“I think so.”
“Good.”
Jax watched the other man get up, leaving to find comfort from his closest friends… and after hearing that conversation?
He couldn’t blame him.
No, Jax wanted to offer comfort, but had no clue as to how, and really couldn’t hold it against him if Handsy wanted to talk to the people that he was closest to.
He would do the same.
Checking his email, Jax sighed.
Nothing.
Again.
* * *
A week later,Jax looked up to see X-Ray walking back in from his vacation. He’d flown out to meet up with this girl he was talking to… and he hoped it went well, but from the look on the man’s face?
He was really wondering.
X-Ray was a great guy, too.
He was quiet, easy-going, never got upset, and was always available to chat. He had the bunk next to his and they’d played cards several times in the evening or exchanged books. It was nice to have another ‘reader’ in the group… even if they enjoyed different types of books.
Hot Cakes walked up to X-Ray and touched his shoulder just as Jax met the other man’s eyes.
“X-Ray… how are you holding up, man?” Hot Cakes asked quietly.
“I’ll have to manage. Won’t I?”
“Yeah,” Hot Cakes replied gently, patting him on the shoulder. “We all kinda do when we find the one…”
“Did you get married?” Jax asked quietly, pointing at his hand, stunned. The man was wearing a ring and never had before. “I thought you said you were never getting married…”
“Never say never, Ghost…” Hot Cakes laughed easily. “Many of us have said that, and all of us lied through our teeth.”
This was just another bitter pill to swallow. All of them were finding someone to share their lives with… except him. Reaper, Caboose, Hot Cakes, Handsy, and even Vapor?! They were all married or in relationships… and only a few of them had nobody in their lives.
Even Sparky was talking to someone on the sly and hiding it.
Houdini was avidly against a relationship… and Jax couldn’t find a girlfriend to save his life.
“Why is it the guys that don’t want to get married end up finding that special person… but those of us who are desperately looking, who believe in Happily Ever After, cannot find our way out of a cardboard box?” Jax muttered in disgust. “I try… but they don’t look at me twice. ‘I’m too nice’,” he mocked, holding up his fingers in air quotes.
“I’ve got a friend that will set you up with a girlfriend…” Hot Cakes’ voice carried across the room as silence fell.
“Houdini is going to be staying with Alpo and Glory…” Reaper volunteered, looking at Hot Cakes knowingly.
“You’re setting him up,” Sparky jeered in delight, and Handsy rolled his eyes.
“WHAT?” Houdini balked, turning extremely pale and looking around in horror. “I don’t want a girlfriend! You said for me to…”
“Enough,” Reaper said bluntly, cutting off Houdini’s paranoid ramblings and looking at Jax for confirmation. “Glory will set you up with a girl if you want her to. She loves that stuff, and somehow knows everyone in the area – or they know of her.”
“Seriously, Reaper,” Houdini started again nervously. “I’m going because you said that I should…”