by Jenny Wood
“Cameron.” He’d grumbled, softly. I loved when his voice sounded like that, especially when he was using it on me.
“Hey,” I said, a little too amped up for the quiet entry way to our floor.
“You got a second?” He asked. I did, I had all the seconds. I was bored out of my mind, and this was Jody. I’d make the seconds if I had to.
“Sure, what’s up?” I asked, clearing off some desk space. I didn’t notice the intent glare that Jody had on my face.
“What happened to your lip?” He asked; softness gone. Vanessa, our receptionist snorted a laugh beside me.
“Just an accident,” I say softly, mentally begging both of them to drop it. I don’t want Jody asking because I don’t want Vanessa to tell the story that was an obvious lie. A lie that Jody would know was a lie because he was at the wedding and nobody had a fucking bouquet because the wedding was between two men. One of them, his brother.
“What kind of accident?” He narrows his eyes at me and I squirm.
“What’d you want to talk about? Is everyone alright?” I ask, changing the subject instead.
“Yeah, everyone’s fine. I wanted to talk about Jason Davis; from Heaven’s.” He says, confusing me. Jase? What could be wrong with Jase? I hadn’t been to Heaven’s Haven in almost a week, but last I was there, Jase was fine. Happy, even.
“What’s going on with him?” I ask, concerned. Jase was the oldest kid at Heaven’s and he was smart as a whip and so sweet. He never gave Ms. Jay any trouble and he was great about helping out the other kids when needed.
“He’s graduating in a few weeks.” He tells me. “Thinking about college but not knowing where to start. Kid wants to be a surgeon or a doctor or something. I wanna help him achieve that but I don’t know where to start. I was hoping you could help us out.”
You could’ve pushed me over with a feather right then. I knew he’d volunteered at the children’s home, of course, I did. I’d seen him there for months, painting murals, hanging out with the kids. I knew he’d taken a day trip to the zoo with several of the kids along with his little sister, Kady. I knew he often times showed up at the kids’ ball games and piano recitals. I knew he took a special interest in each child and I knew he was like an honorary Uncle to most of them. It was sweet. The look on his face was one of attitude and broodiness, but the words were the complete opposite.
“Jase wants to be a doctor?” I asked. I’d been volunteering there for years and Jase had never talked to me about his future.
“He does.” Jody clarified.
“So, he wants to go to college? Has he applied anywhere?” I ask, knowing that’d need to be the first step. Thinking about options and knowing where to apply.
“I don’t think so.” He tells me regretfully. “He’s only just started thinking about college I think.”
“He’s missed the deadlines, I’m sure. People plan college for years in advance, he’s coming up on graduation in less than a month.” I tell him, panicking on behalf of this kid that he’s obviously closer to than I am.
“I know, but any help you could give us would be appreciated.” He tells me, again with his soft voice. His eyes are piercing through me and I notice his eyes roaming all over my face, staying on my eyes, longer than necessary.
“I can do a little research and give him some idea’s, absolutely.” I offer. I only wish I’d known about all this earlier, I could’ve helped him prepare and apply. I wanted to see all those kids succeed in whatever they chose to do. I only wish I’d had someone like Jody or myself when I was Jase’s age, to help me.
“That’d be great.” He smirked, his eyes going soft. His face completely transformed into something truly beautiful when he wasn’t scowling. He was downright illuminating when he smiled, even if only a half-one.
“I can-“ my voice gave out and he noticed; I’m positive he knew that I was attracted to him. Who wouldn’t be? I blinked away my embarrassment and cleared my throat. “I can get some stuff together and take it to him in the morning, or if maybe you’d want to be our go-between, I could meet you at Heaven’s and we could talk with him? I don’t want him to feel like you went behind his back to talk to me about him or something.” I suggested. To be honest, I knew that trust was a big deal to those kids and I’d hate for Jase to feel like he trusted Jody with something and he’d passed him off to me.
“That’d be great. I was going to take him out for pizza tomorrow, Mario’s, you want to join us?” He asks. I did. I absolutely wanted to go anywhere with him tomorrow or any day. I needed to control myself; not only was he completely out of my league, I also had a problem that was never, in no way, ever going to let me go. I was in no way available and doubted that I ever would be. No matter how much I wished it so.
“Yes, I can do that.” I agreed. “What time?”
“Six?” He offered. I nodded in acknowledgment. I got off of work at five tomorrow; so that’d work perfectly.
“Great,” Jody said quietly and looked down the hallway before looking back at me. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He smiled. Not a smirk, not a half smile; he full on smiled at me and for a split second, I forgot how to breathe. He didn’t wait for me to say anything else, he just nodded to Vanessa on his way out.
“That’ll be fifteen-fifteen.” I heard louder than necessary and noticed the delivery guy from Grady’s with our pizza. I’m glad we were going to Mario’s tomorrow; I’d hate to have Grady’s two days in a row. At least at Mario’s, I could have pasta. I paid the kid and gave him a few dollars tip and he winked before he too, left. Although he was younger than me and plenty gorgeous enough, his smile had nothing on Jody’s and that was all I could think about.
As luck would have it, I’m running late to meet Jase and Jody. I’d not heard from Asher since he left yesterday morning, but he’d tried to call earlier without leaving a message. I hadn’t called him back; instead, I’d called my old guidance counselor from the nursing program I’d attended when I moved here. I’d just stopped into his office to grab an application and I’d spent hours last night, printing off different ones from our surrounding areas and some from farther away. I wasn’t sure without talking to him, whether or not he was planning on sticking close to home or if getting the hell away from here was what he’d wanted. So, I’d done a little of both. They both were already seated and talking over glasses of soda when I walked up, stacks of papers in hand.
“Hey, guys.” I chirped, as I reached them.
“Hey, Cameron,” Jase said politely as Jody just nodded. I sat the stacks of papers down and pulled up a chair.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I heard you were graduating in a few weeks?” I asked Jase. He smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.
“That’s great!” I say, meaning it wholeheartedly. “Congratulations!”
“Thank you. Jody told me that you were meeting us so you’re not interrupting. I also wanted to thank you for being willing to help.” He says, shyly. He really is a great kid.
“No problem. It’s exciting to know what you want to do, isn’t it?” I prompted, straightening the stack of applications and printed out information on different schools.
“Yeah. It’s a little scary too, though.” He shrugged. I could understand that.
“Hi there, I’m Marianne, can I get you something to drink?” She asked me, being the newcomer.
“Can I get a glass of water, please?” I asked and she nodded and took off.
“Have you guys ordered yet?” I asked, knowing that I was a few minutes late.
“No, we were waiting for you.” Jody finally speaks. I couldn’t tell if he meant that as a jab because I was late, or just a statement of fact. I figured I should explain my lateness anyway; I don’t want to be rude.
“I’m sorry I’m late. I actually went to the community college and grabbed an application. I got to talking to my old guidance counselor and he gave me so much information to pass along to you. I hope that’s okay that Jody told me about it. I really j
ust wanted to help and got a little carried away.” I laughed at myself for getting so carried away, but this was supposed to be an exciting time for a young man and I wanted him to see it as such and not something to be scared about.
“That’s fine, it’s great actually, I feel like I’m in over my head,” Jase admitted. I reached out patted his arm, reassuringly. I thanked our server when she dropped my water off at our table and asked to take our order. The guys ordered pizza, but I ordered a pasta dish and a salad on the side. It sucked that I’d had pizza yesterday because to tell you the truth, Mario’s had the best pasta in the state. In my opinion anyway.
“So, I’ve got plenty of applications here for you. Do you know where you were thinking of going? Any idea’s or preferences?” I ask to start.
“I don’t have a clue.” Jase shyly admitted.
“That’s okay.” I smiled. “You have lots of options,” I tell him. I start with programs close to home. I show him the different print-outs and information about each, individual school. I show him what each one has to offer and what it would require, as far as the filling out of each application. We all pause to eat; Jase and Jody are inhaling their pizza, neither of them stops to say much. They both finish before me, and Jody looks over each application, making a list of pros and cons.
After I finish and our dishes are cleared away; we go through the stack of out-of-state, schools. Jase knows that he’s looking at years and years of schooling and residencies; but the prospect seems to excite him, rather than intimidate him.
“My trig teacher says that I could probably go just about anywhere with my grades; I have a 4.2 GPA,” Jase says, almost bouncing in his seat.
“Did you have any place specific you’d thought about?” I ask, knowing we should start there first.
“I don’t want to go too far.” He says like a confession, nervously looking at Jody.
“Why not?” I ask, bluntly.
“I don’t know, I just don’t.” He shrugs it off. I notice Jody studying him and Jase’s face is getting pinker the more he avoids the stare.
“Hey,” Jody speaks softly to get Jase’s attention. He’s using that sexy, soft, less-intimidating but demanding voice that I love. “I gave you my number didn’t I?” He asks. Jase nods. “I told you that you could use it, any day, anytime, right?” He asks and Jase confirms; eyes shining a little brighter. “What do you think that means?” Jody inquires. Jase rapidly blinks and looks anywhere but at our table.
“Jase.” Jody prompts.
“I don’t know,” Jase confesses. My heart is in my throat. I know something significant is going on, right now.
“That means that you’re my family now.” Jody states. Sucking the air from our general area. I see as well as hear Jase take in a sharp breath as mine whooshes from my body unexpectedly. All those kids in that children’s home want one thing in this life. A family. And Jody has just given Jase that very thing. “When I was old enough to realize what that word meant, I was old enough to choose my own. I chose my own brothers and they chose me. Now, I’m choosing you.”
“You don’t know me that well, though.” Jase counters. My heart split right down the middle. He’s trying to give Jody an “out”. Trying to see if he’ll take it, before promising what this kid so badly wants.
“I know that you sacrifice your time and different opportunities to help the kids at the center. That’s being selfless, it’s a good quality to have, a quality that makes you a respectable person, a respectable man. I know you’re honest and trustworthy; more respectable qualities. I know you’re patient and smart and funny. I’ve spent time with you. I’ve spent a lot of time with you recently, especially. I talked to the guys at the house, we’ve got more than enough room. If you want to stick close to home, you can have one with me and my brothers. If you want to go to an out of state school, you’ll have a place to come visit for the holidays. You’ll have brothers to call when you run out of noodles and brain food.” Jody smiled and I’m pretty sure he nudged Jase under the table with his foot. Jase smiled a blinding smile and I couldn’t contain my unmanly sob. They both looked at me in horror as they noticed I was crying. I couldn’t help it, though, I'd just witnessed a beautiful moment.
“What?!” I accused. “That was so sweet!” I flared dramatically, making both of them laugh. Jody winked at me, still smiling and stood up and offered a hand to Jase. I held my breath to keep quiet as Jase stood up and grabbed Jody’s hand. They ruined my silence when Jody pulled Jase in for a hug; I couldn’t contain myself any longer. Thankfully, they both ignored me. After they’d both sat back down, smiling from ear to ear; I dramatically excused myself to the restroom to look at my, sure to be messed up face. Of course, I was emotional by what I’d just witnessed and the tears were very real. It was a beautiful, beautiful moment; but of course, I hammed it up a bit to lighten the mood. I could tell Jody appreciated it and Jase and seemed relieved to refocus some of the attention that had previously been on him. I was happy to have been here for this.
I ran a wet paper towel under my eyes and hoped they didn’t look too puffy when I walked out. I didn’t want to splash my whole face with water because I was still hiding proof of Asher’s irrational behavior along my chin. I dabbed my eyes and closed them while I fanned the wetness without rubbing.
“Cameron Rydell, I thought that was you.” My eyes snapped open and I focused on the man behind me, in the mirror. I knew him, I’d met him several times. He worked with Asher. To a lot of people, seeing someone who knows your boyfriend might not be a big deal, but this was. I knew he’d leave here and text or call Asher and say that he’d seen me. I wasn’t prepared to deal with Asher right now. I’d been having a good day.
“Hey, Michael,” I say, not to be rude.
“What are you doing here?” He asked me, apparently not caring about being rude. Why? I had no idea, he’d always been nothing but polite to me.
“In a restaurant? I’m getting dinner.” I look at him like he’s stupid. Stupid move on my part, but who is he to question me? He only nods and smirks at me.
“Enjoy.” Is his parting shot as he opens the door and walks out. I have a feeling I just fucked myself.
Chapter 4: Jody
When I talked to the guys last night about offering Jase a place to call home; all of them supported it 100%, especially after I told them some of the things he’d said to me. I couldn’t let him go off to college without having people at his back. I’d been getting to know him for about 9 months and all of those kids meant something to me. I’d offer them all a place if I could, but Jase needed us now. All the guys had met him before and all of them wanted to help. What better way than to bring him into our fold and gain us a new little brother? Kingsley would have a blast with that; he’s always been the baby.
Cameron was cute as hell. I could tell Jase was overwhelmed and probably feeling a little emotional; I knew he was feeling the heaviness of the situation and I was grateful that Cameron lightened the mood by being even more emotional and not caring who witnessed his dramatics. He did have a flair for the dramatics, but it was one more thing that attracted me to him. Not counting his bright, brown eyes, pink, puffy lips and beautiful smile. He had a slim, lithe, little body that begged for attention and I needed to stop with the fantasizing. He has a boyfriend.
When he excused himself from the table, he rolled his eyes at the good-natured smirks he got from Jase and me when we’d noticed him crying. He pretended to be put out but I could see the light behind his eyes that said he was happy. When he came back from the bathroom, he was fidgety and nervous. He didn’t smile and I caught him scoping out the room every couple minutes. I wasn’t sure who he’d seen on his trip to the bathroom, but I knew that he was now uncomfortable.
“Everything okay?” I asked because he was no longer participating in any of our conversations.
“What?” He asked, seemingly startled that I was talking to him. He jumped at the sound of my voice. I hated that.
&
nbsp; “You seem tense, everything okay?” I tried again. He nodded before I could get my question out. I didn’t believe him for a second.
“Yeah. I’m okay.” He answered. I saw him take a deep breath and let it out, slowly. That seemed to calm him some. He smiled at Jase and me and attempted to jump back into the conversation.
“So, Jase; do you think you’ll need help filling out these applications? I can help you if you want.” He offered.
“Yeah, that’d be awesome, Cameron, thanks!” Jase said, enthusiastically. “I tutor after school, but I’m home by five most days if you want to stop by. Or I could meet you at Conner’s bookstore so we could use the computer if we needed it.” He suggested.
“I’m off work tomorrow. Conner’s would be great; we might need the internet.” He says. They both agree on a time after school and our waiter brought our ticket. Cameron tried to argue but after I insisted, he backed down pretty quickly. I didn’t like that, either. Not that he backed down, but the way he’d been so quick to do it; like he was afraid I was going to react badly if he kept pushing it.
“Really, we should split it. I don’t mind paying for mine.” He’d said for the second time.
“Cameron, I got it.” I’d said firmly. Not forceful, not threatening, just firm.
“Sure, sorry. Thanks. Thank you.” He’d stammered without looking at me. He also took a step back. That also pissed me off. Jase wanted to jog home since he’d eaten a piece of pie with some ice cream for dessert. It was less than nine blocks and he was capable enough, so I pulled him to me in a sort of, side hug and told him I’d talk to him tomorrow. I also told him to call me if he needed anything or if he just wanted to check in. He said he’d text later. Cameron said his goodbyes as well and promised to see him tomorrow.