Free Outlast the Night by Ariel Tachna

we’d appreciate it.”
    Paul pursed his lips like he had something to say still, but whatever it was, he held his tongue, and Jeremy let it go, ushering Sam toward the back where Paul had shirts, work pants, and long underwear stacked. “I’ll let you dig through and find your own size,” he said to Sam. “I’ve got to get a few things of my own.”
    Sam let him go. He wanted help picking out the right boots, hat, and jacket, but he could pick out his own trousers and shirts. The selection wasn’t anything fancy, but Sam didn’t need fancy. He had fancy already. The problem was what he didn’t have. He picked out three pairs of trousers and three shirts. He’d have to do laundry or else wear his city clothes when he was only going to be in the office, but he had a budget, and he had other things to buy as well.
    He set the things he’d selected on the counter and went to find Jeremy. “So what kind of boots should I get?”
    “I like Blundstones, although R.M. Williams is a good brand too,” Jeremy said. “I think Paul has both, so you can try them on and see which one fits you best.”
    Sam asked for his size, and Paul came back a few minutes later with a pair of each brand in the right size. Sam toed off his loafers and got ready to try the boots on.
    “Wait,” Jeremy said. “If you wear them with that kind of socks, you’ll tear your feet up.” He grabbed a pack of thick cotton socks and tossed them to Sam. “You’ll need a pack anyway, so go ahead and take a pair out so you can try the boots on with the right kind of socks.”
    Feeling like the biggest dunce in the world, Sam did as Jeremy directed and switched his socks for the new pair. They were soft, thick, and so incredibly warm that he took a minute just to relish the feeling. A smothered cough brought him back to the present, and he quickly tried on the first pair of boots.
    They were a little snug, so he pulled them off and tried on the second pair. “These are much more comfortable,” he said.
    “Then get those,” Jeremy replied with a smile. He flicked a hat in Sam’s direction. “Try that on.”
    Sam set the hat on his head, adjusting the brim until it settled comfortably. “How does it look?”
    “Like it was made to fit you,” Jeremy said, his smile widening. Sam told himself to stop acting like a teenager with his first crush, but he couldn’t stop the bolt of pleasure that went through him at the compliment and the smile. Jeremy probably didn’t mean anything by it, but he was paying attention, and apparently that was all it took to make Sam’s heart beat a little faster.
    “I know better than that,” Sam said, squirming a little under Jeremy’s continued stare, “but maybe one day, that’ll be true.”
    “Everyone has to start somewhere,” Jeremy said, “and you started somewhere else, in a different life and a different career. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
    Sam had a hard time believing that at the moment, but he knew Jeremy was right. He just had to convince himself of it all over again in the midst of a station full of men whose masculinity was far more overt and physical. When he’d been an office manager in a city full of people with nine-to-five jobs, it had been easier to believe in his own abilities and to see his own worth. Being unable to find a new job had shaken that, but he’d tried not to give up. Coming to Lang Downs had brought him a new job, but it also gave him a whole new standard to live up to, and he was all too aware of the softness of his own body compared to the man standing next to him.
    “So, what else do I need? You said something about a coat,” Sam said, deflecting Jeremy’s attention again.
    “A Driza-Bone,” Jeremy said. “They’re back here.”
    He led Sam to the back of the store where a rack of long, dark dusters stood. He pulled one off and handed it to Sam. “Try it on, but don’t be surprised if it doesn’t feel quite right immediately. It has to warm up