Open Arms
Chapter 6
“Come on, Pop, the estate agent will be here any minute,” Gus pleaded as he practically pushed Brian out of the cab. Brian was about to lob a death glare when he realized that at twenty-seven, his glares had little effect on his son. With resignation, Brian got out of the cab. Standing in front an impressive Victorian townhouse with several balconies and a massive front door, the boys were in awe.
“Reminds me a little of the Rutledge home,” Brian commented. Gus agreed. “Where is she?” Brian grumbled after a few minutes of loitering near the front door.
“Not sure,” Gus mumbled as he checked his watch and then the confirmation email. Brian was losing his patience and frowning. “Quit it, Dad. You look like you’ve lost your best friend, and as far as I know, you and Uncle Michael are still on speaking terms.” Brian knew he was being an ass but they had already visited three houses that morning and none of them met his expectations. They almost did but not quite. It was getting late and he promised Justin that he’d be back in time to have an early dinner before going to the gallery. Brian and Justin were ready to go home and were taking the first flight out of Heathrow the next day. Brian was working his way up to an acerbic retort when Gus’ phone rang.
“Kinney,” said Gus. “Yes, Ms. Marshall, hold on please, I’m putting you on speaker.”
“I must apologize, there was an accident on the A1; we’re about ten minutes away. But I can start your tour, if you don’t mind doing some of the leg work,” said Yvonne Marshall, estate agent. Gus looked at Brian who nodded yes.
“Sure,” Gus said.
“Do you see the large arched gate just to the right of the front of the house?” she asked. “I just texted you the code. Let me know when you’re just inside the gate.”
Gus punched in the numbers. When they heard the click, Brian eased the gate opened. As it did, Brian instructed his son to film everything.
“As you can see the gate and drive are wide enough for a standard sized lorry. In Victorian times, this was used for carriages, and of course, for access to the service entrance of the home. The cobbles, while hundreds of years old remain solid.” The boys took a moment to look down at the neat cobblestone driveway then continued to follow the driveway to a large courtyard at the back of the house.
“The courtyard will accommodate several cars. If you’ll kindly face the back of the building, you will note there are several doors. One goes directly down to the cellar. Back in the day it was the main food storage; the temperature is a constant 12 degrees Celsius which is about 55 degrees Fahrenheit, perfect for a wine cellar. One door is a staff entrance, also used for family. The large doors in the middle hide something unique to this house,” the agent stated with pride in her voice. Brian and Gus looked at each other in anticipation. “This was the entrance to a large service staircase. It was where deliveries of furniture or large works of art were brought into the house. The staircase went down to the cellar and all the way up to the top floor. In the advent of technology, the staircase was demolished, and a lift was installed. I have it on good authority that the lift is in good repair and was working for the family up until they moved out. It has been disconnected for safety since the house became vacant. The outer doors are for safety and esthetic reasons to blend into the overall look of the building. They hide the metal gates of the lift.”
While the boys were trying to wrap their heads around the notion of an elevator in a house, Gus’ phone pinged again.
“Please direct yourself to the gated parkland behind you. I just sent you another code for this gate; the land belongs to the house. Its original purpose was a pasture for the horses and other farm animals. The surrounding fence is ten feet tall and for privacy, conifers follow the fence line tightly edging the garden. The building at the end of the park was the carriage house; it’s now the garage. It can hold at least two mid-sized cars and the equipment to maintain the park. Back in the day the upper floor housed the grooms, stable boys, and gardeners. The rooms have been converted into two flats, each having two bedrooms, a full bath, spacious sitting room and kitchen. In the park the family would occasionally set up pavilions for family or neighborhood functions,” the agent stated. “It’s quite large.”
“Large enough for soccer practice,” Brian whispered to Gus. Gus grinned.
“I’m pulling up now,” said Ms. Marshall. The boys exited the park, securing the gates, and walking to the front of the house to meet the estate agent. “Mr. Kinney?” she asked, eyes flicking back and forth from one Kinney to the other.
“Gus Kinney,” Gus said as he extended his hand. He then introduced his father, “Brian Kinney, my…”
“Twin brother?” Yvonne asked as she shook Brian’s hand. He just smiled.
“May we see inside,” Brian politely asked.
“Of course,” said Yvonne as she took out her set of keys and led the boys to the main door. As she opened the door, Yvonne pointed out each desirable feature, such as the large foyer, a huge chandelier overhead, and massive closet for coats. There was a beautifully carved bench conveniently placed to remove “wellies”, framed by two large ceramic urns to hold umbrellas. She then pointed out the wide main staircase, solidly built, which led to the family floors. The adjacent hallway led to the first floor apartment, a staff door and to the elevator. Again, the doorway that hid the metal lift gate blended into the paneled walls.
“This door leads to the first floor flat. Originally, the purpose of these rooms would have been to receive new acquaintances or to conduct business as opposed to the sitting room upstairs that they would have used to receive intimates of the family. At some date, these rooms were converted into a flat,” Yvonne explained as she unlocked the door that led to the main living room. There were two more doors, one leading to the hallway entrance, the other, a pocket door, leading to the next room which was the library. “This door when open connects the parlor to the library; it makes for a nice size party room. The next room is a small sitting room that connects to the master suite. The master suite has an ensuite bathroom. There’s a smaller bedroom with its own ensuite and a dining room that can comfortably seat twelve. Off the kitchen there’s a half bath. There’s a very cozy kitchen nook when the large dining table isn’t needed. If you’re looking for room to let, this is perfect.”
“Pop, this apartment is perfect for me and Ray!” Gus said with enthusiasm.
“Easy there, Sonny Boy, we don’t own the house.”
“Yet,” replied Gus. “May we see the upper floors?” Gus asked the agent, giving her his winning Kinney smile. The agent led the way out of the apartment, to the staircase, and up to the main living quarters.
“First sitting room,” Yvonne stated as she dramatically opened the door to the huge room.
“This is bigger than the whole loft,” Gus leaned into Brian to whisper.
“Yeah,” Brian whispered back.
The next room was the library. “If John saw this, he’d be lost in here for days,” Brian mentioned. Gus grinned as he nodded in agreement.
“This is the larger of the two dining rooms, it can fit 60 people around the table, but I’ve been told it can hold more,” Yvonne said.
“Christmas dinner,” Brian softly commented.
“With the whole family,” Gus added. “Wait, you said two dining rooms.” Yvonne showed them to a smaller dining room, similar to the one on the first floor.
“This is the family dining room,” she explained. Yvonne further explained that the rooms on this floor were the public rooms which included a smaller sitting room, a smaller library which could double as a home office. A music room and of course, a very large kitchen. Brian grinned as they walked through the kitchen knowing how pleased Cook would be in this realm. She also pointed out where the lift doors were hiding. Another feature of the house was the number of hidden stairs behind the walls, used by staff to come and go without being seen. Also, useful as short cuts between the floors.
“The main family bedrooms are all on the third floor. Each large suite has its own sitting room and ensuite. A few of the smaller bedrooms share a connecting bathroom. There are more bedrooms on the fourth floor, and the nanny’s room. On the fifth floor are the staff rooms and storage areas. Of course, that can be changed as needed.”
“Ms. Marshall,” Brian began.
“Yvonne,” the agent stated.
“Yvonne, the library is still full of books, and the house is filled with furniture. Is this just staging or are the owners just taking their time removing their possessions?”
“It’s a bit complicated. The current owners, when they decided to down-size, moved to a small village in Cornwall. Their son and his partner once lived in the flat on the first floor. When his parents decided to move, he wanted no part of the house.”
“Not even to rent it out,” Gus asked.
“No, it is a lot of house and a very big responsibility. The son and his partner work for the airlines. They’re more away from home than home. They’re happy to live in a simple condo near the airport. The sellers can comfortably live off proceeds from the sale of this house. What you see in the house is what none of them want.”
“But the library, all the books?” Gus asked.
“Anything of value has been sold or donated. There may be a few interesting volumes but I can assure you that there are no first editions among them,” Yvonne assured the boys. “We can continue the tour,” Yvonne suggested. Brian grabbed Gus’ wrist to check the time.
“Ms. Marshall…”
“Yvonne, please.”
“Yvonne, I’m on a strict schedule, my partner expects me back soon. Gus is more than qualified to continue the tour. I like the house. Honestly, if I was back home, I’d ask you what’s the asking price, bargain a little then ask what it’ll take to hold it. I’d shake your hand then have my CFO handle the details. But I imagine things are a little different here,” said Brian.
“A little, but not that much different. This is the asking price,” Yvonne said as she handed Brian a small slip of paper.
“Take off three and you’ve got yourself a deal,” Brian said.
“I’ll need references and income verification,” Yvonne stated. Before Brian could say anything, Gus handed the agent a thick folder. “Thank you, you come prepared.”
“My partner is a lawyer; he grew up in the real estate business. And we spend a lot of time here in the UK on business. He’s done his research,” Gus casually explained.
“Has he now?” Brian snarked with an arch of his brow. Gus gave his father an innocent smile.
“This is impressive,” said the estate agent as she turned each page of the file that contained financial statements and references. “Kinnetik, as in Kinnetik Isles?” Both Brian and Gus nodded. “I should have realized,” Yvonne said. Then after a moment, she continued. “When I wanted to start up my own business, none of the local advertising agencies would talk to me. I wasn’t big enough or well known in the business. Mr. McKenna took on my account. He said it was the policy from the top that no account was too small to give 100%. I couldn’t pay him much but I’ll never forget the ads he created. I got my first ten clients from those ads. He and the staff of Kinnetik Isles were so kind to me.”
Yvonne continued to turn the pages to read through the references. There was one from the Rutledge’s, another from Sarah Kingsley who had strong ties to England and the Rutledge’s. There was one from Charles Higgins that mentioned both Brian and Justin. There were several letters from Pittsburgh politicians and a surprising one from Interpol. Yvonne’s eyes grew large when the next three references bore the royal seal.
“Justin Taylor, the artist?” Yvonne asked with awe.
“My partner,” replied Brian. “Who needs me to get back to our hotel now. Ms. Marshall, please make my offer to your clients and if possible, see if you can get an answer tonight. We’ll be at the National Gallery. Gus, make sure Ms. Marshall is on the list. Tomorrow I’m taking my husband home.” Brian gently shook Yvonne’s hand.
“Pop, let me call you a cab,” Gus offered as he handed Brian his copy of the file.
“No, I can walk faster. Later,” said Brian as he bussed his son’s head.
Twenty minutes later, in part due to his long legs, innate sense of direction, and the motivation of who was waiting for him, Brian strolled into his suite. He took off his suit jacket, loosened the top buttons of his shirt, slipped the tie off from around his neck, then sat on the sofa. Justin, fresh from a shower, was wearing just his underwear and toweling off his hair. He walked into the main room and found Brian sitting there.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
“How did it go today?”
“Not bad, we might have a new house.”
“Really?”
“Not sure but maybe we’ll know tonight,” Brian said as he patted his lap as an invitation to Justin. Justin sat, making himself comfortable. “If our offer is accepted it’ll be all because of you. Nobody gives a shit about Brian Kinney over here.”
“I know a few people at the gallery that do,” Justin teased.
“And whose fault is that?” Brian tugged on a blond lock. “Besides, they only care about my dick. You, on the other hand, are brilliant and the world knows it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Here,” Brian said as he showed Justin the folder. Brian pointed out the various references as Justin read them with reverence. “I think the agent was going to pass out when she saw these,” said Brian as he pointed to the pages with seals.
“Holy shit!”
“Yup, and that’s all down to you, my dear Sunshine,” said Brian as he put the folder aside then took the towel to gently dry Justin’s mane.
“You are so beautiful,” Brian whispered in his low breathy tone. Justin coyly smiled. Brian combed through the blond hair with his long fingers, gently massaging the scalp beneath them. The boys playfully bumped noses, nibbled each other’s lips then with a sigh, they touched foreheads. In those few millimeters of shared skin, it was as if they were sharing all their hopes, dreams, their life together, and their love. After a while they deeply kissed.
“Do we have time to get you dirty again,” Brian asked.
“Always,” replied Justin as he stood up from his favorite perch and took his man to bed.
*****
With renewed vigor, and at the appointed time, the boys arrived at the gallery. They were greeted enthusiastically by Charles, Henry, the gallery staff and by Lindsay. While Justin was spirited away by Henry and Lindsay to the main gallery hall to meet and greet honored guests, Charles pulled Brian aside.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” Charles said with a wide grin.
“For what?” Brian asked with an arch of his brow.
“I hear that the team of Kinney and Taylor are soon to be members of our community,” replied Charles.
“You hear a lot,” Brian stated as he narrowed his eyes. Charles shrugged his shoulders then extended his hand. Brian said nothing as he shook Charles’ hand.
“And as a representative of this gallery, I’d like to formally thank you and Kinnetik for your contributions to the gallery.” Brian turned to walk away. “Don’t try to deny it, Mr. Kinney, I know you’re behind the very substantial gift that made it possible to consult with one Andrea Renaud who besides being a very handsome woman, ran circles around our current security company. With her suggestions and your generous contributions, we have upgraded our security system.”
Brian gave Charles an enticing smile as he walked away to find Justin. Finding the object of his affection happily explaining the inspiration behind one of his paintings, Brian graciously accepted a glass of champagne from a passing waiter then took up residence in an out of the way corner. As he stood watching Justin with awe and admiration, a tall stately man in a well tailored suit approached. Only when he smiled did Brian recognized the man.
“Cook?”
“Yes, sir,” the man replied as he extended his hand; Brian gave it a firm shake. “Thank you again for inviting us. And may I add my congratulations.”
“This is Justin’s night, not mine.”
“Yes sir, but I meant congratulations on your purchase of the Cranston house. I’m sure it will live up to all your expectations, sir,” Cook said with a knowing grin then walked away to admire the exhibit.
Brian was puzzled. He took out his phone to call Gus.
“Hey, Pop.”
“Where are you?”
“Ray and I are just entering the gallery. Why?”
“Do you know something that I don’t know?”
“I know a lot of things that you don’t know, but nothing of significance.”
Gus’ reply made Brian sigh, roll his eyes and then pinch his nose. By the time Brian composed himself, Gus and Ray were by his side.
“What’s going on?” Gus asked.
“Both Charles and Cook have congratulated me for buying the house. What do they know that we don’t?” Brian was getting miffed.
“I don’t know,” Gus replied. Brian crossed his eyes at their absurd conversation.
“This is serious; I don’t like my personal shit out there for the world to see,” Brian growled. Gus and Ray knew Brian meant it. Brian was about to expound when Yvonne Marshall wound her way through the crowd into Brian’s nook.
“You’re a difficult man to find,” she said with a bright smile.
“Not really,” Brian replied as he looked toward Justin. His demeanor instantly changed. At that moment, Justin turned, seeing Brian smiling at him, Justin gave Brian a brilliant sunshine smile in return. Then Brian turned his gaze back to Yvonne. “Now about the house…”
“Yes, isn’t it exciting,” Yvonne gushed. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before. After our tour this afternoon, I contacted my clients, and made them your offer. They informed me that they had received several favorable calls on your behalf. Not only that, my inbox was overflowing with more references. Bottom line, your offer has been accepted and they reiterated that the contents of the house and garage are included in the purchase price. Congratulations!”
For once in his life, Brian was totally dumbfounded, almost. As Gus and Ray quietly cheered, Brian pulled out his cell phone.
“Schmidt!”
“Yes, Boss!”
“You’re on speaker; the house is a done deal. I need you to do that thing you do and do it quickly. I’d like to have full ownership by the new year. Gus will send you the contact details of a Ms. Yvonne Marshall, estate agent.” Brian snapped his fingers at Gus who then sent a photo of Yvonne’s business card to Ted.
“Theodore, discretion is imperative. I mean it, I don’t want the family to know until the ink is dry on the deed and we have the keys.”
There was an awkward silence coming from Ted’s end of the line. Brian closed his eyes.
“He’s doing that lock and throw away the key thing, right,” Gus said with a snicker. Brian nodded.
“Yes, Boss!”
“Just get it done, Ted.”
“You got it, Brian.”
“And Ted, I’ll break it to the family over the holidays,” Brian said softly. “Maybe arrange some vacations for Deb and Carl and maybe Claire and Steve too. You know what I mean.”
“Yes, of course,” Ted said gently. “Have a good flight, Bri.”
“Thanks, Teddy, I mean it,” Brian said sincerely. “And don’t let me become destitute!” Brian growled.
“Never, Boss!” Brian heard Ted laugh as he cut the connection.
Before she walked away, Brian shook Yvonne’s hand. She was still glowing over such a huge and fast sale, while the boys patted each other on the back. Gus then handed Brian a thumb drive.
“I was going to send you a link but you’ll like this better. In-flight entertainment for tomorrow,” said Gus with a grin as he and Ray went to mingle.
Brian pocketed the thumb drive as he found a nearby bench. Making himself comfortable, Brian continued to indulge in his favorite pastime of Sunshine watching until the end of the very successful night.
*****
Epilogue…Holidays 2027
October and most of November found the girls making their home on the lane. JR and Jacq visited practically every weekend getting reacquainted with “the Moms,” as they took a well deserved vacation. Lindsay and Mel went back to the city well rested and in time to spend the first Thanksgiving with JR and Jacq in their new home along with Ben and Michael. While on the lane, Thanksgiving was spent quietly with the lane residence which also included the Wilders, Tom and Todd, Claire and Steve, and Bobby and Rachel’s parents. Thanksgiving was a peacefully quiet family affair that helped the once disjointed family heal and return to normal lane life.
Christmas, however, was a full lane extravaganza. Every home on the lane was filled to the brim with family. Brian was in his element, orchestrating the flow of people and the endless flow of food whether it was cooked on the lane or brought onto the lane by family. As usual, Brian complained about the invasion of his lane by the hordes, secretly loving every minute of it. And if the constant glowing smile on Justin’s face was any indication, he was enjoying the day just as much.
As the family milled around the great table in the sunporch to partake of the various desserts, Gus handed Brian a thick envelope. Gus and Ray spent October and November in London primarily working at Isles and Rose but also finalizing the purchase of the house.
“Is this what I think it is,” Brian asked his son with a grin.
“Yup,” Gus replied with a wide smile.
Brian reverently opened the envelope to slide out the deed to their new house. He quickly scanned the document then removed a set of keys.
“Ray and I have another set. We had the locksmith make several more which are in the safe at Isles until the new alarm system is up and running. Andrea’s working on it; she has another set of keys. Hudson and Cook each have a set; they’ve also chosen their rooms and should be in by now. Hudson has been supervising the cleaning and making a list of any needed repairs. She also called in a lift company to service and maintain the elevator. I’ve sent you pictures of the furniture we suggest keeping and what we’ll eventually need. Ray and I want to spend January in the Pitts then go back in February. Momma Mel plans on going back to North after the holidays. I think she plans on staying in this hemisphere for a while.”
“I don’t blame her. When she’s ready to go back to Isles, she’ll have a room at the house. By the way, are we continuing to call the house the Cranston house?”
“Hudson suggests we do. It’s been known as the Cranston house for over two hundred years.”
“Who am I to mess with tradition, at least English tradition,” Brian qualified his statement.
“Sooo, when are you going to make the announcement?”
“No time like the present,” Brian stated as he stood, picked up a glass, grabbed a spoon then gently tapped it against the glass to get everyone’s attention. As he did, Justin went to Brian’s side. With Justin’s arm around Brian’s waist, Brian addressed the family.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention. Justin and I would like to thank you all for the love and support you’ve shown us over these last six months. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.” Brian paused as the family cheered with holiday wishes all around.“We also have an announcement to make. As you know we’ve been spending a lot of time in London lately. So, we decided instead of spending money on hotel fees, we spent it on a house instead. Expect invitations once we get it all furnished,” Brian said proudly. Justin stood on his toes to give his man a kiss.
As the family whooped and hollered, they crowded around the boys demanding more information. Michael stood off in one corner in a huff, arms crossed over his chest.
“You bought a fucking house in England without telling me first?!” Michael shouted.
-tbc-