“If you won’t let me check in on Gabriel, I’ll have to send you in my stead.” Gramma’s arms were folded as she used her good leg to rock herself on the porch swing. “Although I still think I could manage. I need a few things from the market.”

“Gramma…” Orion trailed off, then decided to give up that argument. Arguing with a southern lady was more futile than pulling weeds. And his grandmother knew exactly how to win an argument. “How were you planning on getting to the market? You can’t drive right now.”

“Oh, I have friends.”

“Enablers, you mean.” Orion laughed. “You rest. I’ll go. All you need to do is ask. That’s what I’m here for.”

“Yes, yes.” She fidgeted, then beckoned. “My shopping list.”

He sat and waited for her to scribble out a list. They were getting into a routine now—since she woke up early, so did he. He came over to bring the paper, cook breakfast, and wash up, kept her company for the morning, and made lunch. She rested in the afternoon while he ran errands for her or cleaned.

At least one of his uncles was usually inside by the time evening crept in, so some evenings he had to himself in his large, lonely farmhouse just down the road. He mostly stayed here with the family, though. There wasn’t much point in going home when there was nothing for him there.

“There you go. If they don’t have my usual bread, they’ll know what to give me instead if you say it’s for me.”

Orion smiled patiently. “I know.” Everyone knew Cora’s preferences, since she wasn’t shy about sharing them. “I’ll manage. I can shop, you know.”

“Oh, you’re a good boy. I raised you right,” Gramma declared with a firm nod. “None of this making women wipe your ass.”

“Gramma!” Orion exclaimed, his cheeks flushing as he stood up and pocketed the list.

“Well, it’s true.” She snorted. “Boys are so coddled.”

“I know.” Orion grinned. “Back in your day they had to chop firewood and grow lumberjack beards to keep warm in the winter, right?”

“Oh, no. None of that man up nonsense,” she scolded him. “I like, what do they call them? Spray-paint jeans?”

“Skinny jeans? Spray-on? That’s very skinny,” Orion laughed.

“Shows off the goods better. You want a good idea what you’re in for, trust me.”

“Gramma!”

She grinned and ignored him. “And men wearing pink. Pink looks wonderful on Gabriel. Gosh, he could pull off my lipstick better than me. And he can cook a meal for himself. That’s important. Men so often can’t,” Gramma declared. “And they should be able to do laundry.”

“I… well, I’m glad I know all that stuff.” Once again, Orion didn’t really know what to say to his Gramma, but he loved her all the more for it. He laughed as he leaned down for a hug and pecked her cheek. “I’ll be back soon.”

Gabriel probably would look great in pink. He seemed comfortable in his own skin these days. He was just… how would Orion put it? Isolated? That was a fitting word. Like he was drifting along in his own little bubble, not caring whether anyone else fell in beside him.

But if it was isolation, it was at least in part deliberate. You couldn’t live here without making friends, Orion was sure of it. He’d had tons back in his high school days. Then again, now that Orion was thinking about it, he had left. So had many others in their class…

What had it been like to grow up and see everyone else leave town? The thought didn’t sit well with him, and it nagged him all the way to Moore Wood.

Once he’d found parking and walked into the market, it didn’t take long to find Gabriel. The stall had a Miele Farms logo banner displayed above it, not that it needed one. Not a lot of tourists here, and everyone local knew them.

There were people at the table already. Orion hung back so he didn’t distract Gabriel from his work.

“How about a nice head of broccoli? You can throw that into your stir-fry, no problem. I know broccoli’s got a bad rap, but give it a chance!”

The customers—a young couple—were laughing. Even Orion grinned at the completely different attitude. This must have been what Gramma meant when she praised his work ethic and attitude.

None of the shy, reclusive man he’d expected to find sitting behind the table. Hell, no. Gabriel was in front of the table, bantering with customers and up-selling them on different vegetables.

By the time the customers left, they had a full bag of vegetables and were grinning to each other.

Gabriel was already looking around for his next target, his very aura magnetic right now. Orion couldn’t resist walking up to him.

“Can I interest you in some tasty, fresh carrots?” Gabriel grinned up at him cheekily, tilting his head.

Orion couldn’t explain why he loved seeing this side of him so much. Maybe because he felt less like he’d scarred the poor guy for life by turning him down all those years ago. He beamed back at Gabriel. “The biggest ones are the sweetest, I heard.”

Gabriel was blushing, but he still grinned. “No, those are the eggplants. They’re not in season yet.”

“Shame,” Orion clicked his tongue. “I could go for one.”

“Have I got a deal for you, then,” Gabriel retorted, moving behind his table and playfully drumming his fingers against it.

Oh, fuck. What am I doing?

He was flirting. There was no question about it. He hadn’t really meant to. He’d just walked up and seen that adorable smile and spiky blond hair and… well, automatically reacted to it.

Before he could even plan to do it. Every woman he’d flirted with, it had been a deliberate, planned interaction, down to the compliments.

Something was nagging at Orion, but he pushed it aside. Not a chance of dealing with it right now, in front of everyone at the market. He’d think about it later and put it down to the salesman persona Gabriel was wearing right now.

“I’m here getting stuff for Gramma,” he quickly said, probably unnecessarily. He didn’t want Gabriel to feel like he was being micromanaged. “Everything going all right? Need anything?”

“Oh, nothing you can provide,” Gabriel answered, his eyes straying to a few people nearby. They didn’t approach the table, though, so he looked back at Orion.

Orion smiled. “I won’t distract you. You’re in… uh, sales mode.”

“It helps,” Gabriel said without explanation when Orion raised his eyebrows. Already, Orion could feel him retreating to his shell, his eyes straying to the table instead of meeting Orion’s directly.

“Right. Cool. Uh, see you in a bit.” Orion waved slightly and strode for the other side of the market without really looking where he was going.

Once he was far enough away that he didn’t feel tempted to glance back and risk eye contact, he relaxed and let a breath out.

What the hell was all that about?

He still hadn’t come to a decision by the time he’d picked up the locally-made sausages, cheese, and bread his gramma had asked for from different stalls. So he did the unthinkable and trusted his gut instinct. It hadn’t steered him wrong at work—not seriously, anyway.

“Want a hand unloading your car when you get back?”

Gabriel looked startled as he glanced up from rearranging potatoes. He was back around the front of the table, but he folded his arms in a vaguely defensive way when he was approached. “Oh. Hey. Uh, sure! If you’re in the area.”

“I’m renting the house down the street, so even if I’m home, I’m in the area.” Orion laughed. “I have nothing else to do while Gramma naps except, I dunno, break out her Super-Ultimate Scrabble edition. And playing with myself is boring.”

The words hung in the air between them for a few moments as they both realized what he’d just said. Gabriel went a funny shade of red as he covered his mouth, clearly trying not to burst out laughing.

Fucking goddamn it, he had to notice, didn’t he? Orion was rarely embarrassed, even by deliberate innuendo, but… here, in public, it sounded… Well, like he was hitting on him.

Again.

Orion’s cheeks burned as he waved quickly. “Better go. Catch you when you get back. Bye!”

He couldn’t flee fast enough, weaving his way around people and dogs and stands to get to the street and his parked car.

It’s like I’m tongue-tied around him. He hadn’t experienced that feeling in a long time, and even then, not so intensely. It must be because it was such a blast from the past to see him. And he couldn’t ever seem to stop thinking about the fact that he’d turned Gabe down back then.

Why the hell was that on his mind so much?