Read Heartsville 03 - Another Shot (J.H. Knight) for Free Online

because I thought it would be a nice, laid-back way to meet people. I thought they would do, I don’t know, fantasy novels or some classic gay lit or… whatever.”
    Mandy looked up, as if asking for strength to withstand the stupid people, but she didn’t comment.
    “What were they reading when you joined?”
    “ Madame Bovary ,” Brad said with a cringe, as if he were still traumatized. “I wanted to kill myself by the end. When they announced The Great Gatsby was next, I was down for the count.”
    Aaron couldn’t blame him. He’d read both and still couldn’t understand the appeal.
    Mandy said, “You just came in on a bad month. We had just finished Gay Lit month.”
    “What was last month? Books that require Prozac?” Brad asked, laughing when Mandy glared.
    “We were trying to see if we liked the classics better now that we weren’t being forced to read them.”
    “Did you?” Aaron asked, curious.
    “In some ways, yes.” Mandy sat a little straighter in her seat.
    “That’s code for no ,” he told Brad.
    Brad laughed softly and then said, “Well, anyway. She insisted we keep in touch after I backed out of the book club.”
    Aaron eyed his sister, who tried to look innocent. They both knew why she would insist on keeping in touch. Mandy didn’t bother with people very often. He shook his head but didn’t say anything.
     
    ****
     
    Brad offered to give Aaron and Mandy a ride, but they both declined. Mandy was parked a few blocks away, and everyone had early starts the following day. Aaron thought it would be better to avoid temptation when it came to having Brad up for a nightcap. After a quick kiss for Brad, he walked Mandy to her car.
    “You guys are so cute together.”
    Aaron secretly agreed, but he didn’t comment.
    “He likes all your dorky TV shows, same music, and he’s even neutral about the whole kid thing. Just like you.”
    “Yeah, and thanks for getting that one out of him. Your subtlety is… nonexistent.”
    Mandy looped her arm through Aaron’s. “Got the job done, though, didn’t I?”
    “Yes, and you sounded like a reporter for the Enquirer on speed.”
    “It was getting late.”
    Aaron leaned in and kissed the top of Mandy’s head. Her intentions were good, even if her execution was slightly off. “It’s a good thing you two had already met. Otherwise he would’ve thought you were vetting him for you .”
    “Well, I am vetting him for me, in a way. I want a brother-in-law, but he has to be one I like.”
    “Oh God, okay, Mom .”
    Mandy was in a good mood, apparently, because all Aaron got for his tease was a nudge with her elbow when they got to her car. She gave him a quick hug before ducking into her lime-green VW Bug.
    Aaron walked the rest of his way home in peace, enjoying the cool air, the promise of more rain, and a kind of anticipation— hope , even—he hadn’t felt in a long time.
     
     

Chapter Six
     
     
    Friday. Finally. It had only been a couple of days since the little impromptu dinner with Brad and Mandy, but it felt longer to Aaron. He and Brad had sent more than a few texts and spoken on the phone the night before, but Aaron was eager to see him in person again.
    They’d decided Brad would pick him up at work—which turned out to be a terrible mistake when Clara and Simon stood behind the counter making kissy faces at them. They managed to get most of the customers in on it as well. Someone even started singing “I Think I Love You” at one point. By the time Aaron pulled Brad out the door, he was ready to go on a firing rampage in the morning.
    “It’s like a weird little family in there,” Brad said as they walked to his truck.
    “Emphasis on the weird,” Aaron added with a laugh. “But that goes for my real family, now that I think about it.”
    Brad got the door for him before coming around to the driver’s side. “I think it’s kinda nice. My family… well, Shawna is the only one I have anything to do with.”
    Aaron