by Trina Solet
Ricky answered instead.
"You are supposed to be in charge," Ricky said to Brent.
Nate turned to him where he was playing with the phone propped on his knee.
"Are you complaining that you get to stay up late?" Nate asked him. "Because we can send you to bed right now."
"No," Ricky said sheepishly.
"I guess now we know who's in charge," Brent said with a smirk at Nate.
After a little while, Nate decided it was bedtime. They took one kid each and put them to bed. Nate got the easy one. Ricky knew what he needed to do and did it without much prompting. Nate did make him keep brushing his teeth even after he thought he was done. He would teach him how to floss some other day. Once Ricky was tucked in, Nate went to join forces with Brent against Georgie.
"Ricky is in bed, and you are still up. You know that's not right," Nate told her.
At least she was wearing her pajamas while using her bed as a trampoline. With Brent's help and sometimes hindrance, Nate got her to brush her teeth and climb into bed, not on it. Sitting next to her, Brent got her to close her eyes then he smoothed her hair until she was asleep.
He and Nate tiptoed out of the room. They were left alone in a hallway that could lead to either of their bedrooms. Nate said goodnight, but Brent accompanied him to his door.
"Don't want you to get lost," he said.
"In this place, that could actually happen," Nate said.
As Brent stepped close to him, Nate turned so they were facing each other fully. Having a choice, Nate would rather look at Brent than almost anything else. Brent lowered his gaze from Nate's eyes to his mouth.
"We are on your doorstep so I was wondering if I was going to get one of these." Brent leaned in but didn't kiss him. He stopped like he wanted Nate to take it the rest of the way.
Their lips were close. Nate could feel the heat of Brent's skin. He wanted to taste him, just let it happen. At the last second, he pulled back. He looked Brent in the eye and said, "Thank you for dinner. Maybe I'll see you around."
Brent groaned and slumped against the wall. He closed his eyes and said, "Damn." His wry smile as he turned to him made Nate smile too. He kept staring into Brent's eyes even as he said goodnight and closed the door.
"You better lock it," he could hear Brent say through the door. But Nate didn't. He just stood there grinning to himself.
Chapter 4
Nate woke up with flashes of Brent's lips, his eyes, his scent. He could hear Brent's deep, teasing voice. In that half awake moment, Nate would have given anything to have the man next to him, to be able to turn to him and hold him in his arms. Nate groaned at the absence of that body in his bed. That longing plus the almost kiss last night told Nate that he wouldn't be able to resist Brent for long. After closing the door on him, Nate had been too aware of Brent standing just on the other side of the door. The heat of the near miss still buzzed through him as he went to bed. His imagination was in overdrive making him too restless to fall asleep without jerking off a few times with Brent's name on his lips.
As he came out of his room Saturday morning, Nate was surprised that he was the first one up. The kids were probably making up for their late bedtime. While he searched for coffee in the kitchen cupboards, Nate saw John wearing a jogging outfit, running on the path toward the front gate. It wasn't surprising that he was an early riser. Before Nate got anywhere in his search for coffee, Georgie came running into the kitchen and not because she was jogging or hungry. Ricky was chasing her.
"What's this now?" Nate asked them.
"She took my book, and she hid it somewhere. Now I'll never know what happens," Ricky said pitifully.
"Never? You will when you find the book," Nate told him.
"No. I never find them."
"When Georgie gets bored with the game, she'll tell you where she hid it," Nate predicted.
"No, she won't," Ricky insisted.
Taking pity on him, Nate turned to Georgie.
"Georgie, give us a clue."
"A clue?" she said like she didn't know what that was.
"Is the book upstairs or downstairs?" he asked her to get things started.
She thought for a minute then said no and giggled.
"Why are you such a troublemaker?" Nate asked. "And more importantly, where do we keep the coffee?"
Georgie and Ricky pointed at a cabinet Nate had already checked. He shook his head. Nate had found a coffeemaker, but without coffee, it didn't do him much good.
"Fine, let's go look for your book. Lead the way Georgie," Nate said, but she refused.
"No. Ricky has to find it."
Nate knew that he had to make this fun for her so he came up with an idea.
"How about this, a new game? Me and Ricky will wear blindfolds so we can't see. You lead the way. OK?"
She didn't look sure, but Nate got the kitchen towels, which he came across in his search for coffee. He tied one around Ricky's eyes and another around his own. Georgie took them by the hand and led them. Nate knew she was leading them upstairs when he stumbled over the first few steps. The stairs were a nightmare, and she was very strict about peeking. Nate had to apologize to the kids for cursing several times.
Even after the ordeal of the curved staircase was over, the journey wasn't without incident. Georgie walked both him and Ricky into walls more than once. In the end, Georgie led them to one of the guest rooms upstairs.
When Nate and Ricky removed their blindfolds, Georgie smiled and clapped. Ricky gave a big sigh and started searching the room. Nate glared at Georgie and got another smile in return then he started searching too.
They turned the room upside down without finding the book. But Georgie kept giggling so they were close. Then Nate caught her looking out the window. When he went to the window and opened it, her eyes widened and she clapped.
"What have you been doing?" Nate asked her.
He wanted to take a better look below, but the window wouldn't open any further, probably for the kids' safety. The window opened just enough for Georgie to stick out her hand and maybe a book.
"Georgie, did you throw Ricky's book out the window?" Nate asked.
Georgie giggled, her version of a yes.
"What else did you throw?" Ricky asked, distraught.
"Lots of stuff," Georgie bragged.
Ricky was ready to go out there and see, but Nate stopped him.
"Not yet. We'll go on a treasure hunt later. Let's go wake your father so he can tell me where the coffee is. Then we'll eat breakfast."
"Then the treasure hunt?" Ricky said sounded excited for the first time since Nate met him.
"Yey!" Georgie celebrated while Ricky tried to stare her down. She was immune.
"First order of business is to find me some coffee. Georgie, go ask you dad where we keep the coffee," Nate told her. Bothering her sleeping father was her kind of mission.
Georgie proved that she was the right kid for the job. She didn't hesitate to go into Brent's room and climb on the bed. She leaned over her father and yelled in his ear, "Daddy, where is the coffee?!"
Brent jumped a little in the dim room. He turned over.
"You drinking coffee these days, Georgie?" he asked her, his voice sounding a little thick from sleep. He glanced toward the door.
"Yes. No. Maybe," she said and sat on Brent's legs roughly.
"OK. Don't break my legs. I'm up."
"Daddy's up!" Georgie announced.
Nate took the kids downstairs to give Brent time to get himself up and ready. Brent didn't take long to join them. He came into the kitchen wearing a black robe with black pajama bottoms but nothing on top under the robe. The robe was tied carelessly, and Nate could see a little bit of his toned chest.
While the kids ate their cereal, Brent made a big show of getting the coffee from its hiding place. There was an inconspicuous sliding door under the cupboard right where the kids had pointed before. The door opened to reveal a pullout compartment built into
the wall. It held not only a selection of fancy coffees but also a fancy coffee maker, cups, and sugar both real and fake. Nate had assumed that an older, but still expensive coffee maker he found in one of the cabinets was what he would be using.
"I'm betting this setup costs more than my car," Nate guessed.
"I've seen your car. Every pair of my shoes costs more than your car," Brent told him.
"That's obscene. Don't brag about that," Nate said to him. "And don't dis the Cressida. It gets me from here to there. Most of the time." Pointing at the coffee making contraption as Brent showed him how to use it, he added, "And that thing can't get me across town so it better make dynamite coffee."
It was funny that such a small thing like making coffee could point up the difference between them. Brent probably never had to use a paper towel as a filter or reuse old coffee grounds in the hope of squeezing that last bit of caffeine out of them.
As if to prove him wrong, Brent told him a story.
"This was right before I married Greta. I was looking for Help Wanted signs when I found myself standing outside this coffee shop where I used to go all the time. They had the best coffee, and I was craving it like a junkie. I was hanging out outside, trying to decide if I should spend the change in my pocket on a cup of coffee or save it for something more substantial. Every time someone opened the door, I would get a whiff of coffee brewing and beans roasting. Then I noticed this guy in front. He was talking on the phone, sipping his coffee. A minute later, he dropped his coffee cup in the trash and hurried off. The coffee was right there. It was almost half full. It didn't turn over. It didn't have a lid, but it stayed upright so it didn't spill. I grabbed it. The coffee was still warm, and I drank it. It tasted really good."
Nate stared at him speechlessly for a minute. Then he asked him, "Were you that poor?"
"For a short time after my parents died. I wasn't very good at it so I married Greta."
That was just as Quin had hinted, but Nate still wasn't sure if it was true.
"And look at everything I have now." As Brent said this, he looked at Nate sadly. Then he handed him a steaming cup of coffee and smiled.
Nate decided that, one of these days, he needed to hear more about Brent's life. As he sipped the dynamite coffee, Nate looked over at the kids. That reminded him of what they were doing later so he told Brent about it. Brent laughed at Georgie's antics without a hint of disapproval. Just as he was asking to join them, John showed up and heard him.
"I told you I need you in the office this morning," John reminded him.
"I'll miss all the fun," Brent whined. "Georgie, Ricky, John won't let me go with you on the treasure hunt."
"Daddy can't go?" Georgie asked John.
"No. Your dad can't play. He has homework," John said.
"Poor Daddy," Georgie said.
Ricky rolled his eyes.
"I hired you to do my homework," Brent said to John
"There are things you need to sign."
"Forge my signature."
While they bickered, Nate refilled his coffee cup and gathered up Georgie and Ricky so they could sneak away.
Brent didn't know why he had told Nate that coffee story. Something about the way Nate looked at him made him do it. Brent wondered how much more he was going to tell him. Under the influence of that direct, dark-eyed gaze, he would probably tell him anything. And he was amazed at how easy Nate found it to take charge of the kids. He showed no hesitation. It was like he had never felt that constricting in his chest that mixed love with fear and made Brent run from them. Nate had such easy confidence. Brent envied him and liked him for it. As Brent stood there thinking about Nate, John stared at him.
"So far things seem to be working out with Nate. Don't screw this up," John warned him.
"Did we get lucky or what?" Brent said to him. He couldn't help smiling.
John didn't say anything for a while. He just eyed Brent.
"You scare me," he finally said. "I don't like that look in your eyes."
"What look?"
"I don't know. It's new. That's why I don't like it."
"Are you jealous?" Brent accused him.
"Only if your look has anything to do with Quin," John told him.
Maybe it did. Brent remembered how John had looked at Quin before they got together. It was a look of longing that was both hopeless and hopeful. It was so raw, it scared Brent at the time. It was like John was wordlessly and unconditionally offering his heart to be either taken or broken. Brent had been afraid of what might happen, but things worked out for the two of them. John was possessive, and Quin was always teasing him, but they were a good match.
Now Nate was here, another dose of sweet torture. Last night Brent had gone to bed feeling frustrated but also kind of happy. Nate was so intense and bookish. Just the thought of him made Brent burn with unsatisfied lust. He was amazed that a guy who made him feel like that was actually right there, taking care of his kids. And it was his own fault of course. He had booby trapped his own house with hot, unavailable men. Thinking of Nate sleeping down the hall led to indecent thoughts, but it also gave Brent a warm feeling and a sense of peace he could never remember feeling before, or at least not for a very long time. Brent wondered what it meant.
"You are still mooning over him, aren't you?" John accused him.
"You like him too or you wouldn't have let me hire him," Brent accused him right back.
"I like him fine, but you like him too much."
"I like everyone for the first five minutes. Then I get bored and move on." That was how it usually worked anyway. But something about Nate went deeper. John was right to worry.
"Good, stay the course, and we won't have to do those nanny interviews all over again," John told him.
"You want me to stay shallow? Don't you want to see me happy?"
"Happy? Now you're really scaring me."
Brent had to admit it scared him too. Happiness seemed too much to ask for, but Nate made it seem within reach. It was like he brought it with him, like his duffel bag and his stack of boxers in varying shades of blue.
Chapter 5
Just as Nate and the kids were heading up, two maids came in and spoke to each other in a language Nate didn't recognize. Georgie ran to greet them. They talked to her in heavily accented English, mixing in phrases in their own language.
"Are they here every Saturday?" Nate asked Ricky as they stood on the stairs.
"Yes. That's Lisi and Mona," Ricky told Nate. "They clean, and make the beds, and do our laundry. We're supposed to stay out of their way and not bother them. Quin said, 'Don't mess with those girls if you don't want to be living in your own filth.'"
As Ricky quoted this wisdom, Georgie's excited chatter could be heard from downstairs.
"Georgie likes to help," Ricky explained.
Hearing this, Nate went to get Georgie. Her kind of help was probably what Quin's warning was all about. Nate sent the kids to get ready while he introduced himself to the two maids.
After promising the maids that he would be getting Ricky and Georgie out of the house soon, Nate went up, got ready and then found the kids in Ricky's room. Seeing it in the daylight, Nate was struck by the nice, possibly vintage furniture in there. The wood had a reddish glow and was inlaid with intricate patterns. There was a telescope at the window and old maps on the walls. Ricky was telling Georgie that she wasn't dressed for exploring. She did have on a lot of extra jewelry, including several rings with oversized stones, bracelets and gaudy necklaces.
"I'm ready," she told Nate.
Ricky shook his head and made a face.
"We should put on our explorer caps," Nate told them. It was to help them get into the spirit of it. He already had a baseball cap on. "You have one, Georgie?"
Georgie ran off to her room. Ricky spent some time choosing between a pith helmet, a cowboy hat and a baseball cap like Nate's. The pith helmet and the cowboy hat both looked like the real thing, just smaller, not toys. Aft
er Ricky looked up at Nate, the baseball cap won. While they were waiting for Georgie, Ricky showed Nate some things in his room. After showing him his binoculars and the telescope, he reached for a book on his shelf.
"My dad wrote a book," Ricky said and handed it to him.
Nate was surprised until he realized that he didn't mean Brent. The name on the cover was James Morley. The book was called Flying Over Antarctica.
Nate read the dedication "To my Greta and our new arrival". Ricky pointed to those words.
"That's me. I'm the new arrival. I wasn't born yet so I didn't have a name."
"That's great," Nate said. He could tell that the dedication meant a lot to him.
Georgie came back wearing a big, pink, floppy hat with butterflies on one side.
"That's no good," Ricky told her.
"It's fine. Her choice," Nate told him. He wasn't about to arbitrate a fashion dispute. "Get your gear and let's move out."
Georgie's gear was a gold purse. Ricky put a backpack on his shoulders and binoculars around his neck. At the front door, Nate stopped to give an inspiring speech.
"OK, explorers, this is going to be a rough journey, but I know you are a tough crew. Let's find that treasure," Nate said super-seriously.
Ricky nodded. Georgie yelled, "Yey, treasure!" like it wasn't all stuff she had thrown out the window.
Once they got outside, Ricky acted as their guide. He used his binoculars a lot. Even if he didn't know the way himself, Nate was pretty sure Ricky took them the long way around. They found themselves in front of a large, wild rosebush. Nate realized that there was a hidden space between the bush and the wall of the house. That's where all the treasure had landed. It wasn't easy to get back there. Nate guessed that's why the stuff was never retrieved by the people who took care of the grounds. First Nate had to keep Ricky from climbing right in and getting all scratched up. Georgie also disregarded the thorns as she tried to pick the pink flowers which were too high for her to reach. Nate plucked a few for her and stuck them in her hat. Then he had to figure out how to get in there with minimal damage. He pushed some of the branches away with his foot and used Ricky's backpack too until there was enough room to let the kids climb in. Unlike the kids, Nate got scratched up a little.