was probably already waiting for him to get his ass in gear. His phone chose that moment to buzz.

I’m out front.

No more time to primp. He grabbed his overcoat and left through the side door. Cole was sitting in his Lexus in front of McGregor’s. Owen’s heart pounded a bit faster at the sight of him behind the glass. He’d never had this strong of a reaction to anyone, man or woman, before. There was just something about Cole, a calmness that he craved. If things went the way he hoped, then maybe, just maybe he’d convince Cole to take things from casual to something more.

Heat from the car blasted his face as he got into the passenger seat. “Hey.”

The smell of cologne and shampoo washed over him half a second before Cole leaned in and kissed him. “Hey yourself. You look fantastic.”

Owen felt himself blush. “Thanks. You too.” He didn’t care if it was overstepping, he snuck another quick kiss.

Cole grinned. “Let’s head out before we’re late. Traffic is crap tonight.”

They fell into an easy back-and-forth conversation about nothing in particular. It was the same type of banter his parents had engaged in over the years. Not recently though.

“I’ve heard this place is really good.” Cole pulled into the public parking. “We’ll have to walk, but it’s only about half a block.”

“I’m all set.”

The night air was crisp, making it necessary to keep coats buttoned and gloves on. Owen noticed that Cole didn’t have any on, and knew he’d be cold even if it was a short walk. He pulled his left-hand glove off and offered it to him.

Cole frowned. “What’s this for?”

“Your hand.”

“But you need your glove.”

Owen held up his right hand. “I have one.”

Cole shook his head. “And how are you going to keep your other hand warm?”

“I was hoping you’d ask that.” Owen took Cole’s bare hand and laced their fingers together. “There.”

Cole looked at where their hands met, and chuckled. “You’re crazy.”

“Probably. Let’s go before they give our table away. I’m starving.”

The restaurant was a small intimate place. The long narrow dining area was packed with tables, each one filled with people. A bubbly older woman greeted them at the door, menus in hand. “Welcome to Horizon.”

“Hi.” Owen stepped forward. “Reservation for two under McGregor.”

“Yes, come with me, please.”

They weaved their way through the throng of people and tables until they were led to the back. It wasn’t ideal, they were surrounded on all sides by others, but Owen figured it was better than nothing.

Being who he was, Owen picked up the drink menu first. “Wow, bit overpriced.”

“I wouldn’t have a clue. I always expect to pay more when I’m eating out, so I never think about it.”

“The downside to owning a bar: you know what the markup is. Or should be in this case.”

He found a decent wine that wasn’t crazy expensive and ordered a bottle.

Cole grinned. “Are you trying to get me drunk? I have to drive home, remember.”

“I’m sure you can handle a glass or two of wine. Besides, we can always cab it and come back for the car tomorrow.”

“I’ve never left my vehicle behind as much as I have when I’m around you. If we go out again, we should just take a cab.”

Wine came and was quickly followed by appetizers and entrées. He didn’t want to stare, but the longer they were together, the more he couldn’t look away from Cole. His blue eyes sparkled and his black hair fell across his forehead, tempting Owen to reach across and push it aside. Damn it, he was becoming obsessed with Cole. Which might or might not be a good thing.

Cole leaned back against his chair, his glass of wine in his hand. “So you’re going to your parents’ place for Christmas Eve?”

“Yeah. Mom has already got my holiday planned out.” She needed help with a few repairs around the house. Some things that his dad would normally take care of, but that she didn’t want to ask him to do until they got the test results back.

Cole frowned. “What’s that?”

“What’s what?”

“You said one thing, but something else crossed your mind. Your whole expression changed. What’s wrong?”

He’d promised himself he wouldn’t dump his family stress on Cole. The other man was just starting to come out from the cloud that had been on him since his dumbass ex dumped him. Owen could handle his parents, the bar, and everything else. Even if it would be good to talk to someone else about things. He wouldn’t do that to Cole. Not yet.

“Ah, you know what it’s like. Family at the holidays.” He swallowed down a large gulp of wine.

Cole didn’t look as though he were buying it, but he didn’t push either. “My sister loves to torture me about my love life whenever the family gets together.”

“Will she be sad that you’re single?”

“Hell no. She hated Steven from the moment I told her about him. I guess she saw something in him that I didn’t.”

“Told her? You mean she hadn’t met him?”

“No. I don’t know why, but it never quite worked out, him meeting my family. I guess it doesn’t matter now. Angie won’t be happy about how we broke up, but I know she’ll say that I’m better off without him.”

“I like your sister. Personally, I can’t wait to meet her.”

Cole put his glass down and sat a bit straighter. “Nice of you to say, but you don’t know her.”

Okay . . .

“And I don’t know much about your family either. You took over the bar from your dad, right? He had a stroke?”

“I did, and he did.” He really didn’t want to talk about his dad. Not when they were having such a great night.

“What is he doing now that he’s retired? Is the stroke still affecting him or is he better? Is he another bowler?”

“I’m not really—”

“My parents love to travel. They’re out of the country almost as much as they’re in it. No Florida for them yet, but they do tend to hang out on cruise ships. Your parents do anything like that?”

“Cole—”

“It’s just I don’t really know much about your family. You run a bar and used to work at a computer company—”

“Internet security.”

“Family is important to me. So I’m curious.”

The way Cole said those words made Owen feel there was more to this conversation than he realized. “Family is important to me as well. I gave up my career for my family so we could keep the bar. I wouldn’t do that if I didn’t feel that they mattered.”

“That’s good. These are the sorts of things I want to know.”

Something was going on with Cole. He wasn’t angry; if anything he seemed anxious, or excited. Maybe a mix of the two. Owen reached out and took his hand. “Are you okay?”

“I’ve been thinking a lot about Steven today, about our relationship. One of the things that I hadn’t thought about was how little I knew about him outside of what we shared. I’d spoken to his mother on the phone, but in the six months we’d been together, I’d never actually met her.”

“You want to meet my parents?” That was the last thing he wanted to do to Cole. Not with everything as uncertain as it was. With his dad’s behavior unpredictable at best, he’d worry that something would be said to upset or offend Cole. “We’re not even dating.”

Cole opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Owen groaned. “I didn’t mean that I would never want you to meet them. If we were, you know, a couple or something, then yeah. But we’re not. Are we?” God, he was a fucking idiot. He couldn’t screw this conversation up any more if he’d tried. “Cole?”

“No. We’re not. You’re right. I’m not over Steven yet. I can’t think about another relationship.” He drank the rest of his wine and picked up the dessert menu. “They have traditional plum pudding as a special. I think I might order some.”

Owen sat and stared at him, not knowing exactly what had happened. Tonight was supposed to be an opportunity for them to get to know one another, but it was also a chance for Owen to forget his troubles for a bit. Talking about his dad, about how stressed out his mom was, wasn’t something he wanted to do. Surely Cole would understand that?

Right?

He could clear everything up a little—
Actually dad is sick and I’d rather not talk about it
—but the words wouldn’t come. Cole wasn’t the type of person to simply let things rest. He’d want to repay Owen for helping him with his Steven problem, would want to help. The last thing Owen wanted was to involve him in that. He wanted to keep Cole to himself. So he said nothing and hoped things would settle.

It wasn’t until Cole dropped him off at the bar that he realized he’d made the wrong decision. He leaned over to kiss Cole, but instead of the warmth of his lips, he was met with a soft cheek.

“I’m glad we did this.” Cole spoke without looking at him. “I . . . Thanks for everything.”

He knew he should simply say good-night and get out of the car. He should leave everything alone. Cole was still hurting from his breakup, no matter how fine he’d seemed the other day. It was childish for Owen to be hurt by the rejection, and yet, he was human.

“I know you’re upset with me. I’ve tried to be there for you. Maybe I’ve tried a bit too hard. I’ll leave you be for now. When you’re ready, if you’re ready, you have my number. You know where I live. Hell, just come to the bar for a drink. I’ll be there. Good night.”

The temperature had dropped from when they’d left, making his breath visible as he huffed. He headed straight for the bar, not wanting to be alone. He needed the noise, the company of strangers to help push this feeling of dread from him. Cole would figure things out on his own. Owen had the bar and his family to sort through.

Only time would tell if they’d have room for each other in their lives.

The last place in the world Cole wanted to be the evening of December twenty-third was the Eaton Centre. The crowds were thick with people desperately searching for
one final thing
. Cole couldn’t claim to be in any better shape. He still needed to find a gift for his mother and
one final thing
for Angie. He’d originally intended to bring her back something from Banff, which wasn’t in the cards now. So here he was, caught in a throng as he searched for something that didn’t scream
last-minute gift
.

A group of laughing teenage girls bumped into him, only to turn around and giggle once they got past. God, he had to find something for his mom fast so he could get the hell out of there. Each time he approached a store he made a judgment call about the length of the checkout line versus the chances he’d find something she’d like within. The kitchen gadget store was always a good idea, and it didn’t look too insane at the moment.

He sidestepped several shoppers and made his way toward the glassware section. His mom loved her wine. He could get her one of those fancy glasses with a cute saying painted on. A nice bottle of red wine to go with it. He picked one up that announced
Winos Have Class
and smiled. Yeah, she’d like that. Maybe a big box of chocolates too—

“Cole?”

He’d heard the expression “time standing still,” but had never experienced it before then. He turned to see Steven at the opposite end of the aisle, staring at him. It was strange—for a moment Cole wasn’t even certain that it
was
Steven. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He was supposed to be off somewhere with the love of his life, his
fiancé.

Instead he was standing in the glassware section of a department store and staring at Cole.