Page 89 of Seer

Oooh, that sounds so much dirtier than a double date

Cal

Steve, why did you have to give me that visual? Why?

CHAPTER 22

GREG

“Great!”Ruben said, rubbing his hands together. “Let’s get some drinks and y’all can sit down and chat while I put the steaks on the grill.”

I was trying hard to interpret what I was getting through our connection. When we’d arrived, Cal had seemed apprehensive, and I was pretty sure it had to do with Brantleigh. But he’d come to some sort of decision, and he hadn’t been nervous anymore. Now I was getting... amusement and anticipation?

Karla and Fantine had what appeared to be gin and tonics in front of them on the dining table. Brantleigh asked Ruben for a second beer, but when Ruben handed it to him, he left his empty one on the table, not bothering to dispose of it in the recycle bin sitting prominently against the wall behind him. So far I wasn’t getting a good feeling about him, regardless of whether or not he and Cal had issues.

Ruben handed Cal and I our own beers, and we sat down at the table. I ended up with the empty chair at the head of the table, presumably Ruben’s, on my right and Cal on my left. Fantine sat on Cal’s other side, and Karla and Brantleigh were across from us.

Brantleigh immediately tried to take control of the conversation. “So, Greg, what do you do for a living?”

I leaned my shoulder into Cal’s and put my hand, palm up, on the arm of my chair. “I’m co-owner of a pet resort.”

Brantleigh seemed dumbfounded. “Oh? Uh, that sounds... interesting.”

I smiled. “Do you have any pets, Brantleigh?”

He shook his head. “No, my parents didn’t want any animal hair in the house. I’m kind of the same way.”

Karla, who’d been hugging his upper arm, dropped her hands and narrowed her eyes. “You told me you liked animals.”

He shrugged. “Sure, who doesn’t? But living with one is completely different.”

Karla pressed her lips together. Her eyes found mine, and I gave her what I hoped was a sympathetic expression. She slumped in her chair and gazed morosely at her gin and tonic.

Cal turned to Fantine. “Have you met Brantleigh before?” he asked in a low voice.

I pretended I couldn’t hear them as she shook her head. “I live in Houston these days,” she said in the same almost-whisper. “This is the first time I’ve made it back to Austin since he and Karla started dating.”

Cal whispered back, “Don’t worry. I’ll get rid of him so Karla doesn’t have to.”

She said, “Thank fuck,” and their glasses clinked.

Hmmm. Cal was planning something. This should be interesting. I loved a nice spot of revenge or retaliation now and then.

But first we had to endure the rest of dinner.

Brantleigh tried again. “How long have you and Cow, er, Cal been dating?”

I cocked my head at him. Did he do that deliberately? A slow, simmering anger started building in my gut.

“Not very long,” I said slowly. “But when you know, you know.”

Cal bumped shoulders with me and said, “Awww.” He sent a burst of reassurance through our connection.

Butch’s forehead scrunched up, and he frowned as he looked between me and Cal. I could tell what he was thinking, and my anger ratcheted up a notch.

Cal laid his hand in mine. I got a pulse of disorientation as he tried to acclimate to our joined minds, but he recovered more quickly this time, taking a sip of beer while he waited it out. Then I got an even stronger push of reassurance and amusement from him, so I tried to set my anger aside and relax. He was handling it.

He thought at me,Huh, this mind-meld stuff might turn out to be pretty cool.