Sebastian

Sparky a delighted smile. "Do you think he was trying to say something?"
    Nadia, who was busy pouring egg batter into another skillet, didn't answer.
    Oh, yeah , Sebastian thought, watching his aunt. I think he was trying to say something. What I want to know is why Sparky would hear "kiss me" often enough to have learned it.
    As if in answer, someone tapped on the screen door—and Nadia dropped the fork she was using to turn the bacon.
    "Jeb," Nadia said as she picked up the dirty fork. "Come in. You're just in time for breakfast." She put the fork in the sink, got a clean one out of the drawer, then turned back to her cooking.
    Sebastian swiveled in his chair as the screen door opened, noticing how Jeb pulled the door open just enough to slip inside and paused to make sure it was properly latched. A frequent visitor, then. One who didn't need to be told that some of Nadia's birds might be loose in the house.
    "Hey-a," Jeb said as he removed his cap and put it on a peg next to the door.
    "Hey-a," Sebastian replied.
    "Ah… Jeb, this is my nephew, Sebastian, and his friend Lynnea," Nadia said.
    Sebastian gave Jeb a smile that was brilliant and insincere. "You're getting a lot of company for breakfast this morning," he said, glancing at his aunt. He didn't think the heat from the stove was the reason her face was flushed.
    "Jeb is a neighbor," Nadia said, taking plates and mugs out of the cupboards.
    Taking the plates and mugs from her, Jeb set the table. "I help Nadia with some chores from time to time.
    I'm a woodworker by trade, so I'm handy with my hands."
    "I'm sure you are," Sebastian said pleasantly. And wasn't it interesting that this neighbor had been in such a hurry to help out with some chores that he hadn't taken the time to button his shirt properly.
     
    Nadia thumped a rack of toast on the table, which startled Sparky into another scold.
    "Feed him some toast," Nadia snapped. "Maybe that will keep him quiet."
    Taking the hint, Sebastian helped himself to a piece of toast, breaking off a corner for Lynnea to feed to Sparky, while Jeb poured koffee for all of them and Nadia dished out the bacon and eggs.
    He'd managed to put two women in a snit before breakfast. Was that some kind of record?
    He filled Lynnea's plate, since Sparky was perched on her wrist and didn't seem interested in going anywhere—and smiled at her when the stiff silence of the other two people at the table finally broke through her enchantment with the bird.
    They didn't linger over the meal. When Jeb pushed his chair back, thanked Nadia for breakfast, and offered to take care of a few of the chores, Sebastian said, "I'll give you a hand"—and ignored the sharp look Nadia gave him as he followed Jeb out the door.
     
     
    Lynnea kept her eyes on the bird dozing on her wrist. Such a small creature, but joyful and loving. What would it be like to have something that would love her just for being there, just for loving it in return? A companion that wouldn't criticize or think her inadequate?
    She'd felt the tension during breakfast, but she hadn't known the cause. She hadn't known what to do or say. And she'd been afraid that the tension would change to anger funneled toward her if she didn't stay quiet.
    But now Sebastian was outside helping Jeb, and a tigress wouldn't cower at the thought of saying something to a nice woman.
    "You have a lovely home," she said, looking around the kitchen. And it was lovely. Comfortable and warm. Welcoming. It reminded her of Sebastian's cottage. A place she'd probably never see again.
    "Thank you. It's been in my family for several generations." Nadia stood up and began scraping the remains of their meal onto a single plate.
    "Can I help?"
    Nadia smiled and looked at Sparky. "You are." She stacked the plates. "Have you known Sebastian long?"
    "Not long. And, I guess, not for much longer."
    "What makes you say that?"
    Her face burned with the shame of failure—and the shame of wanting. So she kept her eyes on the bird when she said, "He won't have sex with me."
    Nadia bobbled the dishes, almost dropping the stack. "What do you mean, he won't have sex with you?"
    "He won't. He says he can't, but he could if he wanted to. I may not know a lot about… sex things… but I know enough to know that when a man's… stuff… sticks out like that, he wants sex."
     
    Nadia set the dishes back down on the table. "And Sebastian's… stuff… sticks out when he's around you?"
    Lynnea nodded. "But he won't do