Good Bones (17 page)

“That sucks, dude. But hey, you can’t please everyone, right?”

“My boss has made it pretty clear that if I fuck up this project he’s going to nix the whole telecommuting deal.”

For a brief moment, a look of pure panic flashed across Chris’s face. Then he seemed to regain control of himself. “So you’ll redo the plans.”

“I don’t… I don’t know if I can do it.”

“Sure you can. Just hit delete. Even I can do that.” The corner of Chris’s lip twisted up slightly.

“And then I have to come up with something new. Something ironic and exotic yet livable and not too objectionable to the neighbors. How the hell am I supposed to do that?”

“I dunno, dude,” Chris said quietly. “But I’d bet the farm that you’ll pull it off.”

Dylan didn’t know what to do in the face of such confidence. Couldn’t Chris tell that he was nothing but a loser who knew how to run a drafting program? Nothing but a boring guy from the ’burbs who had always faded into the background until the fringe benefits of being a monster kicked in. Dylan shook his head and went back to that stuck piece of wood.

By one thirty the bathroom was completely pulled apart. Dylan was about to suggest they call it a day—maybe he’d take the opportunity to go buy a new phone—when they were both startled by a knock at the front door. “Who the hell is that?” Dylan asked.

“Your house, dude.”

Dylan stripped off his mask and gloves and dropped them on the floor. He picked up his hammer, though. If Andy showed up he probably wouldn’t announce himself so obviously, but Dylan wanted to be sure. Chris trailed along behind him.

Maybe Dylan should have been relieved when he saw that it was Kay at the door, but instead he felt his stomach tighten with anxiety. He let her in anyway, of course, and she enveloped him in a tight hug. Over her shoulder, he could see Chris frowning.

When Kay pulled away and Dylan could breathe again, he said, “What are you doing here? Is everything all right?”

“Everything’s fine. I haven’t seen the farm yet, and you weren’t answering your phone, so I thought I’d come inspect.”

“Oh. Um, I dropped it yesterday. It broke.”

“What is it, a genetic thing? Rick’s been through, like, four of them this year.” She walked around him and stuck out her hand. “Hi. I’m Kay.”

As Dylan blushed at his lack of introductions, Chris’s scowl was replaced by a bright smile. “The goddess who made that incredible pie.” He shook her hand. “Chris. Dylan’s neighbor and hired hand. And finally I get to meet a relative. I was beginning to wonder if he’d been raised by wolves.” Chris looked at both of them in puzzlement as they burst into laughter. Dylan’s had a hysterical tinge. “Didn’t realize I was that funny,” Chris said mildly.

“Sorry,” replied Kay, shooting Dylan a quick but evil glare. “It’s kind of a family in-joke. So. I hear you’ve been keeping my brother-in-law from starving to death.”

“Been tryin’. I don’t make killer pie, though.”

She smiled at him. “Dyl’s more of a meat kind of guy anyway.” Dylan wanted to strangle her.

Chris, on the other hand, seemed delighted with Kay, and for an uneasy few seconds Dylan worried about how he was going to manage them together. But then Chris said, “We just finished destroying shit. I’m gonna head home. Get Dylan to give you the grand tour.”

“You bet. It’s nice to meet you, Chris.”

“Same here.” Chris whacked Dylan on the back as he walked by. “I got pork chops tonight if you want ’em, dude.”

“Um, yeah, thanks.”

As soon as Chris was gone, Kay began to bounce on the balls of her feet. “Oh my God, Dyl, he’s delicious!” He blushed, opened his mouth and shut it, and turned his head away. She didn’t seem to mind, because she grabbed his hand. “C’mon. Show me the homestead.”

“Okay.”

He had to admit, it was kind of fun to show the place off to someone—even in the poor shape it was in—and listen to her ooh and ah. He should have known she would be capable of seeing the potential in the place, of seeing the solid structure and nice little details, of ignoring the ugliness and appreciating what the house could be. Good bones, Steve the Realtor had said, and that was it exactly.

“Do you know how you’re going to furnish it?” she asked when she’d seen all the rooms.

“Maybe. I’m usually not an antiquey kind of guy, but too much modern just isn’t going to look right. I think maybe I’ll mix them up a little. Mostly new stuff, but enough old to fit in.”

“Perfect!” She clapped her hands and bounced again. “I know! My grandma had all this great stuff, but when she went into that assisted living place she gave it to us. We can’t really use it, but I didn’t want to get rid of it, so we rented a storage locker. Let me know when you’re ready, and you can take a look. It’d be nice to know some of her stuff was being used.”

“Thanks, Kay. That’d be great.” Then he had an idea. “If you want, you guys can haul it all over here and store it in the basement. You saw for yourself—there’s plenty of room, and I don’t own much. Save you the storage fees.”

She leaned up to kiss his cheek. “We’ll pay you in pies.” Then she walked to the front window and looked outside. “Want to show me the estate? It’s pretty decent out.”

She was right. It was a little muddy but warm enough that he didn’t need his jacket. It was really beginning to feel like spring. He knew there were plenty more days of cold and gray left until they reached the few coveted days of summer sunshine, but this was a pleasant tease. He showed her the pump house and the little barn, which he planned to convert to a garage and workshop eventually. Then they walked down the slightly slick path to the pond. “Chris says I’m going to need to clear the blackberries once or twice a year if I ever want to get down to the water again,” he said. “I’m going to have to learn to drive a tractor.”

He could see her casting a glance at him from the corner of her eye. “Chris is a helpful guy, isn’t he?”

Dylan sighed. “Did you really drive all the way out here just so you could get a look at him?”

That made her punch him in the bicep. “Dope. I came because I was worried. Meeting him was a bonus.”

“Worried?”

By then they were at the bottom of the slope, and they stood there silently for several minutes while she took in the scene. Everything was lush and green already, and even in his present form Dylan could catch the scents of a myriad of creatures small and large—including deer and elk. He didn’t think he’d be able to take one down on his own, but he’d enjoy tracking it, and besides, there were plenty of more manageable prey.

“This is amazing,” breathed Kay. “I can’t believe you actually own it. We could have campouts here.”

“You guys bring the s’mores.”

She put her arm around his waist and squeezed. “This is good, Dyl. I think you made the right choice.”

He sighed. “So why are you worried?”

“’Cause last night you looked like someone dropped a bomb in your lap. Why is it so traumatic that you’re finally falling for someone? He seems like a great guy. And cute.”

He pulled away from her embrace and stood with his back to her, looking out toward the forest. “I can’t… I can’t do it. I can’t fall for anyone.”

“So, what? You’re gonna spend your whole life alone? Dylan, what happened to you isn’t your fault. Stop punish—”

He whirled around “It
is
my fault! If I hadn’t been stupid enough to take Andy home with me… I saw his pretty face, and I was so thrilled he wanted
me
that I didn’t even think. So goddamn stupid!”

She came closer to him and enveloped him in a hug. “Honey, how the hell were you supposed to know he was a werewolf?” She gave him a little squeeze and then took a half step back, keeping a hand on his shoulder. “You know, girls grow up knowing they should be careful of strange men.” She gave a small laugh. “Beware of the big bad wolf, right? But guys, nobody tells you that. You don’t think that way, like you might be vulnerable. Not even if you’re dating other men. You pretty much figure as long as you use a rubber you’re safe.”

“Maybe,” he said, not quite willing to concede that she was right. “But it’s all beside the point, anyway. It happened, and now I’m screwed. Or not, as the case may be.”

Her mouth pursed as she thought. “Dyl, what…. Does Chris think you two have something serious going on?”

“No. It’s not like that with us. I think I’m just convenient.”

“And that’s why he looked so relieved when he found out I’m family?” She shook her head a few times. “I bet he’s as gone as you. Men. Would it kill you to actually
talk
to each other for once?” Her tone was both fond and exasperated.

“Kay, even if I told him that I lo—that I care about him, then what? I can’t tell him I’m a fucking werewolf.”

“Why not?”

He blinked at her. “Why not? Can you just picture that conversation?”

“You had it with us,” she replied calmly. “You sat us down and you told us what happened. And, well, we kind of freaked I guess, because who expects to hear that? But we got over it.”

“You had to,” he said miserably. “You’re family.”

“If he cares about you he’ll deal too. He’ll know that you’re smart and sweet and kind and creative and sorta dorky and totally hot, and he’ll deal with the wolf thing. It’s like my friend Holly. I’ve known her since seventh grade, and I love her so much that I can overlook the fact that she votes Republican. What’s a little monthly furriness compared to that?”

A pair of mallards appeared over the treetops and splashed onto the other side of the pond. They immediately started shaking their tails and submerging their heads, and Dylan realized he was licking his lips. “I’ll hurt him,” he said in a near whisper.

“That’s a risk everyone takes when they fall in love. Besides, I don’t see you as the love ’em and leave ’em type.”

He shook his head. “No, I mean I’ll literally
hurt
him. I’ll kill him.”

“If he knows, he can protect himself. It’s only one day a month.”

“So now he’s the poor bastard who has to lock himself in a reinforced room? Or leave his home altogether?”

Kay watched the ducks for a minute or two, then turned back to Dylan. “Tell him, sweetie. He’s worth the risk.”

Dylan shook his head. He couldn’t. He should probably just throw in the towel right now and move back to town. He could get a restraining order on Andy and spend the rest of his life safely locked away every twenty-eighth day. If just imagining that scenario—picturing himself leaving Chris and abandoning his freedom—made him feel ill, how the hell would he manage to live it?

“Let’s head back to the house,” he said to Kay. “I’ve got this delicious leftover lasagna for lunch.”

Chapter 15

C
HRIS
and Dylan eased the stove into place, taking care that it was perfectly located between the hickory cabinets. Then they stood back and looked around. “It looks fuckin’ amazing,” Chris said.

Dylan nodded slowly. “It’s hard to believe we did this all ourselves.”

“Wait ’til you get the whole place done, man.” Chris bit his lip for a moment. “Unless you’re thinkin’ it’s time to head back to the city.”

“I
told
you. I’m here until my boss gives me an ultimatum, and then… then I guess I’ll figure something out.”

Chris took a rag from the island and used it to wipe at a small spot on the stainless steel refrigerator. “Then you’ll go back,” he said with his back to Dylan.

“I don’t know. I could live off my savings for maybe a year, but then I’d be flat broke.”

“But you’d have a place to live.” Chris turned around and tossed the rag back onto the counter but still didn’t make eye contact. “Could do like me, play it by ear, find a job when you need one.”

“I can’t do that, Chris.”

“Yeah. I figured. It’s beneath you, with your fancy college degree and all. You ain’t a backwoods hick like me.”

Dylan sighed and wished he had the balls to walk across the room and force Chris into an embrace. He’d been thinking that way a lot lately—wanting to not just fuck him but to hold him, to murmur stupid things in his ear. But he couldn’t. Intimacies like that would be lies, promises he’d have to break. And in any case Chris would probably be horrified that Dylan was making this into more than a casual fling.

“It’s not beneath me,” Dylan said, “and yeah, you’re rural but definitely not a yokel. I just can’t live loose and easy. The uncertainty, you know? I need a safety net.”

“You got family you could go to if shit happened.”

“Rick and Kay would pull me out of a bind, but I wouldn’t want to do that to them. They don’t have all that much extra to give, and they’re trying to have kids.”

“Friends, then.”

“Nobody I could rely on.”

Chris’s face went very blank, and he stomped over to the sink to wash his hands. “You done with me for the day?” he growled over the sound of the water.

“Um… I was thinking maybe we could go pick out the stuff for the bathroom.”

Chris turned back to look at him. “We?”

“Sure. Unless you’re busy. We could take the flatbed and load up. I think I’m going to buy off-the-shelf for this room.”

There was a blue and white dish towel next to the sink, but Chris dried his hands on the legs of his overalls. The motion reminded Dylan of how nice those thigh muscles felt under his hands, how thick and strong they were, how good they looked when Chris was bent nearly double with his thighs almost framing his face. He swallowed loudly.