Chapter Two
Cole
Damn. The hours had not dragged by this slowly since my last day in that desert hell before my final tour in Iraq ended. When I told Tyler we could meet at seven, I had not anticipated my impatience for getting to see him again. If I was being honest I had recognized him the minute he walked up from the back area at the shelter. Hell, I’d watched him every day our senior year in high school. Sometimes I caught him staring at me too and if I had not been so worried about what my friends would think I would have asked him out back then. If there was one thing I’d learned during my years as a Marine, it was not to take life for granted. That meant going after what I wanted and that included following my heart, and my heart wanted to find a good man. Maybe Tyler would be that guy. Either way, I was definitely looking forward to getting to know him.
Not much had changed at home in the years I was away, and Bubba’s pub was no different. It was still the same no-frills bar it always had been. Bubba believed that a good beer was best enjoyed without all the fuss of fancy décor, bright lights, and dancing clubsters aggravating the hell out of you while you were relaxing…his words. I couldn’t disagree with him. I would take a quiet bar over a club every time.
Tyler wasn’t in the bar when I arrived, but I was fifteen minutes early, so it wasn’t surprising. I went to the bar and got a beer before taking a seat in one of the booths across from the entrance, so I could see when Tyler came in.
Thirty minutes and three beers later I was worried I’d misread Tyler and he was not going to show up. I sat my beer down on the table after finishing off the last swallow and stood up to head out, and that’s when the door opened and Tyler came walking in. His blonde hair, which had been styled and brushed back earlier at the animal shelter, was messy and partially covering his forehead. As he got closer I could see beads of sweat on his face, and his shirt was wrinkled and dirty. Still, the man was fucking beautiful with his lean body and those big green eyes that made it hard for me to tear my eyes away from him.
“Sorry I’m late,” Tyler said when he reached the table. “Damn car broke down.”
“Don’t worry about it. Shit happens. I’ll grab us a beer. You look like you could use it.”
Tyler laughed and ran his fingers through his hair trying to smooth it back from his forehead. “I look that bad, huh?”
“Not at all,” I countered. “You look good with a little dirt under your fingernails.” Tyler’s eyes grew wide and I winked at him before I walked away to grab us a beer from the bar.
On the way back to the table I noticed Tyler’s leg bouncing up and down under the side of the table and I smiled to myself seeing that he was nervous too. I liked that I made him nervous. I took my seat across from him and held his beer out for him to take, making sure to graze his hand with mine when he took the beer from me.
“Thanks,” Tyler said with a small smile. I watched him take a big swallow of his beer, and as he sat the bottle back down on the table he sighed. “I needed that.”
“So, what happened with your car?” I asked. He had clearly had to do some work under the hood to make it here tonight.
Tyler huffed. “Damn thing is almost paid off, so everything is trying to quit working on it.”
I chuckled and took a swallow of my beer. “I know what you mean. I think the dealers and banks have some kind of agreement to keep people financing new vehicles regularly.”
“Me too,” Tyler agreed.
“I can take a look at it tomorrow if you want? I’m pretty good with cars. Maybe I can save you from an unwanted new car purchase.”
Tyler shook his head. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t. I offered, and I really don’t mind. Besides, it gives me an excuse to hang out with you again.”
“You don’t need an excuse,” Tyler said, “but I could use another set of hands to get it fixed. Thanks.”
I pulled my cell from my pocket. “What’s your number?”
Tyler gave me his number and I entered it in my phone and saved him in my contact list before shooting him a quick text message. I heard his phone ding and he pulled it out. “Save my number from the text, and just call me when you are ready to come over tomorrow, so I can give you my address. I’ll be home all day.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Tyler agreed.
“So, how long have you been working at the shelter?” I asked.
“I just volunteer there, but I have been for the past two years. I have my own grooming business, so I have the freedom to make my schedule to be sure I’ve got time to help them out at the shelter. They’ve had a lot more success adopting the dogs out since I started. Seems people are more interested in a clean, well-groomed dog than one who looks like they’ve grown up in the gutter.”
“Makes sense. That’s great that you volunteer there. Maybe I could look into helping out, too. I’ve got to find something to get me out of the house until I decide what I want to do next.”
“Yeah, they are always looking for volunteers. I can bring you some info and a volunteer sign-up form when I come by your place tomorrow if ya want.”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
Tyler finished his beer and glanced at his watch. “I hate to grab a beer and run, but I really should get home. With the shit with my car, I didn’t have time to run home and Max will be looking for me.”
My heart fell into my stomach, which was ridiculous. It wasn’t like we were on a date. We were just two guys enjoying a beer. Hell, we hadn’t seen each other in years, and it wasn’t like we spent much time together back then. Still, I was disappointed hearing he had someone waiting for him at home. It may sound ridiculous, but on some small level when I had run into him at the shelter after not living here for so long a part of me thought there must be a reason we were brought together again. Silly, I know. Shit like that isn’t real, clearly. “Oh, yeah, no problem. If I had a man waiting on me at home, I’d be ready to get home too.”
Tyler laughed. “You got it wrong.” I cocked my eyebrow at that. “Max is my Yorkie. He is kind of spoiled and he’ll be mad that he hasn’t had dinner yet. When he gets pissed he likes to piss on my favorite chair. Honestly, he’s kind of an asshole.”
I laughed because I knew exactly what he meant. “Maybe he’s related to Ozzie. For him it’s usually my boots.”
We both stood and walked out together, and as we approached his car I felt myself already wishing it were tomorrow, so I could see him again. “You want me to follow you home to make sure you don’t break down and wind up stranded?” I offered. I really did want to make sure he got home, so it was more than me just trying to find an excuse to hang out for a little while longer.
Tyler smiled but shook his head. “No, I’m good. I just live five minutes from here.”
“Well, do me a favor and shoot me a text so I know you made it home, all right? Otherwise I’ll be imagining you on the side of the road with your shirt off trying to entice someone to give you a lift.”
Tyler burst out laughing. “Well, nobody would want that, so I’ll make sure to text you.”
I looked him up and down before meeting his eyes again. “Oh, I think you’re wrong about that, but I’d rather it not be just anyone you’re taking off your clothes for.”
A small smile tugged at Tyler’s mouth as he turned to open his car door. Before he got in he turned to look at me again. “Don’t worry, Cole. I’ll text you.” I watched as he got in his car and started it up with a smile on my face. I couldn’t wait to work on his car tomorrow.