Sweet Topping CV3 (13 page)

Sighing, Gill got out of the car. “I take it Eric called you,” he said as he walked across the street towards Deb’s.

“Nope, Ryan did. Seems you’ve already caught the attention of a lot of folks in town.” Hal slapped Gill on the back. “Don’t worry, we can fix it.” Gill shook his head as he slid into a booth. “I don’t think so. I really fucked up.” The waitress filled their coffee cups and Hal waived her away before ordering. “Didn’t Kyle react well to your proposal?”

“Yeah, he said yes.” Gill took a sip of his coffee, enjoying the burn of the hot liquid as it tortured his tongue.

“But that’s what you wanted, right?” Hal prodded.

“Yeah, it’s exactly what I wanted, but then I had to go and fuck it up.”

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Hal gestured for him to go on as he took a drink.

“I asked him if he wanted to walk down the aisle, and then I told him he could go back to Irvine for therapy knowing I’d be here when he returned.” Hal rested his chin on his fist. “Maybe he was upset that you didn’t offer to go with him?”

Gill felt his chest ease a bit. “You think that’s it, because I’d drop everything in a heartbeat and move to California if that’s what he wanted.”

“Why don’t you go talk to him? Ask him?”

Sliding out of the booth, Gill shrugged into his coat. “Sorry to stiff you for breakfast.

Thanks for the advice.” Gill waved as he walked out of the diner.

Kyle woke to a loud pounding on the door. “What the hell?” As soon as he realised it was coming from his apartment door and not the bakery door, he knew who it was. “Go away, Gill.”

The banging continued. Kyle looked over at his chair, toppled on its side across the room and groaned. His eyes felt like they could barely open. Leave it to him to be a puffy crier.

With a deep breath, he lowered himself to the floor. He was almost to his chair when Gill stepped into the bedroom.

“Kyle?” Gill ran over and picked him up off the floor. “What happened? Did you fall?” Kyle felt frozen at the feel of Gill’s embrace. Although part of him wanted to lean against that massive chest and let Gill take away his pain, the other half knew he couldn’t.

Gill carried him back to bed before going to retrieve his chair. “Kyle?” Gill asked again.

“No, I didn’t fall. I pushed the chair over there in a fit of rage.” He looked up into Gill’s eyes as he swung himself into the seat. “Why are you here?” Gill shuffled his feet a few times. “I was an ass. I know I should’ve offered to go with you to Irvine. Please tell me you’ll forgive me?” Despite everything that had happened, Gill’s main focus was still doing everything in his power to see Kyle walk again. How could he deal with the pressure of knowing so many SWEET TOPPING

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people depended on him to become normal again? Kyle snorted. Normal. He didn’t even know what that meant anymore.

He’d felt pretty damned normal these last few weeks. Stupid him. He should’ve known Gill was like all the others. “Go home, Gill.”

“Wait, no, didn’t you hear what I said? I’ll get someone to run the station. We’ll rent a little apartment or something. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

“I don’t want you there. Go home.” Kyle turned his back on Gill, hoping he’d get the hint.

“Please, Kyle. Don’t do this. I love you.” He heard what sounded like tears in Gill’s voice. Good, they matched his own.

Kyle didn’t say anything, just shook his head. After several long minutes, he heard Gill’s retreating footsteps. He felt the closing of the apartment door all the way to his soul.

Looking around the room, Kyle dried his eyes as he mapped out the next few days activities.

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“Hello?”

“Kyle?”

“Hi, Nate.”

“It’s good to hear your voice again, friend. How’ve you been?” Kyle looked around at his boyhood bedroom. “Crappy. I’ve been living in the past for the last month. I spend my days in pain and sweating like a pig. So. How’ve you been?”

“Wow,” Nate chuckled. “Bitter much?”

“Sorry.”

“No problem. Listen, Kyle, I wanted to let you know I talked the doctors at the clinic into hiring a full-time physical therapist. I thought maybe you’d be interested in transferring back to Cattle Valley.”

Kyle shook his head. If anyone could’ve talked Dr. Browning and Dr. Singer into hiring a therapist it would be Nate. That man could sell sand in the desert. “Did you do this because you miss me, or my éclairs?”

“All of the above, plus I really need my car worked on and Gill’s the only one in the state I trust.”

Kyle felt a stab of pain in his chest. “I don’t have any control over Gill anymore. Why don’t you just ask him?”

“Because no one’s seen Gill since you left except Casey and Hal and they aren’t talking.”

“What do you mean, no one’s seen him? Where’s he at?” Kyle asked, watching the gardener prune the bushes.

“Home. Where he’s been since he drove by the bakery and saw the ‘For Sale’ sign in the window. I’m telling you, Kyle, the man’s cracked. I know Hal and Casey are worried sick, but they can’t get him out of his funk.”

“Even if I come home, what can I do about it? I’m a long way from walking, Nate.”

“What’s that have to do with anything?”

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“Nothing and everything. I made the stupid mistake of thinking he saw beyond my legs, but one of the first things he asked after he proposed was when I was going to Irvine to learn to walk again.”

Nate whistled into the phone. “I can see how that put a crimp in the relationship, but I think you’re wrong about the way he sees you. I don’t think someone like Gill would’ve fallen in love with you if he couldn’t see past your legs.”

“Doesn’t matter now,” Kyle said, blinking away the moisture that had begun in his eyes. He would not cry. He’d spent too many days doing nothing but that.

“Do you still love him?”

“Of course.”

“Then you’re an idiot for leaving.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“If you still love Gill, get your ass on a plane and get back here as soon as you can. Not only does Gill need you, but so does Cattle Valley.”

“I’ll think about it. When does the new therapist start?”

“Next week. He’s moving in from Tampa.”

“I’ll let you know.” Kyle said goodbye and hung up. He wondered if he should call Hal.

Maybe Reverend Sharp would be the better choice. Even if he and Gill never worked out their problems, Kyle needed to know Gill would be okay.

Wyoming was damned cold this time of year. How had he forgotten that so quickly? It felt strange being in his apartment. He was damned lucky he still had a place to return to.

Apparently there wasn’t a big market for handicapped equipped bakeries in small town, Wyoming.

That was fine with him. He couldn’t wait to get his hands back into the soft feel of dough. Unfortunately it would be another two days before his much needed supplies were delivered.

In the meantime, he had clothes to put away and a town to reacquaint himself with.

Casey promised to feel Hal out about the possibility of him visiting Gill. When he’d spoken with Casey on the phone several days ago, Gill’s condition didn’t sound good. According to

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Casey, Gill was almost despondent. He refused to bathe for days at a time and had actually foregone shaving since Kyle left.

Feeling guilty that the man you loved was miserable because he’d hurt you so much you had to leave, sucked.

Deciding to go down the street to the grocery store, Kyle got in the elevator. As he began to descend, a whine erupted from the motor. “No, no, please, not now,” Kyle begged the hunk of junk.

With crossed fingers, Kyle prayed all the way to the bottom. When the elevator made it to the bottom with a few stalled protests, Kyle thanked the heavens. Now what was he going to do? No way in hell he was taking a chance with it again. He thought of the last time it had broken and Gill came to mind. He’d fixed it before. It could be the perfect excuse to see him.

Going to his little toolbox, Kyle waited for the motor to cool down before unbolting it from its casing. He found an old cardboard box to set it in and took off towards Gill’s.