The Love Bookshop

Chapter Twenty Three

Ben smiled genuinely for the first time since he had awakened. " Hello, Hen. Is that for me? "

Henry smiled back at him and swept over to the other side of the bed. He bent down and pressed a noisy wet kiss on Ben's forehead and both cheeks. He said softly," Of course it is, buttercup. If you promise to stop making me old before my time. " He handed the aged book to Ben who eagerly took it with his delicate hands. Ben gingerly held it , wishing that he had his gloves so he could examine it and read it properly. He dared not touch the precious pages with unprotected hands.

Henry regarded the other man in the room with narrowed eyes and open disdain. Daniel was doing the same.

" Daniel St. Austin ," Henry said.

" Daniel replied," Henry Hawkins. The best friend. "

" Yes. The bestie that came first. "

Ben finally broke away from his new literary toy to notice the odd bristling tension emanating from the two men as they stared at each other. He burst out laughing. " Which one of you are going to pee on me first? "

Daniel coughed in embarrassment but Henry didn't have the same humility. He merely sat his well tailored self onto the bottom of Ben's bed possessively and remarked," Give me time. I had some Perrier in the U-Haul. Now one of you stop looking at each other like sex crazed prison inmates and tell me what the fuck is going on. Oh. And Benjamin Baldwin Love is definitely getting a dog. "

Ben rolled his eyes.

Daniel smirked," I like dogs. And cats. Now stop your babbling so I can explain. Someone is trying to kill Ben. Yesterday at his house and today in his car. I'd stake my life on it. I saw the evidence myself. So did the cops. If I have anything to do with it this person won't get another chance. "

Ben shook his head and cradled the book. " Who would want to kill me? I don't have enemies. "

Henry agreed. " True. You need a life for enemies. Now me I could see. One of my exes tried to kill me with a chainsaw once. "

Ben shot his best friend a mean look. " It was a butter knife and he found you in bed with a fellow drag queen. "

Daniel reached for Ben's hand again and squeezed it. " Ben , has anything changed in your life recently? "

" No. Just you moving in. "

" Besides that. Because I am not trying to kill you. Has anything happened that made you nervous? Any threats? Calls ? Visits ? Anything remotely out the ordinary? "

Ben tried to think but his life was so boring. There was his days working Monday to Friday at the bookshop where he had four employees. Three part time and one full time. They all seemed to like him especially Pam who he was thinking of making assistant manager. His volunteer work reading to sick children at the hospital. Except for the day of the accident he went to church at Love First Baptist most Sundays. He had no issues there. Everyone in town seemed to like him. He thought. Yet some one had attacked him at home and tampered with his car. He could have been killed. And so could that poor family. Just like the family in his original accident when he was five.