Short Order

is getting better.
“Besides, nobody from town that I know of was actually invited. Beth and Kate weren’t. None of the tellers at the bank where Cuttings has an account were. Maybe the bank president, who’s not from around here, was, but not the regular people who do the actual work. If you hadn’t been cooking, you wouldn’t have been invited.” When he started cleaning, I pitched in to help. “All I can say is the whole thing left a sour taste in people’s mouths. The people against the Star are gaining local supporters. Maybe they aren’t so much against gays as they are against newcomers moving in and taking over with no regard for the folks who’ve lived here their whole lives and have kept the town going.”
He grunted and took a pan from the rack where they hang. “I’m going to stir-fry these with some steak. Then we’re ready to eat.”
The discussion wasn’t over, but I let it drop.

Chapter 7
As i left the house on my way to work the next day, I saw Leo, with Ricky, drive up and park. Since I hadn’t seen either of them in a few days, I’d thought they were long gone. Evidently not.
I didn’t dwell on them since I knew it’d be another killer day at the nursery, and I would again have to find time to check our stock and to plan decorations for the Star. I was coming to the conclusion that I wasn’t now, and never wanted to be, a designer or decorator. How to keep greenery alive? I’m your man. How to use it to decorate a restaurant or house? Not so much.
Right before noon as I was beating another pine branch into submission, John came in, scoped out the place, and hurried up to me. He looked tired and frazzled, pretty much how I felt these days.
“Got a sec?” he asked, his words a low growl.
It seemed like he was staring at me all the time these days. I loved the way he looked at me and wanted to find time for us to explore his heated stares and my body’s Pavlovian response.
“Sure. What’s up?”
He gave me a rueful grin.
“Ricky’ll be staying with me for a while,” he started. “I don’t want him hanging around the house all day with nothing to do. Well, you’ve seen him. I don’t think he grew past junior high mentally. He’s a nice enough guy, just not really with-it a lot of the time. I was hoping you could help me out.”
“Babysit?” I sounded as appalled as I felt. Shit, I couldn’t babysit.
“No, no. Nothing like that. I was hoping you could talk your cousin into giving him a job. You know, something easy like watering plants or something.”
I started to laugh. “So wait. Let me get this straight. I have a college degree and am working here watering plants and stuff, and you think I’m as smart as Ricky?”
Now he was blushing. I took a step toward him before I realized I couldn’t just haul off and kiss him here.
“Tell you what. Just go talk to Beth. Ask her.” I gave him a playful punch on the arm and pointed to my cousin.
He looked a little stunned as he stumbled forward, but I saw him walk up and talk to her. Really? He thought watering a bunch of different types of plants in the dead of winter was easy? Did he realize how many plants died during the winter, not to mention how many died of overwatering? I chuckled to myself and went back to pine wrestling.
I was determined not to think about how Ricky living with John might throw too much water on my plans for getting him into my bed, or me into his.
After lunch, Beth led Ricky toward me.
“Fen, good news!” Behind Beth, Ricky gave me a big grin and a little hand wave. “I’ve hired Ricky to take over a few of your jobs so you can work on your restaurant project. Teach him whatever you think is appropriate. When he’s comfortable with all of it, then you can get him up to speed with bagging and helping up front.”
She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and hurried back where a line was already forming to check out.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Well, shit. I didn’t resent Ricky taking over or teaching him, but I wondered how long it would take him to catch on.
Since she saw herself as a local businesswoman, I knew Beth was thrilled I’d made headway into the newcomer group, especially since they were establishing themselves as the antihate people. It wasn’t so much that she wanted to be accepted by this recent “in” crowd as it was that she wanted the queer community to be united and not split by celebrity/noncelebrity divisions. Ricky seemed to be part of the new group, if only on the periphery.
After I explained my daily routine and gave him a couple of simple but important jobs to do, I discovered Ricky was as chatty as John was silent.
“I like having friends.” He gave me an exuberant hug after I complimented him on cleaning up the holiday greenhouse display. “Not a lot of people want to be my friend.”
I understood. Ricky was oddly childlike in his enthusiasm and his acceptance of everyone he met. His emotional level dipped and soared almost minute by minute. He exhausted me.
“Leo left me to live with Johnny at his house and went to find us a new town to live in.” Ricky had beamed this to me like I’d asked for the information. I hadn’t. “Maybe Las Vegas or Hollywood. I’ve never been to Vegas. Have you?”
He didn’t wait for an answer but kept babbling, telling me Leo had great plans for him. But, Ricky reassured me, he wasn’t going anywhere without Johnny. I didn’t mention that John seemed to have moved on, a long way from Leo and his previous life.
When I spied