Chapter 4 

Lacy was just clearing tables from the lunch rush when she heard the bell over the door tinkle. She turned around knowing that she was not going to like what she would see.

"Get out of here," she said through gritted teeth.

"I need to talk to you, to explain," her father said, keeping his voice as low as he could since he was across the diner from his daughter. He knew he better not take a step closer to her or she would probably bolt.

"I don't want to hear anything from you. You had your chance and you blew it!"

"Please, let me…"

"Get out!" Lacy yelled. "Brad, Chuck, would you show this gentleman out?" Lacy spit out the words like they were beneath her contempt and so was the man she was looking at.

Brad and Chuck were two bears in leathers who frequented the diner a lot. They stood up letting their size and bulk speak for them. "Sure, Lacy, anything for you."

Before they could take more than step, Lacy's father raised his hands in a sign that he didn't want any trouble. He turned and walked out the door without a further word.

"Who was that guy, Lacy?" Brad asked as he went to sit down. That was when he noticed Lacy's pale face and shaking body.

"Hey, sweet thing, sit down," Chuck said as he grabbed Lacy around the waist and sat her down in one of the booths.

"Drink this. It'll make you feel a little better," Brad said as he grabbed his untouched glass of water and pressed it against Lacy's lips.

Lacy took a couple of sips and then pushed it away. "I … I'm okay."

"You don't look okay," Brad said. "You look like you just saw a ghost."

"I did," Lacy muttered.

"Who was that?" Chuck asked looking out the front windows of the diner to be sure the guy was gone.

"I … I don't want to talk about it," Lacy said.

"Okay, okay," Chuck said. It was the unwritten law of Liberty Avenue that people didn't have to talk about things or people that they wanted to keep to themselves. Many people on Liberty had secrets they had kept for decades.

"I'm feeling better now," Lacy said as she made herself stand up. "Forget what happened. I'm fine."

"Sure," Brad replied. "But if you ever need help, you know you can call on us."

"That's what I was counting on a few minutes ago," Lacy said softly. "Let me get you some coffee." She strode off behind the counter and picked up the coffeepot. She looked at her hand holding the pot and noted that her hand did not shake. She would not let this start all over again. She couldn't stand it. She walked to Brad and Chuck's booth and calmly refilled their coffee cups. She couldn't help a sideways glance out the window to make sure her father wasn't there.

*****

"Hey," Justin called out as he walked into Brian's office. "Can you take me to lunch?" Justin asked almost seductively.

"Lunch?" Brian asked with a raise of one eyebrow.

"Yes, you know that meal one usually has between breakfast and dinner," Justin snarked.

"With the amount of muffins you consumed earlier I thought that lunch wasn't on the agenda."

"I guess all that worrying about Hunter gave me an appetite," Justin said while slowly batting his lashes at his spouse.

"I think I have a better idea," Brian replied in a low sultry tone. He arose from his desk to capture Justin in a searing kiss. When they finally came up for air, Justin was more than a little curious.

"What's gotten into you?

"You, I hope, and as soon as possible. I want you and now."

"Our loft is occupied," Justin said breathlessly.

"I know. Terry's?"

"No, I don't want to share you and I want to be on something larger than a gurney."

"The Plaza. We keep a couple of rooms as back-up for out of town clients. Let me call over there and see if I can get us booked in for the afternoon."

"What about Bree?"

"She'll be fine in school and I bet one of her Gamma's wouldn't mind picking her up if we run late."

"Hurry, Bri."

Within the hour, Brian and Justin were lounging in a suite at the Plaza. All of Justin's favorite snacks were on a cart next to the bed. The Kinnetik School had been notified that if Brian's 'meeting' ran late, Gamma Jenn would come by to pick up Bree. Brian was on his belly with a pillow under his hips to accommodate Justin. Justin, sensing that Brian was not in the mood for gentleness, was doing his best to make sure Brian would feel him for days. They came within moments of each other, Justin staying atop his lover until his softened cock slid out. Justin lay on top of Brian, their fingers entwined, their legs locked together. Justin feathered a myriad of kisses on Brian's back and shoulders.

"You okay?" Justin managed when he caught his breath.

"Yeah."

"What brought this on?"

"What do you mean?"

"You don't usually leave work for mid afternoon trysts, even if it is with me."

"I, um..." Justin nuzzled the back of Brian's neck to encourage him. "Hunter, Nick, life..." Justin realized what Brian meant.

"I know. I couldn't live without you either." Justin wrapped his arms around as much of Brian as he could and still remain on Brian's back.

"Yeah," Brian whispered, secure in his lover's arms.

*****

"Hello."

"Debbie, it's Danny."

"Hiya, honey."

"How is Hunter?"

"He's home with Nick. Bill and Steve are providing counseling."

"You don't seem happy about it."

"I don't understand it. I don't understand why Hunter would confide in strangers and not in his family. I'm his grandmother, for fuck's sake. And Michael loves him so much."

"Sometimes love isn't enough. Give Hunter a few days to get his head together. And I'm sure Nick was scared shitless throughout all of this. I bet he needs Bill and Steve as much as Hunter does."

"I guess so. I just feel so useless."

"You're far from useless. I'm sure you must have cooked up a storm for the boys."

"Damn straight, I did. And I have a tray of lasagna in the oven."

"There you are! See, not useless at all."

"I suppose so. Oh! My oven timer just went off, I have to go."

"Okay, Deb. You give the boys my love."

"I will, Danny, and thanks."

Just as Danny hung up the phone, it rang immediately.

"Hello?"

"Danny, it's Mel."

"How are you, Melanie?"

"Fine. I was wondering if you had any plans tonight for dinner."

"No, not really. Why?"

"I realize this is short notice but we were wondering if you'd like to come here for dinner. Nothing fancy, just some chicken, but if you don't have anything else..."

"Melanie, I'd love to join you for dinner. But I must insist on bringing dessert and some wine."

"You don't..."

"A lady never arrives empty handed," Danny explained with a touch of his Divina voice.

"That would be lovely," Melanie acquiesced. "Around seven?"

"See you then." When they ended their call, Danny stared at the phone in amazement for a few moments. "Well, fuck me!"

*****

"Hello."

"Jimmy, baby, it's mommy. Please don't hang up."

"What do you want?" Hunter asked between clenched teeth. Bill and Steve had joined Hunter and Nick for supper. They were letting it settle before deciding on which pie to slice into.

"I want to see you."

"Why?"

"I need to talk to you."

"We're talking now."

"But it's so impersonal on the phone."

"There's nothing I want to hear from you."

"I know we left it badly the last time we saw each other."

"Badly?! Badly, doesn't begin to cover it. You tried to take me away from my parents!" Hunter screamed into the phone. Nick went immediately to Hunter's side and took the phone out of Hunter's hand.

"Ms Montgomery, I'm Nicholas Shaw, Hunter's partner. What do you want?"

"Who are you?"

"Hunter's partner, his life partner."

"You're fucking kidding me, right?"

"No, why would I kid you?"

"Did he tell you he has AIDS?"

"I know about his positive status."

"Then you must be a fucking fag with a death wish."

"Ms Montgomery, if you don't tell me what you want I'll just hang up."

"NO! Wait! I just want to see him. I'm not feeling so good. I thought we could have lunch some time."

"Lunch. Let me tell you what I think you want. Hunter's name has been in the papers lately associated with a highly successful fundraiser and gala for our local clinic. I think you know that and thought maybe you could capitalize on it."

"How dare you!" Rita Montgomery screamed into the phone.

"I dare, Ms Montgomery, I dare. I love Hunter and I won't stand by and see him hurt by you or anyone. If you want to have lunch with Hunter, then that invitation includes me." Before Rita Montgomery could say anything, Nick slammed down the phone. "Son of a bitch," he muttered under his breath.

"That's me, a son of a bitch," Hunter said softly, his voice hitching.

Nick wrapped his arms around his lover then admonished him. "Never say that again, you understand me. I love you, James Hunter Montgomery. I love you. You're smart, beautiful and the most caring man I know. You have nothing in common with that woman except for your last names. I wouldn't be surprised if she really wasn't your mother and even if she is, I don't care. You're better than her. And we do this together. You understand me?! Together!"

"Together," Hunter repeated as he buried himself into Nick's chest. Bill and Steve made themselves scarce.

*****

"Hi, Gamma Jenn," Bree said as she saw her grandmother come through the door of the daycare at Kinnetik.

"Hi, sweetheart, did you have a good day at school?" Jennifer asked.

Bree nodded. "Where Dada and Daddy?"

"Um … they had meetings, so I said I would pick you up and give you dinner. Are you ready to come home with me?"

"Yes," Bree said picking up her Dora the Explorer backpack.

"Hi, Mrs. Taylor," said one of the aides in the daycare. "Briana did her printing today. I thought you might like to take this to her fathers."

"Oh, sure," Jennifer said. She took the paper from the woman and looked at the page where Bree had been printing her name. Each version of the name had a huge "b" to start it off.

"Bree, honey, your printing is getting better all the time, but why did you make such a big 'b" to start your name?"

"Cuz."

"Cuz why?" Jennifer asked. She didn't understand.

Bree frowned and didn't say anything.

"Maybe I can answer that for you," Emily, the head of the daycare said. "Bree was making her 'b's' backwards, so she practised a page of those before she started her name. The 'b' may be large because she was focusing so hard on it."

"Thank you," Jennifer said as she took Bree's hand. "Let's go, sweetheart."

As Jennifer buckled her granddaughter into her seat in the car, Bree frowned and said, "Gamma Jenn, I make big 'b's' cuz Patrick told me that my name should start with a big 'b'. Didn't I do it right?" Bree looked very concerned.

Jennifer tried not to laugh. Now that made sense to her, more than what Emily had explained. "You did just fine, honey."

Bree smiled briefly and then looked seriously at her grandmother. "Is there another kind of big 'b'?" she asked.

Jennifer's mouth dropped open. How did the little minx figure that out? Jennifer decided that she better be truthful with her very smart granddaughter. "Actually, what Patrick called 'big letters' are really called capital letters. That's the correct term. Can you say 'capital letters'?"

Bree parroted the words back to her grandmother.

"Would you like me to show you what a capital letter looks like when we get home?"

"Yes," Bree said nodding her head enthusiastically.

"Okay, we'll practice putting a capital 'B' as the first letter of your name. Would you like that?"

Bree nodded again as Jennifer watched her in the rearview mirror. Bree was thinking that she would be able to show Patrick that she could print her name perfectly next time the occasion arose. She liked to know things and do them properly. She didn't like it when Patrick knew things she didn't. She'd practise her name many times at Gamma Jenn's. She'd practise until it was perfect. She smiled to herself.

Jennifer noted the smile on Bree's face as she headed for home. Briana was growing up and getting smarter every day. Jennifer wondered what Bree was thinking about that made her smile like that. "What would you like for dinner?" Jennifer asked as they headed in the direction of her house.

"Hot dogs!" Bree shouted.

Some things never changed.

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