New Tricks

by Andrew Grey

  “I’ll let you go so you can finish what you need. I’ll talk to you on the regular conference call tomorrow.” Blaze ended the call, and Thomas blinked a few times to clear the weirdness from his head. He put his phone in his pocket and continued his shopping.

  It seemed to take him forever because he didn’t know where anything was. But in the end, he did a reasonable job and carried his purchases out to the car to drive home.

  He unloaded the groceries, put everything away, and was about to get to work when the doorbell rang.

  “Hello, Thomas. It’s me.” His mother’s voice rang through the hall as he closed the refrigerator door.

  “In here,” he called back, and greeted her with a hug that she returned before stepping away.

  “You look like hell. What’s wrong with you? Are you sick?” She put her hand on his forehead. “No fever, but you look awful.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” Thomas grumped. Everyone seemed to have an opinion about him today, including the lady making a left turn who hadn’t seemed to think he was moving fast enough. “What brings you by?”

  “I thought you and I could have a chat, but, honey….” She wrinkled her nose. “You’re a little ripe. So go on up, shave and shower, and when you come back down, I’ll have us a nice lunch ready and you and I can chat.” She shooed him away, and Thomas stalked up to his room, stripped off his sweatpants, and went into the bathroom.

  His mother was right—one glance in the mirror proved that. Thomas looked like hell, scruffy, his hair a mess and kind of oily-looking, beard uneven and unfashionably scruffy… and he didn’t dare do that smellfy thing because he’d probably keel over from his own stink. What the hell had happened to him? The truth was, the heart and fun he’d found in things was gone. Thomas sighed, knowing he needed to pick up the pieces of his life.

  With that in mind, he shaved, started the shower, and got under the hot water to wash away the stink of his own regressive failure. It was time to move forward. He just wasn’t sure how he was going to do that.

  Once he dried himself and dressed, he went back to the kitchen.

  “That’s so much better,” his mom said with a smile. “Now, sit down. I made you some egg salad sandwiches.” She brought a plate over to the table, then sat across from him with a cup of tea. “It’s time you pissed or got off the pot,” his mother began, and Thomas nearly spit egg salad all over. “You’ve moped around here for days, and it needs to end. So figure out what you’re going to do.”

  “I’ve been looking at projects here and—”

  “Not that shit,” his mother interrupted. “Not work—Brandon. What are you going to do about him?” She sipped her tea. “You’ve been moping and grumping here for a week and a half. When I came in, you looked more like a New York bag lady than you did a successful real estate developer. You aren’t happy, and you could be if you pulled your head out of your ass.”

  “Jeez, Mom.” Thomas sat back.

  “What do you expect? Brandon made you happy. When he was here, you smiled and laughed… even bathed.” She rolled her eyes, and Thomas snorted derisively.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Bull pucky. You’re not fine. You can tell that to yourself all you want and it isn’t going to change anything.”

  Thomas put up his hands in surrender. “What do you want me to do?”

  She sipped her tea as if contemplating the question, which Thomas knew was an act. “Call that lovely assistant of yours and have her fire up that jet and fly out to Los Angeles. You need to figure shit out.”

  Thomas glared at her. “Is this you playing matchmaker? Because I have one word for you—Karla. Remember?”

  His mother rolled her eyes and then stood. “One little mistake and they never let you forget it for the rest of your life. What’s wrong with these kids today?” She put her mug in the sink. “They can’t figure anything out on their own, and when they get a little help, all they want to talk about is one little, atomic bomb–sized mistake.” She left the room. “Make the call,” she added, and then pulled the front door closed behind her, leaving Thomas alone with his lunch, wondering what the hell had just happened.

  Thomas finished eating and was just contemplating his next move when his phone rang. It was Marjorie. “What can I do for you?”

  “Well… it seems you’re going to LA. I called, and the pilot will have the plane ready for takeoff first thing in the morning. I also got you a room at the Beverly Hills Hotel. I thought that would be nice for you.”

  “Marjorie… what the hell?”

  “Oh for God’s sake. You’ve been miserable. I know that, and when your mother called at the buttcrack of dawn this morning, I knew I was right, so I went ahead and got things moving.”

  “I’m not going to LA,” Thomas said, digging in his heels.

  “Now look,” she snapped. “You can either sit there missing him and moping around all the time… or you can go get him. Remember that plan we had a few years ago to open a West Coast office? We even purchased a building for the expansion, which we rent out. Well, I checked and it’s empty at the moment.”

  “So you got the idea that I should go out there and… what?”

  “See him, maybe pick up on that project. Live the good life out there. I don’t know—whatever you want. You’ve got plenty of money, and in LA there’s someone missing you just as badly as you miss him.”

  “How do you know?” Thomas put his plate in the sink and walked through the house as he talked, his nervous energy taking over.

  “How do you think? I’ve been talking to him. He loves his job, but he misses you, and I know you miss him, so get your butt out there, put something together that will make you happy, and get on with life.” She cleared her throat. “And I’m going to go back into assistant mode instead of kick-your-ass mode. Don’t make me do that again or so help me….” She was seconds away from laughing, and Thomas had to purse his lips. “Anyway. I’m sending you the details for the flight and hotel. I’m also sending you Brandon’s address in LA, and I arranged for a car for you.”

  “Sounds like you’ve got everything planned out.” He was feeling testy and continued prowling the house like a big cat.

  “Nope. The rest is up to you.” Marjorie sighed. “Do this, Thomas. You need to see him, and you need to do something. I’m not saying you need to move there if you don’t want to, but you can live anywhere, and you can fly to New York from LA when you need to. You can go to Colorado to see your mom and dad or see if they want to move. But you can’t just sit and mope around all the time. And he made you happy, at least I think so.”

  Thomas found himself nodding before he could think about it. Brandon had made him smile, and just thinking about him felt like the sun peeking out from behind the clouds. “How’s he doing?”

  “Good. He’s already working hard, and they seem to really like his ideas. I think he can flourish there if he has someone to have his back. It’s going to be tough for him alone. You know how that feels.”

  Thomas nodded. “Okay. Make all the final arrangements, and I’ll be there. Have a car pick me up in the morning. I’m going to LA.”

  “Oh, thank God,” Marjorie breathed. “You saved me from having to give you the speech about how love is too precious to throw away and all that. I love you and Brandon, and I really think you deserve each other, but I don’t want to put myself into a diabetic coma.” She chuckled.

  Thomas stopped pacing and smiled. “Thank you for that. I really appreciate not having to hear that.”

  “Good. Now you get yourself moving and do whatever it is you think you need to do to get ready to go. I’ll have the car pick you up in the morning.” Even she sounded cheerful. “Call me if you need anything.”

  “I will. And… Marjorie? Thanks.”

  She scoffed. “Don’t thank me. Thank your mother. She’s the one who called and told me about you.”

  Thomas groaned. “Of course she did.” Dang it, he was really going to have to have a ta
lk with her. “Sometimes I wonder about her.”

  “I think your mother is amazing… and maybe a little scary. I’ll send you all the arrangements.” She ended the call, and Thomas shook his head, staring at his phone before hurrying upstairs to get ready to go.

  Chapter 12

  BRANDON’S JOB was everything he’d hoped it would be.

  “I’ll see you in the morning,” he called as Cheryl got ready to leave the small office they shared with two other people. The studio figured proximity equaled working together—or was it forced teamwork? He wasn’t sure, and it didn’t really matter. He didn’t have time to think about it.

  “Do you have plans? I’m going out with some friends, and you could join us.”

  “I’m just finishing up here. They asked to have this copy done today, and I’m almost there. How about Friday?” He could reward himself for making it through a second week.

  “Sounds great.”

  Once she left, Brandon got his head back on what he was working on. He put the finishing touches on and sent it off to his boss before shutting down his workstation and getting ready to leave. Brandon had thought that working for a studio would be glamorous, but it was work. He had seen a few people he thought were famous, but hadn’t wanted to look like some hick from the sticks, so he’d paid them no attention and continued on to the office.

  Brandon gathered his things and went out to the rental car the studio had gotten for him. He drove through the city on what were becoming familiar streets to Hollywood and the small furnished place they had found for him. He parked in his reserved space and went inside through the lobby to get his mail.

  A man stood near the mailboxes and slowly turned around. Brandon blinked a few times to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.

  “Thomas?” he asked as he stepped closer, still unable to believe what his eyes were telling him. His heart beat faster as he closed the distance between them. “What are you…?”

  He didn’t get a chance to finish his thought. Thomas had him in his arms, kissing him hard, pressing him to the mailboxes. All Brandon could think for a split second was that he hoped to hell no one came down to get their mail because they were about to get an eyeful, but then Thomas kissed him harder and all thoughts of everybody and everything else flew from his head.

  “God, I missed you.” Thomas pulled away, and Brandon licked his lips, trying to catch his breath. Thomas looked great in jeans and a green polo shirt.

  Brandon nodded. “Me too. Ummm, do you want to come in?” He opened the inner door, and Thomas followed him to the elevator to the third floor, then down around the hallway that overlooked the pool and to his little apartment in the back of the building. He opened the door, and Thomas stepped inside, stopping short. “I’m sorry it isn’t much. I’m trying to find a place that’s better, but….” Dammit, he tried to keep the embarrassment out of his voice. “How long have you been here?”

  “I got in this afternoon, and I’ve been waiting for you to come home for an hour, I guess. I wanted to surprise you.”

  “You did….” Brandon set down his bag, and Thomas pulled him into his arms.

  “Good. That’s what I was hoping for.” Thomas kissed him again.

  Brandon held his shoulder, patting it gently, and Thomas pulled back. “But why? This is a long way to come for a surprise. Not that it isn’t really nice.” He smiled, trying to get an understanding of what was going on. Was Thomas going to leave right away, or was he here to stay? Hope warred with fear, and neither won.

  “Well, for the last ten days, I think I’ve seen the inside of my office more than I have my bedroom. I ate everything in the house and then went to the grocery store after not having shaved or showered for three days. And every time I stopped for two seconds, I kept thinking of you.”

  Brandon cleared his throat. “You didn’t shower for three days? What were you thinking?”

  “That I was miserable. My mother came over and told me to pull my head out of my ass and come see you. Marjorie booked the plane and hotel and then told me to get out here. Blaze told me, in his own way, to quit being an ass to everyone.” Thomas smiled, and Brandon molded against him. That right there was what he’d been missing.

  “They pushed you to come? Is that the only reason you’re here? To get them off your back?” If it was, then it was nice that Thomas had come to see him, but Brandon needed to get on with his life.

  “No. I’m here because I’m going to open a West Coast office and I think I’m going to start some projects here. I realized that I need a new challenge and something special in my life. So I got on the plane and came here.”

  “So I’m a challenge?” Brandon pressed.

  “No. You’re the something special.” Thomas traced his jaw with his fingers. “You’re the sun that went behind a cloud the minute you drove away from the house. You weren’t even there, and you were the last thing I thought of before going to bed and the first thing I looked for each morning, only to find the rest of the bed empty. That’s what you are.” Thomas didn’t move, and Brandon didn’t want to breathe in case something broke this spell between them.

  “It’s hard here. I don’t know anyone, but I love my work. It’s really cool what I’m doing, and they’re happy with my work already. My boss handed me a new task to plan the promotion for a new film. It’s a lower-budget piece, but I think if it can get some buzz, it could be great. This is what I’ve really wanted to do… and….” He realized that no matter what, things were a lot more fun when there was someone to come home to, especially someone who looked at him the way Thomas was at that exact moment, like he was the center of the universe and a damned earthquake wasn’t going to shake his attention.

  “I know. The guys in New York can handle almost everything, and when they can’t, I have a plane. So I thought I’d look for a home out here, one with a nice yard, great view, and maybe even a cement pond.” Thomas smiled, and Brandon chuckled at the Beverly Hillbillies reference. “Will you help me find a house and plan where everything should go?”

  Brandon lowered his gaze. “Like your assistant?”

  Thomas shook his head, then kissed him again. “Like my partner, the person who’ll live there with me and the one who’ll take up permanent residence on the other side of the bed. My only hope is that I can keep up with you.”

  Brandon smacked him on the shoulder. “Stop with the old-man stuff.” He played with the touch of gray at Thomas’s temples. “I have to worry about keeping up with you.” Brandon leaned closer until their foreheads touched. “You’re perfect just the way you are, and I love you like this.” He stilled and Thomas shifted to the side, capturing his lips.

  “I love you too.” Thomas kissed him and then pulled away. The lines around Thomas’s eyes smoothed out as his lips turned upward slightly and the tension slipped out of his expression. “I used to think that I had all I ever wanted and that my dreams had become reality, but I was wrong.” He cupped Brandon’s cheeks. “Maybe Hollywood can be the place where both our dreams come true.”

  Thomas kissed him again, and Brandon knew that with Thomas with him, anything was possible.

  Epilogue

  CHANGE WAS a good thing—at least Thomas kept telling himself that. In six months there had been plenty of it. He’d bought a house he liked on the outskirts of Beverly Hills, and he and Brandon had updated it to just the way they wanted, with clean lines and plenty of light. The house was just old enough that it had plenty of character and warmth. He’d quickly come to understand that an ultramodern home was not what he and Brandon wanted. His parents were still considering a move out, and Thomas was doing his best to convince them.

  “I need to go pick up Grandma at the airport,” Brandon said as he came out of the second guest room upstairs. Thomas’s parents were in the small pool house, which had its own bedroom and bath, as well as its own living area. Collin was going to be in the smaller guest room, and Thelma was going to be in the bigger one, closer to them.

&
nbsp; “Do you want me to go with you?” Thomas asked as he looked up from where he’d been answering email on his laptop. He’d originally thought he’d want a home office, but they decided against it when Thomas discovered the tranquil view of the backyard that he had from the windows in the living room. Now when he brought work home, he sat in his favorite chair and could be truly comfortable.

  “You can. I got a call from your brother. His flight is expected in an hour, so I thought I’d pick them both up at once.”

  “Then we’d better move. That way you and I can discuss our plan of attack.”

  They had decided they wanted to invite Thelma to come live with them, figuring she could move into the pool house. That way she could be independent and yet be close enough that if she needed anything, they’d be right there.

  “Perfect.” Brandon leaned over the arm of his chair to kiss him deeply.

  Thomas hugged him, and if it weren’t for his laptop, he’d have pulled Brandon onto his lap. Well, that and the fact that his parents were in back with a perfect view of everything they did. “Then let’s go.” Thomas set his computer aside, and they went out to the garage and climbed into the Navigator for the ride.

  “I was thinking that you should be the one to ask Grandma to stay. She can never say no to you about anything.” Brandon bit his lower lip, and Thomas patted his leg as he pulled to a stop at Wilshire before making the turn to get to the freeway.

  “I’ll do that, but you should give her a few days to see how she likes it. Feel her out. She might hate it here, and you’ll need to get used to that idea.” Thomas intended to do what he could. He knew Brandon missed her terribly, and his parents were less than helpful, telling Thelma that she should look at retirement homes. Basically they didn’t want to care for her and wanted to shut her away. It pissed Thomas off big-time.

  “Okay.” Brandon wrung his hands, and Thomas knew that plan was unlikely to happen. Brandon wanted this too badly.