Page 50 of Make the Play
Friends. He knows they are, but hearing Emerson say it without hesitation, given his history, makes Jason’s heart swell with affection.
All but throwing himself back into his chair, Jason tips backwards to grab his phone off the far edge of his desk. “Only one thing left to do.”
“What?” Emerson asks, uncurling himself in curiosity. His legs drop to the floor and his shoulders straighten while he watches Jason.
“Call Andrew.”
“Your big brother?”
“Uh-huh,” Jason confirms, already calling. It rings twice, Emerson’s confusedwhymumbled at the same time Andrew answers the phone.
“What’s wrong?” Andrew asks.
“Why do you always assume something is wrong when I call you?” Jason questions, switching the phone to speaker so Emerson can hear as well.
“Maybe because that’s usually when you or Alec call me.”
“Nothing is wrong,” Jason assures him. “But I do need something. Or we do.”
“We,” Andrew echoes. “Am I on speaker phone?”
“Yup,” Jason confirms. “Me and Emerson are making homecoming plans and?—”
“Emerson, your teacher friend?” Andrew interrupts. “The one you told me about before.”
The weight of Emerson’s gaze is heavy, but Jason merely shrugs, not at all embarrassed about being caught talking about Emerson.
‘All good things,’ he mouths silently.
It’s clear Emerson is curious, but he resists asking questions, eyes darting between Jason and the phone in his hand. Were this either of his other brothers, he’d be pestered to death with questions, but because this is Andrew, the easy acceptance comes without a struggle.
“What do you guys need?” The question is accompanied by the loud clicking of his keyboard. How Andrew can hold a conversation and work on complicated stats at the same time is beyond Jason, but it’s not the first time he's done it, so Jason shouldn’t still be surprised by Andrew’s multitasking capabilities.
“Emerson needs a suit for homecoming,” Jason explains.
“I assume off the rack is not what you’re going for.”
“You’d assume correctly,” Jason confirms. “We need something tailored to his sensory needs. Stylish but very comfortable.”
Emerson’s face scrunches up, and he shakes his head.
“I see what’s happening here. You need me to get you guys in with Denise,” Andrew muses, the loud tap tap of his keyboard suddenly stopping.
“Not me, I’ve still got that suit from a few years ago. But Emerson needs something.” He turns his attention to Emerson. “Denise is Andrew’s tailor. Well, she does a lot of custom work too, like Charlie’s suits when he has a gallery opening for example. But mostly just for Andrew, he’s very…particular about his clothing.”
“Some of us don’t like the feeling of seams,” Andrew grumbles. “Nor do we want to look like we’re walking around in something we slept in.”
“He means Charlie,” Jason tells Emerson in a mock whisper.
Andrew’s thoughtful hum filters through the phone. “Is Emerson looking for something off the rack that needs to be tailored or something custom?”
“I think custom would be the best bet for comfort,” Jason answers easily.
“I can’t afford a custom suit,” Emerson hisses.
If Andrew heard Emerson’s outburst he says nothing, far too tactful. “She’s not taking on any new clients, but I might be able to pull a few strings. When do you need it?”
“Homecoming is uh—” he pauses, assessing the best way to break this to someone with Andrew’s desire to plan far, far ahead for everything. “Next weekend.”
