"Thanks." Adam said as he and Smidgen went for their walk. Jason walked over to Ken who was trying to select from all the drinks that were out on the table. He was picking over them very carefully, as though selecting the wrong one would be the end of the world.
"I get the feeling you're not as into the dog as Adam is."
"I love the dog. I do," Ken began. "It's just Adam has gone nuts over it. He buys special bottled water for it to drink. The good he gets for it looks better than what we eat. Probably tastes better too. His life has been completely taken over by this dog."
"He just needs something to spoil. It's fine."
"He bought the dog cologne yesterday."
"I've heard about dog cologne."
"No. I mean he bought the dog cologne. Human cologne. It was over a hundred bucks!"
"Just give it some time."
"It's because he wants a child so badly." There was another ring of the doorbell, but as Jason turned to answer it, David rushed out and got it himself. Mike then walked in with Haley.
"Happy new home." Mike said as he held out a bottle of wine.
"Oh, thanks guys," David said. "You didn't have to bring anything."
"Don't thank him so quickly," Haley began. "It was a freebie from our vendor."
"You had to tell them?" Mike asked.
"I just think full disclosure is best."
"It's fine, Mike. Really. It's the thought that counts." David said as he took the bottle.
"Mikey!" Bill called as he lumbered over. "Long time, no see. And who's this?" Bill then turned his eye to Haley who grabbed Mike and pulled him in front of her.
"This is Haley. My friend. Haley? This is Bill. Have fun." Mike said as he slipped away.
Mike walked over to Jason and Ken, just as Ken was pouring out a drink.
"Hi, Mike. Glad you could make it."
"Wouldn't miss it for the world. Nice place, by the way."
"Thanks." Mike noticed as Ken guzzled down his drink and then poured another.
"Slow down there. I think that's for everyone."
"I just need to decompress."
"Oh, that's right. Your new job."
"No. Not that," The door then opened and Adam came in with Smidgen in his arms and a full plastic bag in his hand. "That."
"And you said he didn't need to go for a walk. Look at this!" Adam said as he held the bag of dog feces in Ken's face.
"Yes. I was wrong. I'm sorry."
"That's better. Jason? Can I put this somewhere?"
"I'll take care of it," Jason then took the bag and ran it into the kitchen and then tossed it out the back window. He turned and saw David in the doorway giving him a look. "Someone will pick it up tomorrow."
Mike was just staring at Smidgen as Ken continued to drink.
"You know, Ivan's mother had a dog about this size."
"Oh?"
"Yeah."
"Uh, Mike? Maybe that's not the story to tell right now."
"What happened?" Adam asked.
"Well, she just adored that little dog. It had its own bed and I'm sure she dressed it up. I think it had a diamond collar. It might have been a necklace, but she was just using it as a collar."
"How cute."
"She even buried him in their family plot."
"Oh. The dog died?"
"Well, yeah. After I accidently knocked it into the wood chipper outside," Adam looked back at Mike with a perplexed expression and then walked away. Ken then slapped him in his arm. "What? I said it was an accident!"
The drinks were flowing and people were relaxing as the party went on. Adam and Ken were on the sofa with Smidgen while Haley was trying to get Mike to act as a buffer between her and Bill; and David was busying himself with keeping the food on the table and the glasses filled.
"You know you can stop and enjoy the party." Jason said.
"I don't really know these people." David explained.
"Get to know them. They're my dearest friends. You could have invited some people too, but you chose not to."
"I really don't have that many friends. Most everyone I know are people who come to my sermons. I wouldn't really call them friends."
"What about Margo?"
"I asked if she could make it, but she already had tickets to some lecture series at UCLA."
"She'd rather sit for lectures than come to a party?"
"Trust me. She's not a party person. I'm sure she's having a much better time over there."
"I feel really bad about this."
"Don't. It's nothing on you. I guess after years of reaching out to help people, I never stopped to reach out myself. I had no one to invite here. Simple as that." Jason caressed David's face and smiled.
"I think we can ditch these guys for a little bit."
"That would be fun." Just then the doorbell rang.
"Damn. It has to be Cynthia. Late per usual."
"Don't worry. Let her in and we'll make a break for it later."
"Deal." Jason then skipped over to the door and opened it but it wasn't Cynthia as he was expecting.
"Hello?"
"Hi. I was looking for Mike Turner." Mike swiveled his head around and he almost exploded.
"Jeff! What the Hell are you doing here?!" Mike barked as he stormed over.
"I wanted to talk to you. I figured you'd be more open to chat after work."
"How did you even know to come here? Have you been stalking me?"
"You kind of force a guy to become creative when trying to find you."
"Okay. Now this is getting sick. It's bad enough you’re fucking my Dad!" Mike then realized what he had said and turned to the others. Adam had his hands over Smidgen's ears while everyone else's mouths were wide open. "Outside." Mike said as he pushed Jeff out the door.
"I told you I like your father very much, but I know it's not going to last. A lot of what I like about him I see in you. I was just thinking maybe you and I could just talk. See where it goes."
"You actually think I'd be interested in the guy who's screwing my father."
"Hey, I'm pretty gorgeous. If you can mentally cut out the whole 'I'm doing your dad' thing, this could work."
"No, it couldn't. Especially after this."
"Why not? I mean, I get how this could appear creepy, but isn't it also a little romantic?"
"No!"
"When was the last time anyone took this much effort in just trying to talk to you?" Mike held his breath for a moment and thought.
"It's been a while."
"And of those who did put in this much effort, did any of them look like this?" Jeff slipped in closer to Mike and as he looked down, he could see down Jeff's partially buttoned shirt and he saw the curves and bumps of his muscular torso.
"None."
"So are you really telling me you can't get past this one little bump?"
"Yes."
"What if I were to tell you that your father and I are over?"
"You are?"
"We can be. He told me if at any time I'm over the whole thing, I can walk away. He doesn't really care about me. Like you said, I'm just a toy. An amusement. But I wouldn't be to you, would I?" Mike's pulse began to race. He felt a heat rising up to his forehead.
"Maybe we could talk on the phone."
"Really?"
"Just talk. I mean, I guess this is sort of sweet, in a twisted perverted way."
"I was desperate."
"I'll go inside now and write down my number and you can call me tomorrow night so we can talk."
"Can I stay for the party?"
"Don't push it." Mike said.
As Mike walked back in, everyone stopped whispering and he knew right away what they were talking about. He walked over to Jason and leaned in to his ear.
"A pen and paper." Mike said.
"In the kitchen. On the fridge." Mike went on into the kitchen and then emerged with a slip of paper in his hand. He walked over to the front door, opened it and handed Jeff his number and then slammed the door shut.
Mike turned back to his friends and gave them a pained smile.
"I gave him my number if you must know."
After a few tension breaking questions, Mike was more comfortable talking about the situation with Jeff and after a few more drinks, it all seemed a little less weird to everyone. Jason checked his watch and saw that it was nearly eight thirty.
"Well, I guess I better serve up dinner. I was hoping Cynthia was going to make it."
"Don't feel bad," Haley said. "She's just feeling weird about her weight."
"I guess," Suddenly the bell rang again and Jason's heart lifted. He ran over and pulled it open and saw Cynthia standing in front of him. "Cynthia!" She ran in and she was wearing what looked to be a brand new black dress that was sleek and sexy. She did a little turn and shot everyone a smile.
"You are looking at Cynthia Smythe, minus ten pounds." Everyone broke out into applause as Douglas came in after her.
"I knew you could do it. I can actually see a difference." Mike said.
"I hope so. This dress is two sizes smaller than what I had been wearing. I feel so much better!" Haley got up and ran over and gave Cynthia a quick hug.
"So, what did it for you?"
"Well, I took a little of your advice and I gave myself a break. I stopped torturing myself and I just relaxed. After that, the pounds just started to melt off."
"Well, you look great."
"Now I think we all have something to celebrate. Let's eat!" Jason announced.
"Sounds good to me," Cynthia said. "But no carbs, no trans fats, and no gluten for me."
"Fine. I think we have some paper plates you can chew on," Jason walked over to Douglas and patted him on the back. "She did it."
"Yeah, she sure did." Jason gave Douglas a curious look.
"You don't sound too happy about it." Douglas then took Jason aside and they huddled in the corner of the room.
"I think it's great she's lost the weight and all, but it's coming at a price."
"A price?"
"Yeah. She's crazy! You have no idea what our lives have turned into since she started slimming down."
"She seems fine to me."
"This is the upside of her current cycle. She's been having dramatic mood swings and outbursts over the past month. It got real bad when she started losing the weight."
"You should talk to her about it. Sometimes when people lose a lot of weight, it can affect them in other ways. If she was aware,"
"I've tried to talk to her about it, but the minute I open my mouth, she's down my throat. She tells me I'm trying to sabotage her and keep her fat."
"That's nuts."
"My point. Could you talk to her?"
"Me?"
"Maybe she'll listen to you. At the very least, she can't make your life a living Hell. I have to live with her."
"I don't know. I don't really want to get in the middle of any marriage issues."
"Do it for Ronny. Uncle Jason."
"You play dirty. I'll see what I can do."
"Bless you!"
They all then adjourned to the dining room and found that Jason had set it up as a buffet. They formed a line and began helping themselves. As they did, the conversation began to flow naturally and as Jason sat down with his plate, he looked upon his friends all together, and while they didn't all seem to fit together, they did somehow. He had a beautiful new home with the perfect guy. A feeling of happiness began to well up inside of him. He then picked up his glass and clinked his fork against it, gaining everyone's attention.
"Before we start eating, I just want to take this chance to tell you all how much I care about you all. The past few years have been crazy, to say the least, but seeing us all together at this table makes me feel like it's all been worth it. To my friends." Jason said and his toast was saluted in kind. As Jason sat down, the doorbell rang once more. He looked at everyone hoping someone would confess to inviting someone else but everyone seemed to be surprised. Jason went back to the door and opened it up. He saw the figure in the doorway and nearly fell to the floor.
"Jason? I hope I'm not late for dinner."
"Matt."
Chapter 20
The Unexpected Guest
Jason was fixed in his place as Matt Rivers stood before him in the doorway of his new home with David. It felt as though there was an invisible wall between the past and present between the two of them and Jason wasn't sure what to say.
"Hi." Matt said.
"Matt." Jason uttered again.
"I'm sorry for just showing up. I wasn't sure how to do this."
"Jason?" David called out.
"Uh, I'll be right there!" Jason then pushed Matt back and ran out after him, slamming the door shut as he went. He then grabbed Matt's arm, and after getting over how familiar the feel of his skin was, he pulled him aside to a dark shadowed area to the side of the house. "What are you doing here? How did you even find me?"
"Don't forget, I was a detective. Finding the address of my ex-boyfriend wasn't too difficult."
"Okay, then why are you here?"
"Because," Matt began. He seemed like he was lost in his thoughts. He looked as though he were struggling to find just the right words to explain something even he wasn't fully aware of. "I needed to see you."
"If you wanted to talk, a call would have been acceptable."
"No. I had to see you, Jason."
"What about your life in Arizona? Don't you have someone over there?"
"That ended last year. I thought what we had was what I needed, but I was just scared and latching onto him was an act of fear. Just like driving you away from me."
"You did that because you were scared?"
"I didn't know what to think. I never imagined ever getting sick like this. I panicked. I didn't want you to see me fall apart."
"You look pretty well put together to me."
"Thanks. I'm still undetectable and I've been keeping up with my meds."
"That's good."
"It's easy. Just a few pills a day now."
"Great. I guess, Mr. Detective, you also know that I have a new boyfriend."
"I did figure that out. David, right?"
"Yes. He's a good guy."
"I assume so, since you're moving in with him."
"I love him."
"I know you do."
"This doesn't change anything."
"I don't expect it to."
"What are you doing here?"
"I needed to see you."
"I don't really know what to do now."
"You could invite me in. I'd like to see everyone else."
"Including my current boyfriend? That would be great."
"He's a big boy. Besides, I'm your ex. It's not like there's any lingering feelings between the two of us." As Matt spoke, Jason just focused on his voice. He felt it penetrate his very soul and he then saw the dancing light in his eyes. He then felt his arms begin to bend at his elbows and he realized the temptation to feel Matt's body against his was growing faster than he realized. He felt Matt's heat getting closer to his own skin and when he looked up, Matt was less than an inch away from him. The musk of his aftershave filled his head.
"All right," Jason said as he stepped back. "Come in. Say hi to everyone." Jason then ran back to the front door and Matt was close behind.
As Jason and Matt walked in, Cynthia peered out from the dining room and when she saw Matt, she let out a high pitched scream and came at him like a silver bullet.
"Matt!" She shrieked as she leapt into his arms. Soon the others came funneling in and everyone looked back at Matt in disbelief. They swarmed around him, shooting off questions about why he was there and where he had been and what he was up to. He did his best to answer as many of the questions as quickly as he could, but he was only human.
"Jason?" David asked as he stepped forward from the mob. "I take it this is the famous Matt Rivers."
"Yes. Matt, this is David."
"Pleasure to meet you, at last. I
've heard a lot about you." David said as he offered his hand.
"Good to meet you too, David."
"Matt just decided to pop in for a visit." Jason said.
"From Arizona?" Mike asked.
"It's a little more than a pop in. I've been thinking about moving back to Los Angeles."
"That's great!" Ken said.
"I've just been missing home. Arizona was nice, but this is where I belong."
"Hey!" Jason said suddenly, "How about we get back to dinner and Matt can fill us in on all of this while we eat," The suggestion was greeted warmly and everyone filed back into the dining room. As Jason came up to David, he grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "I swear I had no idea this was going to happen."
"It's fine, I'm just a little curious because you answered the door ten minutes ago."
"So?"
"It took you ten minutes to invite Matt in?"
"I was kind of in shock when I saw him. We had a little chat before I let him in."
"A chat about what?"
"He's my ex. I haven't seen him in over a year. I just had a knee jerk reaction and we talked a little bit. I just had to know some things right away."
"And that's all it was?" Jason smiled.
"Aw. You're jealous."
"I'm not jealous, but even if I were I think it would be justified. Ten minutes alone with your ex." Jason took David by his arm and pulled him closer.
"We just talked. We were a couple and he's one of my closest friends, but I love you."
"You married the man."
"We have a history, but that has nothing to with what we have. Besides, I live here now. With you. Why are you suddenly so freaked out?"
"Because what you two had sounded important."
"It was, but what we have is important too."
"Everything you've told me about you and Matt made it seem like he was some kind of unreachable standard. I was much more comfortable knowing I'd never actually have to meet him."
"If there was any standard you had to reach, which there isn't, you reached it and beyond. Just breathe and relax. You just have to get through one meal."
Mike and Ken slid their chairs aside just enough to allow room at the table for Matt to sit and for the rest of the meal the conversation seemed to revolve around Matt. Everyone was passionately curious about where he had been and what he had been doing. By his account, though, there wasn't much to say. After his break up, Matt got his own place in Mesa and tried to start up his investigation business again. He got his license but all the business he could get was running background checks for business owners. It wasn't lucrative, but it kept his lights on.
Beautiful Days (Jason Of The Valley Book 5) Page 14