Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 2

wouldn't have these stress issues Danny. "
    Dan's smile took Rico by surprise. It was slow and sexy and completely wicked. Dan was totally focused on him. Rico felt a delicious shiver run through him as his nipples got hard. Then it made sense. Dan was a player. Of course he would have a charming smile. Rico was not about to be taken in by this, this…playboy surfer!
    "Listen carefully Dan," Rico used his most irritated, don't-bullshit-me demeanor. "I don't know what is going on between you and my uncle, but he wants to see you. I don't know why or what he's up to and as long as he's okay, I don't care. I just want to be left out of the next great scheme."
    Rico pivoted sharply and stalked back to his car. Dan watched until it was completely out of sight. "Hey Mickie," he called quietly. "Who is he?"
    Mickie popped his head out of the backroom. "Yea… um..."
    Dan waited patiently and soon enough Mickie supplied his information. "He's Salty's nephew."
    ****
    Rico glanced around his bathroom. He shared a home with his Uncle Russell, who had taken care of him since he was five years old.
    He loved the crusty old coot. Uncle Russell had been there for him all the way through high school then pushed him to go to college. Despite his uncle's cantankerous nature, he had always been tolerant of Rico's quirks and Rico was incredibly grateful for that. Now his uncle was sixty-nine and it was Rico's turn to keep an eye on him.
    He finished combing his hair and checked his appearance a final time in the mirror. Rico liked his face. He had wide cheekbones and a firm, strong jawline. His nose fit his face just right; not too big or too small. His full lips and light, milky skin were said to be a contribution from his father; he wouldn't know, having never met the man. Dark brown eyes and hair he kept extremely short on the back and sides completed the picture.
    As meticulous in his personal grooming as he was in every other aspect of his life, Rico placed the comb back into the drawer and double-checked the razor on the small hand towel. He had a need for things to be 'just so'. It might not make sense to everyone else, but it made him feel better, calmer, when everything around him was in proper order.
    Rico knew that it stemmed from how he had lived when he was very small.
    His mom thought snagging a wealthy husband would set her for life. The problem was, he had wanted a woman willing to be a wife and mother and she just wanted to play. Rico's father gave up after three years and returned to England. When his mother realized she was pregnant two months later, it was too late to convince his father of his paternity.
    Rico remembered the day he met his Uncle Russell. He had been sleeping in his closet.
    It was the only place he felt safe from all the loud strangers who used to parade through his home. He woke to yelling and something banged into the wall. His mom was screaming at someone to get out and let her live her life. The voices argued for a few minutes then a door slammed. Rico clutched the ragged Furby he had named Sam tightly to his chest. The door to his closet had opened. A large man stood looking down at him, then knelt in the doorway.
    "Hi Richard," the man's voice sounded rough. "I'm your Uncle Russell. You're going to be staying with me for a while."
    He chewed on Sam's ear. His Uncle Russell helped him get his shoes on and stand up. Hands clasped, they had walked out the front door and never looked back.
    Rico shook his head to clear the morose thoughts. He didn't know what was bringing them to mind after all this time.
    He started toward the patio, but was caught off guard by the sight of the surfer from yesterday approaching from the back gate. "Why are you here?"
    "It's about time. What are you waiting for, an engraved invitation?" A deep, strong voice called out from the patio.
    Grinning, Dan stepped around Rico and walked over to the lounger. "Well, I don't know" he teased the older, gruff looking man. "Can I bring a friend?"
    Russell "Salty" Harrington snorted. "You're looking good Dan. The beach agrees with you."
    "You're looking good, too, for an old man," Dan lobbed back with a grin.
    Rico moved his chair to the side so he could keep both Dan and his uncle in view.
    "Sit down and pour." Russell ordered, pointing to a sweating pitcher of lemonade on a little table between the chairs. "We need to talk."
    "I kind of figured that after I got a visit from Rico here. I have to say, I was a bit