Mr. September Read online

  Nat grinned as she brought a cupcake out from behind her back. “On your birthday? No way. You’ve made it a quarter of a century. You deserve this cupcake at the very least.”

  “I do?” He hadn’t even paid attention to the date. “Did you make that?”

  “No way. It’d be a burnt ball of cement if I had. I got it from D’Sandre’s, your favorite bakery, of course.” Nat tipped her chin toward the kitchen. “And I got a half-dozen, so we can pig out before you have to crash.”

  Enzo’s eyes burned with tears he didn’t want to shed. “Thank you, Nat. This means a lot.” It’d been years since anyone had done something like that for him.

  Her grin vanished. She stepped right up to him and gave him a one-armed hug, keeping the cupcake out of squish-range. “Hey, you should have a thousand cupcakes on your birthday, and all the gifts. All of them.”

  His best efforts failed and a couple of tears slipped down his cheeks. “Thanks, sis.” Enzo let her lead him into the kitchen.

  “Ta-da!” Nat gestured with the cupcake. “I wish you’d been able to go out on a date to celebrate, but maybe a late dinner and dessert with your little sister will be okay?”

  Enzo thought of Tony, his rich brown hair styled perfectly, glasses doing nothing to disguise the beauty of his green eyes. “I’d rather be here with you anyway.” Tony was a daydream, a fantasy to keep him going when he wanted to just sit down and quit, because Tony gave off those ‘forever man’ vibes.

  Enzo didn’t have time for forever. He was lucky if he found five minutes and another willing man.

  “You work too much. Sit down.” Nat pulled out a chair for him at the two-person table. “I’m going to serve you tonight. Um. Unless you want to go change or something first? I didn’t think about you wanting to get out of your work clothes.”

  That was what Enzo usually did as soon as possible when he arrived home, but not tonight. “I’m good, thanks. I don’t want to wait even a minute longer.” His stomach rumbled. He hadn’t worked enough hours to get a free meal at Georgie’s.

  “I made your favorite, avocado carbonara, complete with real bacon and garlic knots.”

  Enzo swiped at another tear as it slipped free. “Nat, seriously. Thank you.”

  She handed him a cloth napkin—when did we get those?—then kissed his cheek. “You’re the best brother in the history of brothers. Don’t think I’m unaware of all you’ve done for me or how hard you work. I appreciate it, and you, but I also want you to have some fun, Enz. I want you to have a life.”

  “I have a life,” he said around a lump in his throat. “A great one.”

  “With someone you love who isn’t related to you, I mean,” Nat clarified. She piled his bowl high with the carbonara. “Parmesan?”

  “Always. Who says no to that?” He sniffed, turning his nose up as Nat giggled.

  “You’ve never had a customer say no thanks to Parmesan?” Nat began grating the cheese over his pasta.

  “Very rarely, and I’m certain they must have misunderstood the question.” Though he knew some people had allergies that prevented them from consuming dairy, poor souls, and others chose not to eat it for their own reasons.

  Enzo was a Parmesan addict. “You can stop when you run out.”

  Nat giggled. “I don’t think my arm will hold out that long.”

  “Eh, I guess I should save you some, shouldn’t I?” he teased. “That’s plenty, thanks.”

  “You can have a little more.” She grated for another thirty seconds then groaned. “Ow. I need to start working out or something. I’ve got no arm strength. All my calisthenics are mental. I can whoop calculus and trig into shape in no time!”

  “That’s because you’re brilliant. Now sit down and eat with me.” He gestured to the chair across from him.

  “I have to pour the wine first.”

  Enzo whipped his head around to her.

  “Just kidding!” Nat held up a bottle of apple cider. “Where would I get booze anyway? Even a fake ID wouldn’t help me. I look like I’m twelve.”

  “You’ll be glad for that as you get older, and don’t scare me like that, sis.” Enzo chuckled and took the glass of cold cider from her. “There are disreputable people all over. Someone would have sold you alcohol if you’d found the right—or wrong—person.”

  “Like I’d ever go looking for that person.” Nat took a seat after she set a bowl of salad down for each of them, along with the garlic knots. The little table was not big enough for the cupcakes and remaining pasta. “Dig in, Enz. I hope you like it.”

  “I’m sure I will.” Thinking back, he hadn’t eaten since right before his shift at the gas station, and even then, he’d only had a protein bar and a cup of coffee. He twirled the pasta onto his fork. The scent of garlic and lemon, along with avocado and bacon, made his stomach grumble. He took a bite and closed his eyes. “Mmmm.”

  “S’good, right?” Nat slurped and Enzo opened one eye to glare at her.

  Nat grinned. “What? It was a long piece of pasta.”

  Enzo shuddered. He hated smacking and slurping noises. Unfortunately, he got to hear a lot of both at Georgie’s.

  “This is really good,” he said after he swallowed the first bite. “You made it better than I do.”

  “Doubt that. I think you’re just hungry. Did you even eat today?” Nat picked up a garlic knot.

  “I did.” Not much, but he had. He scooted the salad closer and whistled. “Wow, you went all out. Olives, pepperoncini, tomatoes, red onions, pepperoni—you’re going to spoil me.”

  “One amazing dinner won’t spoil you,” Nat countered. “You should be spoiled, though. Maybe I should make you an account on one of those sugar-daddy sites.”

  Enzo sputtered and slapped a hand over his mouth to keep from spewing salad all over. “Mmph!” How does my sister even know about sites like that?

  “Don’t look so surprised. Buzzfeed runs articles on everything.” Nat winked at him. “And I do mean everything.”

  He knew what Buzzfeed was even if he never had time to mess around on the site. After managing to swallow the bite of food that had almost done him in, he narrowed his eyes at Nat. “What, exactly, do you mean by everything?”

  “Relax, Enz, I’m almost seventeen. I know a lot of things I’m never going to discuss with you. Ew.” She mock-shuddered. “Now enjoy your meal so we can have cupcakes…and maybe I got you a present, too.”

  Enzo set his fork down. “Nat, you know you didn’t have to get me anything or do this. I appreciate it, and I love that you took the time to make dinner for me and—”

  “Enz, please.” She reached across the small table and placed her hand on his. Her dark brown eyes held so much love in them that Enzo was afraid he’d break down and cry like a baby, loud and long.

  “I’m not a little kid anymore,” Nat said, giving his hand a squeeze. “I’m almost an adult by law, but even without that, I think I’m pretty mature. You’ve given up years of being a guy unencumbered by responsibility to raise me and help me get through leukemia. You work three jobs to put me through private school and to make sure I’m not lacking anything. I’m a good, caring, compassionate person and most of that’s because of you. So enjoy your birthday dinner and accept the present I got you. You deserve it all, okay?”

  “When did you grow up on me?” He sniffled, his vision blurry. Tears would be happening again no matter how hard he tried to keep them back.

  “I love you, Enz. You’re a selfless brother and I know there’s not a better man in this world than you. But I hope someday you find the second-best guy in the world to love and share your life with.” She released his hand, patted it then cleared her throat. “And that’s enough deep thoughts. I need to save my brain cells for school tomorrow. Dig in so we can get to the cupcakes.”

  Despite how difficult things had been the past several years, Nat made up for it all. Enzo swiped at his eyes and reminded himself how lucky he was to have her.

  Chapte
r Three

  “Welcome to Georgie’s. Just one?” The hostess smiled as she waited for him to answer.

  Tony hoped he wasn’t blushing. The ‘just’ part of that made him sound pathetic. At least she’s not the same hostess who was working the night before last. “Er, yes. Table for one.”

  “Sure thing. Follow me, please.” She picked up a menu and started walking to the dining area. “Table or booth?”

  “Booth, please.” At least then he could duck down if he wanted to hide.

  Oh Lord, what am I? Three? Tony set the menu down. He was nervous. His palms were sweaty, which was disgusting, and his heart was beating too fast. If he didn’t calm his nerves down quickly, he’d start sweating all over and that would be unattractive.

  But the instant he spied Enzo walking over to another table, carrying a tray laden down with food, any hope of dispensing with his own nerves was dashed.

  For some reason Tony couldn’t pinpoint, he was fascinated with Enzo. Well, I can pinpoint part of it. Look at him. He’s gorgeous and he’s nice. At least, he is while he’s working. Enzo’s smile always seemed genuine, lighting up his already bright eyes. If he wasn’t happy, he knew how to give an Oscar-worthy performance.

  Tony didn’t even bother trying to look over the menu as he watched Enzo. Georgie’s was a casual family restaurant, and a lot of the servers wore shorts. Enzo stood out in his faded, ripped skinny jeans and burgundy ankle boots. The T-shirt was the same as all the other employees’, except on Enzo it looked incredible. The cotton material was stretched across his broad shoulders, and he’d rolled the sleeves up to the dip above his biceps, which accentuated those muscles beautifully.

  His forearms were perfect. Tony repressed a groan. Who thinks forearms are perfect? Him, it would seem. Enzo’s had a light dusting of sandy-gold hair, and it was obvious he lifted heavy things, whether it was on the job or at the gym.

  Tony even liked Enzo’s fingers. Long, elegant, like a musician’s hands—Now I’m waxing poetic about his hands? Jesus! Maybe I should leave. Am I turning into a stalker? It had been over a year since he’d had sex with anyone besides himself. Perhaps this was the effect of being alone for so long. If he went out to a club and got laid, he might be less intrigued by Enzo.

  Then Enzo cocked one hip and propped the now-empty tray on it. Tony’s gaze went right to his butt, and no, he didn’t think anything would snuff out the interest he had in Enzo.

  While his ass was a work of art, perfectly rounded, plump but not ridiculously so, that wasn’t what drew Tony to Enzo. It was more than his looks—which made little sense because he didn’t know Enzo—and it wasn’t like he had time to date and develop a romantic relationship with someone.

  Yet there he sat, having come to Georgie’s for dinner twice in the past three days since he’d seen Enzo at the gas station. He wasn’t often the daring sort of person who’d do such things, but Ina had begged to spend the night before last with her Aunt Marjorie and cousins, and tonight, Tony’s mom had insisted on having a slumber party with Ina and two more grandchildren.

  Tony was at loose ends for what to do with himself. He’d been with Ina almost constantly outside of work for the past year. Even before she’d gotten sick, he’d spent as much time with her as he could. Now that she was healthy, the family wanted their visits with her back, and Ina felt up to going out and playing with her cousins. Telling her no, because Tony was needy and worried, was selfish and not in his baby girl’s best interest.

  He wondered if the lack of having to focus on Ina was why he was instead so intrigued by Enzo. He had time on his hands, and Hector, his best friend, was busy with his own life. Tony’s circle of friends had shrunk down ever since he’d become a father, and even more once Ina had been diagnosed with cancer.

  No loss with those jackasses. At least now he knew exactly who his friends were.

  Tony blinked and shook his head. He’d been staring off at Enzo, then at nothing as he’d gotten lost in his thoughts. It was possible that he’d forgotten how to be anything other than a parent.

  He flipped open the menu and perused the appetizers. Georgie’s food was on the low side of decent, but there were a few things he liked. The salmon spring rolls were among them. He saw movement to his left and glanced up in time to see Enzo approaching, a smile on his face.

  “Hey, Tony! Where’s Miss Ina tonight?”

  Was it his imagination, or was Enzo’s smile even bigger than usual? Tony cleared his throat, since it had gone dry the moment he’d spotted Enzo coming closer. “She’s with her grandparents overnight. Mom and Dad take a few of the grandkids every weekend, and this time it was Ina’s turn.” He chuckled and forced his gaze back to the menu. “I’m a little lost at what to do with myself. She was at her aunt’s overnight earlier this week.”

  Enzo surprised him by sliding into the seat across from Tony. “A free night and you come to Georgie’s?”

  Tony’s face heated and he knew he was blushing. “Um. Yeah.”

  Enzo dipped his head down, looking up at Tony through dark lashes. “Any chance you came here to see me? Because I gotta tell you, I’m hoping that’s the case.”

  “You do?” Tony licked his lips, then reached for the glass of water the hostess had set on the table. He took a sip and noticed his hand was shaking when he put the glass down. “Why?”

  Enzo leaned forward, elbows braced on the table. The blue-green of his eyes seemed more vibrant than usual. “Because I think you’re sexy, and I don’t feel that way about many guys. And I also get out of here at ten tonight, and don’t have to be at work until six tomorrow morning.”

  For a moment, Tony experienced a rush of anger. He didn’t think there was any way a man as attractive as Enzo could be interested in a plain-looking guy like himself.

  But he saw a flash of worry in Enzo’s eyes, and the way Enzo bit his bottom lip, the shake of Enzo’s hands before he folded them together on the table. Is it possible he’s as nervous as I am?

  “You could have anyone,” Tony blurted out. Things like this didn’t happen to him. He hadn’t been flirted with in…far too long to think about.

  Enzo cocked his head to the left and frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  Saying ‘why me?’ suddenly was too pathetic for Tony to utter. He noted the whitening of Enzo’s knuckles. He must be gripping his hands tight. Is he really afraid I’ll shoot him down?

  “You know, it’s okay.” Enzo’s cheeks turned ruddy, and he released his hands as he scooted to the edge of the booth.

  “No, no, I wasn’t turning you down,” Tony rushed out, and before he knew what he was doing, he’d grabbed one of Enzo’s hands between both of his. “I’m just surprised. I can’t remember the last time anyone was interested in, er, doing anything. With me.”

  Enzo stopped trying to get away and his mouth dropped open for a second before he snapped it shut. “Nuh uh. No way you don’t get hit on all the time.”

  They were going to trade blushes, Tony guessed, because now it was his turn again. “I don’t, but if you mean it—”

  “I do.” Enzo nodded. “I totally mean it. I’ll even ask to leave early. It’s a slow night anyway.”

  “I don’t want to take you away from your work.” Tony could only assume there was a reason Enzo worked three jobs. It couldn’t have been for the fun of it all.

  “No, it’s okay. Look around the place. Friday nights are hit and miss. If there’s a Spurs game, we don’t have much business.” Enzo disengaged his hand from Tony’s. “So I can leave early. Why don’t you eat, then if you want, we can go, um.” He frowned.

  “My place, if you want,” Tony offered, his heart fluttering like a hyperactive butterfly. “If you’re not comfortable with that, a hotel—”

  “Your place is fine.” Enzo beamed at him, and Tony’s dick took notice, beginning to harden. “I can meet you there after I go home and shower.”

  “Or,” Tony murmured, surprised at his own daring, “You could come home with
me, and we shower together.” He’d cleaned up before coming to Georgie’s, but the idea of Enzo, naked, wet and touchable, was one he couldn’t resist.

  Enzo slid out of the booth. “I like your idea better. Should I ride with you?”

  There was an edge to Enzo’s voice, something that Tony couldn’t decipher. “If you want to?” he hedged. “I wouldn’t mind at all.”

  Considering the wink and smile that got Tony, he must have given the right answer.

  “That’s cool. I’ll have to leave, though. I can’t stay the night, so you’re good with me slipping out?” Enzo asked.

  “Yeah, of course, you can leave whenever you need to.” Tony hadn’t felt so excited in a long time, and it wasn’t just sexual excitement. To be able to touch and be touched by a lover was something he’d missed the last five years. He hadn’t realized how much so until just then.

  “It’s a date. Have you decided what you want to order?”

  Tony was tempted to say he wasn’t hungry anymore. He didn’t want to come across as desperate, however. “I’d like the salmon spring rolls to start, and—” Nothing too heavy now. “The broccoli and cheddar soup.”

  “Anything else to drink?” Enzo gestured to Tony’s glass of water. “Or a refill?”

  Tony started to say no then decided on a soda as a treat, since he hadn’t allowed himself one recently. “A Diet Coke, please.”

  “I’ll be right back with your drink.” Enzo winked at him. “And I’ll put a rush on the rest of your order.”

  Tony couldn’t help but chuckle. He was flattered, excited, horny and he liked Enzo. Happiness was precious, as he well knew, and he clutched at it with everything he had in him.

  Chapter Four

  Enzo thanked Janet again. “I really appreciate you letting me take off early.”

  Janet waved him off. “Go. It’s dead out there and that guy you were talking to was hot.”

  Enzo laughed, anticipation and arousal bundling nicely with joy. “Yeah, yeah, he is. I’ve run into him a few times and figured this was my chance.”