Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
He walked out of the market, and the first thing he saw was his aunt’s car in the prime parking space.
Darren had done his best to avoid her for the past few weeks.
He had dodged her phone calls and deleted her badgering messages.
But now it seemed he was going to have to deal with her.
The truth was, he hadn’t really had the energy… until now.
Last week, he’d made sausage for Henry, and not only had he liked it, he’d agreed to add it to the case, and it was really selling.
They started with two types, and they were both moving really well.
Henry had even agreed to a decent raise.
On top of that, a server at The Pub had left, and that meant that Darren picked up one more evening there.
So, he’d stepped back from the Harbor View completely.
He hadn’t left on bad terms and made sure not to leave them in a lurch, but it felt good to have a few evenings free.
Darren had hoped to get past his aunt unseen, but she got out of her car and strode over to him, her heels clicking on the pavement. “We need to talk,” she said. “Otherwise, I’ll press forward with my claims.”
Darren had given things a lot of thought and now he knew he was right.
His aunt was well aware that she didn’t have a valid claim.
If she had, she’d have gone through her lawyers and the estate counsel.
But she didn’t. Instead, she kept trying to contact him.
“I have to be at The Pub in ten minutes. I get off at ten, so you can come to the house, and we’ll settle this.
” He refused to give her anything more, striding away.
Darren was done being afraid, and whatever game she was playing, he wasn’t having anything to do with it.
Darren checked his phone for messages, but there were none.
Usually, at this time of the day, Chet would send a message, and they would chat for a few minutes.
But it was quiet. Darren knew he should expect the calls and messages to fall off, but he was still disappointed that they had.
He sent a message of his own and waited a little for a response, but there wasn’t one.
Arriving at The Pub, he went in the back, changed into fresh clothes, hit his tables, and went to it. As usual, he had the area outside, and that worked for him. He liked the fresh air, and the people seated there had come to eat, rather than drink at the bar.
His tables were packed all evening long, which was great.
It kept him from thinking too much about Chet, and he found himself doing all the time.
The people at his tables were really nice and chatty tonight, which was also great.
And the skunk made an appearance, skittering under the tables to pick up bits of food before hurrying away again.
“Is that a real skunk?” a kid about six at one of the tables asked.
“Yes. He’s real, and he’s nice.”
The kid inhaled. “He doesn’t stink.”
“Skunks only smell when they spray. So, just leave him alone, and he won’t stink.
He comes and goes, but he’s been staying around here for the last few months.
He eats the food that people drop,” Darren explained.
“The only time he sprayed was when a customer let their dog go after him, and even then, the dog deserved it.” Darren winked, and the kid laughed.
Darren took their orders and went inside to put them in.
“Sometimes, I swear, people like the skunk more than anything else,” Leanne, the other server, said as she came back in from delivering food to a table.
“Well, not every restaurant has a skunk for a mascot,” Darren said as he filled water glasses and returned to tables that had turned and were now filled with new guests.
He greeted them and took drink orders, then checked on the rest of his tables before filling the orders.
There was a definite routine to waiting tables, and once he got into it, the rest was easy.
He was always good at looking after his guests, and by the time they left, his tip usually reflected that.
Darren had finished his last table and was clearing up the outdoor area in preparation for the following morning when he was told they had just seated a final table.
“He requested to be out there,” the hostess told him, so Darren went to greet them and take drink orders when he stopped in his tracks, blinking in case his eyes deceived him.
“What are you doing back here?” Darren asked once he got his legs moving. “Did you forget something?”
Chet smiled up at him. “I did. I forgot you.”
“Huh…?” Darren said, knowing he sounded kind of dumb, but not sure if he cared. “Me?”
“Yeah. I went back to New York and left you behind. I didn’t like it. So, I came back out here because I needed the answers to a number of questions.”
Darren’s mouth moved, but no words came out at first. “What questions?” he finally croaked.
“Well… I need to know if you missed me.” The smile slipped away, and Chet’s eyes grew serious. “I needed to know if you felt the same way I did, and if maybe you’d be willing to see if things could work out.”
“But your job and the commitments to your family?” Darren probed.
“I convinced my father that I can work just as well from here as I can from New York. Besides, for the last two weeks, I was such a pain in his backside, questioning everything and stirring up things in the office, that he willingly let me go just so he could get some peace.” Chet snickered.
“But I have a number of projects. One is to look for savings where we can find it and another is to oversee our systems. It seems those are areas where my father needs help. So, I’m going to do them, from here… that is, if you’ll have me.”
“So, you can work from here?” Darren asked, his mind finally catching up to what he’d been told. “And you don’t need to go back?”
“No. Not for a while. But I came so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to book a place to stay.” Damn, that sheepish look was adorable, and Darren sat down next to him.
“I think we can figure something out. But for now, I’m working, so did you want something to eat?”
“Oh, yes. I want your turkey melt on wheat with a side salad, please.” He drew Darren closer. “And I promise I’m a really good tipper.” He winked, and Darren snickered.
“Then it looks like I should make sure you eat well, and quickly, so we can get to the tipping part of the evening.” He grinned and hurried away to put Chet’s order in.
He also took him a drink and went back to finishing up the evening’s work.
He wanted to sit and talk with him, but the sooner he completed his tasks, the earlier he could go home, and that was all he could think about.
When it was ready, he took Chet his dinner and talked to him for a few minutes. But he had things to do, so he left him and stowed everything for the night, and by the time Chet had settled his bill, Darren was finished. He clocked out and got into the BMW Chet had rented for the ride home.
“Can I ask why you came back? Not that I’m not thrilled you did, because I missed you, and all the people I work with told me I was grumpy and sad-looking.”
“My best friend, Renee, told me that I had kicked-puppy face,” Chet said.
“I was miserable and a pain in the ass. My poor father didn’t know what hit him.
I think he was expecting to get his son back, but what he got was a demanding pain in the butt.
Basically, I wasn’t happy there. I liked being here with you.
So, I worked out a deal with my father. We’re giving me working from here a try for a little while to see how it goes.
It gives me a chance to spend more time out here, and the two of us time to figure out if this thing between us is going to last.”
Chet seemed relaxed and happy. “Well, that’s good, because I was trying to figure out how I was going to be able to go to New York to try to get you back.
I cut back on my jobs and got a raise at the store.
I worked through the sausage recipes, and they’re being sold at the store.
I also developed a really good bratwurst that they put on the menu at The Pub.
I make those sausages here, and they pay me extra to do it, so things have worked out.
I have fewer shifts and more time to try to live my life, and I really think I like it. ”
“Well… if I’m going to stay here, then I’ll be paying for part of the expenses while I’m here, so….” Chet got out of the car, and Darren came around and took his hand, leading him inside. “We can take things one step at a time.”
“I agree, and the first step is that tip you promised me.” He opened the door and tugged Chet inside. As soon as he closed the door, he pressed Chet against it, kissing him hard, like he’d missed him so damned much… because hell, with him here, Darren felt like he could breathe again.
These last two weeks had seen quite a bit of change, but mostly he’d been on edge, like he couldn’t breathe most of the time. Something was just off. He knew it, yet he couldn’t put his finger on it the entire time that Chet was gone and now that heaviness had just slipped away.
“I think your tip is in the bedroom,” Chet said softly.
A knock on the door right behind them made them both stop, and then Darren began to giggle.
“It’s my aunt. She apparently wanted to have things out.
Now of all times.” He stepped back and looked down to where his pants had tented.
Though it went down just thinking about Aunt Regina, so that was a relief.
He took a deep breath, made sure he was presentable, and opened the door.
“We need to talk,” she said as she breezed inside as though she owned the place.
“I haven’t done anything with these debts yet, because we need to work things out.
” She sighed and looked around. “I think it’s probably best if you simply sign the house over to me.
That will clear all the debts, and I’ll even pay you some money once it’s sold. ” She was a real piece of work.
Darren huffed and looked at Chet, finding the strength to do what he knew he had to.
“There is nothing to work out. Those debts are fake. I checked all of Gramma’s account records, and there are no deposits at all.
So, I contend that you made up all of this to try to get the house.
That’s fraud. Go and try to present your list of demands on an estate that has been settled and closed, and see how fucking far you get.
Oh, and when you do present those documents as real, I’ll then use the information I have to prove they’re fake, and you can stand charges for fraud.
How does that sound?” He was so angry with her, his hands shook.
Aunt Regina’s mouth hung open.
“Furthermore, the document wasn’t witnessed, and it sure as hell would need to be signed by Gramma for her to have acknowledged the debt.
But I don’t believe that’s her signature, and judging by the dates, even I can see that that this is fake.
Her signature was much shakier than that by then. ” He put his hands on his hips.
“These are real debts, and….”
“Then, like I said, present them. Go ahead. The estate was already settled, and it’s not likely to be reopened.
You’d need to get the court to issue an order to reopen it, and that time is already passed.
” He thanked God for Skip. He had given him all the ammunition he needed.
“Now, I suggest you take those papers of yours and shove them up your ass. I’m done with you.
” He opened the door. “And I think your mother would be so ashamed of you right now. She didn’t leave you the house because you didn’t need it, and she wanted me to have a place to live.
It’s that simple. But you’re too selfish and greedy for words.
So go, and don’t come back. I never want to see you again.
” He pressed her out the door and closed it.
Darren half expected her to make a fuss or pound on the door, but he heard nothing from her until the car engine started, and she drove away.
“That was impressive,” Chet said.
Darren shook his head. “It was ridiculous, and I’m sorry you had to see it. My family is so messed up, it’s pathetic.”
“Nope, you don’t get to go there. Mine is worse.
My grandfather and uncle were twins, and they fought their entire lives over who should run the company.
Growing up, they would fight about it all the time.
Their father finally gave the job to their younger brother and cut them out completely.
He did a great job and eventually turned the company over to my father. ”
“You know, you’re right. Let’s not do this. Because I can top that in so many ways, it isn’t even funny, but talking about this shit is depressing, and I don’t want to be depressed right now. I want to be happy, because you’re here, and I get to keep my house, and things are really good right now.”
Chet wrapped his arms around him and lifted Darren off his feet. “Then let’s go be happy. Goodness knows we have plenty of celebrate right now.”
“Yeah, I know. But what about what comes next?” Darren asked.
Chet paused. “I don’t know what that is.
I have no idea what’s going to happen, and neither do you.
So, let’s be happy in the moment and figure out the next steps as we go.
I mean, I like it here, and I’ve fallen in love with you.
The rest will pretty much take care of itself.
There’s no big mystery or drama here. It’s just the two of us. ”
“But aren’t you going to miss your family and your life in New York? I mean, it’s a huge step to just leave it all, and….” Darren was both happy and a little overwhelmed by all this.
“It’s all fine. New York isn’t going anywhere, and maybe I found something here that makes me happier.” He pulled Darren into his arms and held him tightly. “There’s no need to worry or be afraid.”
Darren rested his head on Chet’s shoulder. “I’m just worried you’ll leave again….” He hadn’t felt complete while Chet was gone, and maybe it was stupid, but he really didn’t want to feel that way again.
“Hey. One step at a time.” He guided Darren through the house and to the bedroom, closing the door. “But the very first thing I need to do is give you that tip I’ve been promising.”
“Is that what we’re going to call it from now on?” Darren quipped.
“Nope.” Chet guided him to the bed and passion took over… and over… and over. Absence might make the heart grow fonder, but it also makes the sex hotter. That was for sure.
Well into the night, Darren pressed against Chet, warm and happy. He rolled over and whispered, “I love you,” into the darkness. He didn’t expect a response, but Chet tugged him tighter.
“I love you too,” he whispered, and Darren knew whatever happened, things would be okay.