“I was informed you have a Mr Lamperton working for you at the house. A freelance builder. Is that correct?”
Leonard met her gaze, staunching the temper rising in him.
“Informed by who?”
“Whom, dear. It’s informed by—”
“Who told you?”
“Does it really matter? The point is, how well do you know this man?”
“Well enough.”
“Look, I may seem like a humble woman—”
Leonard had to stop himself from snorting out a laugh. Aunt Millicent could be called a lot of things, but humble was not one of them.
“But I do have connections,” she continued. “And one of those who has links to the police force did a—what does one call it?—background check on this Lamperton person as a favour to me. You need to be careful, Leonard. Were you aware this man has a past as a known deviant and a sex worker with a number of criminal convictions including soliciting and assault—”
“Stop right there. I know who Mr Lamperton is, and he is completely trustworthy. We went to school together. And, moreover, he has explained everything to me. Due to a cold, heartless, uncaring family, who thought more about their faith than their own son, he had a tough time finding his way early on in life. What kind of monster does that to their child? Anyway, he is a good person, a better man than me.”
Aunt Millicent put a hand up in defence.
“Fair enough. If you already know, then that’s fine. I just wanted to make sure you understood the kind of person you’re employing, the kind of lifestyle he chooses, and ensure you’re taking all necessary precautions, especially if he’s doing manual labour. Make sure you’re not in a situation where you might be tainted by this man’s blood.”
Hoping to give nothing away, Leonard met her frosty stare. Was she implying what he thought she was implying, that Adrian was HIV positive? Or was this merely the wild speculation of a nasty woman? Despite his best efforts to ignore her words, the insinuation wormed a hole into the pit of his stomach. Whatever she intimated, he would not give her the satisfaction of reacting.
“I trust Mr Lamperton—Adrian— unreservedly. And if by ‘the kind of person he is’, you mean the fact that he’s gay, then you should know that we are the same kind of person, Adrian and myself. I trust you are not too obtuse to understand my meaning, Aunt.”
Her posture straightened again, her face draining of blood and her pencil-thin eyebrows drawing together in anger. She understood. Not that Leonard cared. He had heard enough. Even though he wanted to know who was updating his aunt about him, he wished to be gone from this woman’s toxic presence.
“Thank you for the tea,” he said, feeling nauseous, but standing and making his intention to leave plain. “And once again, just so we’re on the same page, am I right in saying you’re no longer planning to challenge the will?”
“That’s correct. As you’ve seen, I’ve informed Hope and Masters. Have they not contacted that ill-mannered and foul-mouthed woman who represents you? Maybe they’re trying to find the courage to pick up the phone.”
Finally, Leonard had cause to bark out a laugh. Helen Wallis would be professional, of course, but she would also have given them a piece of her mind for taking on his aunt’s case in the first place.
“In all the years I’ve used that ill-mannered woman, she has never lost me a case.”
“That’s nice. Will you let yourself out?”
“It would be my absolute pleasure.”
* * * *
On the drive to Wales, his mind kept being drawn back to his aunt’s comment about Adrian. Had she really found out something about him in a police report? Or had she just heard rumours from her source in Wales and decided to get on her a homophobic bigoted high horse? He leant more towards the latter. If Mary saw her father still—a man very much alive—then Aunt Millicent clearly had no problem telling bare-faced lies.
He didn’t want to believe a word she said, but then how much did Leonard really know about his new lover? Not that he cared if Adrian turned out to be HIV positive—well, he did care, of course, but only about the man and whether he was healthy, taking care of himself and on the right medication.
But if that was the case, he wanted Adrian to trust him enough to tell him. They’d had sex repeatedly now, safe sex every time, and Adrian seemed like the kind of man who would be open and honest about that kind of thing. One thing was for sure. He would not let the hurtful words of a woman he had come to despise affect what was blossoming between him and Adrian.
However awkward or uncomfortable the conversation might be, they needed to talk.
Chapter Twenty
Toni
Adrian held the sketch up to the light and rechecked the living room layout. He knew he had been fussing with the arrangement for the past twenty minutes, but he wanted to get everything looking perfect. Two Chesterfield sofas and two matching armchairs in burnished brown leather sat around a Persian rug and a teak Thai coffee table, facing the newly restored open log fireplace, effectively partitioning the front of the room from the back.
“It’s faultless, buddy,” said Toni, her hands on her hips.
As usual, Toni had her blonde hair tied up with a red polka-dot silk scarf and wore a pair of denim dungarees over a white tee, looking like a second world war poster for female manual workers. Even peppered in grime and dirt, she managed to look sexy. Jack certainly thought so, because she kept telling him ‘lay off’ every time he snuck up behind and wrapped his tanned, muscled arms around her after they had finished helping him shift another piece of furniture into place.
“Lenny is very exacting. And I don’t want him to have to move anything around again when he gets here.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet,” said Toni.
“I’m looking forward to meeting this guy who has you all hot and bothered,” said Jack.
In only a black singlet and denims, Jack looked like a lean model off the front cover of Men’s Health. An intricate tattoo sleeve covered his muscled right arm from shoulder to wrist, and the head of what appeared to be a lion sat between his firm pecs and poked its head above the cut of his vest. Even following an afternoon of moving furniture, his black, slicked-back hair and long stubble looked perfect and defined his tanned masculine sexiness. Right now, Jack pulled Toni onto his lap in a corner of one of the leather sofas. Adrian wanted to tell them not to get dirt on the leather, but they had been apart all week and he knew how that felt.
“Not as much as me,” said Adrian.
Toni laughed, jumped up and pulled the sketch out of Adrian’s hands.
“Ade, the only things lacking in this room are chinaware for the dresser shelves, cushions for the settees and artwork. Those walls are far too bare.”
“That’s Lenny’s call. I wasn’t sure what his choices would be.”
“You should be framing these and putting them up,” she said, waving the sketch at him. “They’re fantastic. If he doesn’t want them, I do.”
“Is it beer time, yet?” asked Jack, heading for the fridge.
Adrian and Toni had stocked up on supplies during the week, now the house had a working kitchen. And Jack had bought food with him, according to Toni. But they still had the basic kitchenware Adrian had brought from home. At some point, Lenny would need to decide on pots, pans, plates and cutlery. Adrian checked his phone for the time, four-fifteen, just as a message popped up on his display.
Lenny: Five minutes away.
“Okay then. I think we all deserve some downtime. Lenny’s almost here. Let’s sit around the dining table until he arrives. Have you thought about where you want to go for dinner tonight?”
“I’m cooking,” said Jack.
This was news to Adrian. He took a seat at the table opposite Toni and peered at her quizzically.
“He insisted,” she said, with a shrug. “And believe me, you won’t be disappointed. Jack is almost as good in the kitchen as he is in the bedroom.”
�
��Okay. TMI. Are you two going to try to keep the noise down tonight?”
“Funny,” said Toni. “I was going to ask you the same thing.”
Jack barked out a laugh and brought a fistful of beer bottles to the table. With a flourish, he twisted off the tops in turn and thumped them down on the tabletop.
“And I am christening your oven tonight. Toni tells me neither of you are vegetarian, so I’m cooking us my own signature beef bourguignon served with new potatoes—”
“You can’t. We don’t have a casserole dish,” said Adrian.
“Way ahead of you,” said Jack, taking a seat next to Toni. “I brought everything with me. Toni warned me. Everything’s already prepped, sitting in the fridge and ready to go. And the oven’s already preheating. Just needs popping in for three hours. I’ve even brought plates and cutlery from home. All you have to do is sit and eat.”
“Fetching us beers and now cooking,” said Adrian to Toni. “He’s a proper little housewife, isn’t he?”
“Been there, done that,” smirked Jack, making Adrian laugh. “Even have the T-shirt as proof.”
Jack was the first trans man Adrian had ever met. Or at least the first he had known about. Toni had tried to explain the kind of shit he’d had to suffer—hormone replacement therapy, sex reassignment surgery and so much more—to get his body looking the way he'd always wanted. Toni had stood by him every step of the way. Adrian had seen pictures of Jack when he had been Jacqueline—a lifetime ago—and wondered if the decision had put a strain on their relationship as two frankly beautiful and totally-in-love lesbians. Seeing them together now, he realised he didn’t need to ask.
“Shit, I really envy you, Jack. Well, both of you.”
“Envy?” asked Jack, peering over at him in puzzlement. “Seriously?”
“Okay,” said Adrian, holding his hands up in defence. “I know you’ve been through a whole lot of shit, but when I look at you now, hell, when most men look at you, whether gay or straight, I reckon they’re all a little envious. Gay men because they want to sleep with you, straight men because they want to be you, especially seeing you with this beautiful woman on your arm. As a couple you look perfect, and you get to go anywhere you want hand in hand, to touch and kiss in public, and nobody blinks an eye. And if they do, it’s only because you’re a hot couple and they’re jealous.”
Toni and Jack turned to each other, chuckled and pecked each other on the lips.
“It does have its perks,” said Toni, sadly. “But it wasn’t always this easy, Ade. And neither of Jack’s parents speaks to him anymore.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, I know how that feels. Or did. My mum talks to me again, when she can find the time. But I just wanted you to know how proud I am of you, and how much I love you both.”
Jack turned to Toni then and pulled a face.
“You never told me Adrian was such a big sap.”
“He’s in love. What do you expect?”
“I am not—”
But Adrian could not finish the sentence, because the truth hit him like a bulldozer. He had never really felt anything similar since Stephan, the friend who had trodden his heart into the mud. But he really missed Lenny.
“Uh-huh,” said Toni. “Hey, have you thought anything more about what I said? Chatting with that friend of mine, Tom Bradford? I told him about you, and I know he’s desperate for good, reliable builders. And more importantly, you would fit in so well. Unlike Norwich, they have a shitload of work on right now with new-build homes, and they’re struggling to get experienced builders. And I also know for a fact that he pays top dollar.”
“I live in Drayton, Toni. His outfit is based in Greater London, isn’t it?”
“Yes, and you have a truck. Two and half hours and you’re in the heart of the capital.”
“But you know these kinds of jobs aren’t for a day here and a day there, they go on for weeks. And I don’t relish doing that drive every day.”
“Then don’t. Isn’t there someone you could stay with in London? Look, you don’t have to call Tom if you don’t want to, I just thought it might be nice to move on from this dry spell. I like Pete Ross, I really do, but he’s let us both down so many times recently with the promise of work.”
“Let me think on it. Maybe another beer might help, Jack.”
“Bloody cheek,” said Jack, rolling his eyes, but still jumped up from the table and headed to the fridge.
“And can you get one for me, too?” came a voice from the front doorway. They all turned to see Lenny standing there, a bag in hand, his eyes scanning the room, a huge grin on his face. Nobody had heard him enter. “Wow. Will you look at this place. Amazing.”
Adrian scraped his chair away from the table and strode over to Lenny. After dropping his bag, Lenny pulled Adrian into a really fierce hug that lasted longer than usual. Had they missed each other equally?
“Like what you see?” asked Adrian, pulling away. Maybe it was his imagination, but Adrian thought he sensed some hesitation in Lenny, a slight nervousness or apprehension.
“Yes,” said Lenny, looking around again before bringing his gaze back to Adrian. “The house looks great, too.”
Adrian grinned then, his insecurities melting away.
“Come and meet the gang.”
Within the hour, after introductions and a couple more beers had been consumed, they sat laughing together like old friends. Jack got up partway through to put in the casserole, and before long delicious aromas began to fill the living room space. Adrian sat back and smiled, listening to Toni explain to Lenny about the changes to the electrics and the lighting plan he had agreed for each room. Already the house had begun to feel like a home. When she asked Lenny about the dresser, he explained how he had come prepared.
“I’ve got a car boot full of things I picked up at our warehouse. Staffordshire plates and platters to go on the dresser shelves, beautifully designed with matching floral patterns. Cutlery sets and assorted cushions for the sofas. The only thing I haven’t shopped for is modern kitchen appliances—toaster, blender, coffee maker, other things that might come in handy. I thought we might do that this weekend, Ade.”
“How about paintings for the walls?” asked Toni
“Tough one, that. I’m going to leave that until last. But I do have a few ideas up my sleeve that I’m going to run by Adrian first.”
“And the burning question,” said Jack, from behind the kitchen island, “is what are you going to do with the place, now that it’s almost finished?”
Adrian looked to Lenny, who smiled knowingly and appeared calm. Adrian had no idea what Lenny planned to do, they hadn’t discussed that far in advance. Everything they’d done so far leant towards him renting Bryn Bach out, or selling the house to somebody, which felt so wrong.
“Well, the first thing I’m going to do is to throw a big house-warming party on the twenty-eighth of this month, so make sure you’re free because I’ve already put the front bedroom aside so you two can stay. After that I’m going to keep the place for weekends away from the big smoke and let her out to friends and family, people I know and trust to keep the place tidy. And yes, before you ask, you are on the A list.”
“In which case,” said Jack, grinning at Toni, “we’re going to open the special bottle of Chateau Margaux we’ve been saving, to share with you at dinner and to christen the house, because you’ve said all the right things.”
“We don’t have—” began Adrian.
Jack held up a hand, cutting him off.
“And I also brought red wineglasses with me for this very occasion. A box of four as a house-warming gift.”
Toni giggled over the top of her beer bottle before clinking glasses with Adrian and Lenny.
An hour before Jack served up dinner, they all showered and changed. Having the downstairs shower room made things so much easier, and when Adrian had changed and joined them downstairs, he found Jack and Toni busy laying the table, while Lenny had opened up
the balcony doors and allowed the garden fragrance and the last of the daylight to flood into the living room.
“Look at that view,” said Lenny, putting his arm around Adrian. “Might get a bit nippy later, so we should enjoy the remains of the day. Come on, let’s get out of their way. Bring your beer and sit with me on the stone steps where we can savour the view and chat.”
Adrian hummed his approval before following Lenny to the top step. Adrian’s heart swelled at the simple act of sitting beside him, their warm sides touching. Both sat watching in silence as the sun slowly descended, bathing the back of the house in warm yellow light, the view over the countryside spectacular in its beauty, simplicity and tranquillity.
“Lenny, I need to talk to you about something.”
“Good,” said Lenny. “Because I need to talk to you, too.”
Lenny had seemed anxious from the moment he’d arrived, and Adrian wondered if he had been thinking along the same lines, about the upcoming deadline for the completion of work on the property and what would happen next between them. He considered being patient and allowing Lenny to start, but knew he needed to say his piece while he still had the courage.
“Okay, but let me go first,” said Adrian. “I’m normally hopeless with words, but I need to get this off my chest while I’ve mustered the courage. These last three weeks have been tough without having you here. I mean really tough. But it’s made me realise that I don’t want anything casual anymore, the thought doesn’t even appeal. I only want you, to have a future with you. But to do that, I need to be really honest, I need us both to be honest with each other. Do you understand?”
Lenny had gone very quiet, but he managed to answer with a single nod.
“So before I ask and make a complete arse of myself, I need to know. Do you see me in your future, or is this simply a Chapter—?”
Lenny swung his head around quickly.
“I want you in my life, Ade. Fuck, I need you in my life, in my future. I want to grow old with you.”
Any Day Page 25