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. Instead, I sat there nodding and smiling, dazed.It wasn t until hewas done and said I should head out to the Bear s Den to meet Robbieone night that I realized he knew.Somehow he knew I was gay and wasthrowing me a lifeline.You know what? I was right.I m not ready to keep going downthat path right now.Let s just say that Robbie and I do not get along. He isn t my biggest fan.Besides, I don t think we re eachother s type, I said cryptically.Kyle leaned forward. What type is that? I paused for a second, wondering how much he knew. What didhe tell you about me? 36 John Goode Kyle is working for him, Brad interjected quickly. At hisstore. Oh, I grunted, knowing that was a bad thing. Well, then, I msure you ve heard a lot about me so far. I was about to ask how muchRobbie had told him when I noticed a couple of people standing infront of my shop peeking in the window. Damn it, I knew I couldn tleave the store for more than five minutes. I got up. We ve beenswamped, and I ve had zero time to think about this. I laid a twenty onthe table. That s to make up for me eating all your food. I was aboutto walk out when a thought hit me.Turning to Brad, I asked, Hey, youneed a job? Me? I laughed and pointed to Kyle. Well, he already has one. Um, yeah I guess, he replied after a few seconds. Awesome! Come by after lunch and I ll start training you. Ilooked at Kyle and then back at Brad. And you were right, this one isa keeper. I saw Kyle redden slightly as I walked toward the door.Kyle jumped up. Mr.Parker, wait! He hurried over to me. CanI ask you a question? I saw Brad watching us curiously.I nodded. Sure, what s up? Have you heard anything about Kelly Aimes? I paused and tried to connect the name with a face.Kelly Aimessounded familiar but honestly, a lot a kids went through the shop and Inever caught their name. Which one is he? I asked. Big guy, plays football.Friend of Brad s? Dark hair? hedescribed.And suddenly the name clicked for me.Kelly had been Brad sshadow since junior high.Yeah, right Kelly Aimes big kid, playedgood ball.I shook my head. No, what should I have heard? He just shook his head. Nothing.I was just curious. I was about to press the point when I saw a couple more peoplewalk up to the front of the shop. Shit.I have to go.Everything okay? I asked him.He gave me a pretty good fake smile and nodded. It s all good,thanks. Taking Chances 37It was pretty obvious that it was all not good; but I didn t havethe time to dwell on Kyle s question.I jogged across the street, and,within an hour, all my thoughts consisted of ways to get through theday.In fact, it was a couple of days before I was able to find enoughtime to hang out with Linda and ask her about it. So I had a talk with Kyle, I said over our third beer.She nodded. I heard.He asked me how hard it was for you to bethat cute and secretly be gay.He couldn t understand how some girldidn t figure it out. And what did you say? I asked, knowing she was setting me up. I told him some girl did figure it out.Me. She gave me a brattysmile, and I stuck my tongue out at her. So, you make a decision onthe Wallace boy yet? Your son seems of the opinion that I am overthinking it, Icommented between sips.She chuckled. My son seems to have nailed the problem in one.Admit it, he has, hasn t he? I grumbled before I finished my beer. He might have a smallpoint. Oh no! He is completely, 100 percent correct, and you know it. She sounded so smug, it killed me because she was right.I hated itwhen she was right because it usually meant I was wrong since wedidn t agree on much. You, as always, have that four-cylinder brainworking overtime making a simple problem a thousand times morecomplicated.You need to decide if you are going to meet him or not,and then just stick with it, because if you keep thinking about it, a gearis going to burst out of your forehead and kill someone. I am not going to kill someone, I mumbled.I didn t evenbelieve what I was saying at that point. I didn t say you were going to kill someone, I implied that youwere going to get so frustrated that a literal cog would bust out of yourhead, fly across the room at terminal velocity, and strike another humanbeing, doing serious injury and ending their life. I looked at her indisbelief and she added, Just to be clear. I asked her sarcastically, Have I informed you lately that I hateyou? She shrugged. It s a given. 38 John GoodeI nodded as we finished our beer. So Kyle quit his job, she said in the gap.That got my attention. The one with Robbie? I asked, trying notto seem too interested. Yes, that one. She rolled her eyes. Are you happy now? Onemore person is on the Robbie is an asshole bandwagon. I never said Robbie was an asshole, I informed her, wishing Isounded as if I really meant the words.However, Linda knew the truth. Oh please, you guys have never gotten along and you know it. In her eyes, that was how she had always seen things betweenRobbie and me, though the truth was something much stranger thanfiction.I HAD taken Riley up on his offer to visit the Bear s Den and meet hisnew partner Robbie the weekend after he came to see me
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