Page 20 of Flights and Sights

Once we were back in my truck and on the highway, Cal turned to me. “Thank you for taking me to the farm. I really enjoyed it.”

“Yeah, of course.” A moment passed. “Hopefully you got a lot out of it.”

He bit his lower lip for just a second. “For the most part.”

“I bet you didn’t expect to spend your morning handling bees, did you?”

He laughed and shook his head. “Interesting choice for a first date, I have to admit.”

The words hung in the air. Date. My mouth went dry and I found I couldn’t formulate words. “I…”

Quickly, Cal shook his head, cheeks reddening. “Oh, um… I didn’t mean date date. I just meant, you know, a… thing that two people do… together.”

Charmed by his flustered explanation, I couldn’t help but wonder—did he want it to be a date? I knew I wished it was. I made myself chuckle to break the tension. “It’s fine.”

We were quiet on the rest of the ride into downtown Foggy Basin, where I’d planned to take him to Don’t Go Bakin My Heart, stewing over the word “date” and what it actually meant.

Chapter 10 - Callum

I’d stuck my foot in my mouth. I knew I had. I hadn’t meant to imply that Paxton was taking me out on a real date. I was sure he was much too busy for that. Besides, he probably had someone. Maybe it was Bartender Tommy. Maybe it was someone else, someone who kept out of sight, laying low and avoiding his mead-making business. But why would he want a partner who was so uninterested in his life’s work? He didn’t seem like the type to compromise on that. Besides, he wouldn’t have agreed to be my fake boyfriend if he had a real boyfriend at home. Would he?

Then I started to wonder if he was queer at all. We hadn’t discussed it. I mean, he had almost kissed me that one time—hadn’t he?—but the only real conversation we’d had on the subject was the one where I revealed I had a terrible ex-boyfriend.

Once he parked his truck around the corner from the cute local bakery, I took a deep breath and told myself to relax and stop overthinking. Just be up front with him, I told myself. Tell him where you stand. Tell him you’re interested.

Before I could figure out what to say, he led me into the bakery, holding the door wide so I could step in first. The cool air washed over me, scents of sugar and vanilla thick in the air. My stomach growled. All I’d eaten was a bagel and some honey, not enough substance to keep me going for very long.

As we made our way to the counter to order, Pax turned to me. “What would you like? My treat.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“This is my planned outing. I’ll pay.”

I rubbed the back of my neck uncertainly, but conceded. “Whatever you say.”

He grinned and gave me a playful wink before nudging me gently with his elbow. “Don’t tempt me.”

We both ordered bagel sandwiches—eggs and bacon for Pax, lox and cream cheese for me—and took a seat once we got them from the counter. I saw the opening and decided to go for it as we ate.

“So, as you may have guessed, I’m gay.”

Pax raised his eyebrows at me. “Okay.”

“I mean, you’ve heard all about my terrible ex. Hell, you’ve met him.” When he nodded wordlessly, I continued. “What about you?”

His brow dipped in confusion. “What about me?”

Maybe he’s just not ready to come out yet, I thought. I chuckled softly, deflecting. “Weird exes?”

“Not especially.”

Come on, Pax, give me something to work with here. “Any exes?”

He shrugged and tried to hide a grin but his eyes sparkled with amusement. “None that are particularly worth mentioning.”

I nodded once as I huffed a breath. “You’re not helping.”

Pax batted his eyelashes at me coyly. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” He took another thoughtful bite of his breakfast sandwich, chewed, swallowed, and looked at me innocently. A beat passed. Finally, he cracked. “Okay, okay. Sorry. I don’t date a lot. But gender doesn’t matter when I do.”