Chapter 16 #2
His mother’s expression brightened, like she thought the discussion would entail something other than Will saying no, over and over again.
“I knew you’d see sense, son,” Patrick said, patting him on the shoulder again. Will flinched. Not for the first time he wished he’d already moved to Enzo’s apartment, which had a rudimentary kitchen. It wouldn’t be much, but he could take them there for lunch and avoid a public scene.
Not that his parents ever made a scene. But he had a feeling that if he kept firm, it wasn’t going to be particularly pretty.
Of course, if he did take them to Enzo’s, he’d have to explain exactly who Enzo Moretti was to him. Like he wasn’t just the guy painting the side of his building.
Enzo was just about down from the scaffolding, glancing up as he took in his work from the morning, pleased with the way the ship was coming together, when he spotted Kate approaching.
“Hey,” he said, picking up a water bottle and draining the last of it. He was supposed to meet Will for a late lunch before he headed to Charleston to pick up a few things that would hopefully make Will’s move later that night a little easier.
Another dresser was going to be necessary. More hangers. Something in the kitchen besides one pan and one sad half-melted plastic spatula.
“Will’s parents are here,” Kate said under her breath as she walked closer. “And he is freaking out.”
Enzo’s eyebrows went right up, nearly to his hairline. “What?”
“He told me to come out here and tell you to stay away but . . .he needs you, Enzo. He’s going to fold, and he doesn’t want to.”
“He told you to tell me not to show up for lunch?” Enzo was a little baffled by this. “Does he not want me to meet his parents?”
Kate shot him a frank look. “He’s not thinking clearly. But I think he’s trying to save you from getting dragged into this mess.”
“Maybe it’s a mess, but isn’t that what a partner’s supposed to be around for? Making things a hell of a lot easier? Not only does he have a business here, he has a boyfriend. He said he wanted roots; he’s got them now,” Enzo said.
“You gonna go charging in there like a white knight and save him?” Kate sounded full of disbelief, which was totally unfair.
Enzo could do the right thing. He did the right thing all the freaking time.
“Yes,” Enzo said firmly.
Kate smiled then, all that disbelief melting into approval. “Knew you would,” she said, patting him on the shoulder. “You’re a good guy, Enzo.”
“Did you really do all that to convince me to do the right thing?” Enzo complained.
He took off his bandana and ran his hand through his curls, damp with sweat.
This was not how he’d hoped to meet Will’s parents—not that he’d really spent a whole lot of brain power on that eventuality—but he also understood there wasn’t time to waste.
Kate looked annoyingly smug. “Worked, didn’t it?”
“It was going to work anyway,” Enzo grumbled. He shoved his bandana into the pocket of his paint-stained shorts. “Come on, let’s go deal with this.”
When he walked into Cherry’s, a tall man with the look of Will’s build and a woman with Will’s blue eyes turned to him.
Will didn’t look particularly happy to see him, but he also didn’t look particularly surprised either.
More resigned to the inevitable, if Enzo had to guess.
“Hi, I’m Enzo Moretti,” Enzo said brightly, plastering on his best I’m a good guy and I’m gonna be a good guy for your son smile. It wasn’t one he’d had much occasion to use, but he’d witnessed Luca utilizing it enough over the years with Oliver’s mom.
He held out his hand and shook both their hands briskly. Wishing he’d had at least time to wash the paint off, but at least it wasn’t wet anymore.
Probably.
“Patrick Johnson. And this is my wife, Carla. We’re Will’s parents. Thought we’d stop by on our way to Tybee, see him in person,” the man said. He had a firm handshake, firm enough that even Luca probably approved.
“Nice to meet you.”
“You must be the mural painter,” Carla said, eyeing him speculatively.
“What gave it away?” Enzo winked, shifting from the good guy smile to the I’m a handsome rogue smile.
That one was a smile he was intimately familiar with and he knew he wore it well.
Carla melted as quickly as he’d expected.
“Oh, Will, is he just the mural painter?” she whispered, loudly enough that he could hear every single word.
Will met his eyes over her head. Yep. He was definitely resigned, but there was more too, now. He looked relieved that he wasn’t in this alone anymore.
If Enzo had any say in it, he wasn’t going to be alone, again.
Will had bailed him out with his mom, and now it was Enzo’s turn.
“I hear we’re all going to lunch,” Enzo said casually, walking behind the counter and pressing a quick kiss against Will’s mouth.
“I’d guess he’s not just the mural painter,” Patrick said dryly.
“I . . .it’s still very new,” Will said, by way of explanation. But he didn’t move away. Instead, he slung an arm around Enzo’s waist, like Enzo wasn’t damp and sweaty.
Like they were a team now. A united front.
“Is it?” Patrick looked amused, not upset.
“Yes,” Enzo said, “but serious.”
Enzo wasn’t surprised at all that Will hadn’t told his parents about him. After all, it was new, and from everything Will had said, he wasn’t necessarily going to tell them everything.
He was trying to set boundaries. Enzo understood all about that.
“Yeah,” Will agreed, meeting Enzo’s eyes. There were a bunch of questions lurking there, but also a lot of answers, too.
Yes, I’m glad you’re here.
Sorry I tried to keep you away.
We’re in this together, now.
“Well, let’s go to lunch,” Carla declared happily. “I would love to learn more about you, Enzo.”
“And we’ll talk more about you coming with us to Tybee,” Patrick added.
Enzo didn’t miss the determination in his expression as they walked out the door. Or the equally as certain look in Will’s eyes that he wouldn’t be going anywhere.
Phew. Enzo was going to have to be on his best dancing monkey behavior to distract Will’s parents from what they’d come to Indigo Bay for.
“So, Enzo, tell us a little more about you,” Carla asked as they walked down the sidewalk towards Sweetie Pie’s. Will hadn’t let go of him yet, which Enzo was taking as a very good sign. He’d hoped Will wouldn’t be upset he’d ignored Kate’s message, but this was even better than he’d envisioned.
Okay. He hadn’t really envisioned anything.
It had been clear enough that Will had been trying to white-knuckle this situation alone, and Enzo just wasn’t going to let him. He’d charged in, without really thinking it through at all.
“Mom,” Will chided gently.
“I’m from here, originally,” Enzo said. “My mom and I moved here when I was ten. Then five years ago I moved away, went to art school in San Francisco.”
“And you’re a full-time muralist?” This question was from Patrick.
Will hadn’t said it explicitly that his father was a hard-ass businessman, but he didn’t need to, now. Enzo could see it.
Will’s dad was Luca, if he’d never met Oliver.
“Yep. Booked about a year in advance. All over the US. Even a few dates in Europe, now. Bless social media. It does all my marketing for me.”
“You must have quite a reputation,” Carla said approvingly.
“He’s brilliant,” Will said, his firm response making it clear he wouldn’t tolerate any kind of argument on this point. Enzo flushed with pleasure.
He knew he was good, sure. People said it all the time. But hearing it from Will’s lips meant something more.
“So you travel all over, but you’re based here?” Carla asked as Patrick opened the door of Sweetie Pie’s, ushering them all inside.
Enzo felt Will tense and knew they’d hit on the one potential wrinkle that worried both of them.
“Uh.” Enzo hesitated. He didn’t want to lie. Not to Will’s parents. But what else could he say? “I wasn’t before, but I am now.” He glanced over at Will, meeting his eyes, full of sudden trepidation. “After meeting Will, it was a no-brainer. I want to be with him, as much as I can.”
Carla melted again, but Patrick was a tougher nut to crack.
“That sounds awfully lonely for you, Will,” Patrick said.
Yep, this guy was just as blunt as Luca had been. Before he’d been forced to learn how to be an actual human being with emotions and with tact.
Bless Oliver for all that work he’d put in, because Enzo had a feeling it hadn’t been a particularly easy job.
“Not at all,” Will said, his jaw jutting out with frustration and annoyance. “I’ll have the business here.”
“And I’ll always make time for him,” Enzo added, deciding that if Will was going to brazen this out, he could too.
“Let’s order,” Will said, turning towards the front counter.
They ordered sandwiches and iced coffees and then took a large table in the corner, Rocco eyeing their group with undeniable interest, but because Rocco had a brain in his head, at least he didn’t offer any pointed comments.
Enzo was grateful for that, at least.
“I’m sure,” Enzo said, after taking a sip of his iced coffee, eyeing Will’s parents across from him, “that when Will’s business is more established, he could even come with me to some projects. See the country.”
“Will’s business is established now,” Carla argued.
It was pretty brazen for her to claim that now, when she’d just freaking arrived. Will tensed next to him, even though he’d hardly relaxed from the last time, and Enzo knew shit was about to hit the fan, no matter how public of a confrontation this might be.
At least there was nobody else in the bakery except for Rocco, who was not doing a very subtle job of listening in to the whole conversation.
Well, if that was all Rocco was doing, Enzo could hardly blame him for that.