Nothing Ventured
Part
3
Brian sat across from Cynthia, who was enjoying her lunch in the diner. She had heard about it for years, but this was her first visit. She found it particularly interesting that Brian’s eyes were fixed on a certain blond waiter, as he moved from table to table.
Debbie had introduced herself. Cynthia was happy to put a face to the voice. Even her imagination and Brian’s snide comments, didn’t conjure up an image anything like the reality.
Soon, a heaping plate of French fries was placed on the table, followed by a chocolate milkshake and a large Coke. Then, Justin flopped down beside Brian and smiled at Cynthia.
“What? No burger,” Brian laughed.
“It’s under here somewhere,” replied Justin, as he moved the fries around on his plate. Pulling the big juicy bacon double cheeseburger out and placing it on top of the pile, he reached past Brian for the bottle of ketchup and the salt shaker.
“You are not going to eat all of that,” Brian groaned.
“I still don’t know why it surprises you, but the answer is no.”
“Good.”
“I am waiting on onion rings, gravy and coleslaw.”
Cynthia giggled at the satisfied grin on the young man’s face.
“If I ate all of that, I would gain ten pounds,” said Brian.
“I know and you’re jealous.”
“No, I’m not, but you don’t even work out. Sooner or later, this is going to catch up with you.”
Deb put a plate with a side order of onion rings next to Justin. Then, added a bowl of coleslaw and one of gravy.
“Fanks, Deb,” Justin said, with his mouth full.
“You’re welcome, Sunshine.”
“Sunshine, that’s a perfect nickname for you,” Cynthia smiled.
Justin blushed.
“I don’t have to work out because I have a very active life. Unlike you, I walk most of the places I go and since I am usually running late, I end up jogging or running. I probably add another mile or two here during a shift. At school I take the stairs because elevators are still uncomfortable for me. Not to mention the work out I get with you. Why would I pay for a gym membership when I get a better workout for free?”
“I didn’t know elevators still bothered you. Why didn’t I know that?’
“It’s no big deal. They are easy enough to avoid.”
“You use the lift to the loft.”
“Most of the time, I don’t. Sometimes, when we are talking or whatever, I am so preoccupied I don’t really realize it. I take the stairs when I am alone.”
Justin returned his attention to his food. Brian thought about what he’d just learned about his lover. He wondered what other residual side effects from the bashing still lingered that he wasn’t aware of. Until just then, he had thought a few nightmares, the occasional migraine, and memory loss were it.
Meanwhile, Cynthia was being thoroughly entertained by the interactions of her lunch dates as well as the colorful crowd that gathered at the diner for lunch.
“Mom,” said Justin, again with his mouth full when he saw her enter.
“Justin, I know I taught you better than to speak with your mouth full.”
With an exaggerated swallow, “Sorry,” Justin added.
“That’s better,” she smiled and kissed her son’s cheek.
“Brian.”
“Jennifer.”
“Mom, this is Cynthia, she has worked with Brian for years.”
“Your mother and I have already met.”
“Oh, when?”
“The day I brought your things to Brian’s office.”
Brian groaned at the memory.
“I must say, Mrs. Taylor, I got weeks of enjoyment out of the look on his face when you dropped that stuff on his desk and told him how to care for Justin.”
“I knew you let her through, ‘I stepped away from my desk’” Brian said in a mocking voice. “Yeah, right.”
“Payback’s a bitch, Mr. Kinney,” smiled Cynthia.
“Payback’s not the only one,” he replied.
“Justin, slow down and chew. You are going to choke. Haven’t you learned by now?” Jennifer sighed.
Justin opened his mouth to answer, but Brian interrupted. “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” he smiled.
“I brought some listings for you to look at before we leave.” Jennifer said, handing Brian a folder.
“Mom, did you want something to eat?”
“Sweetie, I am sure that Brian wants to get started so I’ll have a chicken salad sandwich to go and a bottle of water.”
“You have time, Jennifer, I am sure the bottomless pit here plans on dessert as unbelievable as that may be. It will give me time to look this over.”
“Okay, then I’ll have the club sandwich with fries and coleslaw.”
Justin wrote it on his order pad, “What would you like to drink?”
“Vanilla coke.”
Justin took the order to the kitchen. “He must have gotten his metabolism from you,” said Brian.
“Craig’s family is all pretty thin too. But I don’t eat like this all the time.
Brian looked through the material Jennifer had brought. Justin peered over as well, while he ate. Cynthia and Jennifer were becoming fast friends, especially after they realized they both went to Quentin, the best hairdresser in town.
“Justin didn’t give me many specifics last night, so I grabbed a mixture of sizes and locations. After I get a better idea of what you are looking for I am sure there are more possibilities.”
“The thing is, I am not sure what I am looking for. I thought regular office space, but Justin thinks we need something with more character.”
“Something that isn’t boring. Vangard could have been a cure for insomnia, it was so boring,” Justin explained.
“Amen,” said Cynthia, relieved that this might turn out better than she thought.
“Okay, how much space are you looking for?”
“I need an office, as will Cynthia, and a room with a good window so Justin can have the ‘natural light’ that he’s always going on about. We’ll need a lobby type area and a meeting room or small conference room. I know my budget isn’t going to allow for much right downtown. Maybe three or four thousand square feet.”
“That is in your budget. The figures you sent over
this morning will give you several options. Probably not in the bigger office
buildings, but it sounds like that’s not what you are looking for anyway.
Look those over and see if there are any you want to see and I’ll think
about it while I eat.”
“Thanks, Jennifer.”
After a few minutes, Jennifer started to look through her papers. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before,” she mumbled to herself. She pulled out a palm pilot. “Damn, I can never find what I want on this thing.”
“Here, see if you can find the listing on
Pulling out her phone, she looked at Brian, “I just thought of the perfect place. I just hope it’s not sold yet.”
“Karen, has anyone sold the place on
“Not yet. Ralph showed it yesterday but there isn’t an offer yet.”
“Great. I am coming back for the keys. Pull them from the board until I get there.”
“Didn’t you say you were going to the diner where your son works?”
“Yes, I am here now.”
“Bring me one of those amazing lemon bars and I’ll meet you there. It’s on my way to my next showing.”
“Thank you so much, when do you want to meet?”
“Forty-five minutes.”
“Perfect. Thanks again, Karen.”
Turning her attention back to those at the table, “It hasn’t been sold yet. Karen will meet us there in forty-five minutes with a key.”
“That’s nice,” said Cynthia. “My
sister-in-law sells real estate in
“Some people are like that here, but Karen is a sweetheart. All she wants is a lemon bar. I’ll get her a dozen.”
“So,” Brian said, trying to be patient. Justin obviously inherited the chatty gene along with her metabolism, he thought.
“You will have to use your imagination a little, because I am sure you will want to paint the interior. It was a day care center until about a week ago.”
“Not that brownstone on
“Yes, that’s the one.”
“THAT’S in his price range?”
“Yes, and it might make more financial sense to mortgage it, instead of leasing. More tax deductions.”
“Sold,” said Cynthia.
“Excuse me,” choked Brian.
“It’s perfect. Brian, we can make it into the best little agency. It will have lots of character and the building itself will be distinctive to all the clients that see it.”
“I don’t remember a day care on
“The only drawback for them was there isn’t much of a yard so the kids didn’t have enough room to play outside.”
“The yard won’t matter to us,” said Cynthia.
“Just remember, it will be decorated as if it is a day care, so ignore that. Imagine it with a fresh coat of paint. The rooms are huge. Hardwood throughout. Ten foot ceilings. It’s a heritage home so there are tax breaks, but you also have to clear renovations with the heritage committee. However, if I remember correctly, there wouldn’t be much to change. I can’t wait for you to see it. The only issue would be parking. There is some, but not much.”
“I’ll get the lemon bars and then we can get going.”
Cynthia rode with Jennifer while Brian and Justin followed.
“What if I don’t like it? Your mother seems so sure.”
“I think Cynthia will be harder to deal with,” chuckled Justin.
Jennifer exchanged the box of treats for the keys and file with a middle-aged woman.
This is impressive, thought Brian as he made his way up the walk to a small porch.
“This is perfect,” said Justin.
Jennifer unlocked the door and they all made their way into the foyer.
Once inside, Jennifer started to explain the features of the house.
“To the right is a beautiful curved staircase in golden ash hardwood. The foyer is impressive, the floor space is twenty-six feet by twelve. There is a washroom nestled under the staircase through this door,” she opened a door so they could look in.
“Through these double doors is the living room. This room features a fireplace and built in bookcases. All the wood in the house is golden ash. The floors have been recently refinished. The dimensions of this room are forty by twenty-eight plus the little alcove area at the far wall. The windows were all replaced about 5 years ago.”
“This could be a great conference room,” stated Cynthia.
“Are the cartoon characters on the walls the character you were hoping for,” Brian teased Justin.
“Not exactly, but it’s still better than boring beige.”
Guiding the group into the hall once again, she pulled a pocket door open to reveal the kitchen. There was an attached family room.
“The kitchen was remodeled just before the day care opened five years ago, so the appliances are fairly new. There is a pantry and laundry room off the kitchen area. The terrace doors lead to a nice sized deck,” said Jennifer leading them outside.
“I see what you mean about not much of a yard,” said Justin, looking at the small fenced in area. “A garden would be nice here maybe a flower or vegetable garden.”
Going back inside, Cynthia asked, “How big is the kitchen family room area?”
“Thirty-six by fourteen.”
“A great staff room and the pantry and utility room could become a copy room,” said Cynthia, trying to subtly convince Brian.
“Let’s see the rest before she falls in love with this,” replied Brian.
“The hallways would look great with large pictures of current or successful campaigns. Show off your success to potential clients as if it were art work,” suggested Justin.
“ALL of my campaigns are successful,” corrected Brian.
“Then, you’ll have plenty to choose from,” smiled the teen.
“These double doors open to what was once the dining room but as you can see it was used as another play area for the kids. It is sixteen by twenty-two and would make a great office for someone,” said Jennifer looking at Cynthia.
“There is another full bathroom at the end of this hall,” said Jennifer pointing to another door when she walked into the hall again. Brian went over and looked in.
“This would make a wonderful office for Cynthia,” suggested Jennifer going through another double doorway. “The room is twenty by eighteen and has this beautiful slanted wall with the window directly across from the doors.”
“This room is too big for me, this should be Brian’s office,” answered Cynthia.
“There is a room on the second floor that I was thinking would be Brian’s office.”
“Let’s check that out,” said Justin.
“There is also a room that could be used for the art department.”
“Then let’s go,” said Justin, excitedly.
Brian smiled as he followed the group down the hall. This is perfect, he thought to himself. Too good to be true, probably. I have to admit this staircase is beautiful.
“The door on the right is another room that could be an office. It has built-in bookcases in the corners to the right. As you can see this room is also quite large, twenty-eight by eighteen.”
“Is this the room you were thinking of for the art department?” Justin asked looking out the windows.
“No, that one is across the hall.”
“Okay,” said Justin going back into the hall. He opened another door to find another bathroom. “How many bathrooms are in this place?”
“Four.”
“This is the perfect house,” sighed Cynthia.
They entered a large room through another set of double doors. “I just love the double doors, they are so dramatic,” said Jennifer, getting lost for a moment in the charm of the old house. She straightened and returned to her professional stance.
“This room is thirty by thirty with four sets of windows. That and the fact that it is next to the bathroom would make it perfect for the art department.”
Justin looked around and through the windows, “I love it.”
Brian enjoyed seeing Justin’s eyes light up like that. He couldn’t help but smile as he watched him. What he didn’t realize was that Jennifer was watching him watch her son. She smiled as well, she knew the man loved her son and was happy that they seemed to have found a better balance to their relationship.
“Okay Mom, if this is the art department room than Brian’s office must be amazing let’s see it.”
Opening yet another set of double doors at the end of the hall she started to explain the room. “This was originally the master bedroom, as you can see it is surrounded by windows, even on the slanted corners. The dimensions are thirty by twenty-six. Through this doorway is a very luxurious master bathroom that is twenty-four by twenty.”
Brian was very impressed. He looked out of the windows on three of the four walls. Then he went into the bathroom to see it was just as beautiful as the rest o the house.
“I’ll give you a few minutes to look around and talk, I’ll be downstairs,” offered Jennifer.
“I would rather ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind?”
“Of course not, I just hope the information you want is in this file. I usually like to visit a place by myself before I take the clients.”
“You mentioned the windows had been replaced a few years ago. What else is new or almost new?”
“The windows, doors and roof. The air conditioning is new and the furnace was overhauled as well. The regulations for day care centers are very strict. It has been very well maintained.”
“It looks that way. So why is it in my price range?”
“I think because it is too small for a bigger business and too big for a small business. The only other businesses that would work here is a day care, restaurant, or coffee shop. The day care was successful, so successful they outgrew it. A colleague showed it to a young chef but he hasn’t made an offer yet.”
“You mentioned that renovations would have to be cleared by the heritage committee. How much of a pain in the ass is that going to be?”
“Brian, it’s beautiful what would you want to change except the paint?” Cynthia asked.
“There are a few things.”
“As long as you aren’t significantly changing the exterior it usually isn’t a problem. They would want you to keep to the original concepts of the house.”
“What would you want to change?” Justin asked, confused.
“If we moved the wall of the conference room in a little the foyer would be bigger and a better reception area. Since there are two bathrooms on the first floor we could block the one next to Cynthia’s office off and make a doorway from her office. Then she would have her own bathroom.”
Cynthia smiled.
“That kind of thing should be fine. They are mostly concerned with maintaining the integrity of the design. From what I understand, you are very big on integrity lately,” Jennifer smiled.
Brian almost blushed. He cared what she thought more than he wanted to admit.
“The only other change would be upstairs. Justin should have the room with all the windows. So if we could open a doorway from the other room to the master bath we could share it.”
“No, Brian you should have that room,” protested Justin.
“The light is better in the room. There are windows on three sides.”
“Adding another door shouldn’t be a problem either,” answered Jennifer.
“God, they’ll never get any work done,” chuckled Cynthia, imagining what the large bathroom would be used for.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael and Justin were sitting in the apartment Michael shared with Ben. They were talking about the next issue of Rage. Michael had thought of a new villain, an evil police chief that was trying to make Rage look bad to the people of Gayopolis. The artist loved the idea.
“I am going to have so much fun creating the look of this demon,” smiled Justin. “I’ll work on it tonight and show you tomorrow. If you like it, I will start the panels over the next few days.”
“Any word on school yet?”
“I have a meeting with the dean tomorrow morning. I’ll see what he has to say but I refuse to apologize to Stockwell. If he still insists on that I will take the semester off and apply somewhere else. Maybe Carnegie, then I could take Ben’s class. Honestly, with Brian starting the new business I wouldn’t mind some extra time to concentrate on what he needs for his presentations. The building he is buying is amazing. Decorating it is going to be so much fun.”
“Like Brian is going to let you decorate,” laughed Michael.
“He said he would listen to my ideas, but you’re
probably right. We are going shopping after the meeting at PIFA
tomorrow.”
“Why redecorate at all. One office is the same as the next.”
“That is exactly what I am trying to prevent. Besides, it was a day care center and there are happy little cartoon animals painted on the walls. Not really Brian’s thing.”
“No, I guess not.”
“Hey guys,” said Ben entering the apartment, kissing Michael on the way to the kitchen.
“Hey,” said Justin.
“How did it go? Did you see him?” Michael asked his partner.
“He looked okay. At least he’s still going to school. I guess that’s something,” answered Ben. “He was quiet and that haunted look has returned to his eyes.”
“I hope you guys or Deb can get him back. I told Melanie that I will testify or whatever I can do to help.”
“Thanks, Justin,” said Ben. “I think I’m going to take a nap.”
“You okay?” Michael asked.
“Just tired.”
“I have to get going. I will work on Rage tonight. Will you be having breakfast at the diner?”
“I think so,” answered Michael.
“I’ll bring the sketches with me for you to look over. Is Ben okay? He looked really tired.”
“He hasn’t been sleeping well. Napping should help,” replied Michael. God, I hope that is all it is. Ever since he went off his meds he has struggled to maintain a healthy balance, he thought to himself. All this stress isn’t good.
Justin put his stuff back in the portfolio and got his coat on. “If there is anything I can do, let me know.”
Michael opened the door, “Thanks. Tell Brian I want to see this new place and if you guys want to save money on the repainting we could have a painting party.”
“I’ll suggest that, but I doubt Brian will want to do it. When things settle down, we should do that to your Mom’s and get rid of the awful wallpaper,” chuckled Justin on his way out the door. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
Michael closed and locked the door, and then went to the bedroom. Ben was already asleep so the smaller man lied down next to him. He brushed his hand on his lover’s cheek. It was cool and clammy. We have to resolve this mess soon for all of our sakes, he thought as he drifted off to sleep too.
Brian sat in an uncomfortable chair waiting for Justin, who was in talking to the dean. I have spent enough money on tuition here and they are going to let him come back to school or they will have a negative ad campaign lobbied against them like they could never even imagine. I should have gone in there with him.
In the office, Justin sat before the dean. “The recent revelations concerning Mr. Stockwell have led the committee to amend our ruling in your case. The suspension will continue for another three weeks for a total of six weeks. We will require that you apologize to Mr. Gardner.”
“That’s it. What about your request that I apologize to Stockwell?”
“We have dropped that stipulation for your return. However, you will be on probation for the remainder of this school year. Are these terms acceptable to you?”
“Yes, I have no objections to them at all. I guess I will see you in three weeks,” said Justin, standing to leave. “Thank you.”
Justin stood before Brian, “Let’s go.”
“So. What happened?”
“Three more weeks then I can come back. And I don’t have to apologize to Stockwell, just Vance.”
“That’s not so bad. But they should let you come back now,” grumbled Brian as he followed Justin out to the parking lot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emmett and Vic were eating lemon bars and having coffee. The business planner was open while they discussed their scheduled events.
“It’s getting more difficult to do the cooking and baking at the house,” sighed Vic.
“I know, but after three more parties, we can look for a small kitchen to use,” said Emmett.
“Thank God. We should ask Jennifer to keep an eye out. She was able to please Brian in one day. She’s pretty good.”
“Yes, she is. When Teddy and I were looking for …” Emmett stopped as the sad memories overtook him.
“Let’s focus on the positive,” said Vic with a reassuring squeeze of the hand. “The business is growing faster than you could have hoped for.”
“Yes, and I really wish you would let me make you a partner. It’s your food that is building our reputation.”
“Your creative party themes are the real catch. I don’t want to be a full partner because this is your baby. I want you to keep going without any problems, even if I get sick again. Plus, I don’t want it to screw up my health insurance. This situation works for me right now. I am helping out a dear friend, doing something I love, and making some money to help Deb out for a change. You take the money and reinvest it in the business. I want that professional oven,” smiled Vic.
“Not to mention somewhere to put it,” Emmett agreed.
“Baby?”
“Em, I really wish you wouldn’t call me that here at the diner,” said Justin, blushing as the customers whistled.
“Sorry. We need to talk to your mother about finding a place for the catering/party planning business.”
“You’re expanding already. That’s great.”
“We don’t need much just a fair-sized kitchen with more counter space and room for a professional oven. A small office area would be good to help Emmett with the planning part.”
“Right, nothing fancy. Something clean and tidy because we will be making food.”
“I know she is in a meeting this afternoon because she asked me to pick-up Molly, but I will tell her. What part of town and how much space?”
“About four hundred or five hundred square feet should be enough,” Vic answered.
“Anywhere is fine, but closer to downtown or this area would be great,” Emmett added.
“Okay. Can I get you guys anything else? My shift is almost over.”
“No, thanks.”
“I’m good.” Vic said.
Justin went to the next booth to wipe off the table. He thought about what Em needed for a few minutes, hoping to engrain it in his memory. Then he had an idea.
“When do you want this kitchen space?” He asked the two men.
“Not for approximately ten days because I need the profits from the next three parties to have enough money,” explained Emmett.
“Perfect. I think I might know of a place. Let me find out if it’s available. Don’t do anything until you talk to me tomorrow. This could be great.”
“Is this a place you looked at for Brian’s business?” Vic asked.
“Sort of.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ted sat and stared out the window of Dr. Alton’s office. The rehab center had a whole person approach. After the first three days the physical addiction had lessened, but the emotional and psychological problems became more pronounced.
Ted’s low self-esteem was plummeting because now on top of everything else, he had allowed himself to hit rock bottom. I am even more pathetic than ever, he thought.
“Ted, you have a lot of introspection to do. You have to confront the reasons why you feel you are unworthy of love and happiness. That is what these sessions will focus on. We will meet for an hour a day.”
“I know why. Every time things get going good for me, something happens to mess it up. I am destined to be miserable, face it. I have.”
This is going to take a while, Dr. Alton noted in the file.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brian and Cynthia were walking around the brownstone. Cynthia had a reel of paint chips and was holding various ones up trying to picture what they would look like. They argued over the colors and after an hour Justin joined them.
“Hey.”
“Hello,” said Cynthia.
“Hey,” Brian offered along with a kiss. “I don’t understand why you are working at the diner. You quit the other day.”
“I had to give Deb some notice. She works too much as it is.”
“Such a good little worker. That will come in handy.”
“So what are you two up to?” Justin asked.
“We are looking at paint colors for the walls,” Cynthia said, holding up the color chips.
“Great.”
“You’re the artist, what do you think?”
Brian rolled his eyes, scared of the answer that Justin would give.
“I think every wall should be a different color. Pick a scheme like bright, muted, subdued or whatever and then have colors everywhere.”
“It will look like Gus’ crayons exploded in here,” sighed Brian.
“If we are lucky it will. The only room that shouldn’t be like that is the conference room,” Justin continued, making his way to that room.
“Why not?” Brian wondered.
“So the colors won’t compete with the presentations. The walls should be white but the furniture colourful. Each chair around the table should be a different color.”
Brian hated to admit it too soon, but the idea had merit. It certainly warranted further thought.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea and it would be another way to help the agency stand out,” said Cynthia.
“Thanks,” smiled Justin.
Brian walked into the hall and then to the kitchen. Yes, thought Justin, as he and Cynthia followed him.
“I still don’t see why we need a big kitchen like this. But since there is plenty of office space it wouldn’t be worth the expense of changing it.”
“I have an idea, but you have to promise to let me finish before you say no,” Justin said, hesitantly.
“This doesn’t sound good. What the fuck is it?”
“You have to promise.”
“Just tell me.”
“Not until you promise.”
“Fuck off and tell me.”
“Forget it then.”
Cynthia found it very hard not to laugh at their exchange.
“Okay, I promise,” relented Brian after a few minutes.
“Well, I was thinking that we would never use this room all that much. And since Emmett and Vic need a working space, why don’t they rent this out? It would be perfect for them.”
”No.”
“I am not done explaining why it would be mutually beneficial. Besides, you promised to listen. You have already worked out the mortgage on this place and a little rental income wouldn’t hurt.”
“Justin, you are the kindest person I know. I understand that you want to help Emmett out, but it won’t work.”
“Why not?”
“First of all, we can’t have clients come in here when they are cooking. The whole house will smell great and…”
“As a stipulation to the rental agreement, they would cater your presentations. Can you imagine how impressed clients will be with the firm if they are offered fresh, warm pastries and dishes with gourmet coffee instead of stale Danish and doughnuts with disgusting coffee at the other agencies.”
“He has a point,” smiled Cynthia.
“They would get the exposure to your clients and that could help them grow their clientele. We would have an in with anyone that hires them. It would be a great way to get the inside scoop on the business and then develop a presentation.”
“You have a great mind for business,” said Cynthia, exchanging a look with the young man.
“Dartmouth’s loss is our gain,” laughed Brian. Then he kissed him passionately. Justin’s intelligence had always been a turn on for him, but there was so much more to it now that he couldn’t control himself. Cynthia quietly got her coat and left, locking the door behind her. The lovers spent the night christening every room in the building. They had never been so evenly matched and the challenge they faced was a great aphrodisiac.
Return to
Nothing
Ventured