Pick Up the Pieces

by Tinnean

“No, no trouble at all. I’ll just go… um….” Should I suggest he wait in the living room? No, that might seem as if I didn’t want to talk to him. I didn’t want it to come across that way. This was my lover’s uncle, after all, and….

  And I was dithering. I was a professional. I knew how to deal with people.

  “Would you like to join me in the kitchen?”

  “Sure.”

  “It’s right this way.” I led the way there. If I made Greek coffee, something I very rarely did because the reminder of home was too painful, it would take a few hours to finish. Done correctly, very slow sipping was involved.

  I decided on a mountain blend with a deep, rich flavor and got busy grinding the beans. Peter Matheson probably liked his coffee strong enough to float horseshoes, so I ground extra. I took out the percolator I used for those special occasions, when I wanted to impress someone—I would have done it that first morning with Wills, but he’d been too pressed for time—added water, put the grounds into the basket, and set the pot on the stove with the flame turned to the right height. As much as I wanted the coffee to brew as quickly as possible, I had no intention of having it boil over and appear like a rank amateur.

  “I made baklava yesterday. Would you like a piece?”

  “No, thanks. I had a late lunch. You cook?”

  “Yes. Ordering takeout or going out to eat gets old really fast.”

  “Not to mention expensive.”

  I didn’t tell him it wasn’t expensive when someone else was doing the buying. Then again, maybe that made it even more expensive.

  “Are you a good cook?”

  “Wills thinks so.” The truth of the matter was, I was a very good cook, but that was something only the boys, and now Wills, knew.

  “William knows good cooking. His grandmother—that would be my mother—is one of the best cooks I know, and his mother, God rest her soul, was right up there with her. If he thinks you’re good, I’d say you probably are.”

  His words made me blush, and I cleared my throat. “You knew Wills’s mother?”

  “Yeah.” His expression became nostalgic. “I didn’t have much opportunity to get together with the family, but Sophia and Jack had me over a few times when I was in town. She was a pretty girl. William gets his coloring from her.”

  And his lack of height as well, I’d say, since every other Matheson I’d met so far was at least six feet tall, and Jar looked as if he’d be approaching that height soon too.

  “I’m sorry I’ll never get the opportunity to meet her.”

  “It was a rough time for my brother and his son when they lost Sophia.” He abruptly changed the subject, and I wondered if he’d had feelings for his brother’s wife. “Your kitchen has a very interesting layout.”

  “I’m happy with it. This house needed a lot of renovations, and I was able to have the kitchen designed to my specifications.” I pointed out the walk-in pantry, the corner cabinets with their lazy Susans, the appliance garage, and the under-the-counter wine cooler that was rarely fully stocked anymore, since it hadn’t been needed for clients in a very long time.

  “It’s rather elaborate for just two men, though, don’t you think?”

  “They’re good resale points.”

  “Are you planning on selling?”

  “No, but that’s what my architect always said.” Although Walter had been talking about the fireplaces at the time.

  “Hmm.” Matheson leaned forward to read the magnet on the fridge: Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup. “Interesting philosophy.”

  “That’s Wills’s, one of the few things he brought from his apartment. He told me he’d picked it up on one of his business trips.” As I took out the cups and saucers and placed them on the island, I noticed he was examining the pot rack that hung from the ceiling. “That was the one thing I didn’t realize I needed. He built it for me.”

  “Jack was always proud that William was so handy.”

  “I imagine he must have been disappointed when Wills chose not to go into the family business.”

  “Not really. William can swing a mean hammer, but his heart was never really in architecture. Or construction, for that matter. Jack knew that. On the other hand, I’d hoped for a time William might join the Marines, but that wasn’t meant to be either.” He shrugged and ran his fingertips over the grain of the birch cabinets.

  “Wills, a Marine? I’m sorry, but…. Wills?”

  He shrugged again, his attention apparently caught by the design in the granite countertops. “My brothers’ children are as close as I’ll ever get to having kids of my own.” He toyed with the Marine Corps ring he wore on his right hand. “Of them all, William is the most like me. He’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done.”

  “Uh, yes. He’s an excellent computer technician.” I’d been keeping one eye on the coffeepot, and I turned the flame down just as it began to percolate. “It shouldn’t be too much longer, Pete.”

  “Since we have to wait for the coffee to finish brewing, do you think we could—”

  “Of course,” I rushed in. “You’ll want to see what the apartment looks like. I’m sorry, I should have offered earlier. Let me give you a tour.”

  “That wasn’t what I was going to say.”

  “It wasn’t?”

  “No. Actually, what I’d wanted to do was ask you about this place.”

  “Oh. Well… sure.”

  “According to my brother, you own this house. Yet you’re… what? Twenty-seven?” I nodded. “That’s quite an impressive feat for someone your age.”

  My heart began pounding so hard I thought it would knock a hole out of my chest, and I felt nervous sweat break out under my hairline. “I’m an accountant,” I offered. “One of my clients gave me some very good stock tips.” Jack Matheson had accepted that. Would his brother? Both statements were the truth, although neither was germane to the other.

  “But weren’t you in public relations?”

  Shit! That was what I’d told Jack. Who’d have thought…. “I had some decent accounts and managed to put together a sizeable down payment.” I really wasn’t a good liar; I’d get back to the truth. “This house was not only in foreclosure, but it was also in need of a good deal of repair, so we got it at an excellent price.”

  “‘We’?”

  “My friend Paul and I.” I saw no need to tell him about the other boys.

  “I see.” His eyes grew hooded.

  “I’m not sure that you do. Paul was and is a very good friend, but he and I were never lovers.”

  “Thank you for clarifying that. I did wonder. Paul no longer lives here?”

  “No. He’s a California boy, and he grew homesick. I bought out his share. That was just before Wills moved in.”

  “I’d like to see the apartment now.” The corner of his mouth curled up in a smile, and I caught my breath. The smile faded into a frown. “Something wrong?”

  “No. Uh… no.” Wills smiled like that sometimes. “Um….” I looked around, distracted. “This is the kitchen.”

  “I had a feeling it was.”

  “Sorry.” I started to raise a hand to run through my hair but managed to keep it at my side, not wanting to appear fidgety. “Before the Memorial Day weekend, I’d never done the ‘meeting my boyfriend’s family’ thing.”

  “You hadn’t? Why was that?”

  “I hadn’t met Wills before.”

  “Nice answer. I can see why my nephew fell in love with you.”

  I looked into his eyes. “I know how lucky I am to have him love me. I…. No one means as much to me.” I cleared my throat. “Well… uh… if you’ll follow me?” I led him to the other end of the apartment. “This is Wills’s office.”

  “Just his?”

  “Mine is through the adjoining bathroom.”

  “Very nice.” He walked into Wills’s office and looked around. “I notice there’s a closet?”

  “Yes. Anot
her selling point. We’re using these two rooms as offices, but they’re essentially bedrooms.”

  “Smart move not removing the closets.” He continued looking around. “There’s everything a home office should have and then some.”

  “I wanted him to be comfortable in here.”

  “My nephew’s last apartment came furnished.”

  “That’s right. I bought all this for him—”

  “You did? That’s a pretty hefty investment.”

  “—except the computer…. Excuse me?”

  “It isn’t something a man is likely to do unless he’s in it for the long haul.” He returned to where I was standing, and I had to consciously keep from backing away. “I take it your intentions toward my nephew are honorable.”

  “Yes.” For as long as he’d have me. I was Wills’s first, and more than anything I wanted to be his last, but I was a realist, and I knew there would come a day when he’d grow curious, want to know what it was like with other men. And then…. “He means more to me than….” My throat started to ache, and I had to pause to swallow.

  “Why don’t you show me the rest of the apartment?”

  “All right,” I said, grateful that he didn’t comment on my overly bright eyes. “We also have a living room, a dining room, and a guest bedroom….”

  “Who did the decorating?”

  “That would be me.”

  “I’m very impressed by the job you did.”

  The boys used to kid me about it. Periodically, I changed the décor and would go from French country to English manor to contemporary to midcentury modern to whatever took my fancy. I shot him a look, but he seemed serious. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. You’re lucky.”

  “Oh?”

  “The decorating gene passed me by.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “William didn’t tell you about me?”

  “That you were a Marine? He mentioned it.”

  “No. That I’m gay.”

  I started to choke, and he patted my back.

  “I take it he hasn’t.” He gave me that half smile that was the carbon copy of my lover’s. “Do you mind if I ask how long you’ve been out?”

  I hesitated a moment, then decided it wouldn’t do any harm to admit part of the truth. “Since I was fifteen. And you?”

  He sighed. “Just a couple of months. I was a Marine, as you know, so I didn’t have the option of coming out until after I retired from the military.” His lips took on a grim twist. “It’s not easy being gay. You know that. I know that. William has yet to find that out.”

  “I know. I worry about him, about how he’ll react if someone says something….” I looked away. “He’s a very gentle, easygoing man, and….”

  “And it would bother you if someone said something that hurt him?”

  “I’d want to kill them.”

  “We seem to be on the same page.” His smile became more relaxed. “Jack was right when he said you were a good man. I just had to make sure myself. You understand?”

  “Yes, I….”

  “I love all my nephews equally—and my niece, of course—but I love William the most.”

  “I understand. Um…. Would you like to have that cup of coffee now?”

  “Sure.”

  We went back to the kitchen, and I turned off the flame under the percolator. “We’ll just have to wait a few minutes for it to settle.” I set the cream and sugar on the island beside the cups and saucers.

  “Would you mind telling me something?”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  “You were less than welcoming when I rang the bell.”

  “I apologize for being rude. I’m not usually, and if I’d known right off that you were Wills’s uncle, I would have been more cordial.”

  “You’ve got me curious. Why would that make any difference?”

  “Okay, look.” I wasn’t going to tell Peter Matheson I was his nephew’s first male lover. I didn’t count that idiot, Michael, who’d taught Wills to suck cock but who’d made him uncomfortable in bed, who’d let him slip through his fingers. “Wills is gonna be twenty-seven. In that time, no one appreciated what he was: good, and kind, and, let’s face it, so good-looking he takes my breath away.” And he loved me in spite of my past. “They—and I’m not just talking about the male population, here—they all had their chance and blew it.”

  His brow furrowed. “So let me get this straight. You thought I was someone who realized William was all those things and was going to try to take him away from you?”

  “Yeah. That’s about it.” I picked up the percolator and poured a few drops of coffee into the sink. It wasn’t really necessary, but it was something Poppa had always done with regular coffee to make sure the first cup wouldn’t get any grounds in it. After I filled the cups, I pushed the creamer toward him. “Cream?”

  “I take it black.”

  As I added cream and sugar to my own cup, I couldn’t help smiling a little. “One of the first things Wills said to me when we met was that milk was for wusses.”

  “That boy….” He laughed and shook his head, then took a sip of coffee, choked, and set the cup back on the saucer. “I believe I will have a little cream.”

  “I’m sorry, I assumed that, as a Marine, you were used to strong coffee.”

  “Not so strong it could win a battle on its own.” He poured some cream into his cup, stirred it, then cleared his throat. “You mentioned something about when you first met William. I understand you and he met in a hospital.”

  “Yes. Paul, the friend who owned this house with me, was beaten so badly he had to be hospitalized.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Because he was gay?”

  “So we assume,” I lied easily. Vince hadn’t asked me not to talk about the reasons behind Paul winding up in George Washington Hospital, but I knew he wouldn’t want me to, since someone from his company was responsible. I could never figure that out, but the business world could be pretty cutthroat.

  He raised the cup to his lips, took another sip, and nodded in satisfaction. “That’s better. And so it was love at first sight? I can’t say I believe in that.”

  “No, neither can I.”

  “How would you describe it, then?”

  “I fell madly into”—lust—“like with him. It didn’t take long for the rest to fall into place.”

  “I can’t imagine that it would, but then I’m his family, and it makes sense I would think that way. What time does my nephew get home?”

  I blinked at the abrupt change of subject and glanced up at the clock. “In another couple of hours. Would you like to stay for dinner?”

  “Actually, I was thinking of taking you both out to eat. The restaurant at my hotel seems pretty decent. I’m at the Madison Arms.”

  The Café Montpelier was a nice restaurant, with certain standards in its dress code. “Thank you. Just let me give Wills a call and make sure this isn’t one of those days he has to work late.” I took the phone off the wall and pressed #1 in speed dial.

  His cell phone kept ringing, and I thought I’d have to leave a message. Then, “What’s up?”

  “Did I get you at a bad time?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I won’t keep you.” Those computers. I could picture him with his shirtsleeves rolled up, one slim screwdriver between his teeth while he worked another between his fingers. “Your Uncle Pete is here, and he wants to take us to dinner.”

  “Uncle Pete?” He cleared his throat. “Sounds good. I’ll be home….” He paused for a second, maybe checking with Vince that it was okay? Then he continued. “I’ll be home my regular time.”

  “Good.”

  “Tell him I said hi.”

  “I will. Drive carefully, babe.”

  “Always do. Uh… Theo?”

  “I know, babe. Me too. Bye.” I hung up. “Wills should be home around six. He said hi.”

  Matheson nodded and rose to his feet. “I’ll go back t
o my hotel and see about making reservations for this evening about seven thirty, if that will work for the two of you?”

  “That will be fine.”

  He nodded. “Okay, then. Thanks for the coffee.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Next time I hope you won’t make it so strong.”

  Next time? Did that mean he approved of me? “Uh… yeah.” I followed him to the door. “It was nice meeting you, Pete.”

  “Same here, Theo. I mean that. My brother told me you were a nice guy, but I had to make sure for myself. I’d never want my nephew to be gay, but since he is, I’m glad he’s involved with someone like you, who values him and who’ll treat him well.”

  “Thank you.” I wondered if my cheeks were as red they felt. “I don’t know what I said to make you think that, but whatever it was, I’m glad.”

  His eyes crinkled in a warm smile. “I’ll see you later.”

  We shook hands and he left, and I closed the door, feeling almost giddy.

  Even though I’d had the boys, it hadn’t been quite the same as having my own family. Now it seemed that my lover’s family was welcoming me into their midst with an ease I didn’t understand but accepted gratefully.

  I realized tears were sliding down my cheeks. “Get a grip, Bascopolis!” I grumbled to myself as I ran the heels of my hands under my eyes, but I knew they were tears of joy.

  I went into the bedroom and began laying out our suits for dinner.

  “YOU ENJOYED seeing your uncle, babe?”

  “Yeah. It’s been a while.” Wills smiled across at me as he took off his Bill Blass glen plaid and hung it up. I’d have to talk him into getting a new suit. “Now that he’s retired, the whole family is hoping we’ll see more of him. And Dave, of course.” His uncle’s long-term partner.

  “When do you think we’ll get to meet Dave?”

  “Soon, I hope, but if not, then for sure at the Memorial Day picnic next year. Uncle Jake and Aunt Charlie will have it at their place. It’s big enough for everyone, and Grandma and Grandpa will be able to be there too. They’re getting too frail to make the trip up to Cambridge. I saw them last Thanksgiving, but….” He suddenly looked pensive.

  “How big is your Uncle Jake’s house?”