by Rachel Kane
“Oh, you’re correct there. As much as I hate to say it, you’ve inherited the biggest boondoggle in town. I assume Edwards told you why we call it Cooper’s Folly?”
How do I get out of this conversation? Why does this guy assume I want to talk to him about any of this?
“Mr. Mulgrew, you’ll have to forgive me, but this is a private family matter, one I can’t really discuss. I’m sure you understand.”
A line of white teeth appeared, a long, flat smile that communicated no happiness at all on Mr. Mulgrew’s face. “Of course, Mr. Cooper, of course. Far be it from me to try to reveal all the skeletons in your family’s closet. Not my business, I completely agree. However, because you’re so very new here, you may not be aware of the way things work in Superbia. Allow me to enlighten you: The property you have inherited is absolutely useless. It is ready to crumble into dust. Every effort the Beautification League has undertaken to try to protect the property, has been met with resistance. They’ve fought us tooth and nail, you see, until there’s nothing left there to protect. It’ll all have to come down, I’m afraid.”
“Again, I can’t discuss—”
“But the costs! In today’s world, destruction can cost as much as construction. So many laws, Mr. Cooper. Regulations. Why, our town council—of which my mother and I are long-standing, well-respected members—has been trying to do something about that eyesore for years, but our hands are tied! I can only imagine how you will handle the project. Whatever you chose, the costs would be ruinous. Unless you’re a millionaire, I suppose. Are you a millionaire, Mr. Cooper?”
Was it unfair to dislike someone so instantly? Liam spent his life finding the good side of people; at his job, especially, when angry customers would call and demand answers, he’d found it useful to think that everyone had something positive inside them. Everyone had something to love, if you looked deeply enough.
But that flat, shark-like smile of Mulgrew’s, and his shining, avaricious eyes, made Liam wonder if there was anything good inside the man. To walk up to a complete stranger, and gleefully forecast his doom? What kind of guy was this?
“I am not a millionaire, no. But thank you for your advice. I think I’ll be going now.”
He reached over and took Mason’s card, trying not to shudder at the cold, clammy touch of Mulgrew’s hand, which had still been clutching the card.
Mulgrew instantly grabbed his hand, not tightly, no, not like that supportive grip Mason had given him. Liam cringed at the unwanted connection.
“Superbia is a very small town, Mr. Cooper. It’s important to have friends, don’t you think? My mother and I would make very good friends for you, if you’d let us. I think we’ll speak again soon. Won’t that be nice?”
Parenthood had left Liam with little tolerance for alcohol; after a couple of beers, he was ready for a long, long sleep. Any other time he might’ve been up late, thinking of how shaken he’d been by the strange, supercilious manners of Justin Mulgrew. Or might’ve stayed awake going over and over his close encounter with Mason. But sleep called.
Anyway, the next morning, it all seemed pretty silly. Just because a man looked as good as Mason, didn’t mean he was boyfriend material. Didn’t even really mean he was hook-up material, especially if Liam might have to do business with him. Couldn’t you just have a drink with a guy, without it meaning anything? Wasn’t that allowed?
He left Mr. Edwards a message saying they’d have to delay the signatures until his family got here, but that left him with nothing to do in Superbia until Judah showed up with Mama and Roo and Noah later on.
The hand-painted sign in the window announced The Overcrowded Shelf, and to either side of the sign were stacks of books. What did someone read in a town like Superbia? Liam cupped his hands over his face to look through the window, seeing a warm, happy-looking shop, tall shelves bordered by portraits and maps. By the counter, a young man looked up, spotted Liam, and waved eagerly, rising from his seat.
“I know who you are,” said the man, when Liam had come in.
“I’m starting to think everyone does.”
Their introductions turned into a moment of recognition. This was Alex, one of Mason’s friends, brother of the barkeep from last night.
“You’re the man of the hour,” said Alex. “Everyone wants to know all about you.”
“Well, if you’re asking about my plans for Superbia Springs, I’ll have to disappoint you—”
“No, no, I’m talking about the important things. Like, are you a single, unattached gay dad?”
Liam was taken aback. Was everyone in Superbia this direct? His first instinct was to take offense. Nobody back home would pry into his business like that. There were businesses he had patronized for twenty years, where they didn’t even know his name, and yet this guy he’d never seen before was asking him the most personal question of all?
“Where did that question come from?”
Even as he asked, he felt a little thrill of understanding: Mason had spoken to Alex. Liam had been a topic of conversation. He’d been on Mason’s mind.
Hm.
Interesting.
Alex’s sweeping hand gesture took in the entirety of his store. “What keeps a guy like me in business is knowing my customers. Understanding their lives, their hopes, their secret desires, so I know what book to sell them…and so they’ll keep coming back for more.”
“Or,” said Liam, “maybe Mason just told you all about me.”
Alex’s smirk was so much more charming than Justin’s had been. How could the same facial expression look so different from person to person? It must be something in the eyes. Justin’s eyes said, I’m better than you, and I’m going to get something from you. Alex’s said, Whether you like it or not, you’ve just been admitted into my social circle, so get ready to be my friend.
What had Mason’s eyes said? Liam wished he had spent more time looking into them. Useless as that would’ve been, because nothing would’ve happened between them!
It’d still be nice to know, though.
“Oh, he did mention you,” said Alex. "But he didn't do you justice."
Oh. That was disappointing to hear. Understandable, but disappointing.
Wait. Was Alex flirting with him?
Here was a strange thing. In olden times, Alex would've been just Liam's type. Animated yet bookish, clearly smart.
So why did Liam hope Alex wasn't flirting?
Why did his thoughts keep straying back to Mason?
"So…he mentioned the whole gay dad thing?" Liam asked, hoping for just another hint at Mason's thoughts.
Alex's brow scrunched. "Actually, did he say that to me? I can't remember. But in any case, it's obvious."
"Obvious that I'm gay, or—"
"Oh, hon, the whole thing. Look at you. Precision hair, the little chain around your neck, the one around your wrist? Three rings, but none of them on your left ring-finger? So, definitely gay, but not married. Possibly married before, but you've had the wedding ring off long enough that the tan line has faded, if so. You're carrying a sporty leather carry-all which you're using as a laptop bag, but that subtle MG logo is from MamaGoods, and that, my dear, is their flagship diaper bag. So there's a baby somewhere. Although not here, so I'm thinking he or she is old enough to be cared for by…your parents?"
Liam's jaw didn't drop, but it took a second to parse all the information Alex had just pulled out of thin air. "That… That's amazing."
"Am I right?"
"She's thirteen months, staying with my mom and brother last night."
Alex leaned back against the counter and beamed. "I told you, this is what I do for a living."
"It's a neat trick. Although…come on, Mason must have told you some of that."
"Look, I love Mason as much as I love my own brother, but you will find that he's less than observant. Unless it can be measured with a tape-measure or tightened with a wrench, he's oblivious."
Well. That really settled thin
gs, didn't it? If Mason was that unobservant, then clearly he wasn't interested, and Liam could get on with his life with a clear head.
"So I'm really here to browse and kill time, but—"
"There is one thing that's puzzling me," said Alex. "One thing I can't quite figure out."
He was going to talk about Mason again. Liam's heart started beating quickly, which was ridiculous, yet there it was, he was excited to hear something more about the guy. "Yeah?"
"Justin Mulgrew. What did he want from you last night?"
That pleasant tingling anticipation of talking about Mason quickly turned into a shudder as the subject changed. "How did you know about that? Mason wasn't even at the bar at that point. What, do I have some kind of Mulgrew aura around me now?"
Alex laughed, but it was a grimmer sound than before. "No, no. My brother Toby mentioned it. Look, maybe I don't need to tell you this, but Justin is bad news. He and his mom both. You haven't met Violet Mulgrew yet, I'm assuming?"
Liam shook his head. "Haven't had the pleasure."
He saw that Alex began to say something, and when Alex shook his head silently, Liam had the urge to prod him for information. What about the Mulgrews would put such a worried expression on Alex’s face?
When Liam followed Alex’s gaze, he found the bookseller was looking at an old map on the wall. Liam walked over to it, and saw it was very old, carefully framed behind tinted glass. Without quite touching the glass, he used his finger to trace the route from downtown—which was practically the same size today that it had been when the map was made—to Superbia Springs. The old house and its land was marked on the map.
Just next to it was another area, a mass of green symbolizing trees, surrounding the light blue of a large lake. The area was labeled: Mulgrew Manors.
He hadn’t realized Alex had come up behind him until the bookseller spoke. “A more recent map won’t have that,” Alex said, tapping the glass. “It has been a long time since Phineas Mulgrew sold off tons of that land, all except the lake, really, but the family has never forgotten that before your great-uncle got here, they were the biggest land-owners in the county. Ever since, they’ve been scheming to get back on top. Town council, the Beautification League… I know it must sound silly to call people like that dangerous, especially with you being from a city with much more extreme dangers. But Violet Mulgrew has an iron grip on this town. She plays the zoning and historical district rules like a virtuoso plays the cello.”
“Wait, are you saying she wants Superbia Springs?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know what she wants, her or Justin. I know what she doesn’t want, and that’s for anyone else in town to have a say in what gets built, what gets torn down, or what gets remodeled. My brother, Toby? They’ve nearly driven him out of business twice now. Practically sent him into a nervous breakdown. And why? We don’t know the real reason. They’ll say things like, That bar does not suit the way we would like to present Superbia to the world, but what does that even mean?”
“Interesting,” Liam said. There was nothing like that kind of drama in his life. Back home, who had enemies? Suddenly it made sense, the rancor he’d heard Mason’s voice when Justin had walked into the bar, and the tension that seemed to coil around the patrons.
“That’s one word for it. And all that is even before what Justin did to Mason—”
Alex’s words clipped off as color rose to his cheeks. Liam turned to look at him. “What happened there?”
But the bookseller shook his head. “Sorry, old gossip habits die hard, I shouldn’t have said that. Not my story to tell. Just stay away from the Mulgrews, okay? Deal with Mr. Edwards, do what you’re going to do with the property…just steer clear of them.”
It was such a relief when Liam’s family arrived, that he felt tears burning in the corners of his eyes. That feeling was so strong, it took him back, reminding him of that one year at summer camp, when Judah hadn’t been able to go because of his broken ankle, and Liam had been there all on his own, the first time he’d been to one of those things without his brother, and how even though he’d had a good time and made lots of friends, the minute his parents pulled up in the station wagon to come get him, he had started sobbing uncontrollably.
Well, he was an adult now, so there was no sobbing, but he did rush straight to the back seat of the minivan, covering Roo with kisses which made her laugh and laugh. “Daddy’s here! Did you miss me? Tell me true, Little Roo, did you miss me?”
“Da-da! Da-da!”
Before he knew it, Judah’s arm was slung around his shoulders, pulling him close. “You’re all she has been talking about, the whole drive here.”
Noah climbed out of the van and took a look around downtown Superbia. “This is where your uncle lived? I mean, no offense, but…this?”
Mama swatted the back of Noah’s head, but gently, so as not to muss his hair too terribly. “Mind your manners, Noah.”
Once Roo was unbuckled and cradled in his left arm, Liam gave hugs all around. “It’s a really sweet little town, you’ll see. And oh my god, the house, you won’t believe it. And the people!”
Noah groaned and stretched his back. “Just get me into the nearest five-star hotel with an ergonomic mattress, please. I’ll need a bottle of champagne and a bowl of fresh strawberries.”
Liam laughed. “I’m not sure how many stars the Superbia Motor Lodge has, but I can guarantee you the mattress…um…exist, although whether they’re orthopedically correct or not remains to be seen.”
“See, da-da? See?” asked Roo, twisting around to get a better look at her surroundings.
“She has a point,” said Judah. “I’d really like to see the property.”
“Can we take any vehicle but the van?” pleaded Noah.
“The next snotty remark,” said Mama, “and I’ll be buckling you into the baby seat, Noah Turnstock!”
But Noah’s scowl had already turned into a grin, to show it was all a joke. Mostly. He did have expensive tastes. “I’ll be good. Let’s see the house, Liam!”
“I swear, boys, can’t I even say hello to my son before you’re whisking him off?” Mama gave Liam a big kiss. “There, that’s done. Now. The house.”
Liam laughed. “It’s spectacular. Wait until you see it. The mosaics! I just… How did we not know this was in the family?”
She pressed her lips together. “It wasn’t the first time your daddy ever kept something from me.”
They all observed a moment of silence then. She was right; it was just another in a long line of secrets. In a way, they should have been used to it by now.
“I’ll call Mr. Edwards and get the keys,” Liam said. Then a thought occurred to him. “Actually, there’s one other person who should come along. I met a contractor—”
“Wait, is this the one you were talking to at night?” said Noah, perking up.
Liam glared at Judah: Do you have to tell him everything?
“Yes, that’s the one. Mason. He offered to look over the place with me.”
Mama frowned. “It’s all so sudden. The news, now contractors are involved…”
“Mason’s all right,” said Liam, thinking that was the understatement of the century.
“Can you really trust a small-town person like that, how do you know if he’s reputable?”
“Tell you what,” said Liam, “feel free to quiz him on his credentials all you want, while we’re looking at the house.”
He ignored the look both Judah and Noah were giving him. Oh, we will, their looks seemed to say. We certainly will.
8
Mason
There were two things competing for Mason’s attention.
The first, of course, was the house itself. As his truck rumbled over the driveway, he realized that for the first time in his life, he was going to see the inside of Cooper’s Folly. Not through one of the clouded, covered windows, not peering through the safety of the bushes with his friends on Halloween, but stepping foot through the do
or, seeing things in a way almost no one in town ever had.
Then there was Liam.
Mason parked, and spent a moment gathering his tools, a moment longer than strictly necessary, because it gave him slightly more time to look out there at Liam, without having to approach or speak to him.
Stop thinking about the futility of looking at him, and just enjoy him for a second, would you?
Liam looked different there at the wide porch of the house, leaning against one of the columns. Relaxed, at ease in a way Mason hadn’t seen him before. Baby on one hip, carried as simply and matter-of-factly as Mason wore his tool belt. He didn’t know much about babies, but this one was pretty cute, although her hair was much darker than Liam’s.
Three more people there; one would be his brother, one would be his friend. Mason thought he could figure out which one was which; the shining twink looking up at the house with wide, eager eyes must be the friend, while the more subdued one who seemed to be testing the porch’s strength under his feet, that would be the brother. And of course the woman keeping a close eye on them so they didn’t break anything, was Liam’s mom.
He wondered what Liam was talking about. His face was animated, and his free hand pointed toward the back, where the old spring-house was. Was he describing how much he wanted to keep the place? Or how damaged it was, and how quickly he needed to get away?
You could just get out of your damn truck and find out, he reminded himself, and with a hopeless sigh he pulled his tool belt out with him.
“Thanks for coming on such short notice!” Liam said.
“Oh, hello,” said his friend. “This is the handy, handy man?”
Mason’s brow furrowed. “Contractor, but yes.”
Introductions were made all around, and he couldn’t help but feel how long their eyes lingered on him, everyone’s but Liam’s. He was careful not to stare, careful to look away, to pay close attention to the house.
