“Yup. I would have had it serviced before we left, but we didn’t have time. I just needed to make sure everything is in prime condition should anything happen while we’re here.”
I took out a Snickers mini bite size candy and handed him the bag of candy. “You think something will happen while we’re here?”
“Not likely, but I’d rather we be prepared.”
The diner was small, with less than a dozen seats. The menu was quite limited, but Hunter ordered chicken burgers for us with fries on the side. A root beer float for him and a Coke for me.
“Not the best,” Hunter said as he took a bite from his burger. “But it’s edible.”
I happily chewed mine. “Everything tastes good to me now.”
He chuckled and wiped at the corner of my lips.
“When this is all over,” I said. “Can we do this more often? Eat out together. I really like being out with you, and I wish we got the chance to go to the movies again.”
He took a long sip from his drink. “This is going to take a while. You know that, right? Trials can take years.”
“Years?” My heart sank. I’d been hoping for a year at the most, and then we would get to be together forever.
“Yes, I know things seem simple, but it’s going to get a lot more complicated for us.”
“Meaning what?”
“I’ll have to resign from my job.”
I put my burger down. “You have to?”
“Yeah, it’s either that or wait for word to get to my superiors about us, and then I’ll be fired for sure.”
“But why?”
“For starters, I’m directly involved with the cases they’re building on the men they arrested. The defendants can bring that up in court, and it’ll make the whole thing ugly. Anyone who hears about your history will think I’ve taken advantage of you needing someone to navigate life.”
“But you didn’t.”
“Didn’t I?”
“You can’t believe that. I want you. It’s my choice, and I never had much of that before, but this-this is mine, and I won’t have anyone else saying differently.”
He took my hand and laced our fingers. “It’s the only way to keep you, Cosmo.”
“You’d give up your job to be with me?”
“I think it’s time. I’ve given the force twenty-six years of my life.”
“But you love your job, and you’re good at it.”
“I’m not sure I can keep that job if we stay together. I’ve crossed so many lines. It wouldn’t feel right.”
“You’re a good man, Daddy. I hope there’s another way.”
He squeezed my hand, then let go. “Don’t worry about it. Either way, I’ll be right here with you through it all.”
The door to the diner opened, and two men entered. They passed our tables and took a seat somewhere behind me. Hunter’s eyes followed them, frowning.
“What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. I just hate that this is a place where people come and go. We can’t tell who’s a stranger or if we were followed. Let’s finish eating, then get back to the cabin quickly.”