“Your heart was in the right place.” God, Robert wished he could have kept that money. True, it was a drop in the bucket compared to all the expenses, but it would have gone a long way to solving the immediate crisis. “Anyway, let me walk you out.”
“Why don’t I stay tonight?”
“That’s sweet, really, but—”
“Hey, Lincoln?”
Lincoln popped around the corner. “Yeah, pup?”
“You okay with me staying for a while? I think Robert needs to go out and clear his head.”
“Sure. You do what you need to. In fact, if you want to take off tomorrow, I can talk to Katy and see if—”
“Hell, no!”
They both looked at Robert. “What’s wrong?”
Robert pointed at Lincoln. “You have a business to run. And Noel, you have a job you need to do. I appreciate the thought, but one night isn’t going to change anything.”
Lincoln stepped into the room, crossed his arms over his broad chest, and glared at Robert. “One day, while working that job you mentioned, a hazel-eyed man stepped into my diner and asked me if I had any work he could do. I said yes. That one day changed my life. Don’t say taking one night isn’t going to change anything for you.”
“But—”
Lincoln held up a big hand. “No. Noel says he’s got it handled, and you need to trust him. Go out. Take a long walk. Clear your head and see if things don’t look better when you’re done. After you get back, Noel can call me and I’ll come pick him up.”
Noel turned his attention to Lincoln. “Oh, I can take a cab. You need to get some sleep.”
Lincoln didn’t say anything, but he pinned Noel with that steely gray gaze, and Noel started squirming under it.
“Yes, sir, I’ll call.”
“I’ll wait up for you.” Lincoln kissed Noel’s head. “Love you, pup.”
Noel’s cheeks pinked. “Love you, too, Lincoln.”
One more kiss and Lincoln left. Robert wanted to refuse Noel’s generosity, but….
“Are you sure about this?”
Noel narrowed his gaze. “You take too much on yourself. Lincoln burns the candle at both ends. You’ve obliterated the candle and are working on letting the flames consume you. Why is it so hard for you to let people help?”
“I do. There are volunteers and—”
“And you let them help grudgingly. Brady told me he practically has to beg you to find him something to do.”
Robert’s frustration got the better of him. “Because this is my dream! Why should other people have to suffer so I can get what I want?”
Noel threw his hands in the air. “Seriously? You think Brady is suffering? He was living on the streets, trading sex for a place to crash or a fucking McDonald’s cheeseburger. You found him, brought him to the shelter, and got him cleaned up. Then you went out and got a family to take him in. He doesn’t sleep in the alley anymore. He doesn’t have to scrounge in garbage cans, hoping to find food. You made his and my dreams come true. Why can’t you take those as wins and let us help you to make other people’s dreams come true?” Noel regarded him curiously. “Or is it that you want all the credit for yourself?”
Robert flinched. Was Noel right? Robert had been doing this for decades and couldn’t deny he loved the acclaim. He still liked being out in front of the camera, extolling the virtues of the shelter so he could find investors. But funds were scarce lately, and being homeless took less precedence than other things. Was it possible that Robert was risking everything to fulfill his own life?
Shit.
“I don’t know.” At least it was an honest answer. “I never thought about it like that.”
Noel gave him a smile. “I don’t think that’s it, you know. I believe you’re so invested in the lives of all of these people, you’re not sure you can trust anyone to care like you do. I asked you once what you wanted for yourself, and the only answer you could give me was for these people to be as happy as I am. Let someone else in, let them help you, and maybe you can make everyone’s dreams come true. Give that person a chance to show you they can love you and be part of the world you live in.”
Was it really as simple as that? Robert honestly couldn’t see how. He gestured toward the door. “I’m going to go take that walk now.”
“Okay. I’ll do bed check, make sure everyone is tucked in and safe for the night.” Noel started to walk away, then turned back. “Robert?”
“Yeah?”
“When I found the job at the diner, you fired me. You told me that I needed to get out and live my life. I can’t fire you, but I can hope you’ll do the same. Finding one dream doesn’t mean giving up another.”
For the first time in forever, Robert wondered if he could have it all. Someone to love him, who would understand his desire to help others. A man who wouldn’t abandon him when things got rough.
Nah, that was never going to happen, and all the wishing in the world wouldn’t make it so.
“SO, WHAT do you think?”
Galen was giddy watching Andy devour his chili. They’d gotten the extra-spicy bowls and had to go back three times for another soda, but the food was too good to push away.
“This is…. Oh my God, I thought an orgasm was good, but this is definitely a close second. Hell, it might even top some of them. I have no idea how I missed this place.”
“I never had chili before this. No idea it was this good.”
“And you came here with that guy from the homeless shelter?”
“Uh-huh. His name is Robert, and he’s… I don’t even know how to describe him. He’s got a weird sense of humor. I think they call it dad jokes. But he brought me here and introduced me to it.” He grabbed the basket of bread. “Here, take one and run it through the chili.”
Andy snickered. “I get that you grew up privileged, but most of us have had chili at one time or another.”
“Oh.” Galen put the basket down. “Sorry, I didn’t think….”
“Why are you sorry?” Andy grabbed a roll. “This is delicious, and it’s good to see you smile.” As he swept the remains of the bowl up with his roll, Andy regarded Galen with a curious expression. “So, let me ask you something. Did you like this Robert?”
“What? Hell, no. He was opinionated, arrogant, and he works with street people.”
“And that’s bad?”
“He has no vision. He could be making bucks by partnering with some firms. For the cost of advertising for them, he could be raking in good money.”
Andy chuckled. “I get the feeling you may have checked up on him.”
Oh, Galen had. He wanted to know if Robert was all he seemed, and to his amazement, he found out that the man was so much more. He’d volunteered his whole life, given so much to the community, and refused to take money from businesses who would only have asked for some good PR in return. Who does stupid things like that?
“You like him.”
“What?” Galen blew a raspberry. “No.”
“You’re blushing!”
Galen covered his cheeks. “I am not. It’s from the chili.”
“I have never seen you like this before.”
He’d never met anyone like Robert before. Galen’s entire social life prior to this was blowjobs in an alley, then zipping up and going to put on a smiling face as Father announced their latest acquisition at a board meeting. Dating? No way in hell.
A blast of warm air signaled the door being opened. When Galen glanced over, he froze. No way could Robert be here now. “Oh my God.”
Andy looked around. “What?”
“That’s him.”
Andy grinned. “He’s cute.” He raised his hand and waved. “Robert? Why don’t you come join us?”
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Oh, honey. You’re going to thank me later.”
Robert strode over to the table and put his hands on the top. “Galen, good to see you.” He held his hand out to Andy. “Robert Kotke.”
>
Andy took it, a big smile his face. “Andrew Messenger. It’s good to meet you. Would you like to join us?”
Robert slipped his hand into his pocket, then gave them both a wink. “If you don’t mind. Let me grab something to eat, and I’ll be right back.” He stood straight and walked toward the counter.
“What the fuck? Why did you do that?”
Andy glanced down at his wrist. “Oh, look at the time. I have to go.” He stood, but Galen grabbed his hand.
“You’re not wearing a watch, asshole.”
Andy smiled. “No, but I still need to go.” He leaned in. “Take him out for a test drive. Maybe you’ll find you like the older model.” He popped his head up. “Robert? I’m sorry, but I have to go. Hope to get another chance to get to know you.”
And before anyone could say anything, Andy was out the door.
Galen sat there, flummoxed. What the hell was he supposed to do? If he was smart, he’d get up and follow Andy, but Robert was smiling at him, and Galen’s stomach started doing flips.
Robert came back and set his bowl down on the table, then took a seat across from Galen. “He ditched you, huh?”
“What? No! Andy’s my best friend—he wouldn’t do that.” Even though he totally had.
“Calm down, Galen. I’m teasing you, nothing more. I apologize if I’ve impugned your friend’s reputation.” He picked up a spoon and started eating.
Galen sat watching him, the way his mouth worked, the curve of his throat as he swallowed. He couldn’t tear his gaze away, no matter how hard he tried.
“Galen?”
“Hm?” He jerked back to find Robert grinning at him. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“I asked what you were doing here.”
“I brought Andy here so he could try the chili.” Lame. “I mean, he asked me to dinner, and I thought he might like the food here.” Less lame. But not by much.
“And did he enjoy it?”
“What’s with the twenty questions?” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Galen regretted them.
“Just trying to make conversation. If you’d rather, I can go sit somewhere else. After all, it wasn’t you who invited me.”
“No, you can stay here. It’s fine.”
That weird grin again. “Okay, thank you.” He dipped his spoon in the chili. “Can I get you something?”
“Thanks, but we each had a big bowl, plus rolls, and three sodas because it was the extra-spicy.”
“Good. I’m glad you liked the place enough to bring your friend here.” Robert crumbled some crackers into his chili. “So, how have you been?”
God, how did he answer a question like that? On the one hand, he barely knew Robert, and Galen feared he might lord it over him that his father had screwed him big-time. On the other, it wasn’t like Robert didn’t know what kind of man Jonathan was. But on the third hand…. Robert had said he didn’t blame Galen for anything that had happened. He brought Galen out to eat, so maybe he was telling the truth?
He could feel his cheeks warming as he dropped his chin to his chest. “I quit my job.”
“Oh? Why’s that?”
No laughter, no condemnation. Just a question. Galen sighed. “My parents have a… history of not being able to keep their hands to themselves. I can’t tell you the number of people he and my mother have propositioned over the years. Maids, chauffeurs, gardeners. And it didn’t stop at home. Dad had to drag it out into the office too. And I don’t mean that euphemistically, unfortunately. When I went into work yesterday, I found I had a new PA. Turns out he fired mine because she wouldn’t sleep with him. And then….” God, this was embarrassing. “And then he told me he wanted Lincoln back so he could fire me, because I’ve never been as good as he was.”
Robert reached for Galen’s hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh, that’s not even the best of it.” He took a deep breath, then unloaded about the lawyers, the money, everything up until dinner with Andy.
Galen did his best to hold back the waterworks. He’d cried more in the last twenty-four hours than he had in a year. He didn’t want to seem weak in front of Robert.
“I’m sorry. I wish I had pithy words for you that could make things better, but I don’t. Is there anything I can do for you?”
And Robert had just proven what kind of person he was. Other than Andy, anyone else Galen knew wouldn’t miss an opportunity to exploit the weakness. Robert was being thoughtful, considerate.
“No, but thank you. I’ll figure something out.”
“You could talk to Lincoln.”
That was an instant no. “I don’t want him to know about it. He and I aren’t speaking, and right now, I can’t be sure what he’d do.”
“He would say, ‘Galen, what can I do to help you?’ I promise.”
Oh, how Galen wished that could be true, but he’d burned those bridges already and left a trail of smoldering ash in their place. “No. Please, don’t tell him we met. I was awful to Noel, and I don’t think Lincoln will ever forgive that. Worse, I was terrible to him.”
Robert’s lips flattened into a thin line. “I don’t like keeping secrets, but I promise I won’t say anything to him.”
“Thanks.” Galen tilted his head. “So what are you doing here? I didn’t think you ever left the shelter, and now I’ve seen you here twice.”
Now it was Robert’s turn to sigh. “Noel’s watching the place tonight. He and Lincoln said I needed to take a walk to clear my head.”
Galen leaned forward, elbows on the table. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. I’ll figure it out.”
Without knowing why, Galen reached out and put his hand on top of Robert’s. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”
As he listened, Galen could feel the depths of Robert’s shame and pain. He wanted to do it all by himself, but no one could. The undertaking he’d started was monumental, and the need was growing with each passing day.
“I’m going to have to agree with Noel here. You can’t do it all by yourself anymore. Maybe a few years ago, but now? You’ve already said there are more people every day. One person can only be stretched so thin.”
“Yeah, but how do I know who to trust? These are my people, and I can’t have them hurt. They’ve already lost so much.”
At least now Robert was talking Galen’s language. “You interview. Maybe an office manager? They could take care of the paperwork and things, which would free up your time to work on other projects.”
Robert seemed dubious. “I don’t know.”
“No, you’re right. You keep doing what you’re doing and then fail when you can’t keep up with the demand. You said you don’t want those people to lose everything, but they won’t have to, because your stubbornness is going to take it from them.”
A slow smile spread over Robert’s face. “You don’t believe in softening your words, do you?”
“As much as you want to make this a matter of heart, it’s a business. As such, you need to make decisions with your head. What’s best for your charity might not be what’s best for you personally. Put aside your own ego, and don’t dismiss ideas from anyone.” Galen squeezed Robert’s hand gently. “Can you do that? Because if you can’t, it’s not a question of will it fail, it’s more when it’s going to happen.”
“My parents want you to come to dinner.”
The words were spoken so quietly, Galen wasn’t sure he’d heard them right. “What?”
“I have to go to their house at the end of the month, and my mom said I could invite you along if, you know, you’re interested.”
“Why would I want to?”
Robert looked up, obviously flustered. “I don’t know. I just thought… I don’t know what I thought. My brother and his husband will be there, and it would be nice to have someone with me. Noel’s already offered to watch the shelter for the night, so that’s covered.”
Galen couldn’t believe Robert was asking him to go to dinner with hi
s family. Where in the hell did that make any sense whatsoever?
“Okay, I’ll go.”
And where in the hell did that come from?
Chapter Ten
AS HE walked down Wells Street, Robert had been waiting for inspiration to strike him. All he could see was an ever-growing morass, waiting to swallow all his work into it. Then he glanced into Real Chili and saw Galen sitting there with another man, smiling. As insane as it sounded, a flash of jealousy hit Robert hard. He crossed the street, opting for the restaurant instead of This Is It! When he opened the door, Galen turned and looked at him. Surprise and, Robert hoped, pleasure was displayed in that look, and Robert’s heart beat double-time.
Then Galen introduced Andy as his friend, and Robert felt foolish for being jealous in the first place. But… he wanted to know Galen better. Maybe nothing would come of it, but what if it could? So Robert did what his mother had asked and invited Galen along. Imagine his surprise when Galen said yes.
“You’ll come?”
“Sure, why not? I mean, this isn’t one of those ‘we’d love to have you for dinner,’ and then it turns out they mean it literally, right?”
Robert chuckled. “No. When I told them about you, Mom said I should ask you to come along.”
“You told them about me?”
Shit. He hadn’t meant to say that. “Yeah, I told her we went out to dinner.”
Galen jerked his hand away. “And let me guess… you said I was a prickly bitch and both had a good laugh at my expense. And you want me to come with you so she can see the funny man and get a good laugh too?”
God, Galen had a hair-trigger temper. “No, that’s not it at all, and I think you know I’d never laugh at you.”
“Why not? You’ve done it before.” Galen’s spine was rigid, his cheeks flushed. So much anger in him, but Robert got the impression it wasn’t him Galen was angry with.
Robert crossed his hands in front of him and pinned Galen with a stare. “Okay, tell me when I’ve laughed at you. And make sure it was at and not with.”
Galen was silent for a long moment before his shoulders slumped and he sighed. “I took back the check.”
Galen's Redemption Page 9
