A Little Side of Geek

by Marguerite Labbe

  That was an insightful observation and deserved an honest answer in return. Morris searched for it, especially in light of Theo’s declaration that morning. “Whether or not we keep seeing each other, we’ll still be friends. I wouldn’t walk away from a friendship, and really that’s what this gesture is, one of friendship, not something more.”

  “Friends….” Lincoln considered that, his expression too serious for fifteen years. “I think it would be okay, then. He talked about having it over the couch. He said it would be the first thing we see when we walk in the house. That would really surprise him when he comes home tonight.”

  Morris glanced over his shoulder to be sure Theo was nowhere in sight. “Would it be a problem if I borrowed the house keys? I can be in and out in no time. I have all the tools I need at my place.”

  “Sure.” Lincoln dug in his pocket, angling his body so the motion wouldn’t be seen, and handed Morris the keys. “What was the second thing you wanted?”

  “So in two weeks I’m doing a show in Newport News on Saturday. The promoter, Brenden Wade, is always looking for volunteers to help behind the scenes. If you can get off, would you be interested in something like that?”

  Lincoln’s eyes widened. “Are you for real?”

  “Yes,” Morris said with a laugh. “If you think Theo can spare you.”

  “I’d love to.” Lincoln bounced on his toes. “I get every other weekend off. I’m supposed to be off today, but you know, I kinda felt bad, so I told Theo I would help.” He was so excited the words were practically tumbling over themselves. “But I’m already off that weekend if you’re serious. I wouldn’t have to find anyone to cover for me.”

  “I’m serious.” Morris was pleased he’d thought of it. “I’ll check with Theo and make sure it’s okay I keep you overnight. We’d probably head up Friday night. It’ll depend on when Brenden wants to start setup. I’ll talk to him today. Just a warning, there are boring parts to this gig. And times when you’ve got to deal with some real divas. On the upside, you’ll get fed and you’ll get to meet people. Brenden usually has a few pop stars at his shows.”

  “And I’ll get to be at a con,” Lincoln blurted, his eyes shining. “It can’t be any more boring than bussing tables.”

  Probably not, but guarding a door for hours to keep people from sneaking in got old. However, Morris knew Brenden well enough to know he’d switch things up. “Good point.” Morris glanced over to see Theo approaching with a decent-sized bag. He dropped the house keys in his pocket. “Okay, if Theo asks what we were discussing, this was it.”

  “Got it.” Lincoln turned to one of the dirty tables and began bussing it with quick, efficient movements.

  “You didn’t have to do this,” Morris said as he took the heavy bag. He peeked inside and sniffed speculatively. “What is it? Smells good.”

  “Spanakopita manicotti and roasted corn chowder. The market was good to Scottie today. There’s an extra portion of both for you to freeze half.”

  Spanakopita, Morris had heard that before; it was some kind of spinach dish. Morris wasn’t a big fan of anything green, at least not as a main dish, but Theo was offering and he was too hungry to argue. “Thank you. Sorry to grab and run.”

  “I get it, deadlines.” Theo blew him a kiss. “Good luck, man.”

  “Will I see you after work? Movie at your place?”

  Theo grimaced. “We’ll see. I’m done in. I’m afraid I’d fall asleep in the first five minutes and you’d be offended.”

  That sounded like a sure bet—well, the falling asleep part. “I promise to not be offended.” He just wanted to see Theo’s face when he first glimpsed the picture hanging up. He caught Theo’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’ll see you tonight, even if it’s only for five minutes.”

  Morris waved to Rose and Lincoln and then pulled out his phone as he headed toward the car. He put the phone on speaker and called Brenden before he headed down the road. “Hey, just the man I wanted to reach,” Brenden said as a hello.

  “What do you want?” Morris ran through his last few contacts with the promoter, wondering if he’d forgotten something he was supposed to do.

  “Do I always want something?” Brenden asked with mock innocence.

  “You’re not one to call and chitchat,” Morris pointed out. Brenden may be a friend, but he wasn’t the kind of guy to hang around and shoot the shit. They hit each other up on social media, but that was the extent of it. “So if you wanted to reach me, you want something. Or I forgot to pay you.”

  “I am sadly misunderstood, but in this case you are right,” Brenden said. “I do want something.”

  Morris headed out of town, stealing glances at the sun on the river as he drove. He loved living so near the water. He knew his family didn’t get his love for the quieter pace, or his desire to live away from them, but it was the perfect work environment with no one able to drop in on him without warning, and the views were stunning. “Don’t feel too bad. I called because I want something too,” Morris confessed.

  “What is it?” Brenden asked, his voice curious.

  “I was wondering if Theo’s brother could volunteer for you at the show in Newport News. He’s almost sixteen.”

  “Theo? Your boyfriend?”

  Morris sighed. It was easier to go along with it than to explain the complications. “Yeah. He’s a good kid, loves the scene, works hard.”

  “Hey, if you vouch for him, that’s cool. We can always use hands. Bring him to the loading dock and I’ll put him to work. On time, Morris, we’ll need hands from the start,” Brenden said in a sterner voice. “We’ll open the dock at eight.”

  Morris groaned inwardly. Eight, dammit, and Brenden would hold him to that. “We’ll be there.” At least he’d have plenty of time to get his table set up instead of scrambling at the last minute.

  “Are you driving down the night before? We can catch dinner together, and you can introduce me to your young friend. Dakota will probably be there too.”

  “Yeah, probably, if I can get permission from his brother because, damn, I keep forgetting how long of a drive it is.” It would be faster by boat than going all the way out to the highway to come all the way back in to the coast. “How come they haven’t invented teleporters yet?”

  “I’m not sure I’d entirely trust teleporters to humanity,” Brenden said in a dry voice. “So, about the con in Annapolis, I want to revamp my Chessie logo, and I was wondering if you could help me design it. I want to get a few of my closest friends in on the promo and program so I can showcase their work. Would you be interested?”

  “Are you for real, man? That would be awesome.” Especially if the con was going to be as big as Brenden wanted it to be. If it was done right, and they built a strong buzz, it could be a break for them all. Morris was leery of big cons. Independent artists had a hard time making back the money they put in, but he trusted Brenden’s instincts.

  “Yeah, for real. I don’t screw around when it comes to business. You know me better than that.”

  Morris mentally went over his list of things he wanted to accomplish before the next show. He had the piece he had to finish for one of the prize giveaways. He really needed to think about new material for prints, but that would have to wait until he had his next books ready to go. He wasn’t working on any commissions or card decks at the moment, so that gave him a little wiggle room.

  “Okay, I’ll have some concepts to show when we meet up in Newport News. Thanks, man.”

  “My pleasure, Morris.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  ONE OF these nights Theo wasn’t going to trudge up to the door feeling like he’d been pummeled. He tucked the to-go containers under his arm as he searched for the right key one-handed. The lights in the living room were on, a welcome sight that told Theo his brother was right where he should be. Lincoln had caught a ride when his shift ended instead of hanging around in the dining room or waterfront like Theo had as a teenager. He didn’t know what
Lincoln planned to do without video games, probably hole up in his room with a slew of graphic novels.

  Tomorrow was market day, which meant an early start. Theo’s spirits dimmed at that. Sleeping in sounded like heaven right now. However, it also meant he could pick out all the specials, and that was awesome. It was a task Theo never tired of. Once he dragged himself out of bed and had some coffee, he’d enjoy the shopping trip.

  As Theo pulled out his keys, he contemplated texting Morris and asking if they could hang tomorrow night instead. He wouldn’t make it half an hour in front of the TV. In fact, face-planting on the couch seemed like a wonderful idea. But he really did want to see him, if only for a few minutes.

  He opened the door and stopped in confusion. Morris sat on the couch, a drawing pad in his lap, a pencil in his hand. He lifted his head and smiled slowly at Theo. Lincoln sat next to him with a stack of comic books by his side. The sight hit Theo with a breathless punch of welcome home. He’d missed that sense so much.

  “Hey, I—” Theo stopped, his eyes widening. Over the couch, perfectly lined up in a place of honor, was the picture Theo had coveted from the moment he saw it. The joy on the little girl’s face as she reached toward the butterflies once again touched Theo’s heart. “Oh my God, it’s perfect.”

  Theo dropped the containers and keys on the small table by the door and bounded over, his exhaustion forgotten as he stepped on the couch between Morris and Lincoln to look at the picture more closely. He ran gentle hands over the subtle browns and grays of the frame, the light pastel yellow of the matte that highlighted the bolder colors within the picture itself.

  “You didn’t have to frame it for me.” Theo shot Morris a brilliant smile and crouched down to kiss him soundly on his upturned lips. “But thank you for doing it. I wouldn’t have been able to make it so beautiful.”

  “Uh, no kissing when I’m right here.” Lincoln got up, comic books tucked under his arm. “Gross. You’re as bad as Jill and Craig.”

  Theo jumped down from the couch and caught Lincoln in a bear hug. “I know you were in on this.” He pulled Lincoln’s head down and gave him a gentle noogie. “You’re the best.”

  Lincoln shoved him away, a pleased smile crossing his lips. “Maybe I abetted a bit.” He nudged Theo’s side. “It does look good, doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it does.” Theo took another look at the picture, the sense of welcome and home stronger than before. He sat down next to Morris, his exhaustion momentarily gone under a warming glow. “So what else have you two hooligans been up to other than planning surprises?”

  Morris shifted his sketchbook and slid his arm around Theo’s shoulders. “I admit to nothing but work.”

  “I called Jill,” Lincoln said, sitting down on the arm of the couch.

  Theo snuggled into the comfort of Morris’s half embrace. “Really? How’d that go?”

  Lincoln shrugged. “We’re cool. She’s not mad, though I think you were right. If I hadn’t told her and she found out, she’d be mad at us all.”

  “Yeah.” Theo lightly punched his arm. “Thanks for your help at the restaurant today. I always know things will get straightened up when you’re around without me having to oversee it. It was something I didn’t need to worry about today. How was it working with Rose?”

  “I like her,” Lincoln said seriously. “Nothing fazes her, not even when Erin tried pulling her diva stunt and slacking off. You know how she tries to get away with everything.”

  “Yeah, Jill and I figured she’d try to take advantage and push back.” She was good at her job when she wanted to do it; when she didn’t, it was one complaint after another. “What did Rose do?”

  “I’m not sure,” Lincoln admitted. “I saw them talking a couple times, and she sent Erin in the back to cool down after she tried honing in on Kate’s table, but Rose never lost her temper, and by the time I left, Erin wasn’t complaining to her anymore.”

  “Fair enough.” Privately, Theo thought they should’ve let Erin go a while back, but that was Jill’s decision, not his. She understood the dynamics of the front better than he did. “Thanks again, Lincoln.”

  “No problem.” Lincoln stood back up, comic books in hand. “Hey, Theo, would it be a problem if I went with Morris to a convention in Newport News the weekend after next?”

  Theo frowned and glanced at Morris. “I guess I don’t see why not if you won’t be a bother. You’re off that weekend. Is it both days?”

  “Just Saturday, but we’d have to leave Friday if we didn’t want to head out at 5:00 a.m.” Morris shook his head. “Please tell me it’s okay if we head out the night before. I’m getting too old for that crack of dawn shit.”

  Theo hesitated. He didn’t want Morris to feel like he had to keep an eye on Lincoln. Before he could voice that concern, Lincoln spoke up again. “Morris said they always need volunteers to help out with all kinds of things. He said Brenden would be happy to have my help.”

  It was the undisguised eagerness in Lincoln’s eyes that sold him. He couldn’t ask his brother to give his life to the restaurant the way he and Jill had. The way their other brother and sister no doubt felt pressured to do. Maybe that’s why they stayed away. They wanted their own lives away from Solomon’s Island without having to fear being sucked into the family business. Theo and Jill probably would’ve done it too. They had been so frantic to keep things together, to keep strings on them all, they’d inadvertently cut them instead. It gave Theo something to think about and hope that maybe they could glue their family back together again. There had to be more to it than Dustin and Robin blaming him for Mom and Dad’s death.

  “I know you’ll bust your ass, Linc. That’s not a concern.” Theo turned to Morris. “Are you sure you want to get saddled with Skinny? Sometimes when he starts talking, he never shuts up.” Theo shot a teasing glance in Lincoln’s direction.

  “Try riding in a car with Felipe for a couple hours,” Morris said dryly. “Seriously, it’s okay. I’d like the company and somebody to boss around.”

  “I’m really good at being bossed around,” Lincoln said with an earnest look in his eyes.

  Theo stifled a laugh. “This is awesome of you, Morris.”

  Morris pointed at Lincoln. “You might decide this is not as cool as it seems.”

  “I’m sure I won’t.” Lincoln headed to his room with a wave. “Night, guys.”

  Theo waited until Lincoln’s door was shut and turned to Morris. “Newport News, huh?”

  “I hope I didn’t step on any toes by asking him first.”

  Morris looked so solemn that Theo was struck with a moment of mischievousness. He frowned and looked down at his feet as he toed off his shoes and socks. “They feel trampled. I might need a splint or two.”

  “What—” Morris shot him a startled look.

  “My pinkie toe is especially abused.” Theo held up his foot so Morris could have a better view. “See?”

  Morris shook his head and grabbed Theo’s ankle. “You’re terrible. I can’t ever tell when you’re teasing me or not. You look so damned innocent.”

  “That should be your first clue.” Theo kissed his cheek. “Seriously, if you’re good with it, it’s okay. I don’t want you to feel you have to entertain Lincoln when I’m not home.”

  “That’s not it at all,” Morris assured him. “He’s a good kid, and he’s one of us.”

  A geek. Something that, try as he might, Theo did not understand the devotion or hype. He enjoyed the movies and games Lincoln introduced to him, but he didn’t seek them out. Then again, if he had his way, the only thing that would ever be on his TV would be cooking and home improvement shows. Not everyone’s cup of tea.

  “So what’s with all the containers?” Morris asked, thrusting his chin toward the imbalanced stack on the table.

  “Leftovers.” Theo rose and sorted through them, leaving half more neatly arrayed on the table. “Let me go stick this in the freezer. The rest is yours.”

  “You
don’t have to keep feeding me,” Morris called into the kitchen.

  “We ran out of the stuffed rockfish, but there were a couple of the chicken cordon bleus left and the remains of the soup.” Theo smiled and wondered if he’d catch Morris already peeking into the containers before he got back into the living room. “Better to share than to toss. I hate throwing away perfectly good food.”

  He glanced around the corner and sure enough, there was Morris. He didn’t understand why he always put up a complaint. He liked the food. He smiled as Morris set them down and tossed him a guilty look. “It’s not going to bite you from the freezer, I promise.”

  “The manicotti was good. I have to admit, I had my reservations about a meatless meal.” Morris shook his finger at him. “You’re always trying to change my mind about food.”

  “No, I’m trying to give you a better appreciation for food just as you’re trying to give me a better appreciation for pop culture. Expanding our horizons is good for us, right? Because I don’t know about you, but I can get stuck in my little rut of a world.”

  “Well, when you talk like that….” Morris came toward him and drew Theo closer. “You up to me introducing you to the Winchesters?”

  “Winchesters? More friends of yours?” Theo fought a yawn. Damn he was tired, but he was also reluctant to say good night. “Not tonight, I think.”

  “No, it’s a show.” Morris chuckled and drew him toward the couch. “Since you were talking about expanding your pop culture knowledge. An episode is shorter than a movie.”

  “Good point.” Theo stretched out on the couch and laid his head against Morris’s shoulder. As tired as he was, he was tense all over. A show would help him unwind so he wouldn’t be spending the night tossing and turning. He reached for the remote and handed it to Morris. “I have all the usual streaming services. If you can find your show, put it on.”

  Morris set the sketchbook down on the small coffee table, and Theo glanced curiously at the open pages. Half a dozen quick sketches of a swimming dinosaur covered the sheet. “Are your little sleuth and her cat chasing a brontosaurus now?”