Saving Grapes (Cable's Bend Book 1)

by Madeline Kirby

  They settled in to look over the menu choices as they waited for their server.

  “Donna didn’t seem surprised to see us together,” Thom said, leveling his gaze at Ben.

  “No.”

  “What did you tell her?”

  “Nothing,” Ben sighed, setting down his menu. “Thom, I think you probably should come to terms with the fact that you being gay is the worst kept secret in Cable’s Bend.”

  Thom didn’t say anything for a minute, then closed his eyes and shook his head. “Am I a complete idiot?”

  “No, of course not. But you maybe spend too much time alone and working too hard. You should get out more, and I’m going to make sure that happens.” Ben reached over to place his hand over Thom’s. “Okay?”

  Thom opened his eyes and managed a small smile. “Okay.”

  “Good evening, gentlemen,” they were interrupted by the approach of the server. “My name is Amanda and I’ll be your server this evening. Would either of you care for a cocktail?”

  Thom and Ben both declined. “Maybe just wine with the meal?” Thom asked Ben, who nodded.

  “Have either of you dined with us before? No? We have a prix fixe menu. You’ll see we have two choices for each course – appetizer, salad, entrée, and dessert. Each week we feature a different Oregon winery, and the wines are paired with the food.”

  “So, it’s like a tasting dinner every night?” Thom asked.

  “Yes, you could say that,” Amanda replied. “Would you like a little more time to look over the menu?”

  “Actually,” Ben said, “everything looks so good. What do you think of this, Thom – since there’s two choices, why don’t we just order one of everything and then we can taste it all?”

  “That is a very popular option,” the server chimed in.

  Thom took a quick glance at the menu, “Why not?”

  “Excellent choice, gentlemen. I’ll be right back with some water for you.”

  “Look at you,” Ben teased, “living dangerously.”

  “I’d hardly call lamb chops and a Mexican chocolate tart living dangerously.”

  Ben just smiled. The server returned with glasses of water, and Ben took a sip of his before turning back to Thom.

  “You really do look great tonight.”

  Thom rolled his eyes and took a sip of his own water.

  “I mean it. You always look great to me, but it’s nice to see you out of those work clothes. Thank you for agreeing to this date.”

  “You’re determined to make me blush, aren’t you?” Thom asked with a smile.

  Ben laughed. “You’re not blushing. It’s the sunset,” he said, pointing. They both turned to the window. The sky was just starting to turn a warm gold color. A few fluffy clouds caught the light, and they watched while shades of orange and bright pink started to appear.

  Their first course arrived, and their attention turned to the food and conversation. Ben refused to let Thom talk about work or construction, and asked him for stories about his travels with his grandfather and growing up on the vineyard. They were waiting for dessert and laughing over a story about Thom and his grandfather getting on a train headed for Paris and winding up in Berlin instead when Ben felt a hand on his shoulder.

  “Evening, boys,” Ben looked up into his uncle’s laughing eyes. “How’s dinner?”

  “Chuck… I…” Thom stammered.

  “Thom! Good to see you out for a change.”

  “Hey, Uncle Chuck,” Ben drawled. “What are you doing here?”

  “Oh, you know, even old married folks get to have a date night now and then. Your Aunt Lorraine’s been wanting to come here for a while now.”

  “Uh huh. Oh, I think she’s trying to get your attention. You’d better go see what she wants.”

  Chuck looked over his shoulder to where Lorraine was sitting at their table, absorbed in the menu. “Fine, I can take a hint. You boys enjoy your dinner.”

  Thom and Ben watched as Chuck headed back across the restaurant, waving to a couple of people he knew as he passed.

  “Donna must have told him I made a reservation and he couldn’t help snooping,” Ben said.

  “I guess he’s figured out about us, then.”

  “Yeah. Does that bother you?”

  “You know I don’t want him to think I’ve betrayed his trust or taken advantage of our situation.”

  “Does he look angry or upset?”

  “No. No, he doesn’t. Huh.”

  “Well, if he tried to fix you up with half his daughters, he must think you’re good enough for them. Why wouldn’t he think you’re good enough for me?”

  “I guess I never thought about it that way.” Thom met Ben’s eyes with his clear blue gaze. And then he smiled, and to Ben it felt like the first time Thom had really, really smiled at him.

  “If we didn’t have dessert on the way,” Ben said, “I would take you home right now.”

  “I’d let you.”

  “Don’t tempt me. But I’m afraid that if we skip dessert we’ll enrage the chef and never get to come back here.” Ben picked up his wineglass and held it out. “I propose a toast.”

  “To what?” Thom asked, picking up his own glass.

  “To the best first date ever.”

  “Absolutely.”

  * * *

  They drove home in silence, their hands linked on the seat between them. Ben ran this thumb over the back of Thom’s hand. Thom squeezed Ben’s hand, and Ben smiled, leaning back against the headrest and turning to look at Thom’s profile, lit by the dashboard lights. Thom looked as relaxed as Ben had ever seen him awake.

  Thom slowed to take the turn into the drive and the headlights swept over the construction site. It was too dark to see much detail, just shadows and vague shapes. Ben didn’t let his gaze linger, though. Thinking about the construction site reminded him of Ross, and the last time he had been on a date. Then he remembered what had happened after that date, and he suddenly couldn’t wait to get Thom back up to the house.

  Thom parked the truck and cut the engine, but made no move to get out of the car.

  “What is it?” Ben asked.

  “I want to kiss you,” Thom answered, unlatching his seatbelt.

  “You can kiss me anytime you want, you know that.”

  “I mean, I want to kiss you here, now.”

  “Ah, I get it.”

  Thom reached across and drew Ben towards him, running his hand over Ben’s smooth jaw. The kiss was soft and sweet – a first date kind of kiss. When they parted, Ben drew back, smiling, and repeated his words from the restaurant. “Best first date ever.”

  “Can I ask you something? At the risk of spoiling the mood?”

  “Of course.”

  “When Ross brought you home that evening, what did he say after… after he… kissed you? What did he say that made you laugh?”

  Ben chuckled. “He said, ‘That’ll give the boyfriend something to think about.’ He had seen you on the porch, watching us.”

  “God, he’s such a troublemaker.”

  “Mad?”

  “No,” Thom shook his head. “Think I should thank him?”

  “I don’t want to talk about Ross anymore.” The look on Ben’s face made it perfectly clear what was next on the evening’s agenda, and Thom leaned in to kiss him again – not so innocently this time, his tongue teasing Ben’s lips until they parted. They kissed like that, with tongues and teeth clashing and hands roaming until they drew back, panting, to see that the truck windows had fogged up.

  “This is ridiculous,” Thom said. “Why are we out here fooling around in the truck like a couple of teenagers when we have a perfectly good bed inside?”

  “I like fooling around in the truck. But I like beds, too. Especially if you’re in them. Will you respect me in the morning if I put out on our first date?”

  Thom pulled back, grinning and pulling the key from the ignition. He opened his door and jumped to the ground, then turned to s
ay, “Last one upstairs bottoms!” before slamming the door and racing for the house.

  “Bastard!” Ben yelled, reaching for his door, then realizing he hadn’t unfastened his seatbelt. By the time he managed to get loose and out of the truck, Thom was already unlocking the front door. Knowing he’d lost this race, Ben took his time, locked the front door, and headed up the stairs. He looked up to see Thom leaning against the wall at the top of the stairs.

  “Someone might think you wanted to come in second.”

  Ben shrugged. “Either way, I win.” He came to a stop on the step below Thom, putting him at the perfect height to lean in and lick a line up the shorter man’s neck, nuzzling where he could feel Thom’s pulse fluttering just below his jaw.

  He ran his hands up Thom’s arms, across his chest, and started to unbutton his light blue dress shirt, kissing a line down the center of Thom’s chest as each opened button revealed more firm, pale skin.

  Thom’s breath caught. “Ben…” he breathed.

  Ben raised his head. “What is it, sweetheart?” he whispered against Thom’s lips.

  Thom’s answer was a crushing kiss, and then he was stepping back from the stairs, dragging Ben with him towards the bedroom.

  Chapter 12

  It was a hot, sunny afternoon in early September and Thom and Ben were walking the vineyard, tasting grapes. Ben smiled, thinking about the first time they had done this, almost two months ago. He wondered what Thom would do if he tried to kiss him now. They had come a long way, but sometimes he still got the impression that Thom was waiting for him to up and leave.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Just thinking about the first time we did this. We wound up getting so mad at each other that day and I went on that non-date with Ross.”

  “How on earth is that funny?”

  “I was wondering what you’d do if I tried to kiss you now.”

  Thom shifted his weight to one leg and crossed his arms across his chest. “Whatever happens, you’d better not go out with Ross.”

  “That sounds like a challenge.” Ben stalked towards his lover.

  Thom tilted his head back as Ben approached, smiling as Ben lowered his head. As their lips met, Ben’s cell phone began to buzz Chuck’s ring tone from his back pocket. Ben groaned as he raised his head. “Hold that thought,” he said, stepping back and pulling out his phone.

  “Hey, Uncle Chuck.”

  “Ben. Everything okay out there? Not too much rain for you?” the older man asked. The rains had been heavier than usual for the time of year, but not enough to cause problems.

  “It’s fine. What’s up?”

  “I called to let you know I’ve talked to your father.”

  Ben reached a hand out towards Thom, who took it and stepped closer, concern obvious on his face.

  “What did he say?”

  “He’d like to meet. Says he can head up here anytime. What about you, Ben? That work for you? Maybe next week, or do you want more time?”

  Ben squeezed Thom’s hand. “Next week is fine.”

  * * *

  Thom and Ben were in the kitchen when they heard the crunch of wheels on the gravel drive, followed by the sound of a car door closing and footsteps on the porch stairs.

  “I’ll go,” Thom said, standing up just before the knock came on the door. “I’ll put him in the living room, okay?”

  Ben nodded.

  Thom headed down the hall towards the front door. He could see a blurry outline through the frosted glass panel, and wondered, not for the first time, what Ben’s father would be like. He opened the door and it was like he was seeing the future.

  The resemblance was striking. Other than the color of Ben’s eyes, which must have come from his mother, the man was an older version of Ben. He wasn’t as strongly built, but he had the same sandy-colored hair, only worn shorter and silvering at the temples. His skin was the same pale honey color, with only a few small wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. He looked nervous, and a little sad, but he smiled at Thom and damn if he didn’t even have that same dimple.

  “Come in, please,” Thom opened the door wider so Ben’s father could come inside. “I’m Thom Caldwell.”

  “Jonathan Heywood,” the older man said, reaching out to shake Thom’s extended hand. “Please call me Jon. Thank you for letting us meet here.”

  “No, it’s my pleasure. I think being here will make it more comfortable for Ben, and that’s my only concern.”

  Jon met Thom’s eyes for a long moment, then nodded.

  “He feels safe here.” Thom continued.

  “I understand. I respect that. I know I don’t really have the right to say it, but thank you for watching out for him.”

  “Okay,” Thom cleared his throat and turned away. “Well, have a seat in here.” He led Jon to the living room. “Ben’ll be out in a minute. Do you want anything? Coffee?”

  “A glass of water would be great, thanks.”

  “No problem.” Thom headed back to the kitchen where Ben was waiting.

  “He’s in the living room,” Thom said, taking a glass from the cabinet and filling it from the tap.

  “Okay. What’s he like?”

  “He looks just like you. Or, I guess I should say you look like him. He’s not scary, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  Ben shot Thom a sideways look. “I’m not scared.”

  “I didn’t say you were.” Thom opened the freezer and added a couple of ice cubes to the glass, listening to the ice crackle as it hit the warmer water. Ben resumed his study of the wall.

  “I guess I should go out there.”

  “When you’re ready.” Thom sat the glass on the counter and crouched down next to Ben’s chair, looking up at Ben’s face. It was disconcerting to see Ben without a smile or a twinkle in his eye. He’d gotten used to the younger man’s cheerful nature. “Hey,” he put a hand on Ben’s arm, “you don’t have to go out there if you’re not ready. I can send him away if you’re not sure.”

  Ben turned his face to meet Thom’s eyes, and leaned down to kiss Thom’s forehead. “Thank you, but I’m okay. I’m just a little nervous, is all.”

  “Okay. This is for him. You want anything?”

  Ben took the glass of water Thom handed him and shook his head. “No, thanks.”

  Thom watched as Ben walked down the hall and rounded the corner to the living room. Getting a glass of water for himself, he headed to the office, hoping to distract himself with work. He would have gone out to the vineyard, but he wanted to stay close in case Ben needed him.

  * * *

  Ben paused in the doorway, looking at the man sitting on the sofa with his elbows on his knees, head bowed.

  “Um… hello?”

  The man looked up, then rose to his feet when he saw Ben. The two men just stood, looking at each other for a moment. And then Ben smiled – he couldn’t help it. His father (so strange to think that) looked as nervous as he felt.

  “Thom said this was for you,” Ben said, crossing the room to place the water on the table in front of the sofa.

  “Thank you. I’m... I’m Jonathan Heywood.” He held his hand out for Ben to shake.

  “Benjamin Loomis. But I guess you know that. I go by Ben, though. I don’t know what I should call you, though.”

  “Jon? I guess?”

  “Okay.” Ben sat in the armchair across the coffee table from Jon’s seat on the sofa. Jon sat back down and took a sip of water before speaking.

  “I was surprised when Chuck called me.”

  “I wasn’t sure if I should ask him to, but he and Thom both thought it was a good idea. I don’t know how much Uncle Chuck told you about why he called, or why I’m here.”

  “I know you felt you had to leave your mother’s house, and why. I work with our campus LGBT Resource Group, and I know kids who’ve left home, or been made to leave. I would hate to think that you grew up in a home where you didn’t feel safe, or you couldn’t be yourself.”
>
  “When I was a kid it didn’t matter so much. I knew there were these people Mom didn’t like, but I didn’t understand why and I was just a kid, so she didn’t talk to me about it and I didn’t pay attention. When I got a little older I started understanding what she meant by words like ‘homo’ and ‘fag’. I knew pretty early on that I had feelings she would think were wrong, so I just didn’t say anything to her. She always used to say she was thankful I wasn’t one of those wild boys running around with loose girls.” Ben chuckled, “Poor Mom. The truth is I was just as wild as those guys, I was just fooling around with other guys in the woods behind the gym. I think as long as I was still at home, she had enough on her plate raising me to keep her busy. It was after I went away to college that she got involved in a local church to keep her busy. It was one of those fundamentalist, fire and brimstone places. I didn’t go home much during college – I would take classes over the summer, go visit friends, anything I could come up with that kept me from going home.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Ben shrugged, “It is what it is, right? I don’t think going home would have stopped her from becoming a homophobic bigot.”

  “I think she was far down that road already, I just wish I had realized it sooner.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean,” Jon got up to pace back and forth in front of the sofa, “well, that was the reason I left. Well, not left. The reason she kicked me out.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Before I met your mother, I had had other girlfriends, of course. But I had also had a couple of boyfriends as well.”

  “Oh,” Ben sat back and looked up at his father in surprise, “so you’re… what? Bisexual?”

  “Yes. But maybe pansexual would be more accurate. I never worried about a person’s sex or gender. If I felt an emotional connection with someone, the package they came in just didn’t matter to me.”