love comes

Jace sat down at the little wooden table with a feast of roast beef, potato salad, the best cherry pie he'd ever had, and coffee so delicious it made his toes curl up.

When Mr. Shannon gave him all the contents of the scented paper bag, he couldn't help feeling a little guilty.It obviously contained Shannon's dinner, but his insistence made it difficult for Jace to refuse.As if that wasn't generous enough, the man got up to find Jace his shaving kit again.

Jace slowed down his meal, savoring every drop of sauce, every crumb.He didn't know when he'd be able to eat his next meal, let alone a meal like this one.He bought a meal with his last quarters, days ago, and he hasn't seen one since leaving the shanty town called Lucky Town. soup kitchen.

Speaking of luck, Jess couldn't believe that he had a "lucky" day.A few gentlemen had offered to feed him, but that relief had come at a price—a price Jace was unwilling to pay.He would rather go hungry.The handsome detective had promised him nothing in return, and though Jace remained wary, he was surprisingly relaxed around the man.

"found it."

Jace looked up at the man with the deep voice, pretending he wasn't at all attracted by his rugged charm.Shannon had removed his blazer and waistcoat, his gun holsters slung over his broad shoulders, his shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbows, exposing his strong bronzed arms.Mr. Shannon is a little slovenly, but somehow that makes him all the more charming.His healthy complexion sets off his platinum-blond hair and the light stubble on his sharp chin; his dark eyes are chocolate-colored.He exudes arrogance and danger, and his big hands are strong enough to strangle a grown man with ease.Never in his life had Jace met anyone who both terrified and fascinated him like this.

He quickly got himself under control.God, what happened to him?He shouldn't even have thought of that, especially with a man he just met.Not to mention that expressing affection for a tough guy like Shannon could have fatal consequences.Jace had heard such stories.tragic story.Spending the rest of your life in prison or a workhouse would be a happy ending.Shannon looked more like the do-it-yourself type.

Mr. Shannon put the shaving supplies on the table and sat down on the chair opposite him, looking even more striking than before.This man's temperament is very outstanding. "How is the taste?"

Jess didn't care about being polite, and forced out an ambiguous answer from his mouth full of food, which made the detective chuckle.Jace swallowed his food with his coffee, and smiled back at him.

"Delicious, thank you." He continued eating, only to find Shannon tapping his fingers thoughtfully on the table.The man obviously had something to say, and Jace had a hunch—he knew what the other person wanted to say.To his surprise, Shannon seemed to have a change of heart.Jace ate his last bite, leaving some pie untouched.He could at least be polite.

"I worked as a clerk at the First National Trust on Madison Avenue," Jess explained softly. "My roommate and I started working there right out of college. We lived together to save money. I wanted to save money." enough money to move into his own place, and Sissel soon quit his job at the bank to spend time with his music. Then, of course, it became increasingly difficult for him to find a job, and he had to rely on Save money to live."

"Let me guess," Shannon smiled knowingly, leaning back in his chair, stretching his long legs for comfort, "you ended up having to pay his rent frequently."

Jace nodded.To make matters worse, his roommate is also his one-time lover. "I don't mind that. I make more money than he does, and we've known each other since we were students. One day he came home in a panic and begged me to lend him two hundred dollars."

Shannon whistled low. "That's a lot of money. What is he going to buy? A European-built yacht?"

"He said he was in desperate need of money. It's better that I don't know about it." Jess replied, he was severely betrayed by this man who was said to love him, and now he had to try his best to control his emotions. "I gave him the money and didn't ask anything. He assured me that the loan was only temporary and he would return the money to me immediately."

"They always use the same story," muttered Shannon, "so what did this weasel do?"

This extraordinarily vivid nickname made Jess smile. "He came back shortly thereafter and announced that he had found the girl of his dreams and was about to marry her. He used the money he borrowed from me to build a solid background for himself. I guess you run into You see, she's a socialite and her father is very rich. Cecil bought herself an outfit, rented a fancy flat and got an engagement ring. .A week later, the bank where I worked failed. I lost all my savings, my job, my apartment and my entire life as far as I knew it.

"I guess Sissel disappeared?" Shannon smiled sympathetically. "By the way, you can call me Bruce."

"Thanks, Bruce. And yes. After I lost my place, I bounced between cheap hotels and ended up in a shack in Central Park, but then the police cleared the area and I had to keep wandering .I first stayed in Lucky Town for a while, and finally ended up living on the streets. That's when I walked into your building.

"That's how you came in?" Bruce asked in surprise.

Jess nodded: "The door is just wide open. Why?"

"The door was closed when I came back. It's always closed. Mr. Moyer, the landlady, guards the door like a hawk. If he sees someone forgetting to close the door, he'll blow his head off with rage. .”

"Oh. Well, I guess it was meant to be." Jess noticed the teasing look in Bruce's eyes, "I mean that door was destined to stay for me, not like you said, you The landlord is destined to 'get his head exploded'," he added with a laugh.

"I almost started liking you." Bruce sighed.He gestured for Jace to continue eating the pie, which he happily did. "Now that 'Roommate Murder' has happened, do you know what your first mistake was?"

Jess swallowed the pie and tilted his head to the side. "Lend money to Sissel?"

"No. You shouldn't be friends with a fool named Cecil in the first place," Bruce said gravely.

Jace stared at him in shock.There was a smile on Bruce's face, and Jace couldn't help laughing too.His laugh infected Bruce, and even Mitten came to see what they were making such a fuss about.After the two had had enough laughs, Jess finished the pie and coffee with a goofy smile.He hadn't smiled like this in a long time, and it felt so good.At least if he was asked to return to the street now, he would walk out the door with his chest held up like a human being again.It was hard for him not to despair, to feel inferior because he didn't have a steady job.Still, he pushes himself forward, grateful for any modest job he finds—whether it’s selling apples on a street corner, or shoveling snow or digging coal.He can always make do with it.

Bruce stood up and disappeared down the narrow hallway, returning a few minutes later with a stack of laundry.Jess stared at them blankly: "What are these used for?"

"Here's something for you to wear. Here's a pair of socks, a clean underwear, new underpants, and a tie. My shirt and suit may be a bit too big for you, but the trousers with the belt will fit. , we can pin up the trousers. I have some shoes that you can wear." He put the neatly folded clothes on the table. "You can sleep on the couch all night. There are pajamas here."

"You...you want to give these to me?"

"exactly."

Jace took the clothes and hugged them like the most precious gems, trying to hold back tears—mostly because Bruce was already looking a little embarrassed.God knows how overwhelmed the poor guy would be if Jace started wailing.Suddenly he remembered the pajamas—it took him twice as hard to hold back the tears that were about to burst: "Will you let me sleep on your sofa?"

"Are you a parrot? Stop repeating what I said," Bruce murmured. "Go wash up. There's a laundry sink and a clothesline if you want to do your laundry. I'm off to bed. See you in the morning. He turned to the little glove and patted his leg. "Come on, girl. It's time for bed."

With gratitude beyond words, Jace nodded briefly and headed for the bathroom.It's literally the happiest thing in the world: soak in a hot bath, shave, cut and comb your hair, do your laundry.He couldn't remember the last time he felt this good.Everything that was taken for granted is now a wonderful treat.At this moment, he promised himself that he would never take a residence for granted again.After doing all this, he felt refreshed.

Putting on his blue and white striped pajamas, Jess couldn't help smiling.The cuffs of the pajama jacket hung down to his fingertips, and he had to roll up his trousers to keep them from dragging on the floor.He blushed with embarrassment at the thought that the cotton that touched his skin had once caressed Bruce's strong body.

Enough is enough, he can't think about it anymore.It was Bruce's kindness that led him to these ill-timed reveries.It's a shame to let your mind wander in that direction.Now is not the time for him to fantasize.He'd have to leave early tomorrow morning, but that didn't make him any less grateful.The future will be difficult, but he will get through it.If he couldn't find a job in New York, he'd just hop on a train and head west like everyone else.Maybe someday he'll be able to come back here and thank Bruce.Maybe they could even become friends.He likes the idea.

Jace made his way to the couch, which was lined with fluffy pillows and a warm blanket.Somehow, he was less scared, and when he lay down, he knew he was going to be fine.The living room is cozy and has a bachelor air.Carpet and wallpaper are faded.On either side of the huge Philco radio were dark green armchairs that matched the sofa on which he was reclining.The footrest of one of the chairs was more worn than the other.Bruce probably sat in that chair after a busy day, with his feet on the footstool.Did the great detective ever feel lonely?Jess knew very little about private investigators, except that there were quite a few of them notorious.

There is a row of bookshelves on the opposite wall, and there are many books on it.Jess stood up curiously and tiptoed towards the bookshelf.He wasn't supposed to poke around in a man's living room, but he wanted to get to know this generous detective better, after all Bruce had done more for him than anyone he'd ever met in his life.It's not so bad to want to know more about your benefactor, is it?Fortunately, the light coming in from the small, curtained window was enough for him to see the little book on the shelf.They are all... stall literature[2].Themes range from detectives to romances.Thinking of the grumpy detective reading a romance novel, Jess had a nasty grin on his face.

Not wanting to invade Bruce's privacy any more, Jace went back to lie down on the couch.After a while he fell asleep with a big smile on his face.

-TBC-

Note [1]: "Lucky Town" (HardLuckTown, Hardlucksville, or Hardluck-on-the-River) was the largest shanty town in New York during the Great Depression.

Note[2]: This refers to a novel genre (often called dimenovels) that was widely popular in the United States from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century.This kind of novel is usually cheap, strong in story but low in literature.