Cherry Pop (Mercury Rising Book 3) Read Free Page A

had been based on whether or not it was good for the two of them, not just Ben. One thing he had enjoyed the past year was the freedom to make selfish decisions. He felt foolishly immature when he did so, since that indulgence was for guys Tripp’s age, but he’d missed out on a lot things by tying himself to Roland so young.
    “You look a little uptight in the shirt and tie,” Tripp continued, “but we can overlook it this once if you promise not to mention that my friends mostly look like jobless hobos.”
    “Deal,” Ben said, grinning. “How about if I roll up my sleeves?”
    “I recommend it,” Tripp said. “Hotter than Hades out there still. Summer don’t pay no mind to the calendar down here.”
    “That’s for sure,” Ben said. “I’m still getting used to the heat.”
    “It’s not the heat,” Tripp said. “It’s the humidity.”
    “If I’ve heard that once this summer, I’ve heard it a thousand times,” Ben said. “I don’t care which one it is, it’s hot.”
    “Come on then,” Tripp said, opening the door to the outside. A gust of hot air hit Ben in the face. “Let’s cool you off with a cold beer.”

    * * *
    L uke , Tripp’s best friend, took a long pull on his beer and stared at Ben. He was the quintessential good old boy, a clone of half the men Ben had met in Mercury, with his NASCAR T-shirt and a camo baseball hat with a big fish on it. Ben was fascinated by his bushy, ginger beard.
    “So, the gay thing? How’s that going?” Luke finally asked.
    Ben choked on his beer and his eyes watered as he coughed. He’d been innocently watching a race on TV, trying to figure out what was going on. The bar was like a hundred others he’d been to before, except the sports on the TVs included NASCAR and a hunting show on the Outdoor Channel. Luke’s question came out of the blue.
    “Fine, thanks,” Ben croaked in response. “And the heterosexual thing? How’s that going?”
    “Not so good,” Luke said glumly. “I had a girl up in Fayetteville, but she’s in the Army and she shipped out.”
    “I’m sorry,” Ben said, feeling like an idiot. “You must be worried.”
    “Nah,” Luke said. “It wasn’t serious or nothin’. We were just screwing to pass the time. But now I got no prospects.”
    “Then I guess we’re in the same boat,” Ben said. “I’ve got no prospects either.”
    “Funny you should say that,” Luke said with a wink. He indicated the door of the bar with his bottle. “Want you to meet someone.”
    “Oh God,” Ben said in horror, understanding dawning. “This is a fix up. You’re trying to fix me up.” He stood up quickly. “No. No, no, no.”
    “He ain’t that bad,” Luke said. “I’ve known him my whole life. He can be a bit of an asshole, but he cleans up good and he’s got a job.”
    Ben closed his eyes. Unbelievable . He’d been worried about Brian and John and Evan trying to set him up, when he should have been worried about the locals.
    “Hey, Luke,” someone said from behind him. “Who’s this?”
    Ben opened his eyes and met Tripp’s stare. He was standing a few feet away, where he’d been talking with a couple of people Ben didn’t know yet. At Ben’s glare, Tripp blushed and shrugged.
    “This here’s Ben, Tripp’s new friend,” Luke said. “Turn around and meet Carver, Ben.”
    Ben slowly turned. Carver was about the same height as he was, maybe an inch closer to six feet than Ben’s five foot nine inches. He had shoulder-length brown hair tucked behind his pierced ears and wore a faded Myrtle Beach T-shirt and cargo shorts. Luke was right, he looked clean.
    “How do you do?” Ben asked, reaching out to shake his hand.
    “Are you the gay one?” Carver asked, looking him up and down as they shook.
    “Yep. I take it you are too?” he asked politely.
    “Yep,” Carver said. He let go of Ben’s hand and waved the waitress down. “In Luke’s little brain, that means we should hook up because I’m pretty sure