Painted Love: A Pride Pet Play Novel, page 5
Straightening up, he tried to school his features, but the moment he was face to face with Garrett, all he could do was blush and let his gaze sweep past his ear to the other firemen at the counter and the red of the rig outside by the curb.
“I should have guessed you’d be shy,” Garrett murmured. “That’s okay. I just wanted to say hello.”
“Hi,” Cas squeaked, cleared his throat, and focused on meeting Garrett’s gaze.
“Did you do all of these?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Really? When you said you were an artist this was the furthest thing that came to mind.”
“Oh yeah? What kind of art did you think I was talking about?” Cas asked, finally managing to meet his gaze and even cock his hip a little, paintbrush poised in the air between them.
Garrett chuckled, the sound low and a little rough with just the right amount of rolling grumble to send a shiver up Cas’s spine. “I suppose I pictured you sitting in front of an easel wearing a beanie and a painting smock.”
Snickering, Cas tried conjuring up that image of himself, but the closest he came was his favorite paint-splattered jeans and a tattered cardigan.
“I don’t dislike fine arts, but cartooning and murals are more my style,” Cas explained. “I do drift between graffiti and animal realism in most of my large pieces while keeping to things like Chibis and manga-style images in my smaller designs.
“You wouldn’t happen to be responsible for the new sea turtle mural that borders the aquarium parking lot?”
Cas could feel his face heat up as a surge of pride shot through him. “I am.”
Garrett scrutinized him thoroughly before nodding his approval. “It’s a fabulous piece of work. Mouse insisted on having his picture taken in front of it.”
“Thank you. That was the first piece I did here in the city,” Cas explained. “They’ve had such a positive response to it that when I finish up here, I’ll be adding a second mural to the parking lot wall, this one of the sea dragons exhibited there.”
“I see. How do you get them so lifelike?”
“Mostly by sitting on a bench in front of their tanks for hours sketching them and coloring them in until I have some base images to work from. The more time I spend observing them, the easier it is to capture their movements, gracefulness, and attitudes, and yes, they do have them. They're all so unique. Some are shy, like this one turtle that always lurked behind a big chunk of coral. I had to wait patiently before he peeked out and even longer before he swam in front of the glass. It was worth it though. He had a beautiful pattern and one very unusual flipper.”
Garrett's smile grew. “The prosthetic one. Isn’t science amazing?”
“Seriously, I can’t believe engineers created something that actually let it swim normally again,"
“Neither could I and they gave me an up close and personal view of it," Garrett admitted. “I can’t wait to see what you create for them next. All of these images are amazing. I bet the kids will get a real kick out of them.”
“Sounds to me like adults do too.”
“You’re not wrong.”
Cas smiled at that and felt his nervousness easily melt away.
“I’m glad I ran into you today,” Garrett said. “It’s given me the chance to learn something new about you. I think it’s awesome that you’re so creative. Between you and Mouse I feel like I’m as unimaginative as they come.”
“I wouldn’t say that," Cas replied with a little wink. "Mouse says you’ve got a creative streak yourself, especially when it comes to certain things.”
“I see. I’ll have to remind him that he can’t be giving away all my secrets. Some things you will just have to find out for yourself.”
Wide-eyed, mouth half-hanging open, Cas tried not to picture what some of those things might be, since he was certain they weren’t safe for work. Instead of commenting, he reached for the cold drink he kept nearby and took a couple of quick gulps, hoping it would put a chill on his thoughts. From the way Garrett smirked at him, he knew exactly which way Cas’s train of thought had run.
Shit.
Clearing his throat, Cas attempted to change the subject. “We um, mostly talk about our favorite things to listen to while we create, specifically comedy specials and 90’s alternative music.”
“Oh he loves to go to the open mic nights and comedy shows around the city," Garrett said. "He rarely misses one.”
“You should let him know that Kyle Higgins is performing tonight at the Strand along with a bunch of up-and-coming comedians who’ll open for him. We were just talking about his interactive sets the other day and how much fun it is when he gets the crowd involved.”
“You should text him about it on your next break and let him know," Garrett suggested in a tone that bordered on a command. "Are you going? If so, you should make it a date.”
“Seriously? I mean, is it cool with you if we go out alone?”
“Of course," Garrett said, smiling in a way that eliminated any doubt. "If I was free tonight, I’d want to take you both to the event, but I’m on call for the next forty-one hours, so unfortunately, I have to miss it but there is no reason you guys should. I have it on good authority that Mouse has no plans for tonight and needs to get away from what he’s working on. So, it will be a welcome break for him to go out and do something fun, especially when he won’t have to do it alone.”
“In that case, I’ll text him now."
Cas slipped his phone out of his pocket and quickly tapped in a message to Mouse. He’d barely placed the phone on the nearest table when it buzzed. He picked it up to see he had a hell yeah from Mouse about wanting to go.
“Told you.”
“How do you know that isn’t the dentist’s office with a reminder about my next appointment?”
“For one, your smile is beautiful, and two, I don’t think you grin and do a little shimmy when their office calls, unless, of course, you’ve got a thing for your dentist.”
Cas laughed at that, then slapped a hand over his mouth when he realized he’d been loud enough that others in the dining area had turned to look their way.
“Sorry,” Cas muttered, feeling his face flush. “Just the thought of being on a date with Mr. Phizinger is screwed up to say the least. I wouldn’t be sure if he would show up alone or with a cardboard cutout of a lower jawbone.”
Suddenly, Garrett was laughing as he pressed a hand to his face. “I take it he has one in his office.”
“Dude, it’s bigger than his nurse, and he’s not tiny.”
“Damn.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I saw him putting it in his trunk once. I didn’t ask why and he didn’t tell me when I stopped to help, but he was damn particular about the way it fit in there and worried as hell about scuffing it.”
“Alrighty then.”
“Too much information, I know.”
“No it’s, well, hopefully, no one ever raids his house and finds lamps and seat cushions made out of a bunch of molars, that’s all I’ve got to say.”
Cas snorted, then doubled over, imagining a haunted house with cavity-filled teeth making up the bulk of the decor. “Oh, man. Now I’m going to have to draw that in my spare time.”
Garrett's lips pursed as he studied Cas intently. “Do you have a lot of it?”
“What?”
“Spare time.”
“Don’t I wish.”
“In that case, maybe write the idea down and forget about the drawing, at least for now. On behalf of me and Mouse, I’d like to stake a claim on as much of your free time as I can, assuming you wouldn’t mind granting it to us.”
“That’s not a difficult choice to make,” Cas said. “I’d love to spend time with you and Mouse. Consider my time no longer free.”
Snickering, Garrett raised an eyebrow at him.
"Oh my gosh, that didn't come out right,” Cas said, shaking his head.
“That’s okay, you’re just being you and I like it.”
“Garrett. Yo! We gotta bounce,” one of the other firefighters called out to him.
Garrett scowled, his sigh edged with frustration. “Yeah, alright I’m coming.”
“Now man! Chief wants us back at the house.”
“Of course he does,” Garrett grumbled, huffing before he started to turn away. “It was good seeing you. I hope you and Mouse have a wonderful time tonight.”
“Dude!” The other firefighter bellowed.
“I’m coming!” Garrett barked back. “Damn.”
“We will,” Cas called after him. He stared until the red of the fire engine faded down the street, then turned his attention back to his painting. The moment he applied brush to wall the world narrowed down to just him and the details, allowing the passage of time to melt away again.
“That is turning out magnificently. I knew this would be a wonderful partnership,” Jimmy said, cutting through the creative haze Cas had gotten lost in. When he'd come to stand beside Cas was a mystery. His thoughts were still focused on Garrett and the plans he had for this evening with Mouse. Talk about being fortuitous. He'd never imagined Garrett would frequent the same shop he worked at. The universe seemed to favor them spending time together. Why else would it have happened?
“Thank you,” Cas barely remembered to reply as he added another seed to a tomato. This one he gave a tiny face to, like it might have sprouted and become a tomato of its own if it fell to the ground.
“You’ve been here open to close for days now,” Mr. Jimmy remarked. “It’s Friday, and it sounds as if you have plans. Why don’t you finish up that one and take off early, use the time to get the paint off so you don't go wandering around like a splattered mess?”
Glancing down at himself, Cas could see exactly what Mr. Jimmy was talking about. “Thank you. I will.”
“And you are to take tomorrow off as well. It gets too crowded in here on a Saturday. You come back around on Sunday afternoon, it’s much quieter. Most folks are just picking up orders rather than dining in.”
Cas nodded, appreciating the gesture, and the awesome man who’d made the project such a wonderful one. “Sweet, I’ll do that.”
“You do amazing work. I’m most pleased with this. Never thought I’d find someone who wouldn’t laugh me out of my own deli when I showed them my ideas, or tell me how they could do it better and come up with their own concepts. You were the seventh person I interviewed and the only one to care about what I had to say about the characters. Thank you for that. My grandchildren had a hand in some of those and they will be so happy to visit come the holidays and see their ideas on the wall.”
“Thank you,” Cas said.
“No, thank you. I’ll be referring you to others let me tell you. I’ve been on the community commerce board for decades. There are folks around here who’ll be wanting to spruce up their place with something unique once they get wind of this.”
Cas couldn’t wait. Talk about doing something he loved in a community he loved. A place where the flags and the signs on the doors showed the welcoming nature of an area that embraced all those who chose to visit and live within it.
“I’ll leave you to finish up,” Mr. Jimmy said. “I’ve got a couple of turkeys back there that are just about roasted to perfection. Wouldn’t want to go a moment over, it spoils the tenderness.”
Off he went, disappearing into the back where Cas knew pans of oven-roasted turkeys, usually four at a time, would rest on the counter before long, fresh ingredients for the sandwiches Mr. Jimmy took so much pride in making. Pride. Something that was coming up soon. When Cas thought of all those who’d come through the sandwich shop during the Pride week activities, all he could think about was how proud he was of having a small part in making his community a brighter, more colorful place to be.
^^^
“Those guys were too funny, holy shit,” Noah declared as he and Cas headed down the street away from the comedy club. Halfway through the night, Noah had been chosen to come up on the stage and participate in one of the skits. Just to make sure Garrett didn’t miss it, Cas recorded the whole thing and sent it to him so he could share in the moment too.
“The whole show was fun. Even the guy who got up there and forgot the punchlines to half of his jokes wound up being hilarious once he started making shit up. I could have sat and listened to them all night.”
“I think I’d have had to call in for delivery if they’d gone on for too much longer,” Noah admitted.
“Hungry?” Cas asked as they walked so close their shoulders rubbed.
Noah pressed the back of his hand to his forehead and slumped dramatically. “Ravenous.”
“Want to grab something? We can sit and talk while we eat.”
“Sounds good to me. I’m not ready for the evening to end,” Noah admitted as their hands brushed.
“Neither am I.”
Noah paused, glancing up and down the block to get his bearings. “Hey, I know a little spot that would be perfect at this time of night.”
Cas shrugged and Noah heard his stomach rumbling. “Just lead the way.”
“You don’t want to know what it is first?”
“I’m not picky, so unless you’re leading me to a sushi joint, I’m up for anything.”
“Not a fan of raw fish?”
“Oh, I’m a fan, but there are too many places out there that don’t know what the hell they're doing,” Cas replied. “When I eat sushi, I want to order it in the language of its creators, and eat it with chopsticks in a beautifully ornate booth or better still, at a low table while seated on the floor. I want tea and sake to go with it and the whole damned experience of watercress soup, soft and flavorful dumplings, and meat so thinly sliced it could be mistaken for a stained-glass window when you peer through it.”
“Damn. You do not play with your sushi.”
“Nope, I do not.”
“Good, a man after my own heart. I don’t play about my sushi either,” Noah replied as they came to a halt in front of the Turkey Emporium. “Here we are. Home of the best-damned club sandwich I’ve ever eaten in my life.”
When Cas snickered, Noah turned to see him shaking his head, his shoulders quaking as he leaned against the brick wall and let it hold him up while he laughed.
“Let me guess, I said that far too obscenely, didn’t I?”
“No, it wasn’t that, though, with the way you licked your lips, I half expected you to start drooling. It's just that I know this spot well. I’ve been working here for the last week.”
“Oh, shit, I’m sorry. We can go somewhere else.”
“No, it’s nothing like that. I don’t work with the food,” Cas explained. “I’ve been painting some characters for Mr. Jimmy. It's a colorful comic mural running around the room. I just find it ironic that the very place I was thinking of suggesting to you is exactly where you brought me.”
“In that case, come on, I could eat a horse.”
“Sorry, I’m pretty sure it says Turkey Emporium over the door, though I’m sure he could manage a bacon sandwich in a pinch.”
“Do not tempt me,” Noah replied as he stepped through the door Cas held open and inhaled deeply.
Once they’d ordered a turkey club for Noah and a turkey BLT for Cas, Noah left him at the counter and headed around the room, checking out Cas’s work. He appreciated the way Cas remained at the counter instead of following him and asking what he thought. It showed that he wasn't insecure and in need of praise. Instead, he waited for their order and carried it to a seat by one of the windows once it was done. Jimmy had even given them a discount for all of Cas’s hard work.
“Holy shit, all of those are amazing,” Noah hissed when he finally joined him. “I know I missed some details, since my stomach wouldn’t shut up, but damn, the ones I did see…you do good work.”
“Thank you.”
“Are you always so detail oriented with everything you do?”
“I try to be.”
“In that case, you and I will get along great.”
Chapter 6
Superstition and sultry nights
Garrett glanced from his pathetic hand to the slowly growing pot in the center of the table. The opening ante of two chocolate-covered pretzels and a white chocolate peppermint Hershey kiss was joined by a variety of Tootsie Rolls, Dum-Dums, and a Blow Pop. Not a healthy snack in the bunch, not that Garrett minded. The two eights, five, Jack and King he had weren’t going to win it for him. Still, he’d try for some better cards, tapping the tabletop so Donald could hit him with three.
Six, ten, and alright, there was a third eight. Three-of-a-kind was something at least.
“I call,” Jackson declared after everyone had tossed in another candy.
Garrett spread his cards on the table in front of him, only to groan in frustration along with Jackson, Donald, and Jake, when for the fifth time in a row Andy won the pot, this time with a Jack high straight.
“Son of a bitch, seriously, how’d you get all the luck for the night?” Jake remarked as he collected the cards so he could deal.
“You get lucky every time you go home,” Andy shot back, referring to Jake’s hot-blooded, red-headed wife. The man showed up to his shifts looking like a teenager after a wild Saturday night, rumpled, bleary-eyed, and sporting hickeys on more than just his neck.
“You’re god-damned right I do.”
They shared a laugh at that while Jake shuffled, Garrett cut, and Jake was just about to deal when their station’s newest rookie came bounding up the steps like an over-eager golden retriever.
“Kitchens clean,” he announced. “I even got the caked-on grease off the pan the roast was in. That took forever. I cannot believe how quiet it is tonight, it’s deader than…”
“NO!” Donald barked.
“Oh man,” Garrett groaned.
