Meet the Neighbours
Chapter 4: Meet the Neighbours
“Gay lit and Hunter How-tos,” Dean nodded as the basic job overview finished, “get a lot of call for those things.”
“You have no idea,” Ben smiled. “Sometimes even at the same time.”
“Excuse me,” a woman in her late twenties wandered into the store with a plate of muffins.
Ben held up a hand, “No food in the-” he looked at Dean still finishing off the remains of the sandwiches, Sally popping honey roasted peanuts in her mouth and Cody contentedly humming around a lollipop, “-sorry, I thought I ran a vaguely professional place. That was a fantasy. Sally, no Avenue Q.”
His daughter already opening jaw snapped shut. Then opened to toss another peanut in her mouth. And then closed with a sense of finality. She grinned at her father with the peanut crushed between her teeth, prompting another sigh.
The woman watched the scene with wide eyes. She held up the tray. “Care for a muffin?” She took a deep breath and her words came out in a rushed, but rhythmic way. “My name’s Taylor Atwood. My friend, Karl Lloyd, just bought the space next door and we’re opening up a coffee shop slash bakery. I thought, as our neighbours, you might like to try some of our product before we ask if you could point any particularly hungry or thirsty customers or yours to our place. Perks. That’s what it’s called, Perks.” Pleased her rehearsal had paid off, Taylor just smiled.
The nearby people just blinked at her a few times before Sally said, “Coffee?”
“Yes, and it’s very good. Karl’s a master. It’s almost better than sex. Well, it is better than some sex. Better than bad sex. But it’s right on par with wonderful sex and could ever be used as a replacement for said sex as I did when I first met Karl before my husband, then my boyfriend well ex-boyfriend, and I got back together.” Taylor clamped her lips shut as if she’d suddenly realised she’d overshared.
Sally repeated. “Coffee?”
“My daughter has an addiction to coffee and our maker on the fritz, so I think your friend Karl may have his very first and very important critic standing here repeating like episodes of Home Improvement,” Ben smiled.
Taylor returned the grin. She put down the plate. “Be right back.”
As they watched her retreat, Dean spoke first. “She’s hot.”
“And married,” Cody added.
Dean shrugged. “Story of my life.”
Sally grew a dopey grin, “Coffee?”
As Cody waved a hand to see if his sister’s brain cells were firing, the door opened again.
Karl, because they had to assume the man holding a mug and being ushered in by Taylor was the same guy she’d spoken of before, was a very handsome man in his early thirties. Dark hair neatly combed and grey-blue eyes. He held out the mug to the teenage girl. “Sally, I presume? May I offer the first cup of coffee Perks has produced for your approval?”
If Ben thought the gorgeous stranger’s smile and eyes had knocked him over, the accent was like a kick to the heart. “Welsh?” he asked, hoping his voice didn’t let his feelings show.
Karl looked up at Ben and his expression went through a strange metamorphosis. From the amused, gentle grin he’d fastened on Sally to a slideshow of surprise, shock, hope, confusion, and just a strange twinge of fear. Schooling himself back to his original smile, Karl nodded. “Newport, yes. But… I’ve spent the last thirteen years in London before… now.”
If the accent stopped Ben in his tracks, the mention of London held him in thrall. “I… I used to work in London too.”
“I…” Karl cut himself off, “noticed something about it seemed to hit you.”
“You have no idea,” Ben forced a smile. He’d thought he’d left everything British back in London on his partner’s grave. After the funeral, all Ben had brought of that life into this one was their son. And worse, this reminder of what he had lost sparked the first hint of something Ben thought he’d lost forever when he’d laid Will in the ground. This was not going to be good for Ben’s heart, he could tell.
“Gay lit and Hunter How-tos,” Dean nodded as the basic job overview finished, “get a lot of call for those things.”
“You have no idea,” Ben smiled. “Sometimes even at the same time.”
“Excuse me,” a woman in her late twenties wandered into the store with a plate of muffins.
Ben held up a hand, “No food in the-” he looked at Dean still finishing off the remains of the sandwiches, Sally popping honey roasted peanuts in her mouth and Cody contentedly humming around a lollipop, “-sorry, I thought I ran a vaguely professional place. That was a fantasy. Sally, no Avenue Q.”
His daughter already opening jaw snapped shut. Then opened to toss another peanut in her mouth. And then closed with a sense of finality. She grinned at her father with the peanut crushed between her teeth, prompting another sigh.
The woman watched the scene with wide eyes. She held up the tray. “Care for a muffin?” She took a deep breath and her words came out in a rushed, but rhythmic way. “My name’s Taylor Atwood. My friend, Karl Lloyd, just bought the space next door and we’re opening up a coffee shop slash bakery. I thought, as our neighbours, you might like to try some of our product before we ask if you could point any particularly hungry or thirsty customers or yours to our place. Perks. That’s what it’s called, Perks.” Pleased her rehearsal had paid off, Taylor just smiled.
The nearby people just blinked at her a few times before Sally said, “Coffee?”
“Yes, and it’s very good. Karl’s a master. It’s almost better than sex. Well, it is better than some sex. Better than bad sex. But it’s right on par with wonderful sex and could ever be used as a replacement for said sex as I did when I first met Karl before my husband, then my boyfriend well ex-boyfriend, and I got back together.” Taylor clamped her lips shut as if she’d suddenly realised she’d overshared.
Sally repeated. “Coffee?”
“My daughter has an addiction to coffee and our maker on the fritz, so I think your friend Karl may have his very first and very important critic standing here repeating like episodes of Home Improvement,” Ben smiled.
Taylor returned the grin. She put down the plate. “Be right back.”
As they watched her retreat, Dean spoke first. “She’s hot.”
“And married,” Cody added.
Dean shrugged. “Story of my life.”
Sally grew a dopey grin, “Coffee?”
As Cody waved a hand to see if his sister’s brain cells were firing, the door opened again.
Karl, because they had to assume the man holding a mug and being ushered in by Taylor was the same guy she’d spoken of before, was a very handsome man in his early thirties. Dark hair neatly combed and grey-blue eyes. He held out the mug to the teenage girl. “Sally, I presume? May I offer the first cup of coffee Perks has produced for your approval?”
If Ben thought the gorgeous stranger’s smile and eyes had knocked him over, the accent was like a kick to the heart. “Welsh?” he asked, hoping his voice didn’t let his feelings show.
Karl looked up at Ben and his expression went through a strange metamorphosis. From the amused, gentle grin he’d fastened on Sally to a slideshow of surprise, shock, hope, confusion, and just a strange twinge of fear. Schooling himself back to his original smile, Karl nodded. “Newport, yes. But… I’ve spent the last thirteen years in London before… now.”
If the accent stopped Ben in his tracks, the mention of London held him in thrall. “I… I used to work in London too.”
“I…” Karl cut himself off, “noticed something about it seemed to hit you.”
“You have no idea,” Ben forced a smile. He’d thought he’d left everything British back in London on his partner’s grave. After the funeral, all Ben had brought of that life into this one was their son. And worse, this reminder of what he had lost sparked the first hint of something Ben thought he’d lost forever when he’d laid Will in the ground. This was not going to be good for Ben’s heart, he could tell.