My Busboy Read online

  Detective Stone pushed his chair back and stood. Standing at the side of the bed, he brushed his fingers through Chaz’s hair before he dropped his hand to his side.

  “Back to work,” he said to no one in particular. To Chaz alone he said, “I’ll be here when you’re released tomorrow to take you home.”

  Chaz nodded, his eyes misting with tears. “Thank you.”

  Stone looked as if he wanted to say more but would prefer not do it with the audience he had now. He plastered his face with that cop persona he applied so well, and with a last wink at all of us, he strode toward the door.

  When the three of us were alone, Dario reached out and took my hand. Then he reached across the bed and took Chaz’s hand as well.

  “We can be friends now, I think,” Dario quietly said. “We each of us have what we want. There’s nothing more to fight about.”

  I watched Chaz’s thumb move over the back of Dario’s hand, even as Dario’s thumb moved over the back of mine. “You’re still too pretty,” Chaz said, a mischievous leer narrowing his eyes. “I could like you better if you were a little uglier.”

  Dario laughed. “What are you bitching about? You ended up with the hunky cop. All I got was the writer.”

  When they saw the shattered expression on my face, which, by the way, was actually there for show—mostly—Dario howled with laughter and Chaz sort of mumbled his way carefully around a giggle while trying not to bend his face and jar the stitches on his cheek.

  Dario hung his head and pouted in insincere apology. “Sorry, babe.”

  “No, you’re not,” I growled.

  Dario snorted. “No, I’m not.”

  He stood and pulled me to my feet. “Let’s go home and let Chaz rest. We have a cat to feed.”

  A soft snoring filled the air, and gazing down we saw that Chaz had already drifted into sleep.

  “Chaz has some explaining to do,” Dario said quietly.

  “About him and the cop?” I asked. “He certainly does.” And turning to stare into Dario’s bottomless caramel eyes, I added, “It’s amazing how love sneaks in on tiptoe at the oddest times, and between the oddest of people.”

  “You mean like between a writer and a busboy?” Dario asked.

  “Yeah,” I said. “That’s a pretty good example.”

  He stared at my teasing smile, then trailed a fingertip across my lips, all humor suddenly gone from his face. I stood speechless, floored by the love in his eyes. So many emotions thundered through me from one breath to the next, that all I could do was nod. Words were beyond me.

  In the ensuing hush, which Dario seemed to understand, he laid his hand atop my chest as if to feel the beating of my heart beneath. He studied my face for a long moment, gently brushed a speck of lint from my injured shoulder, then took my hand and led me toward the door, toward the elevator, toward the bustling street outside.

  Toward his new home. And life. With me.

  More from John Inman

  Sometimes an entire lifetime can be spent in the arms and heart of one person. It is not so with imaginations, for they go anywhere they wish.

  David Ayres and Arthur Smith are about to find that out. When they meet as young men within the garden walls of the Mission of San Juan Capistrano, one man from one continent, one from another, an uncontrollable attraction brings them together. But it is something stronger than attraction that holds them there. It is love. Pure and simple.

  After forty years, when the fabric of their existence together finally begins to fray because of David’s imaginary infidelities, it is with humor and commitment that they strive to remain in each other’s heart.

  And turning fantasy into reality, they find, is the best way to do it.

  When Tyler Powell’s life is torn apart by an unspeakable crime, the need for vengeance takes over. Every moment of every day, as he tries to pull his shattered existence together again, it’s all he can think about—revenge.

  Will he give in to his rage and become the very thing he hates most? A killer?

  Only with the help of Homicide Detective Christian Martin, the cop in charge of his case, does Tyler see the possibility of another life beginning—the astounding revelation of another love reaching out to him. A love he thought he would never know again.

  Will he let that love into his life, or is he lost already? Is payback more important to Tyler than his own happiness? And the happiness of the man who loves him? Tyler is determined to find a way to exact his revenge without sacrificing all hope for a future with Christian, but it will be difficult—if not impossible—and in the end he might be forced to make an unbearable choice.

  A classic tale takes off in sexy new directions! Poor Mr. Dickens must be twirling in his grave.

  When E.B. Scrudge, putz extraordinaire and all-around numbnuts, is visited by his dead ex on Christmas Eve, he can’t imagine how his life could sink any lower. But the three ghostly spirits that come along after are even worse! Good lord, a dyke, a drag queen, and rounding out the trio, a big, hunky bear with nipple rings and a butt plug! What’s next?

  What’s next is a good deal of soul-searching and some hard lessons learned with a dash of redemption thrown in for good measure.

  And love too, believe it or not. Love that had been simmering all along at the heart of Scrudge’s miserable existence, although he was too selfish to see it—until a trio of holiday beasties pointed his sorry ass in the right direction.

  Reverend Brian Lucas has a secret his congregation in the Nine Mile Methodist Church knows nothing about, and he’d really like to keep it that way. But even his earth-shattering secret takes a backseat to what else is happening in his tiny hometown.

  Murders usually do that.

  Brian’s “close friend,” Sam, is urging a resolution to their little problem, but Brian’s brother, Boyd, the County Sheriff, is more caught up in chasing down a homicidal maniac who is slaughtering little old ladies.

  When Brian’s secret and Boyd’s mystery run into each other head on, and Boyd’s fifteen-year-old son, Jesse, gets involved, all hell breaks loose. Then a fourth death comes to terrify the town, and it is Brian who begins to see what is taking place in their little corner of the Corn Belt. But even for a Methodist minister, it will take more than prayer to set it right.

  Old friends and business partners, Maitland Carter and Lenny Fritz, may not be the two sharpest pickle forks in the picnic basket, but they have big hearts. And they are just now coming around to the fact that maybe their hearts are caught in a bit of turmoil.

  Diving headfirst into a whirlwind of animal mayhem, these two self-proclaimed pet detectives strive to earn a living, reunite a few poor lost creatures with their lonely owners, and hopefully not make complete twits of themselves in the process.

  When they stumble onto a confusing crime involving venomous reptiles, which is rather unnerving since they’re more accustomed to dealing with misplaced puppy dogs and puddy tats, they take the plunge into becoming real-life crime stoppers.

  While they’re plunging into that, they’re also plunging into love. They just haven’t admitted it to each other yet.

  Readers love John Inman

  Two Pet Dicks

  “Two Pet Dicks is a genuine and compelling mystery… Inman has written a well thought out and interesting story with twists and turns that left me guessing.”

  —Joyfully Jay

  “I had so much fun with this book. I can tell you that I will be reading it more than once. It gave me everything I could want in a story and so much more.”

  —MM Good Book Reviews

  “This was a light but laugh-out-loud, super-fun romp, just like I expected. John Inman never disappoints!”

  —My Fiction Nook

  Scrudge & Barley, Inc.

  “Mr. Inman brought out the kid in my heart, and I’m very grateful for that.”

  —Hearts on Fire Reviews

  “This is a magical and beautiful (and a little scary) story!”

 
—Diverse Reader

  “I found this story to be just brilliant. I enjoyed the careful way this author reworked a somewhat tired and overused story and made it relevant and entertaining again.”

  —The Novel Approach

  JOHN INMAN has been writing fiction since he was old enough to hold a pencil. He and his partner live in beautiful San Diego, California. Together, they share a passion for theater, books, hiking and biking along the trails and canyons of San Diego or, if the mood strikes, simply kicking back with a beer and a movie. John’s advice for anyone who wishes to be a writer? “Set time aside to write every day and do it. Don’ t be afraid to share what you’ve written. Feedback is important. When a rejection slip comes in, just tear it up and try again. Keep mailing stuff out. Keep writing and rewriting and then rewrite one more time. Every minute of the struggle is worth it in the end, so don’t give up. Ever. Remember that publishers are a lot like lovers. Sometimes you have to look a long time to find the one that’s right for you.”

  E-mail: [email protected]

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/john.inman.79

  Website: www.johninmanauthor.com

  By John Inman

  Chasing the Swallows

  A Hard Winter Rain

  Head-on

  Hobbled

  Jasper’s Mountain

  Loving Hector

  My Busboy

  Paulie

  Payback

  The Poodle Apocalypse

  Scrudge & Barley, Inc.

  Shy

  Snow on the Roof (Dreamspinner Anthology)

  Spirit

  Sunset Lake

  Two Pet Dicks

  THE BELLADONNA ARMS

  Serenading Stanley

  Work in Progress

  Coming Back

  Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS

  www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Published by

  DREAMSPINNER PRESS

  5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA

  www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  My Busboy

  © 2016 John Inman.

  Cover Art

  © 2016 AngstyG.

  www.angstyg.com

  Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.

  All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.

  ISBN: 978-1-63477-083-5

  Digital ISBN: 978-1-63477-084-2

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2016901593

  Published July 2016

  v. 1.0

  Printed in the United States of America

  Table of Contents

  Blurb

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Epilogue

  More from John Inman

  Readers love John Inman

  About the Author

  By John Inman

  Visit Dreamspinner Press

  Copyright Page