He hung up the phone, tempted to grind it beneath one foot, when he noticed Kelly standing there. “Better eat something,” Nathaniel said. “That was the city. We’ve got less time than we thought. Lunch is only ten minutes today.”
Kelly offered a sympathetic expression. “I’m not hungry.”
Nathaniel glared at his phone before putting it away. Then he gave Kelly his full attention. “You’re doing great. I’ve known pros who don’t try half as hard.”
“I won’t either when I’m famous,” Kelly said. “The crew will be forced to visit my bedside for photo shoots. What’s the point of making your way to the top if you’ve got to keep working?”
“If you love what you do…”
“Good point.” Kelly looked him up and down before appearing slightly panicked and scrambling for conversation. “How’s Zero?”
“Good. Doing real good.”
“Great,” Kelly replied.
Nathaniel nodded. “Yeah.” This was going nowhere fast. Ugh. Why did Marcello always have to be right about such things?
Without the support of his crutches, Kelly would no doubt be squirming. Instead he stared straight ahead, eyes unfocused. Then he blinked suddenly and blurted out “Dog dinner!” He winced visibly, then added, “Sorry. What I mean is, I thought maybe you and I could… Uh. What are you doing this weekend?”
Nathaniel tried not to laugh. He really did. “Dog dinner?”
Kelly got over his embarrassment enough to glare.
“I’m not doing anything,” Nathaniel said casually. “Besides feeding Zero his breakfast. And his lunch. And his—”
“Shut up,” Kelly said, laughing a second later. “What I meant to say, is that maybe we could take Zero to the dog park. Afterwards, we could grab a bite to eat. If you’re not busy, that is.”
A date. Nathaniel’s stomach sank. But what could he do? Kelly had embarrassed himself by asking. Getting rejected now would be devastating. “No, I’m not busy.”
His phone rang. Saved by the bell. Nathaniel made a big show of being irritated by the interruption, lifting the phone to his ear. Before he spoke, he decided that he could sacrifice one afternoon of his life before letting Kelly down easy. “Saturday,” he whispered while covering the phone. “Dog dinner.”
Kelly’s eyes lit up, but he nodded coolly, turning toward the catering truck. Then Nathaniel spoke into the receiver. “I hate you.”
“You love me,” Marcello replied in his ear. “I take it things are going well?”
“A date. Saturday. Strictly platonic, of course.”
“Naturally! Need any pointers? How long has it been?”
“The guy from Paris about a year ago. That was your idea too.”
“I remember quite a bit of chemistry between you both.”
“He couldn’t speak English! And I don’t speak French.”
“Still, he showed you his baguette, didn’t he?”
Nathaniel rolled his eyes. “What else was I going to do with him? Besides, it had been a long time since I’d had… a baguette.”
“Everyone needs to eat,” Marcello said innocently.
“Right. Just promise me this is the last time. No more pushing me toward this sort of thing. Promise me, or I’ll cancel my date with Kelly.”
Marcello sighed. “You have my word. Still, make sure you’re prepared. It pays to be optimistic. A little butter for your bread and a plastic bag to wrap it in! Ha ha!”
Nathaniel hung up the phone, deciding not to eat lunch after all.
Chapter Sixteen
In and out. That was Nathaniel’s plan. A trip to the dog park, a quick burger, and a small speech about how amazing Kelly was and how he’ll make some less fucked-up guy happy one day. Then it was back to kicking ass at work and snuggling up to Zero while watching movies at night. Nathaniel glanced over at his passenger, a smell reaching his nose at the same time he saw Zero’s pitiful expression.
“Roll down the window if you’re going to fart,” he said, pushing the buttons to bring all four down.
Zero whimpered in response.
“It can’t wait until the park?” He sighed and pulled over. Kelly’s house was in view, but Nathaniel couldn’t allow Zero to take a dump in his yard, even if that would be an excellent mood killer. He grabbed a few baggies and left the car, letting Zero out the passenger side. Then Nathaniel stood and studied the clouds while business was conducted.
“Is that your dog?”
Nathaniel looked over just as a skateboard skidded to a stop. A teenager was watching Zero kick his hind legs in an effort to cover the evidence. “You think I saw some dog taking a crap and pulled over to enjoy the moment?”
“Can I pet him?” the teenager asked, unabashed.
“Knock yourself out.” Nathaniel bent over, using one of the baggies to pick up the poop. Then he double-bagged it. When he was upright again, he saw Zero leaping circles around the teenager, who was laughing happily. Clearly a fellow dog-lover.
The teenager noticed him staring. “You here to pick up my brother?”
“That depends on who your brother is.”
The teenager gave him a nice-try expression, which made the family resemblance unmistakable. “There aren’t a lot of black people living in this neighborhood.”
“How should I know?” Nathaniel said with a shrug. “I’m either a dick for making assumptions or I’m a dick for trying not to.”
“Yeah, basically.” The teenager flashed him a wry smile. “I’m Royal, Kelly’s brother.”
“How’d you know I’m here for your brother? Do all gay people look alike to you?”
“Yup.” Royal squatted so he could pet Zero more. “Kelly said he was going to a dog park, that’s how. Seems weird. Why would you bring your dog on a date?”
“He’s the chaperone.”
“Aren’t chaperones there to make sure nothing fun happens?”
“Yeah. And it’s not a date. I’m not interested in your brother.”
Royal looked up at him. “Your loss.”
Nathaniel sighed. “I mean I’m not interested in dating anyone.”
“Right. Want me to look after your dog while you go on your date?”
“Is all of your family like this?” Nathaniel asked, feeling exasperated.
“More or less.” Royal stood. “You better go. Kelly’s waiting. Don’t you fucking hurt him. He deserves someone who actually likes him. If you don’t, you better pretend to until he realizes he can do better.”
Nathaniel had thought going on a date would be the low point of his day. He hadn’t counted on being lectured by a teenager. He opened the passenger door and whistled, his faithful companion ignoring him for his new friend.
“Dog park,” Nathaniel prompted.
That did the trick. Zero climbed into the car. Royal continued on his way. Nathaniel made sure the dog was buckled in, then drove a few houses down and parked in the driveway. The home resembled those he had grown up in. Not rolling in money, but enough to stuff a mattress or two. The house didn’t belong to Kelly but to his parents, whom he certainly didn’t want to meet. That would only increase the feeling he was picking up someone way too young for him.
The second Kelly opened the door, Nathaniel jerked his head toward the car, then headed back that way. “You’ll have to wrestle Zero for the front seat,” he joked.
“I can sit in back,” Kelly replied. “I don’t want him to think I’m a homewrecker.”
Nathaniel nearly stopped in his tracks. “You’d really do that?”
“Sure!”
This made him smile. “Thanks. But you’re not sitting in the back. And why am I picking you up again? You don’t drive?”
“One leg,” Kelly said.
“Last I checked, that’s all it takes. You know how?”
“Yeah.”
Nathaniel held out the keys. “Perfect solution. You drive, Zero gets to stay where he is, and I’ll sit in the back.” Safely out of hand-holding range.
r /> Kelly seemed a little uncertain, but nodded and accepted the keys. Zero greeted him by getting all up in his face, then stuck his head out the window in anticipation.
Nathaniel made sure Kelly knew where they were going and spent the rest of the drive white-knuckled and wind-blasted, suddenly finding himself in a race car. That’s how Kelly drove, zipping along the road, the small print of Nathaniel’s insurance policy flashing before his eyes. Would it cover a totaled car and medical care for all three of them? When by some miracle they arrived at the dog park in one piece, he swore Kelly would never drive his car again and tried not to feel dizzy while putting a collar and leash on Zero. Once that was done, they walked together across the green lawn, which would have been more pleasant if it wasn’t a minefield of dog poop.
Kelly seemed unaware of the danger, sighing contentedly. “Peaceful, isn’t it?”
“Yup. Very.” But not for long. Nathaniel stretched out his arm and intentionally dropped the leash. “Watch this.”
Zero sensed his freedom and launched forward toward a group of dogs and their owners. He brought chaos and destruction in his wake, jumping over dogs, snapping at the air, and weaving between legs as he was chased. Dogs were yapping, owners were shouting, and one man fell over in an attempt to free his ankles from a tangle of leashes. His work completed, Zero zipped off toward the pond and another group of dogs.
“I love that beast,” Nathaniel said wistfully. “Come. Time to pretend this was all an accident.”
Kelly shared his humor, laughing as they went to the first group of owners. Nathaniel whistled shrilly, and Zero raced over to sit at his feet, as if his previous actions had simply been a misunderstanding. Clearly I’m a good boy. Just look at how well-behaved I am! This act didn’t fool anyone.
“You need to keep that dog on a leash!” an older man complained.
“He is on a leash,” Nathaniel said helpfully.
“Then learn to hold on to it!” a woman said, wagging her finger. “I should call animal control!”
“My fault,” Kelly interjected. “I was holding the leash, and well—” He raised his crutches, drawing attention to them. The tension dissipated almost immediately. Except for one straggler.
“You should enroll him in behavioral training.”
“I agree,” Kelly said, shooting a glance at Nathaniel. “He won’t be getting any treats tonight, I promise you that.”
Nathaniel started laughing as he bent over to grab Zero’s leash. Having worn out their welcome, they headed toward one of the ponds. A few dogs followed, freshly indoctrinated members of the cult of Zero.
“So where did you find him?” Kelly asked. “A bullfight?”
“He found me. Or at least he chose me.”
“How? Did he put a classified ad in the paper? ‘Ill-behaved dog seeks unscrupulous owner.’”
Nathaniel grinned. “Hey now, that dog is a saint! And my hero.” He let his expression grow serious, stooping to free Zero from his leash properly so he could swim. “He saved me from a very dark place.”
“What do you mean?”
He watched as Zero charged forward, head turning left and right to make sure he was being followed. The other dogs gleefully gave chase, perhaps feeling liberated by his wild behavior. Or maybe they had fallen in love with him as quickly as Nathaniel had. “Someone once told me that a dog is the best cure for a broken heart.”
“And is it?”
Zero splashed into the water, the other dogs hesitating until Zero started barking orders. Then they followed him in. “All of us have an undeniable urge to be loved and to give love in return. In that regard, you can’t do much better than a dog.”
“I suppose,” Kelly said, “although there are some comforts a dog can’t provide.”
Nathaniel glanced over at him. “Such as?”
“Zero probably gives a lousy foot rub.”
Nathaniel chuckled. “Oh, you’d be surprised. When he’s passed out in front of the couch, he makes a nice rug.”
Kelly didn’t look convinced. “I bet he can’t cook you breakfast in the morning.”
“He once tore into a carton of eggs I was unpacking from the store. That’s pretty much scrambled eggs right there.”
Kelly sighed dramatically. “I give up. I just wish I’d known you were already spoken for before coming on this date.”
There it was, out in the open. The D word. The sooner he shot Kelly down, the better for them both. Still, he didn’t want to burn this bridge completely. Kelly understood his sense of humor and was fun to be around. “I could definitely use more friends,” he said gently. “Zero isn’t the best conversationalist.”
Kelly seemed to struggle with this. Then he shrugged. “Friends, pets, significant others… Whatever form it comes in, you can never have enough love.”
Nathaniel looked over appreciatively. “Maybe you’re right.”
Kelly was mature for his age. More so than Nathaniel had been lately, since he was the one agonizing over one little date. Marcello wasn’t poking them with a shotgun and pushing them toward the altar. They were just hanging out. Of course Kelly had used the word ‘date,’ which carried certain baggage, but so had Tim and nothing had come of that.
“So what were you thinking for dinner?” Kelly asked.
“Sonic. Or some other drive-thru so Zero can stay with us.”
“How about we get Zero his burger and put him to bed early?” Kelly said in a bedroom voice. “Then you take me out for something less greasy.” The smile that followed left little room for interpretation. He grimaced in response, causing Kelly to scowl. He looked so adorable when angry that Nathaniel couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yeah, okay.”
“You’ve got a thing for bad behavior, don’t you?” Kelly teased. “If so, you’re with the right guy. I’ll give Zero a run for his money.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Nathaniel said. “We’ll have an award ceremony at the end of the night to see who the winner is, although you’ve got some catching up to do.”
He nodded to the water where Zero was trying to climb over another dog, dunking its head under the surface. The dog’s owner fidgeted at the shore, making little whimpering noises.
“Want me to push her in?” Kelly murmured.
Nathaniel grinned broadly. “Nah. It’s the thought that counts. This time, anyway.”
“Or maybe I should copy Zero and convince some of these owners to follow me into the water.”
“Now that I would like to see!”
Kelly nodded, as if willing to grant his wish. “Once they saw my crutches floating on the surface, they’d probably all jump in to save me. You could film it with your phone and we’d go viral. By morning I’d be on every news program in the country. Instant fame!”
“Better keep that idea from Marcello. He’ll make you do it.” Nathaniel whistled for Zero. “It’s cool you have a sense of humor about it all.”
“I don’t always,” Kelly said. “I still have my bad days. I can live without the Olympic dream, but I really loved to run. I miss how that used to feel. Even just watching Zero race across the grass like he does, I envy him because I used to revel in the same sensation.”
“Don’t you have options?” Nathaniel asked. “I saw a guy on TV missing both legs, and he had these sort of blades he ran on instead. Didn’t look like he’d be easy to catch up with.”
Kelly was nodding, already familiar with the concept. “Prosthetics aren’t for everyone. After the accident, once I had enough time to heal, I tried an artificial leg and didn’t like how it felt. They’re heavier than you might think, and uncomfortable because of the way they ride up on you, especially for a transfemoral amputation. That means above the knee. The runners you see on television with the blades still have their natural knees, which is difficult to recreate artificially. So for me, it was a choice between lurching around with a fake leg or swinging along on my crutches.”
“You seem to have mastered them,” Nathan
iel said. “I was having trouble keeping up with you the other day.”
Kelly grinned. “I’ve adjusted to my situation. I don’t even think about it. Only unusual circumstances remind me, like rude sales clerks. And, um, dating can be kind of terrifying. Most people want a guy with a complete set of limbs. Then there are the people really into amputations. I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“Might sound rude,” Nathaniel said, “but I don’t really care either way.”
Kelly’s eyes lit up. “That doesn’t sound rude to me. In fact, that’s the ideal response. Being politically correct doesn’t mean fawning over someone because they have a disability or using clunky terms to describe who they are. It means not giving a shit about their differences and not drawing attention to them.”
“For a white guy, you sure can empathize with what minorities go through.”
“I’m not white,” Kelly said, taking the bait.
“What? I didn’t even notice! That’s how politically correct I am.”
“What you are is single,” Kelly retorted, “and I’m starting to understand why.”
They started walking along the shore, away from any potential victims. Zero had found a stick and was carrying it in his mouth, trotting along and looking proud.
“Bad jokes aside,” Nathaniel said. “I don’t even like the term ‘politically correct.’ It seems to imply that someone wants to be correct for political reasons, not because of their actual convictions. Common courtesy already covers not saying stupid things that will offend other people. A new convoluted term for other convoluted terms isn’t a good idea. If you can’t figure out if you should call someone black or African-American, don’t call them either. In most situations there’s no need.”
Kelly shrugged. “I’m okay with it when people are describing how someone looks. Some people are blond, some people are skinny, and some people are black. What I don’t like is when someone says ‘I was talking to a black woman at the grocery store, and she mentioned that it’s supposed to snow tomorrow.’ Really? What does her skin color have to do with the weather? People wouldn’t say a blonde woman or a skinny woman in such situations.”