Page 2 of York

“You better hope your future wife isn’t the jealous sort, or you’re gonna deeply disappoint your book club,” I told him. But my smile fell a little when I looked back out the window. “Christ. We’re gonna need to turn the hose on them.”

Dixon glanced out, watching Maud swim between her husband’s legs, one of her hands suspiciously absent while Calvin cupped her ass.

But before we had to be the bad guys, Huck came striding over from the direction of his house. “Yo. I’ll tolerate the nudity, but if you’re gonna be fucking, you gotta take that shit indoors. There’s kids around.”

Giggling like two horny teenagers, the couple got up, grabbed towels and their clothes, then hurried around the house.

Huck came in the back door a moment later. “Where the fuck do you get underwear that big? You could make a sail out of that much material,” he said, grabbing a beer out of the fridge and chugging it.

“Good timing,” Dixon said. “York was about to turn the hose on them.”

“Thought we’d get a lot of noise complaints when they opened the retirement facility and nursing home across the street. Didn’t expect to have so many horny old people running around half-naked.”

“At least it keeps them from calling the cops on us,” Velle reasoned.

“That’s true.”

“You got work for us?” Velle asked.

“Nah. Things will be quiet for a couple weeks. Zayn ran into a little heat. Nothing we need to worry about, but he’s taking a breather. And I don’t have any local clients I’m entertaining right now.”

“Usually a break in the action means you’re looking for us to check out a new prospect or two,” Velle said.

“I’ve got feelers out,” Huck said. “Coast’s boy, Ryland, is chomping at the bit for a chance, but for the record, I want him to get another year or two on him before I consider that. So I need some new guys in the meantime. Might have a little open house next week, so we can all meet them and put feelers out.”

We could all go for some new prospects. For the most part, it was really just the three of us partying now. Which was all right. But Velle was more of the introspective sort, taking the chicks away for conversations rather than drinking shots out of their belly buttons. Dixon was still young and crazy but didn’t have anyone to kick around with, since he saw me more like an older brother type than a buddy.

Fresh blood kept shit interesting.

“I know, I know,” Eddie said, bustling in through the back door with no fewer than ten grocery bags hanging off his arms. “You haven’t had a meal that didn’t come in a bag for six days.”

He wasn’t wrong about that.

It’d been nothing but pizza, tacos, Chinese, and fast food since he’d been mysteriously absent. He’d had his moments over the years where he disappeared for a day or two. And he wasn’t around for every meal. At least he hadn’t been since before my time. But it was not normal to not see the guy for a week.

I was starting to feel like the grease was leaking out of my pores. I knew Dixon and Velle were still working with that young guy metabolism. But if I wanted to keep the definition I had, I had to eat right at least most of the time. Eddie made that easier. I’d been taking him for granted.

“I’ve almost skeletonized,” Dixon said, getting a smile out of Eddie.

“I know a fast-food pallor when I see it,” Eddie shot back, shaking his head. “I’ve got some vegetables to fix it.”

He reached into the bag and started pulling out peppers, onions, zucchini, and greens. Tortillas and cheese came next.

“Are we getting… quesadillas?” Dixon asked, hopeful.

“With zucchini. And I don’t want to hear any complaints about it.”

Dixon mimed locking his lips.

“Quiet around here,” Eddie said.

“Don’t fucking jinx it,” Huck shot back. “I gotta go help with a book report. I’ll be back to steal some food when it’s done, though.”

“It’ll be here.”

“Glad you’re back,” Huck said before disappearing.

“So, why is it so quiet? Not a single pretty thing walking around?”