Behind him, Deuce heard Ty begin to whistle the tune to “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.” Deuce knew, though, that in his mind Ty was singing “The Bear Went over the Mountain.” Deuce grinned. It was going to be an interesting hike.
IT WAS well past midday of the second day of hiking when Earl stopped them for a decent break. Ty set his pack against a towering tree and took out the trail map. He held it up and tilted it into the broken sunshine that cut through the canopy of leaves. They were going over terrain he didn’t recognize, and though Earl seemed confident in where he was going, Ty’s father always seemed confident in where he was going, regardless of whether he knew where he actually was.
Ty was fairly certain they were already lost.
Deuce came over as Earl and Zane sat on a fallen log near the trail, eating the last of the sandwiches Mara had wrapped tightly in wax paper and packed up for them. “I think we’re lost,” Deuce muttered to him.
Ty snorted in amusement and nodded. “This trail here,” he said, indicating the path they’d been following, “it’s so overgrown I don’t think it’s been widely used in a few years.”
“Think we should ask Dad if he knows where we are?” Deuce asked dubiously.
Ty looked at him askance. “And have to listen to him harp at us for not having our bearings?” he posed. “Not me.”
“Good point,” Deuce agreed with a sigh.
“You don’t think this is another of his little tests, do you?” Ty mumbled with a frown as he turned the trail map sideways. “Is that crayon?”
“He wouldn’t do that when you have a stranger up here,” Deuce answered with a shake of his head, ignoring the second query. “Would he?” he asked doubtfully.
Ty shrugged and looked up at his father and Zane as they ate in silence. To his eye, Zane looked okay; he hadn’t made a single peep about them slowing down or stopping yet. He was stubborn, and he’d tromped along with them gamely, even talking with Deuce about some of the places he’d worked. But Ty also knew his partner still wasn’t sleeping at night, and this hiking was wearing on him. Zane tried to hide it, but Ty knew what to look for after the last few weeks. Sometimes even a nice rough roll between the sheets wouldn’t help Zane sleep well.
Zane was wrong in the head somehow, and he wasn’t getting better. Ty knew that was a big reason they’d not been put back in the field yet. It frustrated him to no end, and that frustration was beginning to wear on their partnership in more ways than one. That was one of the reasons he’d been keeping his distance; he didn’t want to add any more stress to whatever Zane was dealing with, and Ty knew himself well enough to know that he caused stress even to the people who liked him.
Ty set those thoughts aside for later, hoping he wouldn’t have to deal with the issue at all. “Hey, Dad, Deuce and me are gonna scout ahead a little,” he called out, thinking to give Zane a little more of a break before they headed off again. And hopefully find a clearing and a landmark or two.
Earl gave them a wave of acknowledgment as he chewed. Ty turned and gestured for Deuce to come with him.
“So,” Deuce said as soon as they were far enough away from the others to speak freely. “Is it really such a good idea to get involved with him?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” Ty asked with a distracted frown as he studied the surrounding area and looked down at the laminated paper in his hand. He was almost certain now a portion of the thing was drawn in crayon. They were not where they were supposed to be.
“Ty? Give me one minute, okay?” Deuce asked, and he held up one finger to emphasize the request. Ty looked up at him in surprise, pulling his attention away from the trail map. “One minute to have a serious conversation. Then we can go back to pretending we’re not lost,” Deuce bargained.
“Okay,” Ty muttered warily, and he folded the map up and slid it into his pocket. “Shoot.”
“Don’t get me wrong, all right?” Deuce requested as he started walking again, using the stick Ty had carved to help him. “He seems like an okay guy. He’s kinda… twitchy, but then so are you. And if you’re going to be involved with a guy, I’d rather it be someone who can kick your ass,” he informed Ty seriously. “But I’ve seen what you do to the people you’re f**king, man. They fall for you; you dump them; they have a nervous breakdown. What happens when it ends? Can you request a new partner because of personal issues?”
“It won’t go that far,” Ty scoffed as he caught up to his brother and walked beside him with his head down, watching the trail. “And I do not give people nervous breakdowns,” he added in an insulted voice. He glanced up to catch Deuce’s disbelieving eye, and he shrugged defensively.
“You saying your relationship with him is purely professional?” Deuce asked.
“Yes,” Ty answered stubbornly.
Deuce stopped walking and shook his head. Ty moved until he was standing in front of him. “You’re full of shit,” Deuce accused with a smile.
“Well, that’s not new,” Ty argued.
“So, you’re saying if you weren’t f**king him any longer, you’d still be okay working with him,” Deuce posed, unwilling to be driven off track.
“Yes,” Ty answered in annoyance. “You a couples therapist all of a sudden?” Deuce snorted and began laughing. “Really,” Ty grunted as he turned away.
“You know how lovers’ spats get, Ty,” Deuce called after him.
“There’s no love involved,” Ty insisted as he turned back around and glared at Deuce.
“Maybe not for you,” Deuce pointed out. “What about him?”
“Garrett?” Ty asked, his voice rising in tone. “He’s not in love with me; are you kidding? He can barely stand me.”
“Love and like are two entirely different things, Tyler,” Deuce said knowingly as he started moving again.
“Yeah, well, save it for your clients,” Ty muttered as he followed. His brother responded with a delighted whistle, and Ty shook his head, trying not to let on how disturbed he was by the discussion. Deuce was even more perceptive than Ty, a skill that served his brother well in his chosen profession. But there was no reason to think Deuce was right in regards to Zane. Ty knew his partner better than Deuce did. Zane had already known the love of his life, and he wasn’t looking for another one. What that spelled out for them was absolutely nothing but enjoying the here and now.