Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Never the tallest of men, Tom had only been about five foot six when that picture had been taken. The growth spurt he’d anticipated had only added a couple of inches to his height, and while that might make his twin sister tall for a woman, it did nothing for him.

His friends, including Jack, had great fun teasing him about needing to stand on tiptoe when the doctor measured him in order to top out at five foot eight.

But what meant the most to him was the fact that this big bear of a man who ran his own construction company, drank beer with the guys, and chased muff, didn’t much care that Tom was gay. Of course there had been a time, back in the day, when things had gotten dicey between them, but that was over and done. Sometimes, as a matter of fact, Tom would swear Jack looked at him as if he wondered what being with a man might be like. That was most likely a fantasy, though, and he’d pushed it out of his mind.