by Pandora Pine
“I have a feeling that conversation about grandkids the other day got to her. Greeley’s a living representation of what that could mean in her life, and besides, he stood up to her even though she was bitchy to him. She knows where she stands with him and that’s new for her, someone giving her boundaries and not taking her shit.” Ten chuckled. He wished he’d had the balls to stand up to Kaye when he was seventeen the way Greeley had done. He wondered if it would have made a difference.
“Do you want to go or do you want to spend the night in our pajamas watching something ridiculous on Netflix? I’m good either way, babe.” The look in Ronan’s eyes said he meant it.
“We should go. Now that our consulting role in the Shannon Bradley case is over, the only loose end left here in Kansas is my mother. The more quickly we get her settled, the quicker we can go home.”
Ronan nodded. “I’ll go text Fitzgibbon and see if he and Greeley are up for a night with your mother.”
“God help us all.” Tennyson found a smile.
Ronan shot Tennyson a cheeky grin. “After what we saw today, what’s the worst that could happen?”
Tennyson had to admit Ronan had a point.
34
Ronan
After a quick stop at Union Chapel’s only florist shop, Ronan turned the truck back onto Route 20 toward Kaye Grimm’s house. He had no idea what could have possibly precipitated her invitation to dinner, but he was trying to keep an open mind about the evening to come.
“Do you think Kaye is going to like this little bonsai tree?” Greeley asked. It had been his idea to go to the florist shop. He’d wanted to get her something that she’d have to take an interest in caring for instead of flowers that would wilt and die in a few days.
“I do,” Ten agreed. “When I was growing up, Mom was always a first-class gardener. She loved her vegetable patch in the back yard. She even talked to the plants while she weeded. She was convinced that was why we had such a tasty harvest.”
“That was really thoughtful of you, son,” Kevin said.
“I want her to think of her New England family every time she takes care of this tree.” Greeley smiled at Ronan in the rearview mirror. “Maybe over time it will soften her heart to us.”
“You don’t know that hasn’t happened already,” Ronan said. “That could be what this dinner tonight is all about.”
“Or she heard that Shelly Brinkman had us to dinner and she doesn’t want to be outdone.” Tennyson sound testy.
“Well, here we are now. Let’s find out which one of us is right, Nostradamus.” Ronan waggled his eyebrows at his fiancé. “But you do have the advantage with your mind powers.” He leaned over the center console to kiss his fiancé.
Ten rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t using my mind powers. I was using seventeen years of Kaye Grimm experience.”
Ronan laughed. “I can’t wait until I have seventeen years of Tennyson Grimm experience to draw from.”
“God help us all,” Fitzgibbon laughed before he hopped out of the backseat.
Ronan followed his boss out of the truck. He was feeling more optimistic than he had since they’d first landed here in Kansas. Maybe because it was nearly time for them to go home. He was surprised to see Kaye waiting for them at the door.
“Hello, everyone,” she greeted.
“Okay, who is that and what has she done with my mother?” Ten whispered to Ronan.
“Give her a chance, Ten.” Ronan was all smiles. “Hello, Kaye. You’re looking like a million bucks tonight.”
Kaye was wearing a light blue dress and her hair was done up in a neat twist. It was the most put together she’d looked in the week that Ronan and Tennyson had been here. “Thank you, Ronan. I appreciate the compliment. Hello, Kevin and Greeley. What’s this you’ve got?” She pointed to the small tree Greeley was carrying.
“It’s a present we brought for you.” Greeley offered her a bright smile, but kept the tree in his hands.
“Oh, that’s lovely. Hello, Tennyson.”
“Hello, Mom.” Ten nodded at his mother.
“Why don’t you all come inside. Dinner is still in the oven. It has a little bit to cook yet. I hope you all like pork roast.”
Everyone nodded. Greeley walked to the table and set the bonsai tree down in the center before taking a seat himself.
“I guess you’re all wondering why I invited you all over here tonight.” Kaye was standing near her usual seat at the dining room table.
“The thought did cross our minds.” Ronan held out Tennyson’s seat for him and when his husband-to-be was settled, took the chair next to his.
Kaye watched with a curious eye, but said nothing. She took her seat and pushed a manila envelope toward Tennyson. “This is your father’s will. It had been sitting with all of our important documents and papers. I’ve known where it was all along, but I was scared to open it.”
Tennyson’s brows knit together as he reached for the envelope. When he flipped it over, Ronan could see that the seal had been broken on the envelope. Kaye must have found a way to overcome her fear.
“You read it?” Ten asked, sliding the document out of the envelope. He started to casually flip through the pages.
Ronan was trying not to read over Ten’s shoulder. The document only seemed to be a few pages long and didn’t look overly complicated.
Kaye nodded. “It’s just a standard will. David left everything to me. Even if he hadn’t drafted a will, Kansas probate law is set up so that the surviving spouse inherits all marital property. So, this little piece of the American Dream is all mine, in addition to a couple of life insurance policies I didn’t even know David had taken out. One of them was to pay for his funeral costs, but there are two others that will see to my needs for however long God sees fit to keep me on this planet.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Mom. Ronan and I were concerned about you and what would happen to you going forward.” Ten reached out a hand to Ronan, who didn’t hesitate to take it.
The news was a real load off Ronan’s mind too.
“I don’t see why this is any of your business.” Kaye sounded like she was starting to get her dander up.
“Kaye,” Greeley started, his voice was calm and sweet, “we’re going to be going home soon. We won’t be able to drop by and check on you every day or every other day like we get to do now. I know that I’ll sleep so much better being half a country away knowing that you’re all set financially. I think Uncle Ronan and Uncle Tennyson feel the same way too, right guys?”
Ronan nodded. He looked over at Tennyson who was mirroring the action as well.
“Greeley’s absolutely right,” Tennyson said. Fatigue marred his usual upbeat tone. “We can’t leave Kansas until we know you can take care of yourself, Mom. So, there are a couple of things we need to talk about honestly and without you getting upset. Do you think we can do that?”
Kaye frowned. Her dark eyes strayed to the tree sitting in the center of the table. “What kind of things. I’m not going to sit here and discuss my personal life with a bunch of strangers.”
“Okay, first of all, we’re not strangers. We’re your family. Secondly, we’re not going to discuss anything more personal than your ability to drive and take responsibility for your new life.” Tennyson raised an eyebrow in challenge.
Kaye folded and unfolded her hands in front of her. She refused to make eye contact with anyone. “Why is driving so important anyway?”
“You’re going to need to be able to get back and forth to the grocery store, church, and the doctor at the very least,” Ten pointed out.
“Grocery stores deliver. Doctors make house calls and I can watch services on the television.” Kaye’s tone was stubborn.
“Which grocery stores deliver, Kaye? And show me your cell phone. Do you have their apps installed on your phone?” Greeley asked.
“You are a very nosy young man.” Kaye’s nose went up in the air.
“Didn’t I see you with a flip p
hone at David’s funeral last week?” Kevin asked.
Ronan bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud.
“Don’t you dare laugh at me, Ronan.” Kaye’s tone was terse.
“Face it Kaye, I’ll bet you didn’t understand half of what Greeley just said to you.” Ronan’s tone was kind. He didn’t want to be mean to Tennyson’s mother, but there were some harsh facts she needed to face or she was going to end up living a lonely life of a shut-in.
“So what if I didn’t?” Her voice cracked.
“Let us help you, Kaye,” Greeley said. He reached out for her hand. “Let us teach you how to drive. We’ll even get you a new iPhone. I’ll put the right apps on it and show you how to use them so that you can get driving directions and order groceries if the weather is bad. You can even send me messages or share pictures.”
“Now why on earth would I want to do that?” She looked up at Greeley, making eye contact with him for the first time.
“I’ve got a pretty interesting life back in Massachusetts. I’ll be starting college in the New Year. I’ve got a new puppy. I read a lot of interesting books. I bet we could start our own book club. There’s a lot we could share with each other.” Greeley shrugged.
“You have a puppy?” Kaye asked.
Greeley nodded. He dug his phone out of his back pocket. He flipped the screen around to show her a few seconds later. “That’s Lola. Dad got her for me when I aced my GED. I only got to be with her for a few days before we flew out here.” Greeley showed her how to swipe left to look through the pictures herself.
“She’s pretty cute, I guess. For something the size of a rat.” Kaye smiled at the outraged look on Greeley’s face. “Why are her ears so big?”
“She’s a Papillon mix. Those dogs are famous for their big ears.” Greeley grinned.
“Why are there two dogs in this picture?” Kaye asked.
“The other one is Lola’s sister Dixie. She’s Uncle Ronan and Uncle Tennyson’s dog.”
Kaye looked up at her son. “Tennyson always wanted a dog when he was little but David didn’t want animals in the house.”
“Did you want a dog or a cat, Kaye?” Greeley asked.
“Both. I would have liked having an animal, especially after Tennyson was in school full-time. It was lonely being home by myself all day with him being gone and David being at work.”
Greeley wore a triumphant look on his face. “I knew you were an animal person. I looked it up on the internet and Union Chapel has a no-kill shelter out on Route 76.”
“What are you saying, young man?” Kaye narrowed her eyes at Greeley.
“I’m proposing a deal of some sort.”
“A deal?” Kaye sounded suspicious.
Greeley nodded. His million-watt smile was on full display. “You learn how to drive and pass your license test. In return we’ll get you set up with a new phone and the internet. Heck, we’ll even get you an e-reader if you want.”
“What’s the catch?”
“You have to learn how to use the technology, Kaye. The devices can’t just sit in their boxes,” Fitzgibbon chimed in.
“That doesn’t sound too hard.”
“I also think it would be a good idea if you got a volunteer job.”
“A job?” Kaye sounded offended.
“You know, something to keep you busy and active. It just so happens that the animal shelter is looking for help. They need someone to help feed and water the animals. Maybe answer some phone calls and help families do the paperwork to adopt new members of their family. Working there you’d also get first choice of which animal you wanted to adopt. I think you would hit that job out of the rink!”
Ronan snorted and started to laugh. Tennyson joined in too.
“I mixed up my sports metaphors again, didn’t I?” Greeley grinned sheepishly.
Kevin patted the boy’s back. “He makes a good point, don’t you think, Kaye?”
“I don’t know.”
“You have the rest of your life left to lead. Do you want to spend it alone in this house calling out for pizza every night and having groceries delivered? Or, do you want to take an active role in deciding what the next fifty years are going to look like?” Ronan asked.
“Fifty years?” Kaye rolled her eyes. “I hardly think I’ve got that long left.”
“You could though, Kaye. Think of all the books we could read together in fifty years.” Greeley’s eyes glowed.
“Oh, please. You’ll forget about me in no time. You’ve got college coming up and then you’ll be studying and you’ll fall in love and get a job and start a family.”
“I’ll always have time for you,” Greeley promised. “But friendship like that works both ways. And it has to work like that with Uncle Tennyson too.”
Ronan kept his mouth shut and watched the reaction on Tennyson and Kaye’s faces. Tennyson barely moved, but Ronan could see he was holding his breath. Kaye, on the other hand, seemed taken off guard.
“Greeley, you know I don’t believe in their lifestyle.”
“You’re not too old to change your beliefs, Kaye. A lady is always entitled to change her mind.” Greeley sat back in his chair. He wore a patient look on his face.
The oven timer dinged in the kitchen. “I need to think about all of this.”
Greeley nodded, sitting forward in his seat. “Okay. You’ve got until 8am tomorrow morning. That’s when Dad and I will be here to pick you up to start your driving lessons.”
Kaye’s mouth gaped open. Only a small squeak came out. She turned and walked back into the kitchen without making another sound.
35
Tennyson
As upset as Tennyson was over Kaye’s unwillingness all of these years later to accept him for the gay man he was, he had to admit her cooking had improved by leaps and bounds. The pork roast she’d made for dinner was the best meal he’d ever eaten in that house, hands down.
That realization wasn’t helping him fall asleep. He was lying in his hotel bed staring up at the spinning blades of the ceiling fan, while Ronan lay next to him. He couldn’t tell if his lover was sleeping or practicing his yoga breathing.
“Do you really think I could sleep at a time like this?” Sarcasm dripped from Ronan’s voice.
“Stop reading my mind, O’Mara!” Tennyson snorted, remembering all the times Ronan had said the exact same thing to him.
Ronan shifted in bed, rolling onto his side, bracing his head in the cup of his hand. “Talk to me, Ten.”
“You know what’s wrong with me, Ronan.”
“I sure do, sugar plum, but the list is long and the night is short. How about you narrow it down for me?” Ronan laughed.
Tennyson rolled his eyes and poked Ronan in stomach. “Kaye watched us like cockroaches at her dining room table. She saw how tender we were with each other, then she listened to Greeley lay out his plan to help her and she still refused to accept us as her family.”
Ronan sighed. “The one thing I’ve learned about your mother in the time we’ve been here is that she’s a control freak. She is one of those kinds of people who doesn’t like an idea unless it’s her idea. You ever notice that?”
Tennyson thought about what Ronan had just said. He’d never really paid a lot of attention to things like that when he’d been living with his parents. He’d had his own shit to deal with, but since he’d been back in Union Chapel, he had noticed that Kaye had a way of doing things in her own good time. “Yeah, I guess I noticed that.”
“She listened to you about reading your father’s will, but it took her about a week to do it. I’m guessing that’s about the amount of time it took her to realize that reading it was her idea.” Ronan reached out for Ten, pulling his lover into his arms. He settled the other man against his chest. “I’m guessing she was studying us tonight to look for things about us that were objectionable.”
Ten felt his brows knit together. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m thinking Kaye’s never
seen a gay couple together before, right?” Ronan stroked his hands down Tennyson’s back.
Ten snorted. “I’d guess not.”
“So, she saw me pull out your chair at the dining room table and saw us hold hands.”
“What did she think we were going to do? Suck each other off at the table?” Ten felt his heart starting to pound.
“Yeah, that sounds about right. Isn’t that what most people who don’t know anything about gays think?” Ronan’s voice was calm.
“I… Hmm.” Okay, maybe Ronan had a point. “So, you think she was watching us and seeing that we act like any hetero couple. We’re courteous of each other and we laugh together. We don’t do big displays of public affection and we always have each other’s backs.”
“Babe, it can take time for a long-held belief to change. It might even take us being gone for Kaye to realize how truly alone she is. She’s still in that sympathy stage. Casseroles are showing up anonymously at her door. We’re food shopping for her and offering to buy her new iPhones and Kindles, but once we’re gone and all of her friends and neighbors go back to their regular lives, she’ll be alone.”
Ten had to admit Ronan had another point. A good one. This was real life, not an episode of The Brady Bunch where every problem was solved in thirty minutes with hugs all around.
Ten had often wondered what Mike and Carol Brady would have done if one of their kids had come out to them. Hell, with six kids there was a pretty good chance that one of them was gay or bi at the very least. Ten’s money would have been on Jan, but that was neither here nor there. He was sure that if one of those kids had come out as gay, the family would have rallied around them and let them know they were loved and just as much a part of the family now as before they’d come out.
“Maybe part of the problem here is me.”
“What do you mean?” Ronan asked. He pressed a gentle kiss to Tennyson’s forehead.
“I still have thirteen years of bad blood in my system. I’m still angry that my parents didn’t just accept me like Mike and Carol Brady would have done.”
Ronan burst out laughing. Ten started squirming in his arms. “Hold on a second, Nostradamus. I’m not laughing at you. No family is that perfect. I always wondered if Carol had a bottle of Wild Turkey hidden in toilet tank in their bathroom or if Mike was chasing secretaries in his office. I bet Greg was smoking dope in that attic bedroom and you know Marcia was on her knees more than a penitent sinner.”
