Leland winked at me. “Wine can wait until later.”
“You can hardly see the bay from the kitchen,” Andy griped.
“No, you can’t.” Leland snorted. “Go upstairs. The master bedroom has the best view and you can go out on the small deck.”
Andy put the snacks on the coffee table and ran up the stairs. A moment later we could hear, “Wow! This is awesome!”
Isaac elbowed me in the side. “Careful, Leland. Andy might just move in.”
“I wouldn’t say no.” He smiled and his eyes drifted to the kitchen. “Ryan and I have talked about soon doing what you did with Andy. Taking someone in who needs a good home, role models. Someone who we could give an opportunity to that they might never have on their own.”
Isaac squeezed my thigh. “Leland, that’s great!”
This was a complete surprise. The old Leland would never have considered such a thing because it would take too much time away from his work.
“Let’s keep this quiet for now.” Leland kept his voice low. “We’d like to sit down with you sometime and talk about it in more detail.”
“My attorney made the process easier than I thought.”
“Speaking of your attorney, how are the plans for the clinic coming along?”
“Ugghh.” As good as my attorney is, this had become a bone of contention. “So much paperwork! It didn’t take this long for you to get started on the shelter!”
Isaac squeezed my thigh, reminding me to remain calm. “When we submitted the paperwork for the foundation, it was straight forward because it was my money establishing it. When it came to getting our permits for construction, there was an issue over changing from a restaurant to a medical clinic and it needed to be reviewed. Arthur explained to them that the foundation wanted to establish a free medical clinic at the site. The woman asked if he could wait a moment. When she returned, she informed him it would need to be examined by her supervisor and the department would have to get back to him. I don’t understand why it should be an issue. Maybe if I had kept it in the shelter for the kids, it would have been easier. I am beginning to think someone in City Hall is trying to sabotage it.”
Leland sat back in his chair. Sipping his wine, he leaned forward. “Let me make a few calls. I’ll find out what the holdup is.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lower Russian Hill
Isaac
Ryan opened the door to the dining room and Leland brought out bowls of sour cream, salsa, and guacamole before returning to the kitchen. I went to the door to see if I could help and Ryan blocked me. “No… not today.” He nodded to the buffet. “Get the good dishes and the silver. Also, there are large trivets. If you could set those out, it would be a big help. This is special. It’s Andy’s first time here.”
He ran back into the kitchen and returned with a platter of steaming meats and vegetables. I set out the plates while Sebastian laid out the silverware. I surveyed the dining table and chuckled; I couldn’t believe we were doing all this for fajitas.
Ryan turned back to the kitchen. “Honey, can you bring in the iced tea and glasses?” He looked at Sebastian and I, grinning. “Time to tell Andy to join us. I’ll grab the tortillas from the oven.”
I was about to call him when I heard him thundering down the stairs. “It all smells so good! I’m soooo hungry!” He stood there, his eyes wide, as he looked at the feast before him.
Ryan set out two baskets of flour tortillas, wrapped in dish towels to keep them warm. "Everybody, have a seat. Leland, would you pour the drinks?" He pointed to the steaming platters. "We have grilled chicken, beef, and pork. The vegetables are grilled red and green bell peppers with onions, and onions. There is sour cream, homemade guacamole, shredded Monterey Jack and Colby cheese. We also have, for Leland’s sake…", he gave him a wink, "shredded cheddar cheese. Lastly, there is also refried beans."
We all sat there staring at the spread in front of us. “Well?” He looked at us. “Dig in!” Ryan looked at the table for a moment. “Oh!”
He stood and dashed into the kitchen. When he returned, he set several bottles on the table. “I forgot! We also have several hot sauces in case you want to bump it up.”
Andy dove in, grabbing a stack of tortillas. Reaching for the platters he speared the various meats and then went for the vegetables, then scooped a good amount of the beans on his plate. “Pass the sour cream and guacamole, please.” Making little mounds on his plate he stopped. “Oh! The cheese too!” Looking at the bottles he pointed to the green one. “I’ll try that one first.”
I watched him, proud at his level of comfort with our friends, and afraid we may run out of food. Ryan was beaming at the scene, and I watched as his hand slid into Leland’s.
We were all enjoying dinner, and I was talking to Leland when suddenly I heard, “Holy shit!” I turned around and Andy was guzzling his iced tea. Ryan was stifling a laugh as he ran into the kitchen and returned with a carton of milk. He took an empty glass and filled it, giving it to Andy.
“Drink it slowly. It will help with the burn.”
I turned around to Sebastian, “What happened?”
His face was red. I think he had been trying not to laugh. “Andy may have found a very hot sauce.”
“Sebastian, Isaac, I’m sorry about that.” Ryan looked embarrassed. “I accidentally brought out the sriracha sauce. It’s a very hot sauce that I use sparingly once in a while. I think Andy may have put too much on. I’m sorry.”
“Guys! I’m fine. It kicked my ass, but I’m fine.” Andy was red from coughing and reacting to the heat, but he was also smiling. “Man, that shit was hot! But I’ll stick with the green one.”
I watched as he went back to eating as if nothing had happened. After a while we all continued with lunch and then we talked until Andy finished.
“This was awesome!” Andy’s voice drew my attention. When I glanced in his direction he was smiling and there was sour cream on his chin. “Can we make these? I’ll even cook if Ryan shows me how to do it.”
“I’ll write everything down for you. Any questions, just ask me. How about that?”
“Thanks, Ryan.” Andy looked at us. “Can we do this next week?”
Everyone burst out laughing and Andy watched us for a minute before joining in. Sebastian winked at me. “How about we do it and invite Abby to join us?”
*****
Stuffed from dinner, we all pitched in for cleanup. When we finished, Leland brought out a nice Riesling and more iced tea for Andy, much to his disappointment.
“Anyone in the mood for a board game?” Ryan went to a small cabinet and opened it. “Monopoly, maybe Scrabble?”
“Oh! Monopoly!” Andy was sitting on the floor by the coffee table trying to be cool about it, but failing.
“Ryan, just so you know, Andy is ruthless and always wins.”
Ryan grinned and Leland laughed. “I’m in then.” He cleared the coffee table. “Ryan always beats me so it would be nice to see him suffer for a change.”
“I can’t help it if you’re a lousy player, dear.”
Watching the easy banter, you could see they were made for each other. When Leland first stepped into the N’Touch, he piqued my interest. Just over six feet with blond hair and striking gray eyes. Confident, with a trim build that filled out his expensive suit, I wanted to see what was beneath the clothes. The man was a walking wet dream.
Even though I made my approach, I could see someone drew his attention at the other end of the bar. Ryan was there with his friends, Diego and Paul. His expression when he spotted Ryan told me I didn’t have a chance. When he left without saying a word to Ryan, I thought that was it, he’d never return. I was wrong, and I was glad I was wrong.
“Isaac?”
“Yeah?” Sebastian was grinning at me.
“Leland asked if you wanted wine or iced tea?”
“Wine, please.”
Andy helped Ryan set up the game. Sebastian made dibs on the top hat, while
I ended up with the race car, Andy was the terrier, Leland had the battleship, and Ryan chuckled as he ended up with the boot.
For all his business savvy, Leland went broke first and went to the kitchen to prepare dessert.
We relaxed with coffee and a delicious flan that Ryan picked up at a local bakery.
Sebastian, Leland and I were eliminated quickly, and we chatted while Ryan and Andy battled it out. For a while it looked like Ryan might come out on top, but with a few lucky rolls of the dice the tables turned and Andy won the game.
“Okay, kids.” Cracking a smile after I looked at my watch. “I think it’s time we head home.”
“What?” Ryan looked at me ready to challenge my suggestion. “He can’t leave yet. I have to redeem my honor.”
“Sweetheart.” Leland lifted his glass to him, a feral grin on his lips. “Your honor is still intact, for now.”
Sebastian tried to stifle a laugh but failed. “Ryan, next time dinner will be at our house and you have our permission to wipe the floor with the little brat.”
“I’m short. I am not little!” Andy did his best to be assertive, and we all smiled, nodding our heads in agreement.
*****
Andy leaned between the seats as we headed home. “They’re a lot different from when I met them at the party.”
Sebastian looked at me confused and turned around in his seat. “What do you mean?”
I watched Andy in the rear-view mirror. He tilted his head to the side for a minute before speaking. “At my party, Leland was nice and everything, but still seemed kinda stiff. Ryan was nice, but seemed like he was nervous.”
I glanced at Sebastian and was smiling. “Andy, you know how you can be comfortable in your own home around your own things, but when you are somewhere else you might feel a little out of place? Well, at the party there were a lot of professional people Leland knew, not just close friends. As for Ryan, large crowds sometimes make him feel awkward.”
He sat back and nodded. “Makes sense.”
Sebastian let out a comfortable sigh. "It was a very nice evening. Leland has relaxed a lot since he got together with Ryan."
He reached over and ran his fingers along my thigh before calling back to Andy. "I think making the fajitas would be a fun family event. Let’s make a list of what we want to put in them for our version. We can do that next week. But I doubt if we could make flan as good as that bakery."
Andy laughed. “That’s easy, we can just have ice cream.”
Sebastian and I joined him. Ice cream was the easy go to for dessert for Andy.
It was late when we got home and we sent Andy off to bed while I stretched out on the sofa in Sebastian’s lap. “It still surprises me how well they get along even though they have such different personalities.”
Running his fingers through my short hair he looked down at me. “Really? I think we could give them a run for their money in that respect.”
“Yeah. I guess you’re right.” I had to laugh.
“Isaac, I was much more of a spoiled princess when I met you. I didn’t even know how to cook or clean, let alone hold a job. You had the rough part.”
Running his hand along my jawline I gazed up into the man who stole my heart. No, that was wrong; I gave it to him. “Sebastian… I’m the lucky one. I happened to be able to see the great guy behind that smarmy, stuck-up, exterior.” He pinched my cheek.
“You say the most romantic things. Bitch. Let’s go to bed.”
*****
Halloween was here and Andy was stoked to go to Polk Street. It was my turn to cook, so I whipped up two boxes of mac and cheese. I spiced it up by adding shredded sharp cheddar, and knowing how much Andy loved his dry salami, I diced up a bit and added it in. He wanted to surprise us with his costume and kept it hidden in his closet. I was never into costumes, and Sebastian no longer had an interest. He told me some of his outrageous costumes from when he lived in New York. He wore everything from chiffon gowns with makeup by professionals, to one year when he wore a silver bikini, matching high heels, glitter, and nothing else. Talk about a change!
When we sat down to eat Andy was fidgeting in his seat to rush through dinner and started to wolf his meal down, barely tasting it. “Whoa! This is pretty good mac and cheese.”
Sebastian looked over at me and smiled. “I added a few things.”
“You can make it this way anytime!” He ate slower and talked like it was a normal dinner. Once he finished, he dashed off with Sebastian following a few minutes later.
Waiting for the reveal was unnerving, I had to admit. Between the two of them I had no clue what to expect.
It was almost eight when they appeared in the living room and I was on my second glass of Chianti. “Presenting Dorothy!”
Andy stepped out dressed like Judy Garland from the Wizard of Oz. He wore an auburn wig with pigtails, a blue and white checkered dress with short puffy sleeves, and his red boots. Sebastian did wonders for the makeup.
“It was impossible to find red sequined shoes, so I settled on my boots.” Andy’s expression was hesitant when he spoke. “How do I look?”
I stood there, my mouth hanging open, unable to speak. From the way he looked at me I could tell he thought I disapproved. I needed to get my shit together and say something quick. Taking a deep breath, I exhaled and let out a smile. “Andy, you look awesome!”, using one of his favorite words to assure him. “You wouldn’t want to ruin the boots with glitter or something. You look perfect.” I spread my arms out wide.
He ran over and gave me a hug and a kiss. “Sorry.” His face flushed. “Now you’ve got lipstick on your cheek.” He reached to rub it off with his thumb and I grabbed his hand.
“Leave it. I want to keep it.” Sebastian gave me a grin, and I noticed the lip gloss, the slightest bit of blue eye shadow, rouge on his cheeks, and silver glitter in his hair.
He waved his hand at me dismissively. “Don’t look at me like that, I had to do something!”
I got up from the sofa and slipped my arms around him, giving him a peck on the lips so as not to ruin his makeup. “You are gorgeous as always. How could I not look at you?”
“That’s better.” When I let go, he patted me on the cheek. “I called a taxi. It should be here any minute. Are we ready?” Sebastian was bouncing on his heels and it was cute.
A horn honked, and we were outside and on our way. We had the taxi drop us off at Van Ness and Sacramento, which was about where we expected the party would taper off. The cabbie looked at Andy as he climbed out. “I thought he was a she when he first climbed in. Good costume.” He gave us a thumbs up before driving away.
You could see the crowd from the corner where he left us. We meandered down Polk Street and there was everything from lumberjacks in flannel, jeans, and boots to space costumes that I think belonged to that 'Star Wars’ movie. There were a lot of look-alikes of Barbra Streisand, Marilyn Monroe, and I think there was even a Sophia Loren.
Andy was getting a lot of attention and loving it. Sebastian and I walked on each side of him because of the huge crowd. The major San Francisco characters were in attendance. Jesus Christ Satan in glitter, heavy makeup, scarves and flowing robes, and Mama José in all her regalia.
“I love my costume but damn! This wig itches!”
Sebastian patted him on the head and giggled. “That is the price you pay for beauty, my little angel.”
“Thanks.” Andy slapped his purse against Sebastian’s stomach.
*****
We’d been walking around for about an hour when Andy slipped his hand in mine. I noticed he was looking around. It was getting very crowded, and it felt as if the crowd was getting a little too excited for us.
“There sure are a lot of people here.” He looked up at me and I could see the worry on his face.
I reached over and tapped Sebastian on the shoulder and pointed to Andy. “I’m feeling kind of tired.”
He looked at me confused, and then he realized. “And
y? Have you had enough excitement for tonight?”
We had walked down to Sutter Street and were about to cross when we heard a ruckus behind us. We turned around and saw two guys screaming at someone. They were drunk and one of them was grabbing his crotch and taunting someone in costume. The other threw a bottle and then all hell broke loose. Police were standing at the intersection behind us and charged through the crowd.
Andy had a death grip on my hand and when I looked at him, he was white as a sheet and shaking. I picked him up and turned to Sebastian. He was looking at us, ashen, and frozen in place. I yelled at him. “We’re leaving! Run to the corner and hail a cab!” I’d never seen Sebastian move so fast. When I reached the corner, I set Andy down and ushered him into the waiting cab.
Andy’s voice was barely a whisper. “I’m sorry.”
I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him into my lap as he clung to me, shaking. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
His face was buried in my shoulder, his wig crooked. “I got so scared. I remembered what happened outside the center and I freaked out.”
“Andy. Look at me.” Sebastian was mentally with us again. His voice was firm but not harsh. He reached out to touch him but stopped. “What happened to you was horrible. You have nothing to apologize for.”
“You’re safe with us. We’ll never let anything happen to you.” I rubbed his back gently until I felt his tremors subside.
When he lifted his head, his makeup had run, and he was smearing it as he wiped at his tears. Sebastian handed him a handkerchief. He always seemed to have one handy. “Sweetheart. Your makeup is runny. Why don’t you wipe your face? Let me take your wig off.”
He opened his purse and pulled out a mirror. Andy froze when he looked at his reflection. “Shit! I look like something from a horror movie.” He spit on the cloth and tried to remove some of his makeup as best he could but his hands shook so bad he had to stop. Once more the tears flowed, and he leaned into my shoulder, sobbing.
After the taxi dropped us off in front of our house, I led Andy into the living room, steering him to the sofa while Sebastian went to get him a glass of water. The poor kid was still shaking, and I grabbed a throw to wrap around him while I held him.
An Unexpected Gift Page 12