Prelude to Love

by Anne Barwell

  “I told you I was hungry.” Marcus’s eyes twinkled. “And I never turn down good food. You’re a good cook. That omelet was wonderful. I may have to keep you.”

  “You’re keeping me for my cooking skills?” Joel put on a hangdog expression but only managed to keep it for a few moments before dissolving into laughter when Marcus rolled his eyes.

  “Amongst other things.” Marcus yawned and stretched, his T-shirt riding up to expose tanned skin over a flat stomach. “You do have several talents which I’d like to explore further.”

  “Hmm, so do—” Joel’s phone rang, interrupting their conversation. He strode over to the door and picked up his bag. “Damn it! Sorry, I should take this in case it’s important.” No one rang him this early in the morning.

  “Take your time,” Marcus said. “I’m here if you need me.”

  Joel retrieved his phone from his bag and frowned when he read the name of the caller. “Hey, Bernadette, what’s up?”

  “Hey, Joel, sorry to phone you this early, but I wanted to catch you before work. We’ve still got a few minutes, right?”

  “Yeah, I don’t need to leave till seven thirty, so we’re good.” Joel tensed, wondering what shit was about to hit the fan. Bernadette sounded strained. She was worried about something, although she tried to hide it. “What’s up?” he repeated.

  Marcus put down his cup and walked over to Joel. “Okay?” he mouthed.

  Joel shrugged.

  “I just got a call from Mum,” Bernadette said. “She rang an ambulance for Dad last night and—”

  “Oh my God.” Joel leaned heavily against the wall. Marcus slipped his arm around him and lowered them both to the floor. “Is he okay?”

  “He’s home now and resting. They spent most of the night at A&E, but the doctors sent him home about 5:00 a.m. with instructions to see his GP. Tests showed he’d had a minor heart attack, but he’s insisting he’s fine. He wouldn’t let Mum phone me. She had to wait until he’d gone to bed.”

  “Your dad?” Marcus mouthed. “Okay?”

  Joel nodded and then shrugged again. He felt tears welling but shoved his feeling of loss aside. His father had made his choice, yet…. Damn it. Joel still loved his father and missed him like hell.

  “It’s okay,” Marcus said softly. “I’m here,” he repeated.

  “I know,” Joel whispered. “Does Mum know you’ve phoned me?” he asked Bernadette.

  “Yes. She asked me to.” Bernadette was quiet for a moment. “I thought the last one was supposed to be a warning,” she said. “How many warnings does he need before it’s too late?”

  “I don’t know, Bernie. Dad’s stubborn, and it takes a lot to make him take notice where his own health is concerned.” Joel remembered the winter before he’d left. His father had kept working with a bad cough and refused to go to the doctor. By the time Jill had forced him to go, the cough had turned to pneumonia, and even then it had taken some stern words by the doctor to get Claude to take time off work and rest up.

  “Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about.” Bernadette sighed. “But anyway, I thought you’d want to know, although there’s not much we can do about it. He doesn’t listen to me either.”

  “At least you still see him.” Joel surprised himself at the wistfulness in his voice. Damn it. He’d resigned himself to the fact years ago that he’d never talk to his father again.

  “One of you has to make the move, Joel.”

  “It’s not going to be me,” Joel muttered.

  “Stubborn, just like Dad,” Bernadette murmured.

  “I heard that,” Joel said.

  “You were meant to.” Bernadette cleared her throat. “I didn’t phone you to rehash all of this again. I…. Anyway, now you know as much as I do.”

  “Yeah, thanks.” Joel leaned back into Marcus’s embrace. At some point in the conversation, Marcus must have changed position because he was behind Joel and supporting him. “I really mean that. I do appreciate you calling.”

  “I know. I’m just as stressed out by all this as you are. Mum wants to put off brunch this Saturday so she can keep an eye on Dad. Are you still okay for brunch as usual the fortnight after that?”

  “Yeah, of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Joel planned to talk to his mother before then about his father’s health. Hopefully there would be a follow-up report from the doctor, but he wasn’t counting on it.

  “Is there someone you’d like to bring with you?”

  “Excuse me?” How had Bernadette found out about Marcus? After all, Joel couldn’t think of anyone else she would be talking about.

  “I know you’ve got someone there with you. I heard him say something before.” Bernadette sounded smug. “And given the time, he spent the night. Am I right?”

  “Yeah, you’re right. And that depends on whether he wants to come or not.” Joel wasn’t about to throw Marcus to the wolves without his permission first.

  “Come or not to what?” Marcus asked. “I’m guessing the ‘he’ is me, and you haven’t got some other guy I don’t know about.”

  Joel chuckled. “Yeah. My sister wants to know if you want to join us for Saturday brunch in a couple of weeks. If you’re working, that’s fine. I’ll tell her you’re not free.”

  “Do you want me to tell her?” Marcus put his hand out for the phone, and Joel handed it over. “Hi, Bernadette. I’m Marcus.” Joel listened for a long moment, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out what Bernadette had said. “Yeah,” Marcus said. “I’m Joel’s boyfriend. And yes, I’m Ella’s brother. Looking forward to meeting you and your mum in a couple of weeks.” Marcus winced. “No worries. Not going to happen even without your threat, but thanks all the same.” He handed the phone back to Joel.

  “He sounds hot,” Bernadette said, “and I think he’s a keeper.”

  “He is hot,” Joel said. “What did you say to him, Bernie? I hope you’re playing nice.”

  “I always play nice.” Bernadette practically purred into the phone. “See you both in a couple of Saturdays.”

  “See you.” Joel hit the Off button on the phone and ended the call.

  “Your sister is… interesting,” Marcus said.

  “What did she say to you?”

  “She threatened to cut off my balls if I hurt you. I told her that wasn’t going to happen.” Marcus kissed the top of Joel’s head. “You okay? And is your dad going to be okay?”

  Joel filled him in quickly with the part of the conversation he hadn’t heard. “I guess time will tell,” he said, untangling himself from Marcus’s embrace, then standing. “Trouble is, the only warning Dad will heed is one that stops him dead in his tracks.” He shivered at the choice of words—he hadn’t thought, just spoken them.

  “Hopefully your mum and sister can talk some sense into him.” Marcus watched Joel shove his phone back into his bag. “Are you okay to go in to work? You could go in later and take some personal time this morning.”

  “I’ll be fine.” Joel would be better off with the distraction work would provide. “I have a staff meeting at eight and classes for the rest of the morning.” He looked at his watch. “Shit. Sorry. I need to get going. Where do you need me to drop you off?”

  “If you don’t have time, I can catch a bus.” Marcus shrugged. “Actually, why don’t I do that, and then I can clean up the breakfast dishes before I leave. If that’s okay with you.”

  Joel hesitated. As much as he wanted Marcus’s company, he didn’t trust himself to explain why he was late to work. If he started talking about his father, he was worried he wouldn’t be able to stop, and while his colleagues were supportive, the less they knew about their relationship, the better.

  “I thought you had an early start,” he said finally.

  “I can be a bit later and work later at the end of the day to make up for it. It’s not a problem.” Marcus shrugged. “Besides, Brendan drives straight past here in about twenty minutes, and his first job is in Petone, so if the bus
timetable doesn’t cooperate, I’ll get a ride from him to pick up my SUV.”

  “Okay, thanks.” Joel kissed Marcus and grabbed his bag and keys. “Just pull the front door shut on your way out. It should lock behind you.” He paused at the kitchen doorway. “Do you want to come for dinner tonight, and maybe stay over again?”

  Marcus smiled. “Yes! Definitely yes. I’ll text you when I’m on my way, if that’s okay. Although if you aim for dinner at seven, that should work.”

  “Great. Sounds like another date.” Joel turned, walked back to Marcus, and kissed him again, this time long and hard. “Thank you,” he whispered.

  “Anytime. I’ll stay as long as you want me to.”

  MARCUS turned off the mower, removed his gloves, and reached for his vibrating phone. As front lawns went, this one was huge. Thankfully the back section was half the size, so wouldn’t take him as long.

  He read the caller ID and snorted. “Give it a rest, Garth,” he muttered. As he shoved the phone into his pocket, it rang again. He swiped the screen, ready to give Garth a piece of his mind.

  “Is this Marcus?”

  He recognized the voice immediately. “Hi, Bernadette. What can I do for you?”

  “I hope you don’t mind me calling you. I got your number from one of your business cards. Ella gave one to me the last time we met for lunch.”

  “Ah, okay.” Marcus hadn’t known his sister and Joel’s were meeting for lunch. He filed the information away to tell Joel that evening.

  “Have I got you at a bad time?”

  “No, it’s fine. I was about to take a break anyway. It’s hot out today.” Marcus grabbed his drink bottle while he waited for her to continue. He wasn’t used to the last week of March still being so humid, and despite a few rainy days when the temperature had dropped, autumn looked like it would be much later than usual.

  “This morning was a little awkward and not quite the introduction I’d planned.” Bernadette paused as though unsure how to continue.

  “You did the right thing calling Joel. He needs to know what’s going on with your dad.”

  “How’s he doing? Really?”

  “Apart from working through what you told him this morning, he’s great.” Marcus smiled despite knowing she couldn’t see him. “He’s a good guy, and I plan to take good care of him.” That was about as much as he was prepared to tell her. “I think this is probably a conversation you should be having with him, don’t you?”

  “I’ve tried, and although he talks about almost everything, this is one subject he shuts down about. I could tell this morning that you care for him, and I….” Bernadette let out a huge sigh. “Sorry, he’s my baby brother, and it’s good to know there’s someone looking out for him.”

  “Darin and Ella have always been there for him.” Marcus had heard enough from Joel to work that out, and he knew his sister and brother-in-law well enough to know they wouldn’t desert someone they considered family.

  “I know I haven’t always. It was Ella’s idea to start these regular brunch get-togethers. She talked Joel into coming that first time.”

  “Ah.” That made a lot of sense. “Ella’s not easy to argue with once she’s set her mind to something.”

  For someone who had only just met him, and then briefly over the phone, Bernadette was getting into some very personal stuff. She reminded him of Joel in that. It was obvious she worried about her brother and was making an effort to improve things between them.

  “No, she isn’t. Sorry to have bothered you, Marcus. If you want to tell Joel I called, that’s okay. Sisters are allowed to be concerned, right?”

  “Right.” Marcus knew better than to sound like he was dismissing Bernadette’s concerns. “I will, and no problem. Break’s over and I need to get back to work. Looking forward to meeting you properly in a couple of weeks.”

  “Yeah, me too. Bye, Marcus.” She hung up before Marcus had the chance to reply.

  He took another swig of water and then got back to finishing the job. He’d barely completed the last stretch of lawn when his phone vibrated again. “Bernadette?” he said. Although she’d finished their call, he had a nagging feeling she hadn’t said everything she’d wanted to.

  “Hi, Marcus.” Marcus felt a familiar knot in the base of his stomach. He checked his caller ID—something he should have done instead of presuming he knew who it was.

  “Garth,” Marcus said cautiously. Perhaps he had treated Garth unfairly by ignoring all his texts and calls. A more reasonable polite approach might work better. “Umm, how are you?”

  “I see we have more in common than I thought we did.” Garth seemed amused by something. Whatever it was, Marcus had completely missed the joke.

  “Excuse me?” Marcus waited for Garth to explain himself. He always did, although sometimes he took far too long to get to the point.

  “Bernadette,” Garth said. “Good to know you’re settling in up there and got yourself a girlfriend. I must admit I’m surprised. I didn’t realize you were bi like me.”

  “I’m not, and I didn’t know you were.” Not that Marcus had an issue with it. “She’s my boyfriend’s sister.”

  “My being bi wasn’t anything that came up in conversation with you.” Garth hesitated before continuing. “It’s still strange not seeing you around. I had hoped we’d keep in touch. I know we fought a bit those last few months, but I still consider you my friend. Too much water under the bridge not to.”

  “I’ve already told you how I feel about that. I’m sorry, Garth, but—”

  “I’m sorry too, for everything that happened.”

  It took Marcus a couple of seconds to realize Garth’s voice was no longer coming from his phone. Bloody hell. He’d been so focused on the call, he hadn’t noticed Garth approaching.

  “What are you doing here?” Marcus wasn’t sure whether to feel shocked or angry. He’d told Garth he’d be working with Brendan, so he guessed it hadn’t taken much detective work on Garth’s part to find him. Garth had always managed to work out where Marcus was at any given time when they had been living together. That much hadn’t changed at least.

  Garth smiled, and he chuckled as though amused by Marcus’s reaction. “Is that all I get after all these months? I’ve missed you, Marcus, and I figured if we’re going to have this conversation, the least I could do is make the effort to have it in person.”

  “Are you up here on business?”

  “I’m here to see you.”

  “Oh.” Marcus felt a sudden pang of guilt. In not answering Garth’s calls, he hadn’t left Garth much choice. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

  Garth closed the distance between them and pulled Marcus into a firm embrace, his touch lingering longer for someone who was now just a friend. Marcus could smell Garth’s aftershave, the scent reminding him of how much he used to enjoy being in Garth’s arms like this.

  “So am I.” Garth let go of Marcus and took a moment to study him. “You’re looking well. You always did look good when you were working.” He cleared his throat. “Thing is, I have something I need to tell you, and as you kept ignoring my attempts to contact you….”

  “I told you we’re over, Garth. We had this conversation before I left Hokitika.” The years they’d spent together were quickly feeling like a lifetime ago. More so since he’d started dating Joel. “And it isn’t one we should have while I’m working.” If Garth didn’t make his point and quickly, Marcus would have to tell him to leave.

  “I’ve found someone else, and I wanted you to find out from me.”

  “I appreciate that,” Marcus said. Garth hadn’t cheated on him—he knew that for certain. Although they’d drifted apart, Garth lived by high moral standards, and he’d never lied.

  “You remember Felicity Munroe?” Garth pointed toward the bench seat by the side fence and gestured for Marcus to join him.

  “Yeah. Her family lives in Greymouth?” They’d met her at an A&P—Agricultural and Pastoral—show in Wanaka the year bef
ore. Marcus hesitated and then sat next to Garth. If Garth was so determined to talk to him that he’d traveled to Wellington to do so, the least Marcus could do was be civil.

  “Yes, that’s her. She moved to Hokitika and is managing one of the local cafés. We met up again shortly after you left for Wellington.” Garth’s tone grew warmer. He obviously had feelings for her. “So you said you have a boyfriend?”

  “Yes,” Marcus said. Garth tilted his head to the side and pushed his glasses up his nose, his usual gesture when he was waiting for more information. “His name is Joel, and we’re very happy together.”

  Garth was his past. Joel was his future. He wasn’t ready for the two to collide in an already awkward meeting. Although Marcus knew Joel was at school, he couldn’t help glancing around to make sure he and Garth didn’t have an audience. Not only that, but he usually tried to avoid personal stuff while he was working.

  “That’s nice.” Garth cleared his throat again. “Thing is, Marcus. I still miss you, and I don’t want to make a mistake by moving forward if there’s still a chance we could get back together. It’s not fair to Felicity, and it’s not fair on us either.”

  “There is no us.” So the warmth Marcus had heard in Garth’s voice wasn’t because of Felicity.

  “There used to be.” Garth lowered his voice into the husky whisper Marcus once loved so much, and put his hand on Marcus’s knee.

  Even now Marcus felt his heart speed up. Garth had always known where to touch him and how, and exactly how long to wait so Marcus would beg for more, and now…. Marcus remembered how it felt to have that hand on his stomach, Garth’s warm, moist touch sliding lower—

  Marcus swallowed. He took a swig of water, trying to ignore his body’s reaction to a relationship that was long over. “There’s still no us, Garth.” Marcus’s voice trembled despite his determination to be firm. “You need to leave. I’m working, and you shouldn’t be here.”

  “Oh come on, Marcus. You still want me. I can hear it in your voice, and I can see the way you’re trembling. All couples fall out from time to time. Why don’t you come home, and we can give it another go.”