by Jenna Byrnes
“You’re trying to include me because the judge said you have to. And the pain goes both ways, sister. Only I was thinking of a spot slightly lower than my side.”
She gave an audible sigh. “Do you take anything seriously or is life just a big joke to you? When you have children, Wynn, you can’t be so laissez-faire about things. Sometimes you just have to pull your big boy panties up and deal with stuff.”
“Well, gee, Syd. I would, but I stopped wearing underwear a long time ago.” He couldn’t resist the jab, and only wished he was there in person to watch the smoke escape from her ears.
“I’m hanging up now. You can tell Con we discussed the party and it’s not happening. You’ll pick him up Friday after school and bring him home Sunday by noon. And I swear to God, Wynn, if I so much as hear a whisper that you let him go to that party, I’ll have you back in court so fast your head will spin.”
“Don’t worry, dear. I never thought his going was a good idea to begin with. You just didn’t bother to ask how I felt about it. I’ll get him Friday. Have a nice weekend.” He ended the call and tossed the phone on his bed.
Whatever boner he’d had was long since forgotten after the conversation with Syd. He kicked out of his shorts and boxers and headed to take a much less steamy shower than he’d originally planned.
* * * *
Thursday morning, Wynn continued making rounds to the private schools while Mel visited their public counterparts. He’d just stopped for lunch when he cell rang with an unknown number. “Fahey,” he answered.
“Detective Fahey, this is Reilly O’Keefe from St. Sebastian’s Academy. I don’t know if you remember me.”
Remember you? Are you fucking kidding? Wynn cleared his throat. “Mr. O’Keefe, of course. Has anyone knocked you off your feet today?”
Reilly chuckled. “No one as good-looking as the guy who did it yesterday.”
Wynn’s eyes bugged as he realized what he’d said. Shit. “Well, that didn’t come out exactly like it sounded in my head.” Yet the man’s reply intrigued him. Could Reilly be gay? He struggled to bring the conversation back around to safer territory. “I feel lousy about that, you know. I really am sorry.”
“I’m not. It made for a memorable first encounter.”
Something about the way he said it made Wynn wonder if they might have a second encounter. “Okay, then. Good.”
“So listen. I spoke with Tim Andrews about the reason for your visit yesterday. The flyers are a good start, but I think we can do more. This is something I feel strongly about, and I was hoping we might get together to discuss it. Unfortunately, I don’t get a lunch hour, per se. It’s more like thirty minutes and some days twenty. So I was wondering about dinner.”
Startled, Wynn could only repeat, “Dinner?”
Reilly chuckled again. “Yeah, the meal at the end of the day, you know, after you’re done working?”
“I know what it is. I was just a little surprised. I might be able to do dinner. I guess it depends when you were thinking.”
“Well, tonight is pretty short notice. What about tomorrow night?”
Wynn’s mind raced. “Uh, can’t do tomorrow. Picking up Con for the weekend. I’m actually free tonight if you wanted to shoot for that. This is a time-sensitive business, so the sooner the better would probably be good.”
“I totally agree, the sooner the better. Tonight works just fine. You name the restaurant and I’ll find it.”
Since he didn’t eat out much, Wynn scrambled to come up with a place. Jeff Taylor’s boyfriend’s pub came to mind and he said, “What about the Cock and Bull British Pub on Troost? They have good food, and it’s a nice atmosphere. I know the guy who owns it.”
“Oh, sure. I’ve been there a couple of times. The food is good. I can be there at six or after, how about you?”
“Six is good, that’ll give me just enough time to go home and change.”
“Into something more comfortable?” Reilly teased.
Wynn pretended to ignore the meaning of the comment. “Jeans are always more comfortable than work clothes. I’ll see you at six, then?”
“Looking forward to it. Bye.” Reilly ended the call.
Still holding the phone to his ear, Wynn thought about everything Reilly had said. Something he feels strongly about. Was the meeting strictly business, or did the sexy teacher have an ulterior motive in mind? Was he reading meaning into the subtle comments or could Reilly actually be gay…and interested?
Those thoughts niggled at the back of his mind for the rest of the afternoon. His heart warred with a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. Even if he is gay, there’s nothing we can do about it. Ever the analyzer, he made a mental list of the reasons why not.
He teaches my son.
A gay teacher will never be able to have an open relationship, and I’m not interested in a furtive one.
And probably the biggest reason he could come up with was
Connor. The boy was going through a trying time. Wynn needed to be there for him. If he became romantically involved with someone, the attention he gave to his son might suffer. He could not let that happen.
He chuckled to himself as he drove home to change after work. The teacher had invited him to dinner to discuss the Flakka problem, and his mind was already going off in a dozen different directions.
It was probably a simple, honest invitation with no other motives. That’s what he told himself as he drove to the Cock and Bull. He’d chosen a blue button-down shirt over his dark jeans and left the tail untucked. A straightforward look, without expectations for the evening. Two associates meeting to discuss a common venture. He’d nearly bored himself to sleep by the time he arrived and entered the front door.
“Evening, luvie.” A buxom blonde hostess shot him a smile. “Welcome to the Cock and Bull.”
“Thanks.” He smiled at her then glanced around. There was no sign of Reilly yet. “I’m meeting someone.”
“Brill! Do you fancy a table or a booth tonight?”
“Booth, please.”
“Right this way.” She led him to a seat and he slipped in.
Jeff and his partner Reese Iverson were just exiting their own table and waved when they spotted him.
“Welcome, mate.” Reese shook his hand. “What brings you out tonight?”
“Yeah.” Jeff narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t mention coming here for dinner.”
“Last minute plans, and this was the first place I thought of.”
“Brill! We’re chuffed to have you.” Reese’s wide smile was genuine.
Wynn wasn’t sure how much of the hokey British speech was real, though, and wondered how Jeff put up with it day after day. “Right back atcha,” he replied and shrugged at Jeff.
Jeff laughed and put a hand on his shoulder. “That’s right, just go with the flow. There are times I understand about half of what they’re saying.”
Reese laughed. “I let him know what’s important.”
“Yes you do.” Jeff eyed his man affectionately.
The pub owner slipped an arm around Jeff’s waist and returned the moony gaze.
Wynn couldn’t help but smile. That’s the kind of relationship I want. Loving, sincere, and out in the open.
Reilly came through the front door and the handsome teacher immediately captured his attention. He made eye contact and nodded.
Reilly smiled and spoke to the hostess, who led him over to the group of three.
“Evening,” he said with an amused expression on his face.
“Hello,” Wynn acknowledged. “Reilly O’Keefe, this is my coworker, Detective Jeff Taylor, and his partner Reese Iverson. Reese owns the pub.”
Jeff smiled. “Welcome, Mr. O’Keefe.”
“Reilly, please.” He shook hands with Jeff and Reese.
“Top o’ the evening to ya,” Reese reverted to an Irish brogue. “With a name like Reilly O’Keefe, I’d have expected a thick accent. Not from the old country, I presume?”
“Not m
e. My grandpap was, but my family’s lived here forever and I was born and raised in the Show Me State.”
“You can show me anything.” Jeff waggled his eyebrows at Wynn.
Wynn waved him off. “Mr. O’Keefe teaches at St. Sebastian’s Academy. We’re discussing the Flakka problem and going to brainstorm some ideas about how to deal with it.”
“Brainstorming is good,” Jeff agreed, but looked like he didn’t quite buy the tale.
Reese motioned for Reilly to sit. “We’re chuffed that you chose our pub for your meeting.” He called a waitress over. “Rita, these gentlemen are dining on me tonight so give them anything they desire from the menu.”
Wynn shook his head. “That’s not necessary, but thanks very much for the offer.”
“I insist.” Reese placed a hand on Jeff’s back. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, I have something to show this one. And we have a hot tub waiting at home. A cracking good way to unwind at the end of a long day.”
Reilly smiled. “Enjoy your hot tub. And thanks for your generosity.”
Reese leaned in. “Thank you. Teachers don’t get enough appreciation and it’s a bloody shame, that. You blokes have an ace evening.”
Jeff grinned over his shoulder as Reese led him away. “Yeah, have a bloody good evening!”
“You too, kid.” Wynn shook his head and smiled. He glanced at Reilly. “Sorry about that. Those two are crazy about each other and I guess they don’t mind showing it. Hope it didn’t make you uncomfortable.”
Reilly shrugged. “Why would it?”
Before he could answer, Rita approached. “Evening, gents. What can I bring you to drink tonight? We have wicked good house ale, or dark and light beers on tap.”
Wynn glanced at Reilly. “You up for a beer?”
The teacher nodded. “Sure. I’d better stick with something light, though.”
“Make that two,” Wynn told Rita. “We’ll need a few minutes to look at the menu.”
“Take your time, luvs.” She went to the bar.
He glanced back at Reilly. “Where were we?”
“We were discussing your gay friends’ PDA, and how it did not make me uncomfortable.” He leaned forward. “I did tell you I’m gay, right?”
Wynn’s heart flip-flopped in his chest. “Not in so many words. I think you may have dropped a few clues.”
“I was trying to. It’s tough for a gay man to meet people, so I try to put it out there up front so everyone is clear.”
Wynn raised his eyebrows. “Really. That’s interesting. I wouldn’t think, in your line of work, that ‘putting it out there’ would be cool.”
“Oh, it’s a definite ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ relationship with the school. They prefer not to know anything about it. As long as I go about my business quietly, I’m fine.”
“And that’s okay with you?”
He shrugged. “For now. I’d like to go into administration, but I need some teaching experience under my belt before I can get on that track. I’m given to understand that once I’m not teaching in the classroom every day I’ll have an easier time coming out.”
Wynn blinked. “At St. Sebastian’s?”
Reilly laughed again. “No, probably not. I’d have better luck coming out if I was working at a public school. But that’s okay. My job is good for now, and I’m getting the experience I need. I don’t feel a strong need to be totally out.” He glanced down, then back up into Wynn’s eyes. “Do you?”
Wynn swallowed then had to ask. “How did you know?”
Reilly smiled. “I didn’t for sure, at first. Then I remembered hearing Connor talk about you with a small group of friends. It was nothing bad. He’s quite proud of you, actually.”
“Tell that to his mother. She thinks I’m the devil and that I’ve cursed her spawn, because he now thinks he might be gay.”
“Yeah, I heard that, too. I’ve stayed out of it because I don’t know him that well, but I feel for the kid. I came out at about the same age. It’s definitely not easy navigating the waters of puberty, and when you identify as gay that makes it a hundred times harder.”
“I didn’t come out until I was divorced from Con’s mom. I did the whole ‘teenage boy gets in the pants of teenage girl’ thing, because that’s what my old man expected me to do. The only shock I gave him was getting her pregnant. I was just as surprised, believe me. By the time I knew what was happening, we were married and living in a little apartment down by the docks. It wasn’t a bad life, it just wasn’t what either of us really wanted. We lasted about two years. But we got Con out of the deal, and that makes everything we went through worth it.”
“You love him a lot, don’t you?”
“Absolutely. You see many parents that don’t?”
“You’d be surprised.”
“At St. Sebastian’s? The price we pay for tuition says love if nothing else.”
“Not necessarily. For some parents it says they have money and just want a good education for afore-mentioned spawn. Those are the ones that don’t show up for the programs, or answer the emails reporting the loss of privileges.”
Wynn grinned. “Glad we’re not the only one who gets them.”
“Definitely not.”
Rita returned with their beers. “Did you still need a few minutes to decide, gents?”
“We do.” Wynn nodded. “Don’t worry about us, we’re going to talk for a while. I’ll catch your eye when we’re ready.”
“Good then. Thanks.” She left again.
He picked up his stein and sipped the frosty brew.
Reilly took a drink then set the mug down and leaned back against the seat. “So what’d your father say when you finally did come out?”
Wynn sighed. “He didn’t get a chance to say anything. He died of a heart attack just before my twenty-first birthday. Happy to say it was nothing I’d caused. His ticker just gave out.”
“Wow, I’m sorry to hear that. Is your mother doing okay?”
“She lived a few years longer than that. Mom didn’t take it too hard when I told her I was more interested in men than women, but we didn’t talk about it much. She was sorry to lose Sydney as a daughter-in-law, but she stayed close to Con. Sadly, she passed from lung cancer a few years ago. It wasn’t a surprise, really. People in her generation grew up smoking. Everyone did it. I smoked for a few years myself, until we lost her. That brought me around pretty quickly. And having Con.” He took another drink. “I’m not sure how Mom would feel about Con being gay. I suspect it would have upset her, only because she wanted both of us to be happy.”
Reilly smiled. “Being gay isn’t synonymous with being happy?”
Wynn caught his eye. “Not sure. I’ll let you know.”
His laugh shook the table gently. “I grew up in a family who didn’t bat an eyelash when I told them. My parents were totally cool. If they were concerned about me at all, they never showed it or let me know. My sister used to pick out guys for me, occasionally she still does. And my brother, the football jock, defended me on the rare occasions that I needed it. I was lucky, I guess.”
“Sounds like you were. I’m glad. Makes me think there’s hope for the future after all. It’ll be nice when being gay isn’t a huge thing. It’ll just be a thing, like being blond or brunet or tall or short.”
“That was my experience.”
“It’ll be great when that’s the norm rather than the exception.” Wynn took another drink of beer and reached for two of the menus tucked behind the salt and pepper shakers. “Shall we order, then we can discuss what we came here for?” He handed a menu to Reilly.
Reilly opened it and studied the inside. “I thought that’s what we were doing.”
Wynn smiled. He read his own menu and then glanced up. “If Reese is buying, I say we go for a steak with all the trimmings.”
“He did offer.” Reilly closed his menu again. “I’m with you.”
The words were innocent and full of meaning at the same time. Wynn’s h
eart pounded as he closed his menu and motioned for Rita. They placed their orders then tucked the menus away and glanced at one another.
“So,” he began. “You said this project held special interest for you?”
“It does. When my brother was a freshman in college he pledged a fraternity and the hazing he took was something awful. One night they poured so much alcohol into him that he nearly choked to death on his own vomit when he threw up. And the dumb sap went back for more the next night. Oh, so important, to complete rush week. The final night they gave the pledges bath salts. The guys went bonkers, of course. One of them was hit by a car and has permanent mobility issues. Devon escaped a little easier, but he had to be hospitalized for several weeks. He had flashbacks and recurring nightmares. It took him a year to fully recover. He lost most of that time in school, of course, but he eventually graduated. The frat was suspended from the college for two years. It was pretty frightening, and eye opening to me in high school.”
“Wow.” Wynn was shocked. “I’ve heard reports about that kind of stuff but never knew anyone who used it personally. That had to be awful. Where did this happen?”
“Columbia. We all went to Missouri University.”
He nodded. “I can see why you’d be interested in helping us get the word out about Flakka. Honestly, we can use all the help we can get. Some of the schools have accepted the flyers without hesitation, but more of the private schools have guidelines to follow, like St. Sebastian’s.”
“What I was thinking…” He stopped talking when Rita brought their food.
The steaks smelled heavenly and the first bite tasted just as good. Wynn smiled at Reilly who nodded back, and they ate a few more bites without speaking.
Reilly finally continued, “What I was thinking was if you’d be willing to come to the school and speak with each of the classes. We could get each grade level in, a group at a time, and you could make your presentation and discuss the consequences and side effects. Tim suggested a one-time assembly in the auditorium, but I know these kids. They’ll pay more attention, and take it more seriously, if you sit down with them in a small group and talk face to face.”
Wynn scratched his chin. “Oh, I don’t know. Con might not appreciate that.”