XOXO: A Bundle of Cozy Novellas

Davey

DAVEY

“Yep, still Davey Childs. Last I checked anyway.”

Damn, Milo Zajac looked good. Milo’d had his back turned when Elvis had bounded up to him and knocked him over. Davey had been able to repress his chuckle, although the urge to chuckle at Milo’s reaction irritated Davey slightly because it meant he probably wasn’t mad at Milo anymore.

As the vet had explained it, Elvis was an escape artist and Milo had been worried about him. The vet had also gone into unnecessary detail about how huskies needed to be kept busy and maybe if Mr. Zajac had the space, he would think about building an agility course for Elvis.

Milo had picked himself up off the ground and was trying to brush the snow and mud off his admittedly fine ass while Elvis continued to pummel him with attention.

“Elvis, come,” Davey commanded, patting his thigh.

Elvis gave Davey a sideways look but left off greeting Milo with enthusiasm and came to sit by Davey’s side.

“Good dog.”

Elvis thumped his tail, looking up at him. Davey held up his fist, a treat tucked inside it. Elvis gave him another look: yeah, you’ve got a treat—do I want it enough to listen?

“Wait.”

Davey waited a few beats before lowering his fist and opening his fingers so Elvis could take the treat. Which he did with a delicacy that continued to surprise Davey.

“Good wait.”

“How the fuck are you doing that?”

“Like I said, he just needs a little attention.” Davey smirked.

But then, because he could only manage to be an asshole for about thirty seconds, he said, “My dad trained dogs as a hobby, I picked up a few things here and there. I can give you a few tips, if you want.”

Milo stared at him, his eyes narrowed and full of suspicion.

“Why?”

“Why wouldn’t I? We’re neighbors, someone’s going to have to help you with Elvis here or he’s gonna be out chasing cows come spring and I can assure you that is not the way to be neighborly.”

“I mean… never mind.”

Oh, they were going to do this now? Davey took a deep breath before he began. “You mean why would I help you with Elvis when you ditched me at The Ice Berg the summer after high school and then were too much of a coward to man up as to why you did it? Then just left town without so much as a by-your-leave?” Davey was surprised how good it felt to get that off his chest, he hadn’t realized how much he resented that Milo had left town without saying anything.

Milo’s cheeks reddened, and it was kind of cute how he scuffed the toe of his boot in the mud before answering.

“I’m sorry about that, is that what you need to hear?”

“Maybe.” He squinted at Milo. “Do you mean it?” Davey wanted to know why Milo had just left all those years ago, but figured whatever reasons Milo had back then weren’t valid anymore. And he was back in Hollyridge. And he’d bought a house. Was he here to stay?

“Yeah, I mean it.” Milo caught Davey’s curious gaze. “No one says by your leave anymore, Davey.”

“I do, somebody has to keep weird old speech patterns alive. And,” Davey looked around the yard, “I’ll help you because it looks like you need it, and I’m not a jerk. And we are neighbors. My spread is just down the road a mile or so.”

“It is?”

They hadn’t really hung out together outside of school, so Davey wasn’t surprised Milo didn’t know he lived less than a country mile from the Hachette house.

“Yep. Used to be bigger, but my dad sold off a bunch of acres about nine or so years ago. Still plenty to work with though.”

“Is he still around? Your dad?”

Davey shook his head.

“He passed a few years ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, I remember you two were close.”

They had been close. Losing his dad to a preventable cancer had been devastating for Davey. He missed him every day and was still pissed at him for not going into the doctor’s when he should have. The worst was forgetting, even just for a second, that Dad was gone, and wanting to tell him something. Like about meeting Skylar—his dad would have loved him, his sense of humor and the fearless way he approached life. How Brewski still loved pulling the sleigh he’d built, and that their plan to grow hops for local brewers was going full speed ahead.

Two large appliance boxes sat outside Milo’s kitchen door. “So, what’s the plan here?” Davey asked, trying to change the direction of the conversation. “Is this some kind of outdoor kitchen thing? It’s a little late in the year to be setting one of those up.”

Milo frowned. “The delivery guys said they couldn’t take these inside. Gave me a bullshit excuse and took off, so now I have to figure out how to do it by myself.”

“Do you mind if I take a peek inside? Maybe they had a good reason?”

What he really wanted to ask was why a world-famous rock star was back in Hollyridge, seemingly remodeling a house all on his own. Davey’s curiosity often got the better of him. This time he managed to tamp it down.

Milo’s kitchen was, in a word, trashed. But Davey didn’t see any obvious reason why the delivery people couldn’t have brought the appliances inside. The floor seemed sound, and there was no stove or refrigerator to move out either. They were just jerks.

Milo had followed him inside, his grip tight on Elvis’s borrowed leash.

“Can you stash the great escape artist somewhere for a few minutes? It won’t take long if we work together.”

Milo glanced down at Elvis, who was grinning at both of them, tongue hanging out.

“Maybe he’s tired from his adventures. I’ll put him in the living room. Do you want a tour?”

Of course Davey wanted a tour, his curiosity was practically eating him alive.

“A tour sounds great,” he said nonchalantly

“I’m not keeping you from anything? Family?”

“Is that a sneaky way of asking if I have a boyfriend?” Or husband. And yeah, Davey wanted a life partner but had yet to meet the right man.

Milo shrugged. “Not very sneaky, is it?”

“Nope.” He grinned. “I guess I just haven’t found the right guy yet, so I have plenty of time to give you a hand here. Although I do need to get back and put Brewski to bed. And feed the cats or they’ll continue their plot to murder me in my sleep.”

“Brewski?”

“My horse, I got him after graduation. Dad and I trained him together. Anyway… let’s get to work.” Davey didn’t want to talk about farm animals or his dad. He kind of wanted to know if Milo had anyone special, but Milo hadn’t said anything about a boyfriend or family and Davey wasn’t going to push. And, it was ridiculous to think he and the world-famous rock star Milo Zajac had anything in common anymore. Just because they both liked guys didn’t mean they liked each other.

With Elvis out of the way, it took them about ten minutes to wrangle the refrigerator and stove inside. Which was about the time that Davey realized the dedicated outlets had been pulled from the wall and the electrical wiring hung from the holes in the plaster like drunk confetti.

Milo followed his gaze. “The electrician was supposed to be here at the first of the week but with the holidays coming and stuff, he got behind.”

“That stinks.”

“I probably jumped the gun by ordering stuff. At least there’s electricity in the front of the house.”

They finally decided leaving the two appliances in the middle of the room was the best choice; that way, when the electrician did show up, nothing would have to be moved again.

“Ready for your tour? It’ll be short because the upstairs is basically a danger zone until the lumber for new flooring is delivered.”

“Show me the way.”

Davey eyed Milo’s ass while he led him up the stairs—it was right there in front of him and it was mighty fine. The boy had definitely grown into a man, yowzah.

“So, you’re gonna live here?”

Milo had not been exaggerating, the upstairs was absolutely a danger zone. Wallpaper hung in chucks from the walls, old and new water stains darkened the walls, and Davey didn’t want to contemplate what the attic must look like.

“What else would I do?” Milo asked.

“Lots of people flip houses these days, even in Hollyridge. Or maybe you’re thinking about renting it, a guest house or something! How would I know?”

“Oh,” Milo grunted, “no, I plan on living here, if the house doesn’t kill me first. I don’t think it’s haunted or anything, there’s just a lot more work than I expected.”

“You’ve done this before then,” Davey asked in a superior tone, “refurbished a falling-down house?”

“No, asshole.” Milo playfully punched Davey in the shoulder. “I haven’t, which is probably most of the problem. All I want right now is reliable heat and to be able to make coffee in the morning without worrying that I’ll blow the electric panel.”

“Ow.” Davey mock-rubbed his arm. He opened his mouth to ask if Milo wanted to drop by for coffee at his place in the morning when a warbling sound rose from the main floor.

“That’s Elvis’s call, he’s fine. But I better go check on him, just in case.”

Milo started down the stairs and Davey followed him.

“The vet told me that huskies are super pack animals and most of them do better when they have a buddy.”

Milo turned and looked up at him from the bottom of the stairs. “I can hardly handle him, you think I could handle two huskies?”

Davey laughed because, no, he did not think Milo could handle two huskies.

“I can’t believe you’re laughing.”

“You asked!”

Milo led Davey down a short hallway to a room that had probably once been a sitting room or tearoom but had ben repurposed into a living room slash bedroom. Elvis thumped his tail at them when the door opened, getting up from what looked to be a luxurious dog bed to greet them both with kisses.

“He liked Brewski today.”

“Elvis met your horse?” Milo’s gray eyes were wide with shock.

“He did.” Davey kept his attention on Elvis, scratching the top of his head so what he was about to offer wouldn’t seem like such a big deal. “You can meet Brewski, too, if you like. There’s a cider tasting party at my place tomorrow night. Around six, after I’m finished with sleigh rides, you’re welcome to join us.”

Davey wanted to know more about Milo Zajac. He wanted to ask why Milo had left town without saying anything and why he was back now. What had happened to cause the rock star to return?

And yeah, maybe Davey didn’t care as much about why Milo came back as much as he wanted to know if Milo was going to stick around.

Christmas Eve—Davey

“Walk, Brewski.”

The sleigh began to move across the packed snow, pulling away from the red brick building while visiting kids and firefighters called out “goodbye” and “happy holidays”. Davey loved the sleigh almost as much as Brewski did but this afternoon, he was impatient and ready for delivery time to be over. The fire station had been the last stop for today, now Davey could finish getting ready for tonight.

Davey would be the first person to admit he was one of those people who wanted to believe in fairy tales, in true love, in finding The One. He wasn’t settling for just okay , and a string of one-night stands wasn’t his thing, either, even if he did pick up guys every once in a while. A guy had needs, after all.

But Milo Zajac was back in town and Davey couldn’t help but think maybe it was fate that had brought Elvis to his yard. Milo was nothing like Davey had built up in his head, a spoiled rock star who needed to be pampered and wanted Grey Poupon or some stuff like that on demand. No, Milo seemed down to earth. And he was remodeling the barely livable Hachette house, although maybe that was a stretch since Davey wasn’t sure Milo had a clue what he was doing.

Should Davey worry about Milo being there? The floorboards upstairs hadn’t looked safe. Davey wasn’t a carpenter, but his gut told him there was more work needing done than Milo had any idea of.

“Quit borrowing trouble, Davey.”

Brewski’s ears twitched as if he agreed with the sentiment. He found the muffled clop of horses hooves reassuring, it was a sound Davey had loved all his life.

“But look, he’s sexy as heck. Do you think he likes me?”

Clop, clop, clop.

“Should I ask him why he left town without saying goodbye? Maybe it doesn’t matter anymore? Cripes, we were what, eighteen, we knew nothing about anything.”

The bells on Brewski’s harness jingled faintly. More clopping.

“You’re right. It doesn’t matter. What matters is now, today, what matters is if he’s here to stay. I mean, not that he’s a sure thing, I don’t want to assume, that’s not cool. He did agree to come to the get-together tonight, but maybe he’s just being nice—or doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”

Jingle, huff, snuffle, clop, jingle.

“I don’t even know if his mom still lives here. He didn’t say anything about family—probably because I didn’t give him much of a chance to say anything. I’ll make it up to him tonight.”

“Who is this mystery man?” Sky demanded. “You’ve never said anything to us about him before.”

Wallace rolled his eyes and left Davey in Sky’s clutches while Jazz followed behind him, sniffing around and heading over to say a doggy hello to Brewski, who was keeping an eye on the guests as they arrived.

Sky had his Yorkshire terrier, Bieber, tucked under one arm and his other hand on his hip. He was beautiful, as always, and he’d even gone so far as to put together a fabulous sparkly and skintight elf costume, even though Davey had told him a cider tasting wasn’t a costume party. Go figure.

“You know this isn’t a costume party,” Davey pointed out, trying to divert Sky’s attention. All he got for his effort was a long look.

“I’m perfectly aware. I’d be wearing something else entirely if this was a costume party. Who is the guy?”

Davey groaned, wishing there was a rewind button he could push and not have this conversation. “Just a neighbor, someone I knew a while back.”

Sky squinted at him for another long moment that had Davey wanting to squirm, then started slowly shaking his head.

“Nope. Bzzzzz. You are full of crap, Davey Childs. You will confess to me who this man is to you, or I’ll leave Bieber here for a sleepover again.”

Yesterday, Davey had thought Milo looked good, but by morning he’d convinced himself his imagination was working overtime. He’d even gone so far as to google Milo and the rest of the band, just to make sure. Sure enough, the pictures he’d found online displayed a worn-out looking Milo, with dark circles lurking under his eyes and no spark to his smile.

“Earth to Davey. Did you not hear me?”

“Fine,” he huffed, “we were in the same class. He asked me out after graduation but then never showed up, moved away, and this is the first time he’s been back, as far as I know.”

Sky’s eyes narrowed. “And why are we allowing him at our First Annual Outrageous Friends Holiday Eve Party?”

“He has a dog?”

“That’s possibly a point in his favor, but not until we learn why he ditched you.”

“I’m not sure it matters anymore.” Sky opened his mouth, but Davey raised his hand to stop him from speaking. “Wait, hear me out. That was ten years ago, people change, and high school is weird. Plus, and Skylar, please don’t spread this around, Milo is kind of famous. After he left here, his band really took off.”

“What band?”

“The Lost Apostles.”

Sky’s mouth dropped open and Bieber took advantage of the moment to wiggle out of his grasp and leap to the ground.

“What!? When you say Milo, you mean Milo Zajac? Are you even kidding me? I’d heard rumors he was bi.”

“No. I’m not kidding, and I guess he is. So, do you think you can play it cool?”

“What’s his dog’s name?”

Because that was the most important question of the night.

“Elvis.”

“Elvis,” Sky repeated with a whisper. “He may be redeemable. He gets one chance.”

“You do realize this is my life?”

“Davey Childs, you are good at so many things. Building fences, riding horses, wrangling” he waved his hand vaguely, “hairy animals. You cannot be trusted to find a man. I’m sorry, honey, that guy you brought home from the state fair, what was his name? Trevor? Trip? Just no.”

“Trapper.”

“Right, not a Trapper Keeper.”

The fact that Skylar was right about Trapper, at least, was irritating. But a guy got lonely sometimes and usually that was when Davey made… unfortunate decisions.

“How long did it take you to get him to go home?”

“Ughh, don’t remind me.”

Just then, Davey thought he saw headlights slow and glance against the barn before disappearing.

“I think that’s him, I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t jump his bones, bring him back here first.”