Page 18 of Not Looking
“Randy!” Oscar called. “Come here, Spud!”
The dog barked and took off with a grin, tongue lolling as he sprinted to where Oscar had crouched.
I guess the dog is ok?
The man—a sturdy omega with brown hair and a full beard—strolled up and gave me a polite nod.
Damn, he’s gorgeous.
Oscar stood from where he’d been scratching behind the dog’s ears. “Randy, this is Craig. He’s the new guy around here. Craig, this is Randy. He comes in once a month or so to treasure hunt in the scraps and burls. He’s a turner, so he's always looking for good grain patterns.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said, sticking out my hand.
Randy accepted the handshake. “Likewise.”
His hand had the dry, tough texture of somebody who regularly worked with wood. His grip was firm. His smile was polite, but I wanted to see joy creasing the tiny wrinkles around his warm brown eyes. Flecks of sawdust caught the light like stars from his beard.
“And this is Russy,” Oscar continued, motioning to the dog. “But we all call him Spud.”
I forced myself to stop admiring Randy, crouched, and held out my hand for the dog to sniff. “Hello, Russy.”
It only took a few sniffs for the dog to decide that I was ok, then he ducked his head under my fingers in an obvious attempt to get me to scratch his ears.
I chuckled and obliged.
“Most dogs we ask to be leashed,” Oscar continued. “But Spud’s one of the exceptions. He’s good about sticking with Randy unless one of us calls him.”
“Got it,” I replied, then stood. I brushed my hands against my jeans and did my best to be professional. “Anything in particular you’re looking for today?”
Randy glanced over at Oscar with a raised eyebrow.
Oscar laughed. “Craig here isn’t stealing you. I was just checking on some stuff for a client.”
“Oh yeah,” Randy chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “How’s the promotion treating you?’
Oscar shrugged. “Can’t complain.” He then clapped my shoulder. “Speaking of, however. I’ve gotta get back upstairs and return a phone call. Craig will help you out, though.”
Randy nodded, clasped Oscar’s hand, and pulled him into a hug. He patted his back a couple of times, then stepped back. “Good to see ya.”
“Same. Hopefully, we can chat longer next time. Maybe you can tell me what you planned for that crotch.”
Randy snickered. “I don’t expect it to be dry until next year at the earliest. But honestly, I expect two years. Maybe I can tell you then.”
Oscar laughed. “Looking forward to it.” He then turned to me. “Take good care of him, Craig.”
I nodded. “Of course.”
He headed in, and I turned to the handsome omega. “So… anything in particular you’re looking for?”
He shrugged. “Guess I’ll know when I see it. But if you’ve got anything with interesting spalting or figure, I’ll take a look.”
I racked my brain, trying to remember if I’d seen anything for the stunning man in front of me. Some base instinct wanted me to find and court him with the perfect pieces of wood. Finally, I sighed. “I think I saw a couple of limb pieces that should have some nice grain.”
He made a face. “Maybe…”
“Too much tension?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No. But I think I have plenty of limbs.”
