S: BBC, I’m getting pissed off. Who is Edwin? Is it Henry’s lover?
The texts went silent and he thought if they sailed out of port without telling him, he was going to go out of his mind. You are Edwin? What the hell was that supposed to mean? What the fuck was Schooner talking about?
He jumped when the phone in his hand rang and the avatar with Mia’s mischievous smile was shining back at him.
“BBC.”
“Oh my God, Princess, I have missed you. We’re almost home, we’re just north of the Cape,” Mia’s voice crackled in the poor connection, “and I’m picking up cell signal from there.”
“Thank God. Enough of this honeymoon crap. Come home now.”
“How are my babies? Have you seen them? They were asleep when I last called.”
“I saw them last night on the way home. They are fine. Running your parents ragged.”
“That makes me feel better.” Mia sounded relieved.
“Now who the hell is Edwin?” Seth had enough of the chit-chat. His heart had been hanging out on a street corner for two weeks.
“Let me put Schooner on.”
“Hey Seth,” the familiar voice sounded concerned. “What’s going on with Edwin? Is everything OK?”
“Yes, Henry wants to make him a birthday party and wants you to come out for it when we’re out there doing a brochure photo shoot.”
“Excellent. I’ll check my calendar when we get back.”
“Schooner, who is Edwin? Is that Henry’s partner?”
Through the crackling static, he could hear Schooner’s laugh. “Edwin? No. But he is an amazing friend. He’s been to Henry what you are to Mia. And I never thought about it before, but you could be Edwin’s spawn.” He could hear Mia saying she needed to meet him.
“Is he involved with anyone?” These people were pissing him off. He needed answers.
“Edwin?”
“No, not Edwin. Henry.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. “No. Not that I know of.” Schooner’s demeanor immediately changed.
“So, you’re just going to leave me hanging there?”
“Seth, it’s not my story to tell.”
Feeling his throat closing, he knew Schooner was right. If he and Henry Clark were meant to be – as colleagues, friends or lovers – then those stories would be revealed as part of their trust.
“OK, I understand. Just answer me one question.”
“I’ll try,” Schooner promised.
“Will this guy break my heart?” Feeling incredibly vulnerable, his best friend’s husband was one of the few people on the planet with whom he could be so honest and now he’d just admitted his interest in his friend.
“I don’t know the answer to that, Seth. All I can tell you is that he is a great guy, as are you.”
And the line went dead.
“Seth Shapiro, as I live and breathe.” Scott Hoover looked up from his camera perched on a tripod in the entranceway of L9/Carlsbad. “Has the island of Manhattan crumbled into the sea?” Scott pulled a lens out of the pocket of his cargo shorts and swapped it out with the lens on the front of the camera body, before walking down the path to greet Seth with a warm hug.
Dressed in a dark gray Dolce & Gabbana suit and claret red tie, Seth looked as if he might be part of the shoot if they’d been doing a piece for corporate investors.
“Just helping out the new guy,” Seth tried to make light of showing up for a shoot outside of Manhattan, something he never did.
“Quite magnanimous of you.” Scott was quickly catching on to exactly why Seth was in southern California.
“Is he here?” It was still early, but Seth was on east coast time. Even with his flight getting in late, he couldn’t sleep and Scott was clearly there trying to catch the early morning golden hour light for the outdoor shots.
“Yeah, I saw him go in a few minutes ago.”
Bringing Henry up to speed on the project had actually been quite fun. He was a quick learner and provided a fresh set of eyes. As a way to get him to start understanding what was successful in marketing and advertising materials, Seth had been sending him ads from other companies on a daily basis, and asking Henry to tell him what worked and what didn’t work and why.
“Headline is dull. Picture doesn’t even give you a hint at what the product is and there is nothing in the copy that makes me want to buy this. And where is their web address? I can’t believe they left that off. And the whole thing just feels kind of off-balance to me.” Henry was on point and succinct with his analysis.
“You’re going to end up a marketing guy, yet.” Seth had told him earlier in the week.
“Well, I really do appreciate all your time and help. I’d wish you’d let me at least pick you up at the airport when you get in.”
“Not necessary, my flight gets in so late and I need to grab a rental car. I’ll meet you at L9 in the morning,” he had told him. Truth was, Seth didn’t want to see him after a long day of travel, but rather after a good night’s sleep and a hot shower.
Arriving in his room at La Costa a little after 1 A.M., Seth went to open the glass door to his balcony to listen to the surf, when he noticed a bottle of wine sitting next to the ice bucket. Picking up the bottle, he was surprised, in a very good way, to find he was holding a bottle of Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, one of his personal favorite wines. Leaning against the silver bucket, was a small cream-colored card. The note was handwritten.
Seth –
Welcome to the other coast. Enjoy this thank you for all you’ve done for me. Word on the street is that you’re a Cab lover. Look forward to seeing you in the morning.
~Henry
Holding the card in his hand, he smiled as he reread it. So much had changed in the last few weeks. Gone was that crazy obsession and confusion he felt right after meeting Henry, replaced by a business relationship that was quickly becoming a friendship. There was the layer of tension between the two men, it was still there, but other aspects were beginning to grow and become real.
Now, as he entered the L9 facility, Seth knew he looked damn fine in his D&G suit and looking attractive for Henry Clark was at the top of his agenda. It actually might have been the only thing on his agenda.
The receptionist looked up with a smile, “Good morning, Mr. Shapiro. Henry is expecting you,” and she called back to his office to let him know of Seth’s arrival.
Seth could feel him and instinctually knew he was approaching from the left. Turning slowly, he had been right on the mark. He watched Henry approach, a broad smile on his face, his long, tan runners’ legs, a sight Seth was not ready for, inciting instant dry mouth.
Extending a hand, for a formal business hello, Seth, the king of everything in his business domain, was at a loss. Ignoring the outstretched hand, Henry went in for a warm hug, and Seth wanted to slap himself for stiffening as Henry’s arms encircled him.
“It’s so good to see you again,” Henry greeted.
“It’s really good to see you.” Seth was immediately taken by the violet in Henry’s eyes.
“Have you been to this facility before?”
“No, not this one,” taking in the ocean view. “Schooner is really a genius.”
“Every facility is so different. It’s really quite visionary.” Henry appeared proud.
“And the man has a sixth sense about real estate.” Seth was lost in the view.
“Let me show you around. I’m sure it will give you some ideas on how you’d like to direct Scott.”
Touring the inside first, Henry kept a running dialogue, pointing out the site’s unique aspects. As they exited the back to the lushly landscaped patio and infinity pool, he remarked, “I need to get you out of that suit.”
Surprised, Seth looked at him wide-eyed, “Oh really?”
Opening his mouth to speak, Henry stammered without actually producing any words, as his cheeks took on a pink glow. Recovering, “Let’s go over to the pro-sho
p and get you a tee-shirt and some shorts, it’s going to be close to eighty degrees today.” They started to walk and Henry looked at Seth, smiling, “You really do rock a suit.”
And it was Seth’s turn to blush.
“Thank you for the wine. That was very thoughtful.” Very thoughtful? Seth wanted to slap himself. Who says that? Why was he tripping all over his own dick with this guy?
“Did you have a chance to drink it?” Henry looked pleased.
“No, I got in too late and I’m three hours ahead. And that wine is too good to drink alone.” He hoped Henry would take the hint.
Entering the pro-shop, they were immediately met by staff, “Please help Mr. Shapiro with anything he needs and bill it to the house account,” he instructed them. “I’m heading back to my office, which is right down that hall, just come find me when you’re ready.”
Henry was on the phone when Seth sat down across from him, looking like an L9 member (which he was). Smiling at him, he mouthed the words, “You look good.”
Seth sneered back at him.
Hanging up, he laughed, “What’s the sneer for?”
“I feel half-naked. How do you people do business like this?”
Henry laughed. “I was a suit guy, too. But I’m getting used to this really quick.”
Pulling out his laptop, Seth opened it on Henry’s desk and turned it so that it would be visible for both of them.
“I’ll come around,” Henry offered and sat down next to Seth, pulling his chair closer.
You are killing me, Mr. Clark, Seth thought.
“Here’s what we’ve got for the final layouts for each brochure. If you’re good with all of these, we’ll be ready to pull Scott in and map out all the visuals and let him do his thing.”
They spent the next two and a half hours working through the details of each of the pieces and giving Scott their final input for the corresponding images.
“He’s good to go,” Seth advised Henry. “When he’s done, he’ll work directly with our art department and the next thing you’ll see is a final comp. That’s where we catch anything before it goes to press. I want to meet with him tomorrow morning in Newport Beach to make some final decisions on the models for that brochure. They look fine, but I just like to see them live, prior to committing.”
“We’re going to want to hit the road early.” Henry didn’t skip a beat and Seth didn’t show his surprise at the word “we’re”.
“So, I’m being a terrible host. Your stomach probably thinks it’s mid-afternoon. Let me take you to lunch.”
As they passed Scott setting up the lighting for work with two models, he turned to Seth and mouthed, “Lucky bastard.”
Smiling, Seth nodded and followed Henry out to the valet where his BMW was brought around.
“Are you ready?” Henry lowered the roof and put on his sunglasses. Reaching across Seth, his arm grazing his thighs, as he opened the glove compartment and pulled out two L9 caps, tossing one onto Seth’s lap.
The brush of his arm on his thighs had Seth speechless, until they turned onto the Pacific Coast Highway, “Where are we headed?”
Henry smiled, “One of my favorite places, the Ocean Terrace at George’s on the Cove in La Jolla.”
“Outdoors, I’m assuming?”
Nodding, Henry laughed, “Yes, and on the ocean.”
The sun felt good on his face, as Seth took his seat facing the water. “This is gorgeous,” he remarked.
“Hello, Mr. Clark,” the cute brunette waitress was flirting with Henry.
She is misinformed, Seth was internally sneering. Back off, you little bimbo.
“How are you, Brandy?” he smiled at her. “How about a bottle of Albarino and two glasses of water.”
Take charge guy or just playing the good host? Seth wondered.
“A bottle of Albarino? How are we going to work this afternoon?”
With a smile that made Seth want to reach out and grab the man’s hand, Henry laughed. “Who said anything about working this afternoon?” He paused for a moment, “Though I have a feeling no matter what subject we start with, we’re going to end up back on a work topic. So this is kind of like a working lunch.”
When the wine arrived, Seth proposed the first toast, “To Mr. and Mrs. Moore and our working lunches on their behalf.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Moore.” Henry just shook his head. “Those two together, finally, just shows you that happiness doesn’t always have to be an elusive dream.”
“Well, it eluded the two of them for a long time.”
“Was Mia unhappy?” Henry became very serious.
Seth thought for a moment, sipping his wine as he formulated his response. “Mia is generally a happy person and she can take any situation and find the positive in it.”
“That’s true,” Henry smiled, remembering a rambunctious sixteen year old college freshman who was basically her own traveling party.
“But as you know, she had some bad shit happen to her that she never dealt with.”
Henry knew that Seth was referring to a rape that happened during their freshman year.
“And when it finally caught up to her, she hit rock bottom. And it was a long climb out of that hole. But she did it. She worked hard and did it, only to be slammed by another devastating blow when she lost someone really special on 9/11.”
Seth watched the violet in Henry’s eyes darken, as the muscles in his jaw twitched. He just nodded and put his sunglasses back over his eyes, erecting a barrier between the two of them.
I wish I knew your story, Henry Clark.
“You were there for Mia?” His question was simple when he finally spoke again.
“Yes, I was.”
“I’m glad she’s had you, Seth. I’m sure she’s made it through all she has because you were there for her.” Henry refilled their wine glasses as the waitress dropped off their ceviche appetizers. “So has it just pretty much been you and Mia all these years?” Henry finally asked.
Nodding, “And our partner, Kami. We were building the business and very involved in a lot of charitable things in New York City. It’s really kind of been a whirlwind.” Seth laughed. “But that might be because Mia is her very own cyclone.”
Sitting back, Seth waited for Henry’s next question. He appeared to be leading up to asking him if there was anyone or had been anyone special in his life. But he didn’t ask the question, and Seth wondered if it was because he didn’t want it to lead to questions about his own personal life.
“So tell me about Edwin?” Seth felt adrift and needed to bring Henry back from wherever he’d gone.
Smiling, “You’re going to love Edwin and Edwin is going to love you.” And just like that, Henry started talking again and Seth was glad to have him back.
“I can’t wait to meet him.”
“Saturday night. And he has no clue.”
“This is going to be fun.” Seth loved parties and a surprise party for a wild, old queen was a recipe for a good time even if he didn’t know another soul there.
Lifting his sunglasses from his eyes, Henry’s tone was sincere, “I’m really glad you’re here.”
“I’m really glad you wanted me here.”
And with that, Seth Shapiro hoped that Henry Clark would let him in, before he started erecting his own unretractable walls, and the chasm between them became too wide to negotiate. Seth knew the window of opportunity was shrinking.
For both of them.
S: Can I help you run errands or set-up for the party? Schooner and Mia are spending the day with his parents and I’m going to go bat shit crazy just staring at the ocean.
H: Are you sure you don’t want to just spend your day relaxing?
S: I don’t do the relax thing and I’ll have you know I am legendary for my party planning prowess.
H: That wedding you put together for Schooner & Mia was pretty spectacular.
S: What’s your address? I’m coming over.
“Hey, good morning,” He
nry opened the door with a smile and pulled Seth into a warm hug.
Stiffening in his arms, yet again, Seth wished he could reciprocate, but this guy was giving him such mixed messages, and there was no way he was going to let go of his emotions until he knew what was going on.
“Nice place.” Seth surveyed the spacious condo.
“Why do I get the feeling you are redecorating in your head?”
Laughing, “Busted. I could have a lot of fun with this space.”
“Next trip you can take me décor shopping.” Henry seemed more relaxed in his own environment.
Next trip? It was hard for Seth to fathom because they were colleagues, that this was going to be a long term relationship. They would see each other. Have contact with one another. Attend events together.
Sitting down on the couch, “Tell me what you’ve got planned for tonight.”
Walking him through the arrangements he’d made for the caterer, bartenders, the cake, Henry laid out the evening’s plan.
“So, what’s the theme?” Seth asked when he finished.
“What do you mean?” Henry looked totally perplexed.
“The theme for the party.” Seth was looking at him very seriously.
“Umm, birthday.” Henry’s answer sounded more like a question.
Shaking his head, “What am I going to do with you?”
Henry smirked, “That does seem to be the burning question, doesn’t it.”
Engaging his beautiful eyes with a no-nonsense stare, Seth nodded, “Yes, it does. But that is a later conversation. Right now, we need to salvage your lame-ass attempt at a party. Tell me about Edwin.”
With a smile that spoke volumes of his love for the older man, “Well, he’s turning 70, but he could run circles around the two of us. He’s kind of old Hollywood matinee idol. I think that’s the best way to describe him. He’s bold and brash and always tells it like it is. I’ve always felt like he’s everything I’m not, but sort of wish I could be. He does not care what other people think.”
“You know when he enters a room?” Seth asked, as he began to Google information on his phone.
Nodding his head, Henry laughed. “Understatement.”
Turning his phone to Henry, “Is this near here?”
Henry's End Page 19
