The Trouble With Tony (14 page)
Read The Trouble With Tony Online
Authors: Eli Easton
Tony choked out a laugh. “No, Ma. He’s not Italian.”
“Catholic?” Now Ma sounded a bit petulant.
“Uh… no. He’s not Catholic, Ma.” Tony took a deep breathe. “But he’s a doctor and a war hero, and I love him.”
Ma covered the phone again, but he could hear her muffled voice call out. “Tony’s dating a doctor! And a war hero!” Tony rolled his eyes. Then he heard Ma say, “No,
idiota
, it’s a man!” Ma came back on the phone, chatting excitedly, but the receiver was wrestled away from her.
“Hey, Tony!” It was Federico’s voice.
“Hey, Rico,” Tony’s heart came to a standstill in his chest as he awaited the worst.
“Is it Jack Halloran, that guy you asked me to look into?” Tony couldn’t read much of anything in Federico’s voice except surprise.
“Yeah,” Tony said.
“You stud. Hey, is he there? Put him on.”
Wordlessly, Tony handed the phone to Jack. Jack took it with a wary grimace. “Hello? This is Jack Halloran.”
Jack listened for a long moment while Tony shit enough bricks to build a house complete with a carport. Jack said “uh-huh” a few times and then, “I think we can manage that. Thanks for the invitation.” He handed the phone back to Tony.
“Jack already said you guys were coming for Thanksgiving, so don’t even try to get out of it. I wanna meet him,” Federico told Tony firmly.
Tony felt something deep inside him give way. He hadn’t realized until this moment how much he cared about his family’s response, and how hard it had been keeping it all inside. He felt a hot pressure in his chest. He blinked as the vista blurred. “You don’t….” Tony wanted to say
hate me
but he went with something less inflammatory. “…care? That I’m gay?”
Federico snorted. “Yeah, call the fucking news station on that one, Tony. We’re still shaking our head over that whole fiasco with Marsha.”
“My mother’s second cousin, Domino, was a homosexual,” Ma screamed from somewhere near Federico. “He was in the florist business for thirty-five years.”
“Yeah, thanks, Ma,” Tony said, his face burning. “You know Marco won’t like it,” Tony told Federico.
“So what? I’ll kick his ass. Listen, maybe now you can move back to Brooklyn, huh? You and Jack. I’m sure he could get work around here. I hear there’s a shortage of doctors, and people are real good about hiring veterans.”
Tony looked at Jack. He was sitting on the rock, legs bent, arms relaxed on his knees as he looked out over the deep valley and distant peaks. His short-sleeved T-shirt showed the scars on his right arm unselfconsciously. And there was a soft, secret smile on his face.
“I’m sure he could find work there, Rico,” Tony said quietly. “But what he does here at this clinic, it’s real important.”
Jack glanced at him and gave him a puzzled smile.
“Yeah, well, we’ll talk about it at Thanksgiving, huh? Hey, does he like football? I’ll get tickets. Here’s Ma.”
After a few more questions, Tony managed to extract himself from the phone with a promise to call later. He stood and held out his hand.
Jack grabbed it and let himself be pulled up. “You okay?” Jack asked, looking at him questioningly.
Tony took a deep, shaky breath. “Fuck ya. I’m good. Real good.” He nodded at the trail leading up. “Guess we should get movin’. We’ve still got a ways to go.”
Jack surprised him with a brief kiss on the lips. “Race you, DeMarco.”
About the Author
E
LI
E
ASTON
has been at various times and under different names a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, a game designer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a fanfiction writer, an organic farmer, and a profound sleeper. She is now happily embarking on yet another incarnation, this time as an m/m romance author.
As an avid reader of such, she is tickled pink when an author manages to combine literary merit, vast stores of humor, melting hotness, and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, three bulldogs, three cows, and six chickens. All of them (except for the husband) are female, hence explaining the naked men that have taken up residence in her latest fiction writing.
Her website is http://www.elieaston.com.
You can e-mail her at [email protected].
Also from
D
REAMSPINNER
P
RESS
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Copyright
The Trouble with Tony ©Copyright Eli Easton 2013
Published by
Dreamspinner Press
5032 Capital Circle SW
Ste 2, PMB# 279
Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886
USA
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover Art by AngstyG, www.angstyg.com
Cover content is being used for illustrative purposes only
and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
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. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the Publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 5032 Capital Circle SW
Ste 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA.
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/
Digital ISBN: 978-1-62798-102-6
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition
August 2013
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