“I freaked out when it happened,” Michelle said. “We all did, because it looked like he’d made it through the worst.” She shook her head and busied herself with her salad. “I got selfish. I’ll admit that. I felt too tired and upset to give any more of myself. Instead I became preoccupied with trying to keep from falling apart. Before I knew it, more than a year had gone by. My husband made me go back to work because staying at home had helped all it could and I was making everyone miserable. He was right too. It helped, but when I returned to the group home, you were gone.”
“Dropped out of high school and got my GED,” Jason said. “You know I was itching to start my own life. Once you left, I didn’t see any reason to stick around. Not that it’s your fault! I don’t mean it like that.” Jason sighed. “You know what? None of that matters now. I’m really sorry to hear about your brother. And for stirring up painful memories again. I shouldn’t have called.”
“You were damn right to call!” Michelle said, sounding angry. “You could have left a forwarding number with the home. On the paperwork you just wrote—”
“See ya!” Jason laughed before his face flushed. “I thought it was funny at the time.”
Michelle shook her head but managed a smile. “Did you lose my home number?”
“No,” Jason admitted. “I didn’t want to bug you.”
“I wouldn’t have minded,” Michelle said. “Anyway, all that’s in the past now. Eat up and we’ll discuss your future.”
Jason dunked a few fries in the milkshake and practically inhaled his burger, having to resist a goofy smile between bites. His feelings didn’t seem appropriate, considering the news he’d just heard, and Jace’s death did make him sad, but emotions were complex things and it felt so good to be around Michelle again. Despite all his problems and the bombshell she’d just dropped, he still found comfort in her presence.
“Ben’s worried about you,” Michelle said.
“He doesn’t even know me.”
“True, but after we talked I called him back and explained your situation.”
“Did Jace ever tell him about me?”
“We’re not sure,” Michelle said. “When you met Jace, he was recovering from his first aneurysm and his memory wasn’t very reliable. So it’s possible he never told Ben or that Ben was too preoccupied to remember. We were all concerned, but Ben was the one taking care of Jace every day. He worried even more than the rest of us. It’s a moot point because Ben wants to help you.”
“I don’t feel right asking for his help.” Jason stirred his milkshake to keep the consistency smooth. “All I’m looking for is advice.”
Michelle smiled. “Oh I’ve got plenty of that for you. You said on the phone you don’t like your job. You’re on the verge of losing your home, and I’m assuming you don’t have a boyfriend or you would have turned to him.”
“I’m just a poor little orphan,” Jason said, making light of it. “Even my best friend skipped town.”
“It sounds to me,” Michelle continued, “like you couldn’t be in a better position to make a fresh start. Ben is willing to take you in. He lives in Austin, which he assures me is the best place on earth, and I’m sure he can help you get a new job.”
“Shouldn’t I be focusing on getting a second job here? Or maybe a loan? I could pay off the rent and…” He trailed off, unsure what would come next because paying rent had proven too difficult. He was already in the hole and could only work so many hours. Still, it might be worth a try.
“Money isn’t an issue,” Michelle said. “If it comes down to it, I’ll pay your rent and help you get back on your feet. But I think we should address the real problem. You need a support network. When Jace died, my family kept me from going crazy or doing something drastic. Everybody needs that in their life.”
“So adopt me,” Jason said with a silly grin, even though part of him was dead serious.
“I’m tempted, believe me. But you know what? You’re not the only one who needs support. Ben was left on his own when Jace died. Not completely, but if something like that happened to Tim, he would need someone there.”
“Tim?”
“Yup. The irresistible Mr. Wyman.” Michelle bit her lip. “Geez, it’s a long story. Tim and Ben are together now.”
“They’re in a relationship? Isn’t that kind of…”
“Soon? Not really. They’ve been madly in love since they were teenagers, so in a way, it’s taken ages.” Michelle shook her head as if exasperated. “I’ll let them explain it all. The point I’m trying to make is that you would be helping Ben too. Not that he’s considered that. He doesn’t need a reason to help you.”
Jason’s head was swimming as he mulled it over. “Austin?”
“You’re an adult now,” Michelle said. “This isn’t a foster placement. No rules and no obligations. You can come and go as you please. I already explained this to Ben, and he agreed. He’s offering you a place to call home until you get on your feet again. Nothing more, nothing less. But while you’re there, if you take the time to get to know him, I suspect you’ll make a friend for life. One who will always be there for you.”
Glancing across the table at Michelle, Jason felt as if he already had such a person. Just like in the old days, he found himself wanting to please her.
“I’ll think about it,” he said. “Let me try to fix this on my own. One last shot.”
Michelle smiled and shook her head. “You haven’t changed a bit.”
“I have,” Jason insisted. “I’m even more stubborn than before.”
* * * * *
Jason was running low on sleep as evening fell. Having the weird dream and meeting Michelle for lunch had thrown off his sleep schedule. He managed a quick nap when he was home again, the alarm waking him even earlier than it usually did. Jason hit the shower and put on one of his nicer outfits. Then he reported to work a full two hours early, feeling energized despite the lack of sleep, because now he had a plan. What he needed was overtime. He could take one of the morning shifts. Instead of going home at dawn, he’d put in another six hours or so at the registers, even if they weren’t willing to pay him time and a half.
First stop was Human Resources, which turned out to be a room full of filing cabinets and an older man with more wrinkles on his head than hair. Jason knocked politely on the open door to get the man’s attention, but first he read the nameplate.
“What can I do for you?”
“Mr. Geoffrey, sir? I was hoping I could talk to you about taking on more hours.”
The man smiled, pleased by this notion. That was a good sign! “Come right in. What’s your name?”
“Jason Grant, sir.”
The smile slid off Mr. Geoffrey’s face so fast that Jason stopped in his tracks.
“I told you in the message not to come in,” Mr. Geoffrey stammered, standing up. “Your check won’t be ready until next week.”
Jason shook his head, not understanding. “I’m not here for my check. What I’d like is to work more hours.”
Mr. Geoffrey snorted as if he was being preposterous, then peered at him curiously. “I called you this afternoon. Didn’t you get my message?”
Jason shook his head. “Sorry, no. Why would you call me?”
“I’m afraid you’re no longer employed here.”
Jason’s mouth dropped open. “What? Why?”
Mr. Geoffrey continued to scrutinize him. Then, like someone avoiding an aggressive dog, he carefully inched around Jason to the door, never turning his back to him. Jason took this as his invitation to leave. Clenching his jaw, he brushed by him, walking into the hallway and making sure he was standing a safe distance away, because suddenly, he did feel like biting.
Jason spun around. “An explanation would be nice,” he said. “Please.”
Mr. Geoffrey took note that they weren’t alone in the hall before he decided to answer. “Your shift supervisor felt you were disrespectful.”
“Paul says I’m disre
spectful?” Jason said, voice raising enough that Mr. Geoffrey flinched. He realized then that it didn’t matter. Whatever he said would sound like a lie or only seem to back up Paul’s opinion of him. “You know what? It’s fine. You want to know why?”
Mr. Geoffrey shook his head, backing toward his office again.
Jason told him anyway. “I’m moving to Austin. Immediately. So you cut me that check right now. I want all the money you and this stupid store owe me. Then you’ll never have to see my disrespectful ass again. Agreed?”
Mr. Geoffrey looked on the verge of running or pulling the fire alarm that his hand had drifted toward, but when Jason failed to lunge at him, he nodded quickly.
“Well, since you’re moving… I’ll see what I can do.”
* * * * *
For one glorious moment, Jason thought all of his problems were solved. Getting his check early meant being able to pay off one month’s rent. He had also remembered putting the first and last month’s rent down on the apartment when he first moved in, which would take care of the rest. When he suggested as much to the woman in the apartment office, she was happy with his solution, but was unable to let him continue living there without a deposit. Once again, he needed two months rent if he wanted to stay. After he admitted he didn’t have the money, management conducted an inspection of his apartment, and Jason was told he wouldn’t have to do anything except clean before he moved out.
So much for fixing this on his own.
Once he was alone again, Jason called Michelle and told her he was willing to move and asked what he would need to bring. After she checked for him, she assured him he wouldn’t need anything but the clothes on his back. Then Jason really started packing. Anything that didn’t fit in a box, such as his bed and couch, was advertised for sale on the apartment community board. When there was no interest, he advertised them as free. That did the trick. Soon Jason was left with his computer, clothes, a couple boxes of random knickknacks, and his faithful guitar. He was driving back from the Salvation Army after dropping off the television and buying a few more shirts, when his car broke down.
Jason rolled the car to the side of the road and walked the rest of the way to his soon-to-be former apartment. He refused to get upset, repeating one word in his mind to maintain tranquility. Austin. Austin. Austin. Once at the apartment, he called and canceled his auto insurance. One less bill to pay. The stupid car had cost him more in repairs than its original price, anyway. Afterwards he called a salvage company, arranging for the car to be picked up and earning himself a little extra cash.
After a week of getting his affairs in order, Jason was ready. His life was stripped to the minimum, just as it had been so often before. And he felt fine. He hadn’t lost his touch. Jason was still a pro at this.
While waiting for Michelle to pick him up, he allowed himself to feel slightly nervous. If only he knew who he was going to live with. If Jace were still alive, all of this would be so much easier. Instead, Jason was mere hours away from meeting Ben and…What was the other guy’s name? Tim? Maybe they were a little too eager to help him out. By the end of the week, they would probably be selling nude videos of him on the Internet.
Jason was laughing at this idea when Michelle pulled up. His discomfort increased when he saw she wasn’t alone. The driver-side door of a brand-new SUV opened, revealing a muscular body stuffed into a polo shirt and beige shorts. When Jason finally noticed the head attached to this body, the face was smiling at him like they were old friends.
“Jason, hi!” The man extended a hand. “I’m Greg. How are you today?”
Michelle walked up next to the man and swatted his hand down. “He’s not one of your clients. Jason, this is my husband.”
“Okay,” Jason said, trying to pull his eyes away from the man and failing.
“This all you got?” Greg asked, grabbing a box and heading toward the back of the SUV.
“Yeah,” Jason managed after a short delay. Then he turned to Michelle. “I think I’m in love!”
“You and everyone else,” she said before smiling. “Is this really everything?”
“Hey, it’s way more than I ever had before,” Jason said, picking up a box.
“That’s right,” Michelle said, doing the same. “I’d almost forgotten. Well, it’s a good thing we didn’t rent a truck, although I could have brought the boys along instead of getting a babysitter.”
In a few short minutes, the SUV was loaded. When Jason slid into the back seat, he found it partially occupied. A heavyset girl just entering her teens sat there. She had a handsome face, not unlike her father’s, and while that looked a little odd on a girl, he suspected no one had told her because she seemed supremely confident. Smiling at him, she patted the seat next to her. “Slide on in, honey. After all, you did promise my mother that you’d marry me.”
Chapter Fifteen
Emma was holding his hand. She’d been holding it the entire trip, and despite the air conditioning keeping the SUV interior cool, the sweat from their palms had long ago mixed together into a bond Jason feared would be permanent. He knew everything about her already, because Emma liked to talk. Nearly fifteen years old, she loved playing football, had aspirations to start her own fashion label one day, and enjoyed croaking out show tunes in a voice devoid of melody. Despite being exceptionally odd, she was immensely likeable. Maybe it was the way she so easily filled what might have been an awkward silence, or perhaps it was the completely uninhibited way she conducted herself.
“Austin city limits!” she declared as they breezed by the sign. “You are going to love Uncle Ben. Isn’t that funny? Just like the rice guy! I wish Ben was black. How come we don’t have any black people in our family?”
“Maybe you can change that someday,” Greg answered from the driver seat, directly in front of Jason. “That’s why we no longer live in a small town where people marry their neighbors.”
“Literally,” Michelle chimed in from next to him.
“Not that I don’t love my hometown,” Greg said, “but there’s definitely a lot more culture in Houston. We moved there so you kids would get more exposure.”
“Nuh-uh!” Emma said. “We came to Texas because you were gay for Uncle Jace.”
Greg looked offended. “What?”
“It’s true,” Michelle said, laughing when her husband glared at her.
“Anyway,” Emma continued. “Uncle Ben is the best. He loves to sing. I’d even say he’s nearly as good as I am. He bought me a karaoke machine for my last birthday, and we sing the most incredible duets together.”
Greg snorted. “You know he wears ear plugs when you’re around, right?”
“He doesn’t,” Emma said, unabashed. “He’s the absolute nicest person in the world. Well, except for that time a kid at the playground called me fat and Ben started chasing him around and throwing rocks at his head.”
“It was a teenager, not a kid!” Michelle said quickly, turning around to explain. “And Ben was only throwing sand. I’m sure he was aiming low and didn’t mean to get any in the young man’s eyes.”
Emma smiled. “The guy had to go to the hospital.”
“Ben did apologize and pay for his medical expenses,” Michelle said.
Emma shook her head and mouthed the words, “He didn’t apologize.”
Jason laughed. “So what about this guy Ben lives with?”
“Uncle Tim?” Emma asked, squeezing his hand tighter.
“Wyman’s not your uncle,” Greg said from the front seat. “He’s the other woman.”
“Greg!” Michelle said warningly.
“What? The guy circled Ben like a vulture, just waiting for his chance to swoop in.”
Michelle shook her head. “I’ll never understand why you two don’t get along. If you ever bothered talking to him, you’d find out you have a lot in common.”
“The guy’s a jerk,” Greg said dismissively.
Emma rolled her eyes. “He’s just jealous because Uncle Tim
is a stone-cold hottie.” When a pair of glaring eyes appeared in the rearview mirror, she quickly added, “You’re hotter, Daddy! Ain’t nobody better looking than you!” Then she turned back to Jason. “I’m sure you’ll get used to Uncle Tim.”
“Used to?” he asked, but Emma had noticed a billboard advertising a musical and started ranting about it. He half-paid attention while turning his attention to the scenery. From the highway, Austin didn’t look so different than Houston. As he watched, they seemed to cut straight through the city and leave it behind before the car finally drifted toward an exit ramp. This brought them to a smaller highway, and after a short jaunt they took one more exit and were…
Nowhere. That’s how it appeared to Jason, anyway. The road curved left and right through the trees, but he didn’t see what the bulldozers had been dodging when it was built because nothing noteworthy was around. Not that he didn’t appreciate nature, but this wasn’t what he expected when imagining his future home.
“Sure is nice out here,” Greg said with a wistful sigh. “There’s a great park not far—St. Edwards—that you should check out. You like to hike?”
Jason considered the scenery. “Usually when I walk, I have a destination in mind.”
“Give it a try anyway,” Greg said. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”
They approached an entrance to a housing development, hope rising in Jason’s chest, but no, this wasn’t it either. He began to wish his car hadn’t broken down as they continued to drive and drive. Would anything be within walking distance? Anything at all? Finally, the SUV slowed and turned down a tiny paved road barely big enough for the vehicle’s bulk. Jason strained to see their destination. After more weaving and winding, they arrived. The trees broke away, revealing cleared land not used for anything practical like crops or livestock. Just tall grass and the occasional tree waving in the light breeze.
“There’s Uncle Tim!” Emma said, pointing with her free hand.