Learned Behaviors (Higher Education)

by Jayce Ellis

  Diane’s new Mercedes was parked at the first available entrance, Josh’s beat-up Corolla next to it. He’d offered to buy him a new car, but Josh had always refused, insisting Chandra didn’t care, and he had no one else to impress. The memory of that conversation made him smile. He’d been goofy in love with her even then, some three years ago.

  He walked to the lobby and a woman whose height came in part from the killer four-inch heels she was wearing met him immediately. “Good morning, sir. How can I help you?”

  “I’m here about the Donaldson-Jenkins nuptials.”

  Her grin didn’t falter, but Matt saw the way her eyes tightened. He smiled, not sure whether to laugh or pat her on the shoulder in sympathy.

  “Follow me.” Her words, previously warm, turned icy, and so did his feelings toward her. Without preamble, she turned and walked toward the back, her heels clacking on the marble floor. Matt followed at a leisurely pace behind her, which, from her stilted pauses as she waited for him to catch up, only served to further aggravate her. Yes, he knew his ex-wife could be a bit much, but whatever was going on, he didn’t appreciate the thinly veiled animosity.

  Josh and Chandra had rented the grand ballroom for the wedding, and Matt walked in to ornate coffered ceilings, at least fifteen round tables with a mix of low and tall centerpieces, and a raised banquet table at the front of the room. They’d gone for a fall theme, with burnt-orange, gold, and brown faux flowers carefully arranged. Diane had wanted real flowers, but Josh’s allergies nixed that idea, especially in a closed setting. Besides, Chandra had said, this way, someone from each table could take the arrangement home. What looked like a removable parquet dance floor separated the head table from the rest. It was a lovely setup, way more than the backyard wedding he and Di’d had.

  They moved through the ballroom and into a utilitarian hallway with metal doors on both sides. He could hear Diane’s voice grow as he walked. “That’s not what we ordered. I have the confirmation agreement right here.”

  “Ma’am, I know, but this is out of our hands.” Matt didn’t recognize the voice and assumed it was the caterer.

  “The hell it is. You said that you could provide lobster and filet mignon for $139. Now you’re saying you can still do it, but it will be $179. That’s bullshit.”

  The frustrated sigh echoed in the hallway. “Yes, but it’s market price. Price has gone up for us, which is why it’s gone up for you.”

  “We need to find another caterer.”

  “We’re exclusive for this location.”

  Oh, that smug sonofa... Matt quickened his steps at the dripping condescension he heard.

  “Mom, please. It’s not a big deal.” Josh’s exasperation was evident in his voice.

  The hostess reached the door and stood back like an usher, one hand behind her back while the other motioned for him to go on in. Matt walked in and found his son’s eyes immediately, practically begging him to make it stop.

  “Hey, everyone. Sorry I’m late,” he said, pulling on his don’t-fuck-with-me persona like a cloak.

  For once, Diane looked glad to see him. “Hi, Matthew.”

  Matt acknowledged her greeting with a nod, then bent over to give her a small peck on the cheek before shaking her husband Erik’s hand. For years, he’d hated pretending politeness with the man Di had left him for. Diane had moved on, and now he was finally, hopefully, doing the same.

  “Josh, how’s it going?” he asked next, waiting for his son to push back from his chair and stand for their hug.

  Josh smiled, one that didn’t reach his eyes. One that said he wasn’t sure how much he cared about the outcome of this meeting, but his bride and his mother were having a fit. He was willing to pay the extra four thousand dollars if it meant keeping the peace, and boy did Matt understand that sentiment.

  Matt had only met Chandra once, and her complexion was the same deep, rich brown of Jaq’s. She smiled brightly at him. “Mr. Donaldson, thank you so much for taking time out to be here.”

  She was so polite. He ventured a guess she wasn’t like this with Josh. And that, maybe once the wedding was over and they’d settled into married life, she wouldn’t be so formal with him either.

  “So, as I was saying,” the catering representative said, interrupting their greetings, “we can provide the lobster as agreed. We just can’t provide it at that price because of market fluctuations.”

  Matt leaned forward. “May I see a copy of the contract?”

  The man stalled, but Diane pushed her iPad toward him. “It’s already pulled up.”

  “Thanks, Di.”

  He reviewed the contract, then one more time, before he looked at the man, who hadn’t bothered introducing himself. “Can you tell me where there’s a market price fluctuation provision in here?”

  The man paled. “Well, sir, I’m not sure that—”

  Matt waved his hand at him, cutting him off. “I’m going to stop you right there. My son and future daughter-in-law have already agreed to pay $139 per plate for this wedding. And that was specifically so they could have lobster and filet mignon, correct?”

  The man nodded.

  “Now, I understand that lobster is often market priced. What I also understand is that it’s normally specifically set forth in a contract. I don’t see that here. Can you point me to that provision?”

  The man stammered, fumbling through his briefcase for what Matt assumed was his own copy of the contract and thumbing through it. He caught Di’s eyes and raised a brow. She shook her head and rolled her lips in. Matt wasn’t going to say I told you so, and he knew Di was glad he’d been such a damn stickler about providing a set price a few months back. He looked back at the caterer, saw when the resignation took hold and let him stew in it for a few moments.

  “Is the provision in here, sir?” Matt asked, his voice almost dripping with syrup.

  “No. I don’t believe it is.”

  “Good. Then the answer is that you will provide these dinners at the agreed-upon amount. There will be no substitutions, there will be no modifications. Any loss you take will be on your side, not ours.”

  “I’ll have to get back to my supervisors.”

  “They can call me directly.” Matt fished out a business card and pushed it across the table. “Do we have anything left here to discuss?”

  Across the table, Josh closed his eyes and his features relaxed into absolute serenity. Next to him Chandra glowed. Just like a bride should.

  Matt pushed the tablet back toward Di, who smiled at him, and he found himself winking at her. Even her husband nodded in appreciation. Matt did the same.

  “Well, if that’s all,” Di said, putting her tablet away and standing, “I think we’re done here.”

  The catering representative nodded stiffly, put his stuff together and hurried out the room. They watched him go up, then Josh turned and let loose a whoop of delight. “Damn, Dad, you did that.”

  Matt shrugged, feeling his cheeks warm. “That’s what I’m here for, right?”

  “Thank you, Mr. Donaldson,” Chandra said, breaking apart from her fiancé and crossing the room to peck Matt on the cheek. “You can’t know how much this means to us.”

  At $139 a pop, he probably could. Still, he smiled. “I’m glad it worked out. What do you guys have planned now?”

  They all looked at each other and shrugged.

  “Well then, how about lunch?”

  Chapter Fifteen

  They sat at a posh downtown restaurant, and Diane looked at him curiously. She’d been doing that since they left the wedding venue.

  “Okay, what’s going on?” she asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you invited us out to eat? You’re not immediately hopping back on the road to go do the next thing?”

  A direct hit, but it was true. Diane had s
pent twenty-plus years dealing with Matt rushing in, solving a problem, then hying back off to wherever he’d been. He’d refused countless brunches, lunches, dinners, whatever, to work, enough times that it wasn’t until they’d divorced that Matt realized people’d long since stopped inviting him. He couldn’t blame her for being skeptical.

  “I won’t say I’m not tempted, but I’ve taken to doing a lot more remote work. I can check in when I get back to the hotel.”

  “Remote work, huh? That would have been nice,” Diane muttered.

  Josh groaned. “Mom, please. You promised.”

  Diane at least had the grace to look somewhat chastened. “You’re right. Matthew, I’m sorry,” she said, and Matt nodded.

  He was sure she’d promised Josh she’d be on her best behavior for the wedding, and even though she was remarried, Matt understood how certain past actions would still cut deep. At some point, maybe after the wedding was over, they could sit down and he could apologize. Funny, he hadn’t really thought about it until Jaq. He hadn’t talked about it, but Matt could imagine the sacrifices he made for Tanisha, to be there for her because her other parent wasn’t, and it gave him a new respect for what Di had done for their family during the marriage.

  “But really,” Josh said, interrupting his thoughts, “thanks for inviting us out. You seem, I don’t know...” He paused like he was considering his words. “Happier. I take it the project in DC is going well?”

  Matt nodded. It was going fantastically well, outside of this morning’s snafu, but that wasn’t the reason he was happy. Did it really show on his face? And had he really been so obviously unhappy before?

  Diane studied him, then hummed. “He’s right, you know. You do look happier. And I know it’s not just the project. I know what that happy looks like,” she said with a smirk, and Matt laughed. She tapped her lip, considering him, then Erik leaned over and whispered something in her ear. Her eyes widened and she grinned. “You’re seeing someone, aren’t you?”

  Matt tensed. The answer to that was yes, never mind the lack of true conversation he and Jaq’d had about it, but he wasn’t sure how they’d handle the reality. He shrugged instead of answering, trying to appear nonchalant.

  It didn’t work. “You are, aren’t you, Mr. Donaldson?” Chandra asked, her voice light with joy. That kind when someone is happy and wants everyone to be as in love as they are. “Oh, you should bring her to the wedding!”

  “Him.” It came out before he could stop it, and the deafening silence at the table told him all he needed to know.

  “Well, well, well.” Diane again, and the Cheshire cat didn’t hold a candle to the smile on her face, staring at him like that explained everything. “You finally found a man who can put up with your shit, huh? About damn time.”

  Whatever response he’d been expecting, it wasn’t the smug satisfaction on her face. He stared, then bust up laughing. “I mean, I guess I did?”

  Josh and Chandra both looked a little flustered, and to her credit, Chandra pulled it together first. “Well, then you should bring him to the wedding.”

  Josh bristled, but knowing his son, that was more about the cost of an extra place setting than about his dad bringing a man. Matt smiled in his direction. “If he’s available, I’d love to. Assuming it’s okay with your soon-to-be husband.”

  Josh winced, and Chandra pushed him lightly on the shoulder. “Joshie, you see how much money your dad just saved us, right? It’s way more than the $139 it’s gonna cost for another setting.”

  Josh dipped his head. “You’re right, honey.” He looked up and looked at Matt, shrugging one shoulder, reminding Matt so much of his younger self it was like looking in a mirror. “You know how I get. Of course you can bring him.”

  Matt grinned in return and nodded. He did. “Thanks,” he said.

  The idea of Jaq here with him, secluded away from the rigors of the real world, appealed to him in ways he hadn’t expected. He’d enjoyed their time at homecoming, even though he’d been late getting there. He wanted more of that, more of that uninterrupted time with Jaq. He wanted to explore Jaq’s body and watch those inhibitions fall away. He wanted to see that smile of his, the one that lit up the room, trained on him, knowing he didn’t give a damn who saw. He wanted to see Jaq in a tux, walk in with him arm in arm, hold him close and dance with him. Lose himself in Jaq’s eyes while the world swirled around them.

  Part of him felt like the relationship was too new, but a bigger, deeper part of him knew it was right. This thing with Jaq? He was all in, and it was time to acknowledge it and stop pretending otherwise.

  “Have you talked to Angela recently?” Diane asked, shifting the conversation.

  And there was the only possible damper. Matt couldn’t imagine Angela objecting to their relationship, but he worried about Jaq. His relationship with Tanisha was strong, rock solid, and Matt knew even if he wanted to be together, it was more of a juggling act for him. But they’d work through it.

  “I spoke to her a few days ago—we chatted for a while after she got her dress,” he told Di. It hit him then that he had no clue how much Di knew about Angela’s sexuality, if she’d told her mom she’d been dating another woman, or if she’d kept that part to herself. He’d have to ask Halo about it, and he wouldn’t betray her confidence on the off chance she hadn’t told Di.

  Diane took a sip of her drink and set it down. “She told me she was dating someone, but wouldn’t give me any details.”

  “As far as I know, that’s over,” Matt told her.

  Diane appeared startled. Not likely from the short-lived relationship, but that Matt knew something about their youngest child, who’d always been closer with Di than with him, that she didn’t. Remorse flashed across Diane’s face, then was gone as quickly as it appeared. He wondered what that was all about.

  “Oh. I see.”

  Matt nodded and went back to his food. How would Angela respond to seeing Tanisha’s father at the wedding? Would she be upset with him? Them? Or would she say the same thing Matt had said to Jaq, namely that her relationship, or lack thereof, should have no impact on theirs. He briefly considered just maintaining his RSVP as it stood now, just him, but the idea of being there with Jaq had taken hold and was going nowhere fast. Sure, there was a possibility Jaq might say no, especially since it was right at the launch date. But if this relationship went where he anticipated, they’d have to cross that bridge soon enough, and Matt preferred to get it over with now.

  The conversation veered off in multiple different directions before Matt paid and they left. In the parking lot Chandra hugged him, and he felt some of the propriety that she exhibited around him loosening, just like he wanted it to.

  Diane even hugged him this time, and her husband, who hadn’t spoken much, if at all, during the lunch, held out his hand to shake. Which was still a little surreal. Matt made it back to his hotel room and flopped down on the bed. He pulled out his phone, took a deep breath, and typed out his message.

  Me: Would you like to come to my son’s wedding as my guest?

  Then he waited.

  * * *

  Jaq stared at his phone, unable to stop his grin. Matt’s invite stared back at him, the succinct question devoid of any real emotion. Which was just like him. He shot a text to Carlton and Lawrence, telling him things might be getting more serious, and good god, Carlton was crude. Where did someone even find gifs like that? He shook his head, laughed when Lawrence chastised him, and set the phone aside.

  He’d thought about Matt’s family, what they were like and how they’d receive him. Whether they’d be accepting of their relationship. Angela’s initial apprehension when they’d first met seemed, in retrospect, to be about her own feelings for Tanisha, and he worried about her reaction. But Matt didn’t seem concerned. He wouldn’t invite him otherwise, right? He typed out his response.

  Me: Of course ye
s. What brought that on?

  Matt: Seems you’re a good influence on me or something. The family wants to meet you.

  Me: I feel like there’s a story behind that. But yes, I’m there.

  Matt: :-D

  Matt with the smiley-face emoji. He must be in a mood. Now that the...whatever with Bernhardt’s was over—and that was something else they needed to discuss, because Patti’d been a mess and Jaq had all but forced her to go home after they got the go-ahead to move forward—Jaq could focus on the rest of his day.

  He forced himself to get some actual work done. With Patti out of the office, he was the go-to guy for the rest of the crew, which meant he had a reason to keep his phone in his desk and not spend the day checking it. Which he acknowledged was a little juvenile, but he was honestly excited to talk to Gran, who he knew would just be tickled to death. And maybe even to Carlton and Lawrence. Lawrence especially might have some good insight on dealing with family that might not be used to seeing their father with another man, even if they mentally accepted it was a possibility.

  By the time he left at the end of the day, he was nearly vibrating with excitement, which dimmed a little when he picked up the present Patti had left for Tanisha. He hadn’t heard from T about doing anything. At nineteen, she’d probably spend more time with friends than with her stodgy old dad and grandma. Still, it was the first time since she’d been a baby that he wouldn’t be there for her, and a part of him died a little at the thought that it’d likely be this way from here on out. If anything, she might come home this weekend and he could give her Patti’s present, even though if she did spend the weekend with them, it meant things were still awkward with Angela.

  Jaq parked on the curb in front of the house, expecting to have a quiet meal with Gran. When he opened the door to the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen, his heart warmed. There was his baby.

  “Hey there, birthday girl,” Jaq said, putting the box down.