Page 4 of Mama's Boy
“I was lucky.Deal got hit hard.Oakhurst is one town over.We had a power outage, I had a couple of trees come down, and the basement was wet.It wasn’t too bad considering.I figure if the house made it through that storm, it will make it through any other that comes along.The flood insurance covered most of the damage.It cost quite a bit to get the trees hauled away, though.What kind of damage did you get?”
“The house is set up on a small hill so it was mostly wind damage and a few trees.Nothing hit the house though.”
“What time do you want to go on Saturday?”Chase asked.
“How about ten…I’ll pack a lunch, since we’re both so close to Belmar, maybe we could go home and change for dinner.”Rowan suggested.“Let me jot down your address.”
Well that means a good round of housecleaning.“That sounds great, so I’ll see you at ten on Saturday.I’ve got to go, I have to take my mother to the doctor.”
“That’s too bad.Anything serious?”
“No, other than a need for attention, I enrolled her in a driving course on Monday.She takes her first lesson tomorrow.I hope it goes well.”Chase wasn’t optimistic.
“For your sake, I hope it does.”Rowan chuckled.
“I’ll see you on Saturday, then.”
“Right.”Chase broke the paperclip.
“Bye.”Rowan hung up.Chase was still holding the phone.
* * * *
Rowan speed dialed Marty.“I have a date for Saturday.”
“Is he a nice guy?”
“Seems to be, he writes gay romance novels for a living.”Rowan laughed at the thought of being Chase’s latest research project.
“Why are you laughing?”
“I was just wondering if I’d wind up in a book, the Professor and the Romance Writer.”Rowan sat down on a white wicker chair in his sunroom.Marty couldn’t stop laughing.“Stop laughing at me.It isn’t that funny.”
“You laughed first,” Marty told him, indignant.
“Yeah, but you laughed longer.Listen to us, we sound like we did in middle school.”Rowan picked up a book from the glass table and blew away the dust.Oops, better get Olivia in here before Saturday.
“That’s one of the other reasons we never made it as a couple,” Marty observed.
“Why?”
“Because when we get together we act like two recalcitrant school boys, you know I’m right.”
Rowan thought a moment.“I’ll have to get back at you another time.I’m temporarily out of zingers.”
“God forbid.”
“Yeah, God forbid.I’ll get back to you and tell you how it goes.”Rowan got out Olivia’s number.
“Get the house cleaned before he comes.”
“You bastard,” Rowan said without heat.
“Nope, just know you too well, everything in its place under an inch of dust.”Rowan traced his name on the table.“Don’t fuck this up.”
“I’m hanging up now.”Rowan put down the phone and shook his head.That was always the problem, Marty knew him too well.
* * * *
