Senses 03 - Love Comes Home (DA) (MM) (14 page)

Tom swallowed hard. “Let’s get to the car.” He led the way out of the terminal to where he’d parked the car. After putting the bags in the trunk, they got inside. Tom started the engine and cranked the AC to start cooling the interior. “Okay, tell me what you and that woman talked about. Did she say why she was here and what the doctor was for?”

“She said she was here to visit her kid and that she’d convinced her doctor friend to come along. He said what kind of doctor he was, but I can’t remember the word. Not that it mattered; he was a dead fish, but she was interesting. Why? What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure, but I believe she’s Greg’s ex-wife and the son she’s coming to visit is Davey. I have a bad feeling about this.”

“If she’s the kid’s mother…,” Skip said.

“If what Greg says is true, then she makes my mother look like a saint and yours mother of the year. At least ours were around. Greg was able to prove during the divorce that she only wanted Davey for the child support, and other than a few cards and gifts, her only son hasn’t seen her in years. Now she shows up with a doctor in tow. She’s up to something.”

“Okay.” Skip settled back in the seat. “What are you going to do?”

Tom put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking space. “We’re going to get your stuff to the house, and then I’m going to call Greg and let him know what’s going on.”

“Why not do it now?”

“Because I need a chance to think, and the short drive home will give me that,” Tom said, exiting the airport and then driving as fast as he dared the few miles to his house in town.

“Nice place,” Skip said when Tom pulled into the drive and then up to the garage, parking outside the last door. Tom popped the trunk and then handed Skip the keys. “You can drive this while you’re in town.”

They carried the bags inside, and Tom called Greg, but the call went to voice mail. While Skip got himself settled, Tom paced in the living room and then tried again. It went to voice mail once again. “Greg, it’s Tom. Please call me.”

“Did you get him?” Skip asked, descending the stairs. Tom shook his head. “This place is amazing. You described it to me, but I had no idea. You could turn this into a bed-and-breakfast.”

Tom smiled. “Perfect. I’ll hire you to clean the bathrooms and make the beds. I’ll even get you a maid’s uniform.”

“There’s no need to be mean,” Skip said. “I just meant this house is bed-and-breakfast quality.”

“Thanks,” Tom said, picking up his phone and trying again. No answer. He hung up when the message came on. “Let’s go,” he said. “We’re going to drive over there and see what’s happening.”

Tom locked the front door and led the way through the house and out the kitchen door. They walked the short distance to the garage. “Go ahead and pull the BMW inside,” Tom said, raising the door. He lifted another door and walked to the red Ferrari. He opened the door and slid into the driver’s seat. Once Skip had pulled the car inside the garage and closed the door, he got in the passenger seat of the Ferrari and buckled up.

The engine came to life with a roar, and Tom backed out of the drive and pressed the button to lower the garage door. Then he backed down the drive and onto the street, flipped the car into gear and took off toward Greg’s.

“You could let me drive this or the Lamborghini instead of the Beemer,” Skip said.

Tom simply scowled and accelerated.

A few minutes later they rolled to a stop in Greg’s driveway. Tom turned off the engine and got out, then strode up to the front door. He wasn’t sure if anyone was home, so he went ahead and rang the bell. The door opened and Greg blinked at him. “Tom, I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I tried calling but I just got voice mail,” he said.

“I must have left my phone in the bedroom while I was getting things ready for Joyce. Come on in,” Greg said, pushing open the door.

“This is my friend Skip, from New York. This is Greg. Is Davey in class?” Tom asked, and Greg nodded.

“It’s good to meet you,” Greg said to Skip as they shook hands.

Tom got right to the point. “Skip just arrived, and I believe he shared the flight with Joyce. The thing is, she was traveling with a doctor. Since I couldn’t get you on the phone, I figured I’d try stopping over to let you know. I don’t know what she’s up to.”

“Thanks. Excuse me a minute.” Greg left the room and returned a minute later with his phone.

“We didn’t want to disturb you, but I was concerned,” Tom admitted, moving a little closer. He leaned in and gave Greg a soft kiss on the lips.

“It’s all right. Are we still on for tomorrow? Davey has been talking about beep ball for days. I swear he’s been to every website he can find to try to learn more.”

“Of course.”

“Ken and Patrick are going to watch Davey next Saturday night. He, Hanna, and Sophia have planned a sleepover, so I was thinking….”

Tom pulled Greg into his arms and kissed him again, this time deeper and with a lot more energy.

“I take it you approve.”

“Uh-huh,” Tom murmured. “I’m going to show Skip around, but if something happens and you need backup, just call. I can be back here in a few minutes if you need me.”

“Thanks. I’m sure I’ll be fine, but I appreciate the offer.” Greg returned his kiss, and Tom turned to leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the park. Howard said the Lions Club in town found a few other kids who were interested in playing, so they’ve passed on the invitation.”

“Excellent, I’ll see you then,” Tom said. “And I was serious before.”

“I promise if I need any help, I’ll call,” Greg said with a small smile.

Tom and Skip left the house and walked to the car, then slid into the leather seats.

“You did the right thing,” Skip said. “You can’t force him to allow you to help.” Skip shifted in the low-slung seat. “He has his pride, and you wouldn’t be interested in him if he didn’t have a certain amount of inner strength, so don’t worry.”

Tom nodded and started the engine, then backed out of the drive, wishing he felt better about this.

G
REG
WATCHED
Tom and his friend leave then closed the door. He smiled, pleased at the concern and care Tom had shown for him and for Davey. He’d rushed over to tell him what he’d found out. That had been very thoughtful and told Greg quite a bit. He’d been reluctant and standoffish as far as Tom had been concerned, he knew that, but now he was thinking he might have been wrong. Maybe, he allowed himself to think, maybe Tom’s feelings were real. He had to be sure, not only for his sake, but for Davey’s. Greg knew he was developing feelings for Tom, but he refused to name them. To do so would give them power, and he wasn’t ready for that. He was willing to do as Tom had said the last time they were together and take things one day at a time. He could do that. But was it fair to Davey? Greg walked back to his office. He had plenty of work to do. He sat down and stared at the design on his computer screen.

It all seemed distant and strange. He couldn’t concentrate on what was there, his mind returning to Tom. Davey adored him, and Greg was pleased, but that adoration could come at a cost if things didn’t work out with him and Tom. Not only could Greg get hurt, but Davey could, as well, and Greg couldn’t have that. Davey had already been hurt enough.

Greg checked the time. He had to pick up Davey in an hour, so he gave up on work and decided he might as well get some things done around the house. So he dusted and vacuumed for a while, but ended up putting everything away and staring at the space around him. He’d often wondered if he should put things away because of Davey—remove things he might break or damage. He thought about doing that now, but didn’t. This was their home, and whether Davey could see them or not, he wanted him surrounded by pictures and memories of the things they’d done together. So what if Davey couldn’t see them—they were part of their home, and Davey would know they were there. More importantly, Davey would know if they were gone. Greg wasn’t sure when it had started, but Davey was becoming as perceptive as Howard. Greg lowered himself onto the sofa and enjoyed the quiet for a little while.

When it was time, he got up and left the house to pick up Davey at school. Sometimes the classes included him, but right now the teachers wanted to work with just Davey. He’d almost reached the car when his phone rang. Without looking, he knew it was Joyce.

“Hello,” Greg said quietly.

“I got into town and I was wondering when I could come over and see Davey,” Joyce began without preamble.

“I’m going to pick up Davey from classes now. We should be back in about half an hour, so you can come by the house then,” he said levelly, deciding to keep all the questions to himself for now. He figured they’d be answered in time. “We don’t have plans for dinner, so if you’d like to join us, I had planned to take Davey to one of the local diners.” He was going to be hospitable, but he didn’t want her spending any more time than necessary under his roof.

“I thought I’d take him to dinner,” Joyce said, pushy as ever.

“Like I said, you are welcome to join us for dinner,” Greg repeated. “Anyway, I need to pick Davey up. You can stop by in half an hour if you like.”

“All right,” she agreed, and Greg hung up. Then he got in the car and drove to a small brick building. The school was staffed mostly by volunteers and used classroom space donated by the local school district. He got out and walked inside, going to the office. They knew who he was, and Davey joined him a few minutes later.

“How was class?”

“Good,” he said. “I’m learning a lot about listening.”

“We’re starting classes in Braille in the fall, and we think Davey is going to do fine,” Davey’s instructor, Christine, said. “He’s doing very well, and we believe he should be able to attend some regular classes when school starts. He’ll need special attention and support, but that can be provided. And once he learns Braille, he can be set up with the same textbooks as the other students.”

“That’s excellent,” Greg said. “I knew you’d do well,” he said to Davey.

“We have some exercises you can do with him at home to help strengthen his skills,” Christine said, handing Greg a sheet of paper. “He told us he’s going to play beep ball?” The instructor sounded skeptical.

“Beep baseball is designed for blind players. We’re just starting. You’d be welcome to come watch if you like. We’re meeting at Grafton Park tomorrow at seven. Mostly what we do is practice and have fun. But we’d like to develop a team.”

She still didn’t look convinced.

“Check it out on the Internet. There’s even a league. Davey was in Little League,” he added, and Christine nodded, her eyes brightening with what Greg took as understanding. “Are you ready to go?” he asked Davey, and he let Davey lead the way out of the building.

“Did Mom get here?” Davey asked once they were in the car.

“Yes. She’ll probably be at the house when we get there.” Davey had most definitely not warmed to the idea of her visit. “Just be nice. I said she could go to dinner with us at the diner if she wanted.”

Davey crossed his arms over his chest and said nothing as they rode home. He didn’t have to; his body language screamed that he didn’t want to go home. Greg had purposely not mentioned anything to Joyce about Davey’s hostility. Let her see what she’d done to Davey and how she’d alienated herself from her son. Maybe Greg should have said something. He’d debated telling her, but in the end he decided to let her see for herself.

“Are we still going to the diner?” Davey still didn’t sound happy.

“Yes. I invited your mother to come,” Greg repeated, receiving a scowl in return. “Tom stopped by the house earlier today. He has a friend, Skip, in from New York, but I can call and see if they want to come too.” This was not going to be pretty, and some support might be in order.

“Okay,” Davey said, relaxing slightly. “Is Tom your boyfriend now?”

“I’d like to think so. We haven’t talked about it,” Greg said. But Tom certainly acted like his boyfriend, and Greg liked that idea. “If he were, would that be okay with you?”

“Yeah. Tom’s really nice, and I think he likes you,” Davey said. “He talks to you different than when he talks to anyone else. His voice gets lower, and it’s like he’s only talking to you even when there’s a room full of people.” Davey quieted

Greg continued driving. He knew Davey had something he was running through his head, but Greg had to let him say it in his own time.

“I want you to be happy, Dad.”

They made the turn onto their street, and Greg pulled the car off the road and to a stop. He put it in park and popped off his seat belt. Then he leaned over the seat. “I want you to be happy too. You’re the most important person in the world to me.”

“I don’t want to go anywhere with Mom. I want to stay here with you.”

“Of course you’re staying here with me. What would make you think you weren’t?” Greg asked.

“Well, I’ve been with you a long time, and I thought it might be Mom’s turn now. You also have a boyfriend now, and you need time with him. So I thought you’d send me away with Mom so you could be with Tom.” Davey sounded so small, and Greg felt tears well in his eyes.