Page 61 of Besties
“Sure.”
“This is going to be a tactless thing for me to say, and I’m sorry in advance. Was your father homophobic by chance?”
“What?” he shrieked. “Who the fuck is lying about my dad? No, he fucking wasn’t homophobic. He was bisexual, for God’s sake. He had a long-term boyfriend from high school to college. About a year after they broke up, he met my mom. No, Mr. Henry—Max—my father was anything but homophobic. We wore matching rainbow T-shirts in the Pride parade. He met my boyfriend, and the two of them get along great. They go to baseball games sometimes because I can’t stand it. But you know what? Dad will turn around and go with me to a gay film festival because he doesn’t want me feeling that he doesn’t love me.”
Dennis wasn’t a bigot. That message was loud and clear. “I’m sorry. I—listen, please, lunch? Or even breakfast if you’d rather.”
“I really do need to stay here. Can you come by my place?” He rattled off the address. “I’m going to be home all day.”
“I’ll be there,” I promised.
After disconnecting, I went to Richie’s office. He was on the phone when I walked in, and he waved at the chair across from him. He was smiling, which I took to be a good thing. After he finished his conversation, he turned to me, smiling like the cat who got the canary.
“That was the second company we sent a copy of Teaching Time Tools to. They said they tore it apart, and found it to be, in their words, an incredible product. They were shocked at the quality, especially considering how we crushed the standards.”
That was awesome news. “Okay, let’s add that to our folders that we’ll present to the media, then.”
A serious look crossed Richie’s face. “You know, if they had said there was a problem, I would have shown that to the media as well.”
Of course he would. “Duh. You’re honest to a fault, dude. I know you’d never hide something like that.” I moved closer. “I’m going to head over to speak to Jeff Kramer.”
Richie frowned. “To what end?”
I told him about the conversation we’d had. “I think someone is setting Kramer up,” I concluded.
Richie’s expression was grim. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I came to the same conclusion. The biggest problem is we—I—bought into it. So let’s look at the facts. He’s bisexual, at least according to his son. He was doing stellar work here, until his attitude did a flip. Now he’s disappeared.” He nodded, then leaned forward, his arms resting on the desk. “Are you pondering what I’m pondering, Pinky?”
There was no way I couldn’t grin at him as I thought back to watching cartoons and noshing on snacks mom made us. How we’d sit together on the couch, shoulder to shoulder. How I’d fall asleep with my head resting on him. How I’d wake up to find him asleep and myself enfolded and protected in his arms. “I think so, Brain. Someone is being very naughty.”
“And somehow Dennis is caught up in it.”
“Let me go talk to his son, and afterward we’ll see what’s up. Deal?”
He looked pained. “I don’t like this. What if someone wants to hurt you?”
I flexed my bicep. I didn’t work out as much as I used to, but I figured I could still hold my own. “Did you forget who I was?”
Nothing. Not so much as a smile. “You’re not taking this seriously.”
But I was. The thing of it—my entire life Richie and I protected each other as best as we could. Now that he told me he loved me, I’d go to hell and back for him.
“You’re wrong,” I promised him. “I am taking this very seriously.”
He got up and pulled me into a hug. “I would rather lose the company than you,” he whispered into my hair.
“I’d rather keep you both,” I told him. “For the first time in my adult life, I feel useful and energized. I’m looking forward to challenges because I know that I’ve got you by my side.”
He kissed me then. It wasn’t soft or chaste—it was him claiming my heart, my soul, and my body. He could tell me until the moon fell from the sky that I was my own person and belonged to no one, but I would never believe it. His hands roamed over my back, sliding down to just above my belt. I prayed he’d go lower, allow me to feel his grip on my cheeks, kneading them, but he didn’t.
“I owe you an apology,” he whispered to me.
“For what?”
“I should have been able to man up before this. I should have told you years ago what was in my heart, what I wanted. I was too much of a coward, and that kept us apart for too long.”
But the thing was, I could now see clearly the twists and turns my life took—needed to take—in order to get us back together. Yes, there were many,manylosers in there as I lost myself in the sex, hoping to feel even the slightest iota of what my heart held for Richie, and yes, each time it ended, I felt worse, because I’d sunk lower than I thought possible. Then I discovered I still had farther to fall.
“I’m not,” I told him. “I’ll be honest. I don’t know that I was mature enough to not sabotage a relationship with you. I would have always been questioning if I was good enough or if I deserved someone as amazing as you. Now? I feel like I have a purpose. I want to work beside you, helping to bring Teaching Time Tools to everyone.” He put my head on his chest. “When I was doing the training, even though it was a kid’s module, I had fun and learned things. This is what schools should be like. It’s what you did for me. You made learning exciting, and I always thought I’d accomplished something when you smiled at me and told me I did a good job. If what you’re doing for these kids does half of that, theyneedyou in their corner.”
