14. James
JAMES
Ihad just about given up on William joining us for dinner when the sullen actor stepped onto the patio in a baggy T-shirt and ill-fitting khaki shorts. He must have showered because his black hair was clumped together in thick waves.
“Sorry if I scared you earlier,” William said to Theo. Man, how many times a day did this guy apologize?
“It’s okay,” Theo replied, handing him a margarita without meeting his eyes.
It was almost eight, and the sun was still high above the mountains. I considered joining them for margaritas, but opted for a beer instead. I was working, after all.
“You’ll have to forgive Theo. He’s having trouble separating you from your character in The Beautiful.”
It wasn’t true, though Theo had watched William’s movie at least half a dozen times, whereas I had yet to sit through the whole thing once.
It was way too depressing for my tastes.
Why did every movie about gay men have to end with death and heartbreak?
Theo was far from traumatized by the material.
In fact, most of his thoughts revolved around the film’s portrayal of sex work as dirty and desperate, instead of as a viable career choice.
“It’s fine,” William said. “I’m used to people running in the opposite direction when I enter a room. I have a bit of a reputation.” He took a cautious sip of his margarita, then a much larger one. “Wow, this is really good.” He looked over at Theo. “You made this?”
“Yeah.” Theo pulled asparagus off the grill and helped himself to a margarita.
William glanced at me expectantly, as if waiting for me to put a stop to Theo’s underage drinking. Travis had been the disciplinarian, though, not me. My authority was like the British monarchy, purely symbolic.
William took another generous gulp and sat down across from Theo at the patio table. “Was that you playing guitar earlier, too?”
“Uh, yeah, sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you.”
William produced a small bottle of hand sanitizer and slathered some on. “You didn’t bother me. You’re really good. Do you sing, too?”
Theo’s cheeks flushed. “Sometimes, but I’m more of a guitar player.”
“He’s being modest.” I ignored the tongs and grabbed a chicken breast off the platter with my fingers. “He’s got, like, twenty original songs up on SoundCloud and does all the parts himself, singing, drums, piano, bass, backup vocals, you name it. Plus, he made this bread from scratch.”
“Wow, impressive. If you’re ever in the mood to share, I’d love to hear your work.” William bypassed the chicken and went for the salad.
Theo cocked his head. “You actually mean that, don’t you?”
A smile broke through, transforming William’s normally sober expression into something sweet. “Yeah, of course,” he said. “Contrary to popular belief, I’m a terrible liar.”
“So, you really don’t remember why you tried to kill Derek Hall?”
I kicked Theo under the table. What the hell was wrong with him? “Forgive my son. He’s got a broken filter.”
Bringing Theo was a mistake. My dad would’ve called him a straight shooter, but loose cannon was more fitting.
William laughed. “It’s okay. That’s actually why I love teaching kindergarten so much. They always give it to me straight. I never have to wonder if there’s a zit on my nose or something in my teeth. To answer your question, though, no, I don’t remember anything from that night.”
“Because you were drunk?”
I tried to kick Theo again, but he was too fast.
William lifted his margarita and winced. “Yeah, but I’m not proud of it.”
“And it’s total bullshit that Derek doesn’t remember either, right?”
This was going great. Five minutes into meeting William, and Theo was already giving him the third degree. Had Esther put him up to this?
William took a sip and shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. We’ve exchanged exactly two words in the last ten years—hi and hi.”
“Well, he’s just down the road, isn’t he? Why don’t you just ask him?”
“Enough, Theo,” I said, glaring at my nephew. Was it too late to send him to Florida?
To his credit, William was unfazed. “I can’t do that. Everyone already thinks I’m a stalker. If I even look at Derek the wrong way, Tony will have me shot.”
“Who’s Tony?”
“Derek’s manager. The guy hates me, and always has. Like, he hated me even before . . . well, you know.”
Theo nodded. “Okay, I see what we’re working with here. We can handle this, though.”
We? Two seconds ago, Theo had been sure William Chapman was the next Hannibal Lecter. Now they were a we?
By the time we got to dessert—lemon meringue pie—the sun was dipping below the Adirondacks, and the peepers were out in full force. So were the mosquitoes.
“I know Ryan’s bi, but between you and me, he definitely leans more toward guys, right?” Theo hadn’t shut up about Ryan Ashbury all night.
William wiped meringue from his lips. “I couldn’t tell you. You obviously know far more about Ryan than I do.”
“But you’re friends, right? I mean, he gave you a ride home.”
“No. He’s my brother’s friend, not mine.”
“Yeah, but you could still, like, invite him over, right?”
William shook his head. “Believe me, Ryan doesn’t want to hang out with me. He just feels guilty about getting the part.”
“So? Invite him over and tell him he doesn’t need to feel guilty anymore.”
William chugged the last of his margarita. “Thanks for dinner. That was amazing.”
“You could just say you don’t wanna talk about Ryan anymore,” Theo said, rolling his eyes.
I cleared my throat. “Why don’t you give William a break and go take the dog for a walk? I’ll clean up the dishes.”
“Fine, whatever. Just don’t put any of the pots in the dishwasher.” Theo scooped Atticus off the deck chair he was sleeping on and took him inside.
“Sorry,” I said when the screen door slammed shut behind him. “I know he can be kinda annoying sometimes. He’s just starstruck by all this.”
“He’s fine.” William offered me another small smile. “He reminds me of Andy at that age, and he’s far too earnest to be annoying.”
I smiled back. Out in public, I found Theo’s earnestness obnoxious, but when it was just the two of us, I kind of liked it.
“Are you going to watch them film the movie?” I asked.
William’s face fell, and I instantly regretted the question. “Not if I can avoid it.” He stood and started clearing the table.
“You don’t have to do that, William. I’ve got it.”
“Listen, I’m not my mother. I don’t want you waiting on me. I mean, dinner was great and all, but seriously, I’d rather just cook for myself. And it’s just Will.”
“Okay,” I said, rising to help. “I’ll call you Will, then, save myself a syllable. But I should warn you. You’re gonna break poor Theo’s heart if you insist on cooking for yourself. He’s planning to put this on his application to culinary school. Are you really gonna deny him that?”
It wasn’t true, but it could be. Maybe culinary school was the compromise we’d been looking for. Theo had to do something while he waited for Raj to graduate from college.
Instead of replying, Will started carrying the platter of chicken and an armload of dishes up to the house.
Following him into the kitchen, I asked, “Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”
“Not really,” he said. “Just meeting my dad for dinner.”
“Great! Why don’t we all go riding in the morning? I’ve been trying to get Theo out of the house for weeks. I bet he’ll go if you go.”
“I don’t ride.” Will set down the stack of plates and rummaged for Tupperware to store the leftover chicken in.
“I can teach you,” I said. “I’ve been riding almost as long as I’ve been walking.”
He glanced up at me, his gaze suddenly cold. “Did my mom put you up to this?”
“No, of course not. But if you don’t go, Theo won’t either. You’d be doing me a huge favor. Plus, I hear Derek rides most mornings.”
Will dropped a chicken leg, and it splatted on the floor.
“I went horseback riding once when I was five and knocked my two front teeth out. It’s not for me.” He picked up the leg and tossed it in the trash.
I noticed an engorged mosquito on his arm and smacked it on instinct, like I would’ve done if it were Travis’s or Theo’s arm. Of course, Will wasn’t my brother or nephew, and I regretted it immediately. “Got him,” I said, nodding to the smear of blood, like that justified my actions.
Will grimaced as I flicked the carcass onto the floor. “Her,” he said.
“What?”
“Only female mosquitoes bite. The males are harmless.” He wet a paper towel and wiped the blood from his arm.
I couldn’t help but smile. The little shit really was a teacher. “I didn’t know that.”
He nodded and put the chicken into the fridge. Out the bay window over the sink, I watched Theo and Atticus start down the gravel drive. That would give us at least fifteen minutes alone.
I turned from the sink of dirty pots and pans and got an up-close view of Will’s perfect ass. “Hey, grab me one of those beers, will you?” I said over his shoulder, pointing to the twelve-pack of Pbr on the shelf. “You know there’s a saying for this very situation, don’t you?”
“I do,” Will said, not missing a beat. “‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.’”
I laughed. Will was a bit of a smartass. “I meant ‘get back on the horse.’ Come on, it’ll be fun. And Theo and I will be with you, so no one will accuse you of stalking Derek.”
Will cringed. “I’ll think about it.”
I found Theo up in his room watching TV, Atticus asleep on the bed next to him. “You done being a little shit yet?”
“Look who’s talking.”
I shrugged and picked up the photograph on Theo’s nightstand. It was a picture of me, Travis, and Theo at Disney World from when Theo was maybe nine or ten. We were smiling awkwardly in front of Cinderella’s Castle. Travis was in the middle, one arm around me, the other around Theo.
“I like William,” Theo said, pausing the TV. “He’s actually really nice.”
“I like him, too.” I set the photo back down. “Just so you know, though, he prefers to go by Will, not William.”
“Then why did you try to ruin his life?” Theo reached over and adjusted the angle of the photo so it was facing him.
“I didn’t try to ruin his life.” Shit, did Theo know about Es?
“Yeah.” Theo scoffed. “Keep telling yourself that.”
I rolled my neck. “Can you maybe not drink so much in front of Will? You’re making me look like a bad father.”
I half-expected him to say, “You are a bad father,” but he didn’t say anything, just grabbed the remote and turned up the volume, which was my cue to go smoke a bowl.