by Serena Yates
“Good. Now that we’ve got that out of the way and you feel less depressed, let’s get to why you’re really here.” Greg leant forwards, put his elbows on the table and supported his head with his hands.
“Well, let’s just say that life has thrown me a real curveball.” Landon took another deep breath, this one a little more effective at calming him down. “And to make it worse, it came out of left field as well.”
“Professional…or personal?”
“What? How do you know?” Landon’s eyes widened. He hadn’t even realised until his brother said it, but meeting Kendall again would probably qualify as a ‘personal curveball’. No wonder he was so confused. After a fairly quiet and orderly life over the past eight years, even though it had been very lonely, it didn’t seem that he was equipped anymore to deal with a double crisis like the one that had just hit him.
“Know what?” Greg raised his eyebrows.
“Just a lucky guess, then.” Landon nodded, relieved he hadn’t been that transparent.
“I guess that means there’s more than one story, unless they’re connected somehow.” Greg’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Have you been holding out on me?”
His brother clearly was no dummy.
“Out with it, then. I want all the dirty details.” Greg sat back in his chair, obviously settling in for the duration.
“Okay. Um. Well, let’s start with the professional.” Landon explained about the surprising new project offer that had been made this morning, the city council’s reaction to it, and his unsuccessful attempt to get the funding from Promises Kept.
“It seems to me that the city council is out for money more than it’s interested in serving the citizens of this town.” Greg frowned.
“Absolutely.” Landon sighed. “I understand they’d be tempted to accept the money and run. It’s very human to react that way, and I’ve certainly seen it happen before in other cities. It’s still frustrating, however, especially since Promises Kept has a real service to offer, one that is very much needed in this town.”
“Is that the part that makes it personal? The fact that you may not have a job if Promises Kept can’t come up with the funding?” Greg tilted his head. “I sure hope it doesn’t mean you’re reconsidering your decision to stay in Riverside.”
“Yes and no. My wanting to stay here has more than one reason.” Landon took a deep breath. This was going to be the hard part.
“Oh?” Greg raised his eyebrows.
“Having a job is obviously a big part of anyone’s life. But something else has happened since we last spoke, something that’s much more important than a job.” Landon’s heart was going to fly out of his chest at the rate it was going.
“Don’t tell me. You’ve met someone?” Greg’s eyebrows were trying to crawl under his hairline.
“Not ‘met’, exactly.” Landon smiled. His little brother looked so adorably concerned like that, as if he wanted to defend Landon against anyone who could possibly come too close to hurt him. He’d never told Greg the details about the mistake he’d made with Kendall, but Greg had sensed that something was off and Landon had simply admitted it was relationship-related. Greg had been incredibly protective ever since. Not that he’d had a reason to be until now. “‘Met again’ would be more accurate.”
“But that’s great!” Greg bounced in his chair. “Who is it? Is he cute? Are you serious about him? When can I meet him?”
“It is pretty wonderful. And I’ve never been more serious about anyone in my life.” Landon smiled.
“Not even the asshole that hurt you so badly eight years ago?” Greg fisted his hand and frowned as he mock-glared at Landon.
“Funny you should say that.” Landon didn’t think it was funny at all. If Greg was this upset on his behalf after all these years, it might make things very difficult for Kendall. Even though Kendall hadn’t been the one at fault. Something else Landon needed to confess.
“Holy hell, it is the same guy!” Greg slumped back in his chair, mouth hanging open until he remembered to close it.
“And what’s more, you’ve already met him. But it was a long time ago and you may not remember him.” Landon quietly crossed his fingers for himself.
“You’re telling me now that I knew him all along? I wish I’d known. I would have beaten him up for you. In fact, I may still do that if he misbehaves again.” Greg growled.
“You will do no such thing!” Landon couldn’t bear the thought of anyone beating up his Kendall. And wasn’t that level of protectiveness towards his lover a big surprise? He almost chuckled but looking at how seriously Greg was taking this, he thought he’d better not.
“Not unless he deserves it.” Greg grinned evilly. “So…out with it. Who is he?”
“His name is Kendall Gable. He used—”
“My ex-student Kendall Gable? The one you lusted after when he was in high school? The one who volunteered at the shelter with you until he graduated?” Greg slapped his forehead. “I should have known!”
“You remember him!” Landon stared at his brother. He didn’t even know which statement to react to first.
“Of course I remember him. He’s a great guy and had the biggest ever crush on you. I thought you handled it really well.” Greg laughed. “I guess you met up in college and that’s how he got to you?”
“Yeah, well, he did and I was stupid about it. I was scared of coming out and dumped him. So it wasn’t really him who hurt me—it was all my fault.” Landon hung his head.
“It’s okay.” Greg’s voice was soft.
Landon looked up.
“It doesn’t matter now, does it? You’ve decided to get together again, that’s all that counts. And at least I don’t have to go beat him up now—that would not have been fun.” Greg winked. “Not that I wouldn’t have done it, had it been necessary.”
“The scary part is that I believe you.” Landon laughed, relieved this had gone so well. “And you know what? Talking to you has made me realise that I already know what I’m going to do.”
“Somehow I knew this was going to happen.” Greg switched off the computer, got up and walked around his desk to slap Landon on the shoulder. “Seeing as it’s the end of the work day, I suggest we have a beer and make detailed plans. Which will include me seeing Kendall again pretty soon, I hope.”
All of a sudden that prospect seemed a lot less daunting than it had before Landon had come here.
* * * *
Kendall followed Mr. Ambrose into the partner’s office on autopilot. He had no idea what Mr. Ambrose wanted from him, but he’d been told to attend a ‘post-meeting debriefing’, so he had no choice.
He’d much rather have spent the time figuring out how to help Landon. Personally, he thought Landon’s project deserved to win. It would benefit everyone a lot more than yet another supermarket. It made him feel uncomfortable to hope their ‘enemy’ would win…a bit like betraying his employer’s trust. This situation might be the final straw, though. He’d been thinking about a change in employer before, since he didn’t like many of Ambrose & Quinley’s business practices. On top of which it always seemed easier to attain a higher position by moving to a new place.
The revelation of how his boss was planning to use a client’s money to barge his—and his firm’s—way into the inner city renewal project had shocked him to the core. And his job didn’t even depend on it. He couldn’t imagine what Landon was feeling right now. Kendall knew how dedicated his lover was to his job. A nagging voice at the back of his head kept asking what this potential loss for Promises Kept meant for Landon’s decision to stay in Riverside. While that was a purely selfish reason to help Landon, it did add to his determination.
“That went rather well, don’t you think?” Mr. Ambrose sank into his plush desk chair and rubbed his hands. “I’m sure the council will see things our way now.”
“You planned this?” Kendall sank into the chair opposite Mr. Ambrose’s desk, trying to hide his shock.
“Please, I don’t want to hear this.” Kendall rose from his chair, barely restraining himself from yelling ‘foul play’…or worse. “I need to get back to work on the Parker changes we were given yesterday.”
“Oh, on the contrary, you do need to hear this.” Mr. Ambrose narrowed his eyes. “It’s time you woke up to the realities of how business is conducted. I’ve been worried about your overly straight-laced attitude for a while now, and your reaction to a perfectly normal business agreement like this confirms my suspicions. You need to come off your high moral horse, roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty, or you’ll never make it to senior partner.”
Kendall could feel his jaw drop. Unable to move, he just stared at Mr. Ambrose for a few moments.
“What’s wrong with you?” Mr. Ambrose shook his head. “It’s really very simple and straightforward. We’ll scratch Mr. Easely’s back, he scratches ours and bingo—everyone wins.”
“Except the homeless young people in Riverside.” Kendall took a deep breath. It was time to take a stand.
“Excuse me?” Mr. Ambrose fell back in his chair, suddenly pale and looking nauseated.
“You heard me.” Kendall felt better already. “I think Promises Kept deserves to win the bid. Please take me off the project and I’ll find you someone else to work with you and Mr. Easely. I can’t in good conscience pretend to support what you’re doing.”
“You what?” Mr. Ambrose went from pale to red with fury in two seconds flat. “You cannot do that. I want you on this project, and that’s the end of it.”
“I am very sorry, sir, but I can’t continue to work on it.” Kendall swallowed. He sort of knew what was next. He wasn’t disappointed.
“In that case, Mr. Gable, I’m very sorry, but I have to terminate your employment with this firm. We won’t tolerate the presence of disloyal employees.” Mr. Ambrose reached for the phone. “We’ll pay the month’s notice you’re entitled to, of course, but I want you to leave the premises immediately. Considering the sensitivity of this project, I must also ask you not to talk about the details with anyone outside this firm.”
Kendall nodded, in complete shock yet again. Wow. Not that he regretted it—there were always other jobs. It was time to talk to his cousin Elliot Watkins. The man had returned from years of living in Boston earlier this year and had gone to work for an architect focusing on the development and construction of environmentally-friendly buildings. That sounded a lot better than working for the money-grabbing firm of Ambrose & Quinley to Kendall, now that he’d rediscovered his social conscience. Elliot had gone through a bit of a career change himself, so he’d be able to understand. Kendall also hoped he’d know some people in the right places, and with the right attitude, maybe he’d have an idea of where Kendall should start looking.
“Did you hear what I was saying?” Mr. Ambrose sounded even more upset than before. “Security will be here in a few minutes to escort you to your office. You can take items of a personal nature with you, but they will make sure you don’t take any company materials. We’ll send you your cheque in the mail by the end of the week.”
“Sure.” Kendall smiled and turned around to walk out of the door. He felt curiously relieved, even though he’d just lost his job. But he had confidence in his ability to find another one within the month for which he was still getting paid.
Mr. Ambrose huffed behind him, sounding rather annoyed.
Not his problem anymore!
Chapter Six
A few hours later, Kendall was on his way to meet his cousin Elliot for an early home-cooked dinner. He’d been hesitant to accept the invitation but Elliot had insisted that a discussion of Kendall’s future was best had on a full stomach.
They’d never been that close as children, having shared only the one summer when Elliot’s family had first moved to Riverside eight years ago because their joint grandmother had been very ill. Kendall had gone off to college a few months later and had only heard about Elliot’s family moving back to Boston two years after that because Elliot’s parents had caught him kissing his sweetheart, David Lear. Their grandmother had died shortly thereafter, but Elliot hadn’t even been allowed back for her funeral.
Kendall was glad David had finally gone to find Elliot last year and had managed to convince him to come back to Riverside. They hadn’t spoken much since then—both being too busy working on their careers—but Kendall knew that Elliot was extremely happy with David, who also happened to be Greg’s assistant sports coach at Riverside High. It sure was a small world.
Kendall pulled up to the simple apartment building on the east side of town that was now Elliot’s home. A small park was a few feet away, and the gardens and buildings looked well maintained. Kendall grinned as he got out of the car and locked it. His somewhat more luxurious condo might have to go, depending how his financial situation developed. Maybe living somewhere like this wouldn’t be so bad.
He rang the bell.
“Is that you, Kendall?” Elliot’s voice sounded tinny through the somewhat outdated speaker system.
“Sure is.” Kendall smiled. “You going to let me in?”
“Hmm, let me think about it.” Elliot laughed. “Sure thing, buddy, take the elevator to the third floor, and we’re number three-oh-five, third door on the left.”
The door opened a few moments later and Kendall walked in to the building. An elevator ride later, he had arrived at the door, which was already open.
“Come on in, we’ve been expecting you.” Elliot moved back, a wide smile on his face. He was about three inches taller than Kendall’s five-ten and looked almost exactly like he always had, except his curly hair was shorter and his shoulders were a little wider. His blue eyes sparkled and he opened his arms.
Kendall couldn’t resist that much warmth and walked straight into the hug. Elliot didn’t have that big a family—was no longer in touch with his parents or his sister—so maybe Elliot would come to think of Kendall as a replacement brother or something. He didn’t have a problem with that, since he was an only child himself and had always wished he’d had a sibling…or even two.
“Leave some of the man for me as well, honey.” The deep voice from behind Elliot was probably David’s.
Elliot laughed and let go of him. Kendall held his hand out for David to shake. He had deep brown eyes set in a rugged face with a square jaw, spiky blond hair and very broad shoulders. He looked to be in excellent shape, still exuded that quarterback vibe he’d had going for him in high school, and all but had the word ‘coach’ tattooed on his forehead.
“None of that. We believe in giving hugs in this household, especially for family members.” David pulled Kendall into a bear hug. Even though the man was only about an inch taller than Elliot, his muscles were well developed and his embrace was strong.
“Come on in, please. David has made us some of his famous spaghetti Bolognese and the sauce should be finished in a few minutes. I hope that’s okay?” Elliot grinned as he closed the apartment door then led the way through the small hallway into a comfortable looking living room.
An overstuffed sofa was to the right, facing a state-of-the-art TV and sound system. A ton of DVDs was stacked to one side of it, an overflowing bookshelf sat on the other. Large windows in one wall looked out onto the back gardens and more apartments behind some leafy trees, and a door in the wall to their left led to the kitchen. Delicious smells wafted from that direction and made Kendall’s stomach growl.
“I guess that answers that question.” Elliot winked.
Kendall blushed as he took the offered seat on the sofa, watching David vanish into the kitchen with a big grin on his face. “I didn’t realise I was this hungry.”
/> “No problem. We’ll have you fed in a minute. Would you like a drink while we wait?” Elliot walked over to a small cabinet hidden behind the armrest of the sofa.
“Could I just have some orange juice, please?” Kendall sat back and tried to relax. “I still have to drive back.”
“No problem and no need to apologise. I won’t force anyone to have alcohol if they don’t want it.” Elliot walked into the kitchen and brought back two tall glasses with lots of ice and juice that looked to be freshly squeezed.
They spent the next few minutes exchanging small talk, after which David let them know that dinner was served. Kendall followed Elliot into the kitchen and took a seat at the small table set with simple white plates and spotlessly clean silverware. Without losing much time, they dived into the food, and the first few minutes passed in silence.
“Wow, this is really good!” Kendall looked up into David’s smiling face. “Thank you for going to all this trouble for me.”
“It wasn’t any trouble at all, but you’re welcome.” David offered second helpings and Kendall was still hungry enough to accept. He’d missed lunch, and for the first time he was glad he had. This was far better food.
“Right, now that we’ve got the first hunger satisfied, we can start working on solving your and Landon’s problem.” Elliot had declined a second helping and now leant back in his chair to watch Kendall and David eating. “Ever since you told me what’s been going on, I’ve been thinking about ways to help you guys.”
“Wow, I appreciate it. But all I really wanted was to pick your brain about finding an architecture firm with better morals—and maybe a better social conscience—than Ambrose & Quinley turned out to have. I realise you’ve only just started working in the field, but as far as I can see you’re light years ahead of me in terms of understanding the more ethical side of this business.”
“I don’t know about ideas, but I did look at several firms before I committed myself to working for AFTE, or Architects For The Environment.” Elliot shrugged. “Maybe it’s because I had a pretty bad experience with my father’s advertising company and already knew what I wasn’t willing to put up with.”