Page 93 of Grounding the Baker
“Michael, have you met this guy who’s taking over the geek shop?” asked Austin.
“Freddie? Yeah. Seems like a nice guy.”
“Who are we talking about?” asked Gerard, sitting down with a glass of white wine.
“Freddie Albright.”
“Seems okay. I spoke to him for only a few seconds. His dog is adorable, though.”
“Dog?” asked Nathan, perking up.
Nathan loved dogs, but had never owned one. He was worried he’d do something wrong, but was always happy to spend time with other people’s pets. As a teenager he’d had a very lucrative side hustle as a dog walker.
“Yeah, it’s a golden retriever,” said Gerard. “I also definitely get a gay vibe off him. Uses his hands a lot to speak.”
“Isn’t that a stereotype?” asked Austin.
“I also saw him checking out Kevin’s arse in his chef whites.”
Austin snorted. “Yep. Can’t argue with that one.”
“I think even lesbians check out Kevin’s arse,” said Michael.
“They can look at it all they want. I’m the only one who gets to–”
“Anyway,” said Austin, cutting his friend off before they got more detail than any of them wanted.
Gerard would happily talk about his sex life with his husband in front of the poor guy. Thank God Tony wasn’t here. They would both try to one up each other. Austin was no prude, but there were some things you didn’t need to know about your friends.
“Fine,” said Gerard with a pout. “We can talk about Liam, then.”
Austin prickled. “What about him?”
“He had a fairly intense conversation with his dad here on Sunday night. There were tears, and then he wasn’t in the bakery the next day. Then he’s stayed at yours every night this week and not been home.”
“Fucking hell, is nothing private in this village?”
“Of course not,” said Gerard. “So, if I were speculating...”
“Keep your nose out of my man’s business,” Austin growled.
Gerard and Michael cracked up laughing. Even Nathan was smiling, the traitor. These fuckers knew just how to push his buttons.
“Walked into that one, didn’t I?” he smiled.
“I love how protective and growly you are with him. It’s kinda hot,” said Gerard. “And well done to Nathan for setting it up.”
Nathan’s eyes widened. “I just thought they might like each other.”
“Exactly, so now we have to find you a man,” said Gerard.
Nathan’s eyes widened even further, and he shook his head.
“Well, Tony will never settle down. Michael is too blinkered to see he has the perfect guy right in front of him.”
“Who?” asked Michael, looking bewildered.
“If you have to ask, then we can’t help you.”
