Chapter 57
Jon stood in front of the coffee shop and looked over his shoulder at the Ivory Dragon. He knew Levi was there preparing to open for the night and he wanted to run to him. His shoulders dropped, and he reached for the door.
“Jon! What are you doing here?”
He turned toward the voice and saw James sprinting in his direction, and his heart raced.
“Um, I’m meeting me sister here. She’s on her way.”
“Why the fuck you want to talk to her?”
“I don’t. She called me and asked me to meet her here.”
He didn’t know James well, but the panic in his eyes was clear.
“Shit. I guess I’d better hurry before she gets here then. Come in and I’ll introduce you to Cate.”
Jon opened the door and ushered James inside.
“Hi James. Who’s your friend?”
“Cate, this here’s Jon. Levi’s boyfriend. No time to explain, but can I get my coffee to go like right now?”
Cate’s expression shifted between shock and anger, and Jon wondered why James was suspiciously emphasizing that he was Levi’s boyfriend.
“You’re introducing me to Levi’s boyfriend and rushing out quickly? Why is that?”
“He’s staying. I’m leaving. His sister’s on her way, and let’s just say she and I are not on the best of terms.”
Cate raised an eyebrow and shook her head. “Jon, it’s nice to meet you.” She said as she turned to prepare some coffee for James. Jon smiled, knowing James must come in here often enough for her to know exactly what he wants. He marveled at the similarities between a good barista and a good bartender. Moments later, she turned to hand James a steaming cup. “It’s on the house today since you’re in such a rush.”
“Thank you!” James grabbed the cup and rushed out the door, heading toward the dragon.
Jon felt the blood rush to his face as she turned her attention to him. “It’s nice to meet you, too. Cate, right?”
Her radiant smile calmed his nerves. “Yep. Now, Jon, you’ll have to forgive me. I just took over here and remodeled around the same time as Gus retired, so I’ve not had many opportunities to talk to Levi. I wish I had, so I could say I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“It’s no problem. My sister said she wanted to meet me here. I’ll be honest, I’m relatively new around town and didn’t even know this place was here.”
“Well, now that you do, you’ll just have to come back. From your tone, I’m guessing there’s some tension between you and your sister?”
“You could say that. I’m not sure why she wants to talk either. I’m a little worried she’ll make a scene.”
“Well, any friend of Levi’s is a friend of mine… except James. I’m still working my way back to trusting him.”
Jon laughed. “I’m hearing that a lot. He must be a different person, because he’s done right by me since the day we met.”
“That’s good to hear.” She cocked her head to the side and squinted. “How do you take your coffee? And don’t give me any of that ‘black’ or ‘however’ bullshit. I know Levi may have imparted some of his habits to you, but you strike me as more of a connoisseur.”
Jon laughed. “I like a good macchiato, but I think an affogato is my favorite, especially when I’m upset. There’s just something about the way the flavors and temperatures interact that is just calming.”
“You expecting to be upset?”
“It’s possible, but Alicia tends to be more couth when around people she doesn’t know. She doesn’t enjoy having witnesses to her being the bad guy.”
She smiled. “Duly noted. I’ve got your back, but I won’t let her know that this isn’t really neutral territory. So we’ll do a macchiato now and see about an affogato later.”
Jon smiled. The knot in his stomach had all but vanished when the door to the cafe opened.
“Hi Jon.”
He turned to face Alicia. It hadn’t been long since he’d seen his sister, but she looked older somehow.
“What can I get ya, hon?” Cate asked.
“I’ll have a cappuccino, please.”
“Sure thing. Y’all just take a seat and I’ll get your drinks out to you in a sec.”
Alicia nodded and took a seat near the door. She scowled at Jon. He knew that glare and headed over to join her.
“Are you OK? You look stressed.”
“I am. Mom has been blowing up my phone. What kind of game are you and Robbie playing? You’ve already got Grampa on their case, and now you’ve dragged him into it too?”
He gave her a pained look. “I think I’m missing something. I’m not dragging Robbie into anything.”
“Well, he called his mom and left her another message. Poor thing is close to losing her resolve and actually answering his calls.”
“That has nothing to do with me.”
“Oh, but it does. You guys have a heart to heart and he calls her and leaves a message about how he saw you and how good he’s doing. What’s the endgame here? You think having him tell her how good you are will somehow influence mom?”
“Alicia. You’re my sister. You should know better than anyone that scheming like that is not my thing. It’s yours.”
She glared at him. “So you don’t tell him to call her?”
“No. Frankly, I don’t think it’s good for his recovery. And it’s not good for her either. Next time I talk to him, I’ll ask him to stop. He should wait and not try to horn his way back in.”
“Is that what you’re doing?”
“Not exactly. I’m just sick of worrying about what y’all think of me. I’ve found a family that loves me, and while I still love y’all, I can’t make you love me. It’s up to y’all. I told you that, and I meant it.”
Cate placed their coffee on the table in front of them. “Everything Ok”
Alicia nodded. “I think so. The coffee smells fantastic. Thank you.”
Alicia waited until Cate had gone behind the counter, sipping her coffee. She lowered herself to the table and whispered. “So is what he said true, though?”
Jon’s heart was pounding in his chest, and the blood rushed from his face. “What did he say?”
“That you were getting married.”
A sharp crash erupted from behind the counter. Jon glanced in Cate’s direction, and she waved him off with a bewildered expression. He turned back to his sister. “Shit, keep your voice down.”
“You are?”
“Nothing is official yet. I’ve not even asked him,” he whispered. “Damn. Robbie couldn’t keep his mouth shut, huh?”
“You know that these bags under my eyes are your fucking fault, then. Mom and dad are flipping out.” She paused and her expression softened. “You’re sure about this? I mean, why would you want to get married?”
Jon closed his eyes. He chewed his bottom lip while he nodded. “Yes, I’m sure.” His eyes flew open. “And you ask me why? You’ve been planning your wedding since you were, what, five?”
“That’s normal for girls.” She interjected.
“I know. It’s also normal for a man to want to be loved. I love him. I’m ready to commit my life to him, til death do us part. Love is love. That’s what y’all don’t get. You see two gay men and think about the logistics of the sex. You don’t think about the laughter and the tears. The stolen glances, saying volumes without a single word. I mean, when you look at a guy and a girl walking down the street, do you automatically visualize them having sex? Or do you just do that with us?”
Alicia didn’t respond and gulped down her coffee.
“Well?”
“I don’t have an answer for you, Jon. It’s complicated, you know that.”
“But it isn’t. It’s not complicated at all, and I wish you could see that. I miss my big sister… even if you are a pain in the ass most of the time.”
She smiled and placed her cup on the table. “Thanks. I’m going to head out. I think I can convince mom that there’s no changing your mind and that you’re going to tell Robbie to stop calling his mother. Hopefully, that’ll get her off my case.” She reached for her purse.
“I got this. Don’t worry about it. Think about what I said, though. Tell Mom that I miss her and dad too.”
To his surprise, she smiled. “I will. If nothing else, that’ll shut her up for a few days.”
They both laughed. Alicia turned and walked out the door. Jon watched through the glass until she pulled out of the parking lot. He turned to Cate and smiled.
“That went better than expected, but if you don’t mind, I’ll still have an affogato. I’m going to stop by and surprise Levi for a bit before I head home. And if you to talk to Levi, could you maybe not mention what you overheard?”
Cate flashed him a sly smile. “Honey, I wouldn’t dream of ruining any surprises. Levi’s a good man, and you seem to have a good head on your shoulders. I wish y’all nothing but the best. Sit your ass back down, and I’ll get you an affogato. When you’re ready to head over, I’ll give you something for Levi, too.”