Incident 8 Tis the Season to be Outed #4
“I know no such thing. I have seen you with Levonn’s girlfriends, and I’m asking you to not do that here.”
Levonn snorted wry agreement. “You really do that, Mama.”
She shot him a dark look. “I’m trying to make sure they’re good for my son. And none of them were; you broke up with all of them.”
“That does not excuse you,” Levonn pointed out.
Glenn was back in earshot before Ross could say anything else.
He shed his jacket smoothly before sitting down, taking the empty seat next to Imani as if it were perfectly natural to do so.
Ross belatedly realized he should have switched spots or made Levonn move so he could sit next to his boyfriend. Oops.
Imani was all ears as she asked, “How did you two meet? I know you hired my son, but he’s not told me much.”
Didn’t get a chance to. Ross wasn’t about to defend himself, there was no point. That wasn’t what his mother really asked.
“When he was still working at the gas station, I came across him there.” Glenn oriented himself to face the table at large, seemingly unbothered by this opening gambit.
“I was struck by his competence, first. I saw many a difficult and challenging customer come through, and yet he handled them all with superb skill and calmness. It’s not something easy to do, and it drew my attention.
I’d been on the lookout for a PA for some time, and when I saw him in action, I felt sure he had the skills I needed.
It took me a few tries to recruit him, though. ”
In retrospect, it was funny. Ross shook his head at the memory, mouth curled up in amusement. “You came off as really shady. Obviously, I hesitated.”
Glenn’s eyes crinkled up at the corners. “Is that why?”
“You know damn well it was.”
Glenn accepted this with a shrug before picking the story back up.
“I found him attractive from the beginning, but my focus was more on hiring a good PA. I was drowning in work, I needed the help. It wasn’t until he started working and we spent so much more time together that I realized the attraction was not only still there but growing.
My affection and admiration for him grew daily.
I wasn’t sure if putting forth a courtship was wise, though, because he was an employee. I was relieved when he asked me.”
Both of his family members looked at him in surprise and Ross shrugged. “Only reason I hesitated was because he’s my boss. But in the end, I decided I’d regret it more if we didn’t at least try dating. I gambled.”
Glenn’s eyes and words were like a warm caress over Ross. “And do you feel like you have a winning hand, astór?”
Ross grinned back, a little helplessly, because he was melting under that look. “So far. I hope that continues.”
“As do I.” Glenn winked at him, looking insufferably smug with that answer. Then he turned to Imani. “In that vein, we really should get to know each other better. Don’t you agree?”
“Oh yes.” Imani was firm on that. “Ross said you’ve got a lot to do before Christmas, but what about after?”
“We Irish like to observe Boxing Day, you know. Why don’t you come over to my house then? We can have a lovely dinner together.”
Imani looked victorious, a woman who had achieved her goal. “That sounds perfect.”
“Levonn, do join us as well.” Glenn gave him a smile.
Levonn shot Ross a questioning look.
Ross encouraged him with a nod, as he really wanted his brother there to help temper their mother if she got too excited. Which she typically did after a glass of wine.
“Sure, I’d love to.”
There was just one hitch in this get-along. Ross didn’t think hosting it at Glenn’s house a good idea. Because nosy clan members. “Glenn, the house might be a bit of a mess after Christmas day. Maybe a different location would be better—”
Glenn waved this away. “Nonsense. I promise, even without you, I can manage to get the house clean after the party.”
That was not—argh.
Well, crap. How did he maneuver around this yawning abyss of a pitfall?
They managed to end the dinner on a good note, everyone hugged bye with plans to reunite on Christmas Day, and Ross slid into the Aston Martin’s passenger seat. Glenn started up the engine, still all smiles.
“Your mother and brother are lovely,” Glenn said as he backed out. “And you truly take after your mother.”
“Yeah, everyone says that after meeting us both. But Glenn, I was trying not to have her on clan property. My mother’s observant, she’s going to put the pieces together.”
“Should she not?”
Ross blinked at his profile, dumbfounded. “I thought the clan and the supernatural world was a secret?”
“By and large, yes, but didn’t we bring you into it readily enough? We don’t mind people knowing about us. It’s those who will bring us harm, they are the ones not allowed to know.”
Well, now, there was perspective. Ross had been readily pulled in, especially when he proved he had no nefarious motivations. Huh. Why hadn’t he realized that before?
He spoke slowly, thinking aloud, “So because you think my mom and Levonn won’t do anything to you guys, you have no issue telling them, too.”
“Precisely. And won’t it be easier on you if you can be truthful with them about this matter as well?”
“Yeah. Yeah, it really would. And it’s not like I don’t think about telling them, I have. I just wasn’t sure how to tell them without sounding like I’d boarded the crazy train.”
“Ah. Well, we’ll carefully plan how to introduce them to everything. But a dinner at my house will at least plant suspicions, and doing so plants a seed. A gradual introduction is easier for a human mind to accept.”
Ross snorted because that had certainly been true in his case. In retrospect, he had to wonder just how deliberate that had been.
“We’ll tell them gradually, in a way that will help them accept it without fearing their own sanity. A nice, calm dinner will be a good start to that.”
Ross blew out a low breath. “Yeah, okay. Okay, it’s as good a game plan as any.”
“I’m proud of you, my love. I know it’s never easy to tell a parent.”
Ross felt a little shy under that warm, proud smile. And incredibly happy, as well. “I shouldn’t have put it off. I guess I didn’t have the proper motivation before now of saying something.”
“Am I your motivation, then?”
“You’re fishing. You know damn well you are.”
Glenn preened, chest puffing out. “I’m still delighted to hear it. Are you relieved now that it’s all out?”
“Very relieved. And happy that she doesn’t seem to care. She’s more concerned that I’ll choose a good man to be with. Which, having met you, I think it’s not a worry anymore. She really got a good first impression of you.”
“I’m glad. I hadn’t expected or prepared for such a meeting.”
“You did great.” Ross would have said more on that vein, but the next turn Glenn took diverted him completely. “Wait, why are you taking a left? Home is that way.”
“I am buying you a new vehicle.” Glenn’s tone was adamant.
Ross squawked anyway. “Wait a minute, did Rocco say mine can’t be fixed?”
“He said it looked as if you’d thrown a rod through the engine, and by the time you bought a new engine and installed it, it would be financially wiser to just buy a new car.”
Shit. Ross feared it might be something like that. Still, that didn’t explain why Glenn suddenly found it his job to provide him a new vehicle. “If that’s the case, I’ll buy a new one. But you’re not buying a car for me.”
Glenn’s jaw set in that stubborn line he sometimes wore.
“That is not your agreeing face. Switch expressions right now.” Ross glared at him, a silent dare in his expression.
“You need a reliable vehicle.”
“And I’ll get one. But you’re not paying for it. Remember that talk we had about boundaries?”
“It is for the good of the clan that my PA has a reliable vehicle to use.”
“Oh, that was low. And while true, not the main reason you’re doing this.” Seriously, this man could be so unreasonably stubborn.
Glenn stopped at a red light and then abruptly turned, capturing his mouth in a firm kiss.
Pulling back a bare inch, he locked eyes with Ross, those golden eyes both determined and warm.
“I know well that you can’t comfortably afford it right now because of the demands of school tuition.
How expensive that is for you. I know, too, that you’ll choose a cheaper car, something with minimal payments, and that’s asking for trouble.
I beseech you, astór. Let me buy you something I know you will be safe in.
That you need not worry about ever stranding you as your car did today.
Something that will not financially be a burden to you, making you wear that strain from day to day. ”
And how the hell did he argue with that? Ross knew very well it drove Glenn insane to see him driving his little Honda. That he’d wanted to replace it for months now. With the opportunity there, no way would he pass up on it.
His pride warred with his common sense. It would make more sense for Glenn to buy it, as he not only had the means to do so, but it would mean a vehicle Ross could put multiple clan members into.
And stuff. Ross tended to buy a lot of stuff on behalf of the clan.
Glenn had a good point about him needing something for the job’s sake.
Oh, hell. He could already feel himself losing ground on this argument. “Fine. I’ll act like this is my compensation for all the overtime I’ve worked, rolled in with a Christmas bonus.”
Glenn lit up, happy to get his way. He kissed Ross quick before leaning back in his own seat, ready to put the car back into drive. “Thank you.”
“But no sports car, alright? I want an SUV.”
“A perfectly sensible choice and exactly like you. What brand and model would you prefer?”
“Now that’s the question.” Ross pulled out his phone to look up stats on vehicles, as he hadn’t really a clue what would be the most gas efficient and reliable of the SUVs. Even as he did so, he felt himself smile a little.
New car!