by Jake Biondi
“Great. Do you need anything else before you go on?”
“I’m good, thanks. I’m sure you need to talk to some of your other guests. Don’t worry about me.”
“Perfect. I’ll catch up with you in a bit.” Max turned and headed through the crowd toward the kitchen. On the way, he stopped to speak with Dustin. “Everything going okay?”
“Great,” Dustin replied. “Appetizers are being passed, cocktails are flowing, and the staff is on top of things.”
“All because of you,” Max added. “Thanks so much. How’s Jensen?”
“He’s doing a great job. Everyone is. And the guests seem to be having a great time already.”
“Looks like it,” Max stated.
“And you look pretty handsome in that tux, I might add,” Dustin added, winking at Max. “Just let me know if you need anything.”
Max patted Dustin on the shoulder. “Thanks, Dustin. Let’s just keep everything running smoothly.”
As Dustin walked away, he passed Ben, who was still in disguise and wearing the same outfit as the rest of the wait staff. With a tray of appetizers in hand, he made his way through the crowd serving guests.
Dressed handsomely in a tuxedo, Justin searched the crowd to find his brother Emmett. When he found him, Justin hugged Emmett and then straightened his tie.
“Good to see you,” Justin said. “How are you feeling?”
“Why does everyone keep asking that?” Emmett asked hostilely.
“Because we’re concerned about you, that’s why. You haven’t been yourself lately.”
“I’m just tired,” Emmett declared. “I wish everyone would just get off my back.”
“Let’s get you checked out by a doctor on Monday, okay?” Justin asked as Keith walked over to the two men.
“I’m sure Emmett’s just tired,” Keith said, interrupting. “He’ll be fine.”
Justin raised his eyebrow. “Since when are you a doctor?”
“Don’t talk to him that way,” Emmett said. “He’s right. I’m just tired.”
“I don’t think that’s all it is,” Justin said. “But I’m not going to argue with the two of you about it tonight.” Justin walked away.
“Thank you,” Emmett said to Keith. “I just want people to leave me alone.”
“Of course,” Keith said. “I’m sure you’ll be feeling better soon.”
After introducing Amy Armstrong to the crowd, Jesse stepped off the stage and walked over to the corner where Cole and David were talking with singer Steve Grand.
“I still can’t believe you’re here,” Cole said to Steve. “This is so generous of you.”
“We’re both huge fans,” David added.
“Thank you so much,” Steve said as his signature smile widened.
“You have no idea how much you mean to so many people,” Cole stated. “You’re really a hero.”
“I’ve been very fortunate,” Steve said. “I’m glad to be able to help out wherever I can.”
“Well, you being here tonight means so much to all of us,” Jesse said. “Is there anything we can get you or that you need before you go on?”
“I’m all set, thanks.”
“Thanks for donating your CDs for the silent auction, too. People are practically fighting over them.”
Steve laughed. “I’m not responsible if any violence breaks out.”
“I’m so excited to hear you sing,” David said.
Cole added, “He’s like a teenage girl at a boy band concert.”
David put his arm around Cole. “That’s how I feel all the time when I’m around you.”
“Aww,” Steve said as Cole blushed.
“On that note,” Cole said, “I need another drink. Or two.”
“Can we get you one?” Jesse asked.
Steve put up his hand. “I’m okay for now, thanks.”
“Okay. I’ll be introducing you as soon as Amy wraps up,” Jesse explained.
“I’ll be ready.”
“See you in a bit,” David said as he and Cole walked away toward the bar.
“Have you seen Derek anywhere?” Cole asked David as they walked.
“No, thank God,” David said. “Why jinx it by asking?”
“Just seems odd that he’s not here.”
“I’m sure he is…somewhere.”
David and Cole passed the silent auction area where Rachel was walking through the aisles browsing the available items. Justin spotted her and rushed over.
“Where the hell have you been?” Justin asked, grabbing her by the arm.
“Watch it,” Rachel said. “You can’t afford to replace this dress.”
“You haven’t returned any of my calls.”
“So it is true. You can see again.”
“Yes,” Justin stated.
“That’s good,” Rachel said with a smile. “That way you’ll be able to see me clearly when I walk down the aisle at my wedding.”
“Wedding? What are you talking about?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
“I don’t even care who the loser is. What I do care about is that you betrayed me. Showing that video at my brother’s engagement party?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rachel said, turning away from Justin.
“Don’t walk away from me.”
Marco walked up behind Rachel, slipping his arm around her waist. “Am I interrupting?”
Justin rolled his eyes. “Oh, for God’s sake. Now it all makes sense. Your marriage? You two deserve each other.”
“I won’t say what you deserve,” Marco replied. “Where’s your brother Derek? I haven’t seen him. Maybe he’s doing another press conference.”
“I’m sure he’s around here somewhere,” Justin said as he walked away from the couple.
“You okay?” Marco asked.
“Of course,” Rachel replied. “You know I can handle myself.”
“I sure do,” Marco said with a smile as his cell phone began to ring. “Excuse me.” Marco left the area and exited the club. Once on the sidewalk, he answered the call. “Got it?” Marco paused. “Excellent. I’ll be right there.” Marco put his phone away and hailed a taxi cab.
As Marco left the fundraiser venue, Ben was in the alley behind the restaurant. Working quickly, he applied locks to the rear exits of the club. He activated the locks and made sure they were secure so that no one could leave the fundraiser from the back doors. Then he walked around to the front of the club and joined a few other servers who were standing on the sidewalk having a smoking break. When they re-entered the club from the sidewalk, so did he.
Walking back inside, Ben passed right by Cole and David, who were talking as Justin approached them. He extended his hand to Cole to greet him.
“Hey, Cole,” Justin said, shaking his hand. “It’s been a long time.”
“It has,” Cole said uncomfortably.
“The last time was at the warehouse with Emmett,” Justin said. “And the engagement party, of course.”
“Of course,” Cole said quietly.
David extended his hand to Justin. “I’m David Young.”
“Oh, yes,” Justin said, shaking hands. “Derek’s physical therapist.”
“Among other things,” David said, as he wrapped his arm around Cole’s waist.
Justin took note of David’s arm. “I want to apologize for any stress that video caused.”
“It’s old news at this point,” Cole said.
“We’ve moved beyond that,” David added.
“I see,” Justin stated. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that whatever is going on between Derek and you is between the two of you. I hope we can be friends regardless.”
“Friends?” Cole asked.
“There’s nothing between Derek and Cole anymore,” David said. “Nothing to worry about.”
“I was never worried,” Justin said.
Jensen approached the three men with a tray of champagne glasses. �
��Champagne, gentlemen?”
“Thank you,” Justin said, taking a glass from the tray.
“You,” Jensen said when he looked at Cole.
“Do we know each other?” Cole asked.
“I’m Jensen,” he said. “I just recognize you from the club where I used to dance.”
David laughed. “Nice.”
“Excuse me,” Jensen said as he stepped away. When he walked a safe distance from the three men, he turned and looked back at Cole. He thought back to a chilly autumn day, when he saw Cole walking on Roscoe Street with his phone out; it was the day the Cole was trying to locate Derek’s condo for the first time. Pulling his hood down over his head, Jensen lunged at Cole, hit him on the back of the head with a metal tool, and knocked him to the ground. Jensen took Cole’s phone and ran off without being seen, leaving Cole bleeding on the sidewalk in front of Derek’s home.
Jensen was startled from his daydream when Jesse took the stage. Standing in the spotlight, Jesse quickly got the attention of the fundraiser guests.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I just want to take a moment to formally thank you all for coming tonight. Planning this evening has been a great journey and I’m so pleased to see you all here tonight celebrating and raising money for a great cause. The inspiration for this evening was Maggie O’Brien, the mother of my best friend Cole. Maggie has been living with, and mostly beating, cancer for many years; she is an inspiration to all of us. Unfortunately, she could not make the trip to Chicago to be here tonight and she remains in our thoughts and prayers as she completes her latest round of chemotherapy.”
The crowd responded to Jesse with thunderous applause. “I asked Cole to come up and say a few words but, for the first time in his life, he’s being bashful. He just wanted me to offer his heartfelt thanks on behalf of his lovely mother.” The crowd applauded again.
“Before I introduce our headliner tonight, I want to take a moment to thank a few people. First, I’d like to thank Logan Pryce, my dear friend who helped plan this evening. It wouldn’t have been possible without him.” Guests clapped to acknowledge Logan. “I also want to thank Emmett Mancini and Max Taylor for generously hosting this event in their beautiful new restaurant and club. We hope you all will come back once they are officially open.” More applause from the guests. “Of course, we want to thank everyone who contributed items for the silent auction. We really appreciate your generosity. And finally, we’d like to thank our amazing entertainers. Brian, Meredith, and Danielle of Whiskey and Cherries. The amazing Amy Armstrong. And now, our very special guest and Chicago’s very own all-American boy, Steve Grand!”
The crowd erupted in cheers as Jesse left the stage and Steve Grand walked forward into the spotlight. As Steve began to sing “Whiskey Crime,” Jesse descended the stairs from the stage and was greeted with open arms by Logan, who kissed him.
“That was great,” Logan said. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Logan,” Jesse replied. “That means a lot.”
“You mean a lot,” Logan added. “To me.” He took Jesse’s hands into his and looked into Jesse’s eyes. “I know we have a lot to discuss and work out -- and I know that we can do it together. I’m ready to start again. And I’m ready to wear your ring again.”
Jesse’s eyes welled up with tears as he hugged Logan tightly. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too,” Logan said, kissing Jesse.
“And so do I,” Jacqueline said as she approached the couple.
“Mom! You came,” Jesse said, giving his mother a hug.
“I couldn’t stay away,” Jacqueline replied with a smile.
“Look at you,” Jesse continued. “You look gorgeous.”
Jacqueline smiled. “Thank you.”
“You really do,” Logan added.
From across the room, Ben watched Jacqueline and the others. “Dammit, Jacqueline,” Ben mumbled. “You can’t be here tonight.”
Dustin walked over to Ben. “I need more champagne passed through,” he told Ben.
“Sure thing,” Ben replied, heading back toward the kitchen.
“Everything okay?” Max asked as he approached Dustin.
“You bet,” Dustin replied. “You okay?”
“Great, thanks. You’re doing a fantastic job. Thank you so much.”
“That’s what you pay me for,” Dustin replied. “How’s Emmett doing?”
“I haven’t seen him,” Max replied. “Or his brother Derek, either.”
Max stepped away as Dustin returned to work. Cole stepped into Max’s path to get his attention.
“Can I talk to you for a moment?” Cole asked. Reading Max’s puzzled look, Cole added, “It’s not about Derek, or the video, or anything like that.”
“I really need to find Emmett.”
“This will just take a moment,” Cole persisted.
“Okay.”
“I want you to know that I will help you mend fences with Jesse in any way that I can.”
Max raised his eyebrows. “Really?”
“I know things aren’t good between the two of you. And I know how stubborn and angry he can get--” Max interrupted Cole with a laugh. “--but you are his father and this much I know: he has spent his entire life wanting to know his father. It’s going to be rough, but I know you two can work things out.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
“No matter what you think of me, I am here to help you. Jesse is a brother to me. I want him to be happy. And, in the end, having a relationship with his father is something I know he will cherish.”
“I appreciate that, Cole,” Max said. “And for the record, I have no hard feelings against you and neither does Emmett. What happened between Derek and you is between the two of you. No one else. And we are all very appreciative for the many great things you have done to protect the lives of people we all care about.”
“Thank you,” Cole said. “And you don’t need to worry about Derek and me any longer. We are finished.”
As Steve Grand continued to sing, Tyler and Joyelle danced to his music.
“Having fun?” Tyler asked.
Joyelle smiled. “The best time. Thank you.”
“You’re the best looking one here,” Tyler added.
“You’re sweet,” Joyelle replied, putting her head against Tyler’s shoulder. “And you feel good, too. You make me feel safe.”
“You are safe with me, Joyelle,” Tyler assured her. “Always.”
“Thank you.”
As they continued to dance, Joyelle spotted Cole and David talking at the edge of the dance floor. Joyelle stopped dancing and said to Tyler, “Please come with me. I need to do this.” Taking Tyler’s hand, Joyelle led him off the dance floor and over to Cole and David.
“Hello, Cole,” Joyelle said as David stood behind him.
“Hello, Joyelle,” Cole replied nervously. “You look great.”
“Thank you,” Joyelle replied. “I know how awkward this is for both of us, but I needed to talk to you. I want to thank you for trying to save me and my children in the explosion.”
“You’re welcome,” Cole replied. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“We both are,” David added.
“You saved me that day on the sidewalk when I got mugged. I owed you one,” Cole said, jokingly.
“Funny how our lives are so intertwined,” Joyelle said. “But I appreciate what you tried to do on New Year’s Eve.”
“He’s a good man,” David said.
“I’m truly sorry for everything,” Cole said. “I’m sorry for any pain this whole situation has caused you.”
“Things work out as they’re supposed to,” Tyler said.
Justin saw the two couples talking and worked his way over to them. “You all look cozy.”
“What do you want, Justin?” Joyelle asked.
“Have you seen Derek? I can’t find him.”
“Thankfully, no,” Joyelle replied, turning away from Justin.
>
“What about you, Cole? Any sign of Derek?” Cole didn’t reply. “Well, if any of you see him--”
“We won’t,” Tyler said.
“It’s funny, isn’t it, Joyelle?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, you gave me all that flack on the morning of your wedding when I asked you to marry me instead of Derek. I bet now you wish you had given me a chance. You wouldn’t be caught in this homoerotic mess, if you had.”
“You’re pathetic,” Joyelle said.
Cole spoke up. “Justin, why don’t you--“
“At least you would have known what it’s like to be married to a real man. Instead you were just a closeted gay man’s play thing.”
Without hesitating, Tyler punched Justin in the face, sending him backwards onto the floor. As Tyler lunged forward to hit Justin again, David grabbed him and pulled him back.
“Easy, Tyler,” David said.
“He isn’t worth it,” Joyelle added.
“You better watch your mouth!” Tyler yelled at Justin. “Stay away from her!”
Gino walked over and helped Justin up from the floor. “There you are. Making friends, as always.”
Joyelle and Tyler returned to the dance floor to continue their dance. Cole and David walked away toward the bar.
“What was that all about?” Gino asked.
Justin brushed himself off. “I was actually looking for Derek. I can’t find him.”
“That makes two of us. I can’t find my brother, either.”
As Justin and Gino searched for their brothers, Marco was standing in his hotel suite with another man.
“You did well,” Marco told the man. “No problems?”
“None,” the man replied. “They were both at the fundraiser like you said, so there was no one in the apartment. It was a piece of cake.”
“And you got the painting here without damaging it?”
“Right there,” the man said, pointing to the covered painting leaning against the wall. “In perfect condition.”
Marco removed an envelope from the breast pocket of his tuxedo jacket and handed it to his friend. “Good work. Thank you.”
“Thank you. Have a good evening.”
