“That’s not quite the same,” Ben pointed out.

“Let me finish. Once we landed he suggested we have a drink together. I suspected he only wanted someone old enough to buy him alcohol from the bar, but I figured he had earned it and I was off work for the day, so--”

“Did something happen?” Ben asked, wanting to hear the end of the story. The anticipation was torture.

“Almost,” Jace continued. “Sexuality eventually became a topic, and even though I mentioned you during the course of the evening, he still tried to kiss me when we were saying goodbye. He was hot, and I won’t lie and say that I didn’t want to, but I made my choice when I decided to be with you.”

“So you didn’t?”

“No. I didn’t.”

Ben sighed, feeling relieved but now twice as guilty. Even the idea of Jace cheating hurt him. How much pain had his infidelity caused Jace?

“There’s a difference though,” Jace continued. “You were once in love with Tim. You probably still are to some extent. You two have a history, and that complicates matters.”

“I still shouldn’t have kissed him.”

“Get over it,” Jace snapped. “What’s more important to me is what you’re going to do now. You’re stuck with an old-fashioned guy. I like monogamy. I don’t want to have a threesome or share you with anyone. So now you need to decide if you can handle that or not.”

“I think I can,” Ben said.

“Good.” Jace nodded. “The next thing you have to figure out is what you’re going to do about Tim. I’m not going to forbid you to see him. I’m not going to say you can’t be his friend. I’m going to trust you now as much as I did before. There’s no point in going on otherwise. But I want you to ask yourself if you can resist doing something like this again.”

The question weighed on his mind the rest of the drive home. Was it possible to love two people at the same time? Jace seemed to think so and Ben’s heart was in agreement. Couldn’t Jace and Tim hit it off? They could all be in love and pile into bed at night. Then again, the jealousy Ben felt while Jace talked about his own close call made him wonder if he could really handle such a scenario.

No sense in dwelling on that fantasy, since Jace wasn’t willing. What mattered now was whether Ben could get himself under control enough to just be friends with Tim and nothing else. Tim’s strong pursuit wasn’t helping, and he didn’t seem likely to back off, judging by the determined expression on his face when they left the water park cave. Even if he did, Ben knew himself well enough to know that he would start chasing. Tim could never only be a friend, because every time Ben looked at him, all he saw was his high school sweetheart.

Choosing between Jace and Tim wasn’t easy. Jace was kind, worldly, and loving. Tim was wild, mysterious, and passionate. Both were sexy. But one had never given up on Ben, even though he now had good reason to. Jace had stuck by him over the years. Tim had not.

“I’ve made my choice,” Ben said, reaching over to take Jace’s hand.

“Good.” Jace flipped the turn signal and took the exit ramp for Austin. “Now there’s one final thing we both have to face.”

“What’s that?”

“How to apologize to Allison. We left her at the park.”

Ben groaned. With all that had happened, he’d completely forgotten about her. Earning back Jace’s trust and saying good-bye to Tim no longer seemed such a daunting task compared to the hurricane of anger he’d face when she found her way home.

__________

Chapter 24

How did someone go about deliberately ending a friendship? Television dramas were full of breakups, but those usually involved moments of high passion. Breaking up with a friend was more subtle and calculated. Were there any guidelines to be followed? Was breaking up in person required? Or did one friend simply stop calling the other and let the bond gradually deteriorate into nothing?

Ben had no choices remaining. He had already called Tim, telling him that they needed to talk. In retrospect, he probably should have been more specific. What if Tim was getting his hopes up? Ben had considered meeting him in public, but worried that one of them might cry, which would be embarrassing.

Instead he was on his way to Tim’s house, trying to decide if he should stop to grab some drinks somewhere. Getting drunk with Tim wasn’t advisable, but a beer could help make this talk easier on both of them. Even better, Ben could have an alcohol-free beer and leave a six-pack for Tim to nurse his wounds with.

He pulled into a strip mall and parked in front of one of the small liquor stores that were often found nestled up against major grocery chains. An unexpected sight attracted his attention on his way into the store. In the parking lot sat a large blue van with both of its rear doors open. A baby gate stretched across the opening, rattling occasionally as something tried to escape. A disheveled woman adjusted the gate before replacing a fallen sign that read “Free Puppies.” Memories of Wilford prompted Ben to investigate.

“Looking for a puppy?” the woman asked as he approached.

“Not really, but I sure miss having one,” Ben answered. He looked over the gate to see only one puppy left, its tiny body a fat sausage decked out in a fur coat two sizes too large. The dog stopped romping around to consider him with a smooshed face. “Is it supposed to look that way?”

The woman snorted. “Totally normal for a bulldog. They only get uglier when they’re older, but you’ll have fallen in love by then.”

“He is sort of cute,” Ben admitted as he watched the puppy try to scale the gate. When it failed it crouched and barked instead.

“She, actually. This one’s a girl. Do you have a home big enough for a dog?”

“Well no, but--” Everything clicked into place. “My friend has a huge house and he lives there all alone. I think a dog would be perfect for him.”

The woman clapped her hands together, her eyes filled with desperate relief before becoming shrewd. “Now, the dog is free, but I’m asking a twenty dollar donation. Completely optional, but all proceeds go toward getting mama-dog spayed.”

The woman took Ben’s money, as well as any contact information she could shake out of him. She was obviously concerned about the puppy’s welfare, but Ben was sure they were both making the right decision. After she handed the puppy over to him, its surprisingly powerful legs treaded air as it strained to lick his face. Then it peed down the front of his shirt. Ben laughed and brought it to his car.

Driving the rest of the way to Tim’s house was a small nightmare, the puppy bouncing around the car like a rubber ball. Tim met him in the driveway, his jaw dropping when a puppy jumped out of the car.

“You got a dog?” he asked.

“No, you got a dog,” Ben corrected.

It took a few moments of explaining, but Tim quickly took to the idea. “I don’t have anything a dog needs. We’ve got to go shopping! Let’s go!”

“What, now?”

This wasn’t exactly what Ben had planned, but what could he do? Was he really supposed to drop off the puppy and say a quick good-bye? So after borrowing a clean shirt, he was dragged off to a pet megamart with Tim and the puppy, who had been dubbed Chinchilla. Tim filled a shopping cart to the brim with more toys and food than most dogs needed in a lifetime. He ordered a dog house that would be delivered the next day and signed up for training classes. Chinchilla was going to live a good life.

Once they were back at Tim’s—and now Chinchilla’s—home, Ben almost forgot the real reason he was there. They sat on the floor together, trying out different toys and laughing as Chinchilla made a fool of herself. She tore around the house, barking and making messes. Already the house felt more alive.