Trusting Tomorrow

by PJ Trebelhorn

  “You didn’t think I was serious, did you?” Logan laughed and walked down the hall to her office. “If you want to be my friend, you’ll have to get used to my sense of humor.”

  Brooke was furious. She was sure Logan’s response was a defense mechanism, but it didn’t exasperate her any less. Part of her wanted to follow Logan and give her a piece of her mind, but the more rational part of her decided leaving without another word was the more sensible thing to do. Logan frustrated her no end, and she really didn’t want to think about the reasons why it was so easy for Logan to get to her. There was no way in hell she’d ever let Logan know the attraction was mutual, because she knew she’d never hear the end of it.

  Chapter Fifteen

  When Logan walked into her apartment Monday morning, the only thing to make it obvious someone had been there over the weekend were the clean dishes in the strainer by the sink. She never washed by hand. If you were meant to wash dishes by hand, there wouldn’t be automatic dishwashers, right?

  She walked through the apartment and was pleasantly surprised at how clean everything was. Perhaps she should consider hiring Billy as a housekeeper. Even the extra bathroom was spotless, and there were new sheets on the bed in the guest room.

  Her relief was short-lived when she entered the master bedroom though. There was someone in her bed. Billy was downstairs—she’d seen him in the embalming room working, his iPod turned up high enough for her to hear it coming from his ear buds. She glanced at the clock on the bedside table and admitted she was about an hour earlier than usual, but she’d thought they would have been long gone by now. She certainly didn’t think Billy would leave his boyfriend alone in her apartment.

  She cleared her throat and waited in the doorway as the man in her bed stirred but never opened his eyes. She tried again and a grin broke out on his face, though he didn’t open his eyes.

  “Come back to bed, Billy-boy,” he murmured. He stretched, and the sheet covering him slid off. His hand landed on his chest and began to move slowly down his stomach. Just before it reached what Logan was sure was its destination, she decided she’d seen enough.

  “Billy’s downstairs working,” Logan said, her voice calm in spite of the fact she found the situation humorous. She knew she should be pissed off, but she couldn’t help it. “This is my apartment. I do have a suggestion for you though. It might be best for both of us if you were to cover yourself.”

  His eyes flew open and he grasped for the sheet. Just as he got it over himself Billy came bounding up the stairs.

  He came in through the door off the hallway and didn’t see her standing in the door leading from the bedroom to the kitchen and the rest of the apartment. She watched in amusement as he ran in, gathered his guest’s clothes and threw them at the bed.

  “Get dressed and get the hell out of here,” he said. “Her car’s outside so she’s got to be on her way in.”

  “Too late, Bill,” she said from behind him. He whirled around so fast he almost lost his balance. “And I’ve already seen much more of your boyfriend than I ever wanted to. Get him dressed and out of here, then I want to see you in my office.”

  She turned to go back downstairs and get to work, but a DVD case next to the television caught her eye. She always kept her movies put away and in alphabetical order. When she got closer she saw the unmistakable picture of two naked men in a very compromising position. She ejected the disc and put it back in the case before tossing it onto the bed.

  “And don’t forget your movie. Gay porn is definitely not my preferred method of entertainment.”

  It was an hour later before Billy finally entered her office, his expression telling her all she needed to know. He was thoroughly embarrassed. He looked almost as if he were in physical pain waiting for her to blow up at him for leaving someone alone in her apartment. She waited until he was seated in front of her desk before she spoke.

  “Relax, Billy, I was early. I should have figured you’d milk every possible second out of the weekend. I just thank God I didn’t walk in on you guys…well, you know. But I specifically told you not to use my room. I hate it when someone else sleeps in my bed, and I know that isn’t all you did there if the DVD I saw was any indication.”

  Billy turned a shade of red Logan had never seen before. She was afraid he might actually pass out.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said, his voice strangled. “I swear it won’t happen again.”

  “You’re damn right it won’t, because you won’t be using my apartment again.” She’d intended on teasing him a bit, but he already appeared to be at his breaking point as far as mortification went. She smiled to let him know she wasn’t insanely mad at him, but she couldn’t resist one final dig. “I’ve usually at least been introduced to someone before I see them naked.”

  “His name is Carl, and I promise next time he’ll be fully clothed, and I’ll introduce you,” he said. “We changed your sheets, and the dirty ones are in the washing machine now. I’ll dry them and put them away later.”

  *

  “Hey, sis,” Jack said when he walked into her office and had a seat. He picked up the photo she had on her desk and looked at the image of their parents. It had been taken on the Alaskan cruise they’d gone on to celebrate their twentieth wedding anniversary, which was less than a year before her mother had died. “I always loved this picture of them.”

  “They were so happy, weren’t they?” Logan pushed the paperwork she’d been working on aside and stood to grab a soda from the small fridge she kept in the corner. She offered one to Jack, but he declined. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be working?”

  “Ernie’s got a viewing tomorrow morning. He let me go early today so I could help with it.” He leaned forward and placed the photo back where he’d found it. “I thought maybe we could go to Erie and grab some dinner if you don’t have other plans.”

  “Sounds great. Let me call Billy in here to let him know I’m leaving.” Logan picked up the phone and dialed the number for the embalming room. She looked at Jack as it rang. “Have you seen Billy since you’ve been back?”

  “Other than Dad’s funeral where we didn’t even say hello to each other? No. I’ve been meaning to stop by here and shoot the shit with him, but I just haven’t gotten around to it.”

  “Hey, Boss,” Billy said. “What’s up?”

  “Come to my office please. I need to discuss something with you.”

  “On my way.”

  He’d explained to her earlier in the day how it hadn’t been his idea to use her bed the night before, but she hadn’t cared. There was no television in the guest room, and the king-size bed in the master bedroom was much more comfortable than the queen. She assured him she probably would have done the same thing if she’d been in his shoes. She also made it clear to him—again—that he would never be using her apartment for a tryst. When it came right down to it, if she couldn’t trust him to follow one condition, how could she trust him with her home? It was only a few minutes before he walked into her office.

  “Jack, how the hell are you?” he asked, a big grin on his face when he walked in. Jack stood and hugged his old friend. The contrast in size wasn’t nearly what it was between Jack and Billy’s father, Ray. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “You too, Bill,” Jack said with a grin of his own. “How’ve you been?”

  “Not bad.”

  “Married yet?”

  “No.” Billy glanced at Logan, who simply shrugged. “You?”

  “Soon, I hope. We’ll have to get together when Cynthia’s in town so you can meet her.”

  “All right, enough reminiscing,” Logan said as she grabbed her jacket and put it on. “Billy, I’m going out to eat with my brother. You can handle things here, right?”

  “Sure.”

  “Just call me if you need me.”

  “Logan, can I talk to you for a minute?” Billy asked before she walked out the door.

  Logan waved Jack on and th
en came back into the office, closing the door behind her since she assumed whatever Billy wanted to say was private. She watched him for a moment before he finally took a deep breath and started.

  “I think I need to tell my folks I’m gay.”

  “Okay.” Logan nodded, wondering what he wanted from her. “Do you want me to be there when you do?”

  “No, I think if you were there it might be a little awkward for them. I’m just not sure how they’re going to take it, you know?”

  Logan sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk and motioned for Billy to take the other one. “Don’t worry about it, Bill. You have friends. If the unthinkable happens and they throw you out—which I don’t think will be the case—you can have my old room at the house. We’ll work something out, all right?”

  “Thank you. And thank you again for the use of the apartment over the weekend.”

  “So you’re serious about this guy?”

  “Yeah. He’s pretty amazing. I really want my parents to meet him.”

  “Make sure he’s got clothes on for that meeting. I have a feeling your parents won’t be as laid back about it as I was,” Logan said. “You aren’t planning on having him there with you when you tell them, are you?”

  “No.” He laughed nervously. “I think I’ll tell them tonight after I leave here.”

  “Good luck. And don’t be so nervous. They love you, right? They’ll handle it better than you think they will, mark my words.”

  *

  “They kicked me out.”

  Logan grabbed Billy by the arm and pulled him inside and out of the snow that had begun to fall earlier in the evening. She took his coat and hung it up before ushering him inside and sitting next to Jack on the couch. Billy took the chair facing them.

  “What do you mean they kicked you out?” Jack asked, apparently having overheard. “Why would your folks kick you out?”

  Logan watched the emotions pass over Billy’s features. She figured he was upset about how his parents reacted to his news, and now he was torn as to whether he should come out to the man who had been his best friend through high school. Logan decided to intervene.

  “Billy, can I tell him?” Logan waited for an answer, but all she got was a pained nod before he looked away. “Jack, Billy came out to Ray and Missy tonight.”

  “No shit.” Jack sounded surprised but his grin seemed to be out of place. It occurred to Logan he’d probably already known this about his friend. “It’s about time. Billy. Jesus, it really took you this long to figure it out?”

  “How—” Billy stopped and the confusion on his face almost made Logan laugh out loud, but she knew it wouldn’t be a good idea. He shook his head and started again. “No, I knew our freshman year of high school. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt when I had sex with Lisa Garrett after the prom. How the hell did you know and why the fuck didn’t you clue me in?”

  “Please.” Jack laughed. “I’ve known since the day we met. Maybe it’s because I have a gay sister. I don’t know. Why did it take you so long to tell your parents?”

  “They’re Catholic,” Billy said as though it explained everything, and Logan supposed it probably did.

  “You can stay here, right, Logan?” Jack asked.

  “Absolutely. You can have my room and I’ll go back to my apartment for tonight. We’ll work something more permanent out tomorrow, all right?”

  “Thank you,” Billy said, his relief obvious.

  The doorbell rang and Logan got up to go answer it. She couldn’t believe Ray and Missy would turn their backs on their own son, and her frustration came through in the way she yanked open the door.

  “Bad time?” Brooke asked as she took a step away from the door.

  Logan cleared her throat and shook her head. The last thing she wanted was to let her foul mood interfere with the possibility of spending time with Brooke. She gently pushed open the screen door and motioned for her to come in.

  “Is everything all right next door?”

  “Everything is fine.” She turned to face Logan as she shut the door. “I wanted to apologize for the other night. I had no right to be so upset with you.”

  “I think we spend way too much time apologizing to each other, don’t you? As far as the other night, you were only so upset because you’re attracted to me and you can’t admit it,” Logan said, loving the way Brooke’s jaw clenched, indicating she was getting pissed again. Logan laughed. “Relax. I’m only teasing you.”

  Brooke stayed silent and followed Logan into the living room. It was frustrating to realize Logan could so easily bait her. She’d never said the words out loud, but she’d made the vow to herself she would never get involved in another relationship. But Logan was different from any other woman she’d ever known. She was slowly but surely breaking down all the barriers Brooke had managed to erect in the past nine months, and while it scared the hell out of her, it also gave her a warm feeling deep in the pit of her stomach.

  Brooke hesitated when she saw Logan and Jack had a visitor. She glanced at them before opting to take a seat in the chair by the end table on Logan’s side of the couch. Before she could sit though, Jack stood and insisted she take his spot on the couch.

  “I’ll be fine here.”

  “Nonsense. This chair is the most uncomfortable piece of furniture in the house,” Jack said before gently taking her arm and directing her to the space he’d vacated on the sofa next to Logan. “For some reason, Dad liked it.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured without even a glance in Logan’s direction. She could feel Logan’s eyes on her, and just knew Logan had a self-satisfied grin plastered on her face. Brooke smiled at the other man in the room, whom she had never seen before. “Hi, I’m Brooke.”

  “Sorry,” Logan said as she sat up a little straighter. Brooke spared a glance in her direction and was pleased to see she really did seem to be flustered. “Billy Best, this is Brooke Collier. Brooke, Billy works with me at the funeral home.”

  “You’re Henry and Peggy’s granddaughter?” Billy asked. When Brooke nodded in response, he smiled. “My dad told me you were living with them now.”

  “Your dad?” Brooke asked, feeling completely lost in the conversation.

  “Billy’s dad is Ray Best, Oakville’s Chief of Police,” Logan explained. “He’s actually the only cop in town, but he likes the title anyway.”

  “I’m afraid I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him yet,” Brooke said. “But it’s nice to meet you, Billy.”

  “You too,” he said as his gaze shifted back and forth between Brooke and Logan. He looked as if he’d had an epiphany. “Oh…so you two are, you know, an item?”

  “No,” Brooke and Logan said in unison. They looked at each other and Brooke felt her heart warm at the brief connection.

  “Excuse me for a moment,” Logan said and disappeared into the kitchen.

  Brooke watched her go, and was surprised she actually had to force herself not to follow her. It was almost as though there was a magnetic pull between them, and Brooke didn’t understand it in the least. She cleared her throat and tried to relax. She smiled occasionally as Billy and Jack made small talk, but her attention wandered as she waited for Logan to come back. Her heart rate sped up when Logan walked back into the room, four beers in her hands. She passed them around and took her seat again just as the doorbell rang. Logan smiled—a bit nervously, Brooke thought—and got to her feet.

  “Billy, I’m sorry, but this is probably your parents.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Billy looked like he was contemplating how to make an escape through the back door when Logan placed a hand firmly on his shoulder. She looked at Jack and urged him to answer the door.

  “You called them?” he asked, his voice a strangled whisper.

  “No, Bill, I swear I didn’t. Your mom called me on my cell while I was in the kitchen.” Logan squeezed his shoulder and leaned down to look him in the eye. “She was upset about how things went tonight,
and she begged me to let them come over and talk to you. They figured you had come here when you left. We can give you guys some privacy if you want or we can stay and be your moral support. Completely up to you, all right?”

  “Please stay.” He closed his eyes and swallowed audibly just as Jack reentered the room with Ray and Missy Best following.

  Logan pulled Missy into a warm hug before kissing her on the cheek and offering her a seat on the couch. Ray gave a quick nod in Logan’s direction before sitting next to his wife. Brooke stood and headed toward the door.

  “I should go,” she said by way of apology.

  Logan stopped her with a subtle shake of her head. She made introductions before asking Jack to get a couple of the kitchen chairs for them to sit on.

  “Really, I should go. I don’t want to intrude,” Brooke said.

  “Please stay?” Billy asked.

  Logan was sure he made the plea in hopes the more gay people his parents saw, the better this talk might go. When Brooke looked to her for help, Logan simply shrugged. She took Brooke by the elbow and led her to the kitchen.

  “Excuse us for just a moment, please,” she said with a quick glance over her shoulder.

  “Logan, I don’t know these people,” Brooke said when they were safely out of earshot. “I don’t want to get involved with their family problems.”

  “Really? You’ve got a lot to learn if you’re going to fit in with small town living.” Logan gave her a grin. “All right, here’s a quick rundown. Billy’s thirty, and he still lives at home. I know, that’s strange enough, right? I just found out a few days ago he’s gay. He decided to tell his parents this evening, and it apparently didn’t go well. They kicked him out, and he ended up here. Now I think you’re up to speed, and you won’t be completely lost once the conversation begins.”

  “Why does he want me here? This is something they should discuss in private, isn’t it?”