by Jerry Cole
Vance pinched the bridge of his nose. “What do you mean by that?”
“Well, it’s being challenged in court.”
“She can’t do that, can she?” Vance didn’t need this. Not today. Not another issue with his fiancé’s death. He hadn’t exactly been a part of the process, but his parents had been kind enough to let him take some mementos and keep the stuff that the man had left in the house.
“She can’t. But I feel like it would be easier for you to claim this money as soon as possible.”
Vance pinched the bridge of his nose. This wasn’t something that he wanted to deal with. He was worried about Eric’s sister. The woman was a little unstable and had problems with drugs. It was a reaction to some trauma with an abusive relationship in the past, but he still knew where all that money would go. It would go straight to her dealers. He wanted to take care of the woman. He had offered her a job at the restaurant if she could stay clean, but he didn’t feel alright with giving her a lump sum of cash all at once. “What do I have to do?”
“Well, I’ll get the paperwork for it sent to you. Are you working at the restaurant tonight?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“Good, after you fill all that out you can send it directly to the insurance company. You really don’t have to deal with any more lawyers. But at least someone can lay claim to it that is a beneficiary.”
“Yeah. Thanks. I appreciate that.” Vance nodded at himself, knowing the man on the other end of the line understood it.
“Do you have any questions for me?”
“Yeah, I do.”
The lawyer paused for a second. “What is it?” The man must not have been expecting that.
“Why is there a lawyer involved in this?” Vance tapped a pen on the desk and he frowned. He didn’t like where this was going.
The man sighed. “I’m retained by his parents.”
“They need a lawyer over this?”
“They do, yeah.”
Vance felt his heart clench suddenly. It was so uncomfortable it almost hurt. “But why?”
“Because there have been some challenges to the probate process. It hasn’t been a pleasant process. As you know your fiancé inherited some land from his grandparents and had a good bit in savings.”
“And people have been challenging the will for that?”
“Well, mostly about the land, if I’m honest. There are some people interested in buying the land. And it’s a family property.” The lawyer sounded like he was a little frustrated having to explain the whole ordeal again.
“His sister wants to sell it off, right?”
“Yeah, it’s been a pretty contentious battle.” The lawyer let that slip out. He wasn’t being as professional as he should have been. Maybe he was a new guy that didn’t quite have the clout to charge the big bucks.
“I didn’t know any of this.” Vance frowned.
“It’s not a huge deal, just a few issues. And when his parents found the paperwork for this, they wanted to make sure that I got a hold of you.” The voice on the other end of the line didn’t sound like he believed it.
Vance frowned to himself. No part of this call felt right. It didn’t feel right that his almost in-laws didn’t contact him themselves. It just felt so strange. There must have been a lot more going on with the sister than he was being told. That meant that he might be dragged into the situation.
That may have been why the initial contact was made. To make sure he was amiable to the situation. And if they could talk to him if they needed him again. He let the phone call end, allowing the lawyer to go on about his day. He would expect a delivery that night with the paperwork from the insurance coming by way of a courier that ran it across town.
He rubbed his face, taking a moment to get his mind back on track to get some work done.
Vance considered calling his sister but decided against it. She deserved to enjoy her honeymoon. Instead, he put his head down against the desk and took a few moments to steady his shaky breath. His fiancé had died over a year before, and he was just now getting the hang of his life.
But this felt like it pushed it all back to the forefront.
But he couldn’t mourn for long. Kevin stuck his head into the office. “There’s another guy here for you.”
“A courier?”
“Nope. Some guy. Says he was at the wedding.”
Vance frowned. He didn’t know everyone at the wedding, but this was unusual. Most of the people that he did know from the wedding the staff would have referred to by name. “Who is it?”
The sous chef shrugged, his face having a smirk playing across it. “Dunno. Some guy. Kinda hot.”
Vance laughed. Kevin usually wasn’t that type, but when he thought it would get a laugh the man would say something like that. “Are you checking out the customers?”
Kevin was still teasing him. It was a nice relationship. He knew that Kevin wasn’t into guys, not really, but he was secure enough to call out a handsome man. “I mean, if a hot guy comes to meet with you, I’m going to notice it.”
Vance shook his head and got up from his seat. He wanted to go meet this person. And it would probably get his mind off of the reminder that he had just lived through. Meeting someone from the wedding was better than sitting there in the office and feeling the grief wash over him.
Once he made his way out of the office he smiled, forcing it a little bit. Then he pushed through the doors to the front of the house. It was still kind of quiet out there, but it would start getting a lot busier very soon. It was just the way it worked. Most people ate around the same time every single day. It was a reliable fact that his business took advantage of.
And there he was. Brandon’s best man. Vance didn’t know the man, but he figured this had something to do with the wedding. Probably a way to sneak in some sort of secret present or the like. He couldn’t see any other reason for Kenton to be there.
Vance walked over to him. “Hey, what can I help you with?” The man kept it casual enough.
“I don’t think we were properly introduced. I’m Kenton.” The other man held a hand out.
Vance took the hand to shake it. He couldn’t help but notice how strong the man’s grip was. It was a powerful handshake, definitely one that made an impression. “I think I heard your name. Brandon’s best man.”
“That’s the guy, and you’re Vanessa’s brother, am I right?” The other man had a charming smile. It was pretty clear why Kevin had called out just how handsome this man was. Vance still felt like the sous chef had underemphasized this guy.
Vance pulled himself together and nodded. This was a good distraction, something to keep his mind off of the call that he had just gotten. “Yeah, that’d be me. What can I help you with?”
“Well, I was hoping to enlist your help with a project.”
“Oh? What’s that?” Vance asked the question.
“I was hoping to throw a big party for your sister and her new husband. To do that I need to rent the whole restaurant for the night. Don’t worry, the staff won’t have to do much except setting the party up and tearing it down.”
Vance laughed. “We were planning on having a work party anyway. And we were going to cook for it.”
“Ah, well, is there any way to have both parties?” Kenton made the offer. “I don’t mind paying for the time. And your staff that you have working for the party. Let them have a good time, invite some family and friends. I’ll pay for the food and everything. And we can have the whole evening.”
“Are you sure you want to pay that much for this kind of thing?”
“I’m sure.” Kenton nodded.
“I think we can work something out.” Vance nodded. “I might even be able to work a discount out for you.”
“An all in one cost. Let me leave you my number and you can figure out the costs and everything.”
“I need to know how many guests you’re expecting.”
“Well, I figured it would be about thirty plus
all your staff.” Kenton nodded. “Fifteen from the groom’s side and fifteen from the bride’s side.”
“I think we can work all of that out.” Vance nodded again. He was already doing the math in his head.
Kenton smiled. “The biggest thing is keeping this a secret. So, can you just tell the staff that this is something normal and you need every single hand on deck. Offer them time and a half. It’ll be covered.”
Vance laughed. “Where are you getting this kind of money?”
“Well, hopefully, it’s not too much money.” Kenton didn’t seem that concerned. “Just get me a quote and we’ll hammer it out from there.”
“I can do that.” Vance nodded.
And with that, the other man was gone, having left the restaurant and Vance there to figure out what kind of offer he was going to make this man. There was a lot to do to plan this sort of thing.
But the thought of planning it did cheer him up.
Chapter Four
The party was going to be a big deal. Kenton was excited to get on with the planning once the day was set for Tuesday of the following week. He just had to meet up with Vance and they could get to the actual planning. But they couldn’t do that in the restaurant because Vanessa would be back at work before then.
They had arranged to meet over at Vance’s house. Kenton was trusted because Brandon had trusted the man enough to be his best man. At least that’s what he assumed. Very few people would let someone they didn’t trust at all just go over to their house to plan a party. The man couldn’t help but wonder why Vance would even trust him to do this.
Kenton had the sudden feeling that there was something not quite right in his surroundings, but he couldn’t figure out what was bugging him. He frowned and continued to drive. It was probably just his imagination playing tricks on him anyway.
He pulled into the driveway. It was dinner time. A time that Vance knew that his sister would be hard at work already, leaving Vance to enjoy his day off. Well, not exactly enjoy it. He didn’t enjoy that much quiet time these days. Vance was still doing work on his day off, working with Kenton on this plan for the party. It was done at the home because it was easier to keep secret from his sister and as long as the money was there before it happened
As he pulled into the driveway the door opened. It was to be expected. Kenton had texted Vance before he had left his house. There was Vance. Kenton felt his breath catch when he saw the chef standing there. The man was beautiful. Kenton couldn’t ignore that.
Kenton climbed out from behind the driver’s seat of the five-year-old BMW that he drove. It was a fairly modest car, one of the cheapest that they had to offer.
Vance waved and walked down the front steps. The man was wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. And he was barefoot.
A smile started to form on Kenton’s face. It was a true and honest smile. The kind that only happened when someone was truly amused and happy about a circumstance. “You should wear some shoes.”
Vance danced from foot to foot on the hot pavement. “Eh, I’m fine.”
“You don’t look so fine.”
“It’s just some hot pavement. I can take it.”
“I’m sure you can.”
Vance gave a goofy grin and started to lead the way into the house. Kenton moved to follow. The house was nice. The living room had comfortable furniture, bought more for function than form. It looked like a home. A man’s home. The place wasn’t cheap, but it wasn’t expensive either. A small two-bedroom home in a middle-class part of town. It was impressive that the business gave him enough to live on his own in a small home of his own. “Nice place.” Kenton nodded.
“Thanks. Sorry, it’s a bit of a mess, I just didn’t have much of a chance to get any cleaning done.”
“Did you do that rush when I texted?” Kenton laughed.
“Yeah, I did.” The chef gave a grin Kenton’s direction. The chef was in good spirits, looking much better after the mess he was during the wedding. “Doesn’t everyone do that?”
“I know that I do. Brandon will call and say he’s coming to visit.” Kenton laughed. “And I’ll run around and go try to throw a load of dishes in the washer and pick up all my trash that I have laying around.”
“See, I told you. Everyone does it.” Vance grinned at him.
There was something about that smile that made Kenton smile too. It was simply infectious, bringing light into his world. The man grinned back at the chef. “Ready to get to work?”
“Yeah, I’m ready.” The chef nodded. “We should start with the menu.”
“Yeah, do you know Vanessa’s favorite foods?”
Vance laughed. He was a handsome man with a smile on his face. Kenton couldn’t help but take notice of the way he carried himself when he was happy. It was like the whole world lit up around him. “Of course, I do.”
“What is it?”
“She’s a pretty simple girl. She likes steak tips sautéed with mushrooms and peppers.” The twin nodded as he explained. “Add some baked potato.”
“Is it impossible to do something fun with it?”
“What kind of fun are you thinking about?”
Kenton considered for a moment. “Well, I was considering how we would let your staff have as much free time as possible. I was thinking that we might do it buffet style so they can all get a chance to eat.”
Vance nodded. “We’ve got the heat trays from when we do catering. We can use those.”
“What if we did like a baked potato bar? We could have the steak tips as a topping for it along with some traditional toppings.”
“That might work.” Vance nodded. “It would take some time to get everything set up.”
“And I’m guessing it would be a little cheaper on me, right?”
“Yeah, but I wanted to talk to you about that.” Vance took on a serious look.
“What is it?”
“I’m paying for half of it.”
“You don’t have to do this. You’re helping a lot already.” Kenton shook his head. “I can afford to do this. It’s my wedding gift.”
“And I can afford to help.” Vance shrugged. “I kind of want in on this idea if I can be honest with you. My sister deserves something like this, surrounded by everyone who loves her and getting them all there to celebrate her.”
“That’s a really sweet sentiment, and who am I to refuse and save myself some money.” The man laughed.
“Of course, if I’m paying for half, we’ll be paying at cost. I don’t care about making much of a profit, just to cover the expenses.”
“What’s the biggest cost?”
“Labor.”
Kenton nodded again. “I figured. Food costs aren’t that expensive.”
“Depending on what you want. Meat is kind of expensive, naturally, and some of the fancier options will up the price, but the cost is mostly in labor.” Vance explained. “I mean, think about the difference between restaurant prices and cooking at home. And then think about how much time it takes to cook something fresh and hot from the shopping to the time it goes on the plate. It takes a while. And at a restaurant, we do all of that for you. It saves you time, but you do pay for that saved time.”
Kenton tilted his head as he listened to Vance explain his workplace. “Is that how all restaurants work?”
“Yeah, pretty much.” Vance nodded. “Unless you’re serving some pretentious food.”
Kenton laughed. “That sounds like hell, serving that kind of food.”
“Nobody likes that expensive food. They’re just tasting the price and ego that goes along with being able to buy it.” Vance explained it slowly, considering options. “There gets a point where you’re just paying for the name or the brand or whatever. You can see it all the time. Look at the history of food. Soul food is notoriously made out of the cheapest cuts of meat and it’s just cooked beautifully.”
“Are you going to go off about skill.” Kenton was still smiling about it.
“Well,
skill is vital. You can turn scraps into a feast if you have the right skill and some spices at least.”
The man grinned at the chef. “I’ve tried your food before. You have the skill.”
“Thanks. You do realize that I’m going to have to have my sister help prep this?”
“I think that’s going to help the surprise a lot. Should we get a cake?”
“We can make cheesecakes for deserts.”
“Is it the same that was at the wedding? They had cheesecakes instead of a traditional cake if I remember right.”
Vance puffed out his chest in pride. “I made those. One of Vanessa’s favorites. She takes one home every month.”
Kenton laughed. “That makes sense. Cheesecake is much better than regular cake. And cheesecake made by your brother is even better I guess.” The man looked over at the chef. The conversation was coming easy. It was just the way that it was supposed to be. Kenton was comfortable there, feeling alright just sitting there and listening to Vance talk about food. He considered asking him more about cooking, just to hear the man continue about his passion.
But Vance had sat there, staring at him.
Silence fell over the room. Time stretched over itself, a wispy memory of the world went on around them. But they were there, sharing a silent moment of pure focus amid a cacophony of eternity.
Kenton could feel it. This moment was different than any other moment that he had shared with someone else before. He felt a little strange, a rock forming in the pit of his stomach. This was the start of feelings that he wasn’t sure how to handle.
They leaned in. Both of them seemed to do it at the same time. A shiver ran down Kenton’s spine as their lips came together in a kiss.
It felt like there was nothing that he could do to stop it. And from the explosion of passion that came from the other man he knew that Vance felt the same way about it. Arms wrapped around Kenton and Kenton couldn’t stop himself from embracing this beautiful chef.
They were both breathless when they pulled apart.
Vance blinked rapidly. Then he blushed. “Uh… sorry.”
Kenton didn’t answer right away, but he knew that sorry was not the right response to that. “Don’t be.”