Bankers' Hours (15 page)

He glanced back at me. “Nope. I don’t watch television, because I’m usually working. I’ll pop in a DVD if I have time to chill, but mostly I read in my spare time.”

Reading? Hmm.
Definitely something I’d have to ask him about later. “The final season ended last spring, but I loved it. I went to a concert in 2011 when they were in DC. I’d never gotten into show choir or singing or theater in high school or college, so this was different for me, but I watched every episode and then downloaded all the music. Okay, not
all
the music, because there are probably a thousand songs, but I have over two hundred. So when I say I like Meghan Trainor, I do, but I listen to
Glee
music most of the time.” I spotted a T-shirt I recognized and grabbed it. “Oooh, Journey! I like them.”

Tristan was laughing again, and he shook his head in amusement or amazement, I wasn’t sure. He stepped closer, and before I could react, he kissed me right there in the store. I felt self-conscious at first, but as he kissed longer and slower, I simply melted into him. He squeezed my hips and pulled me tight against him. No tongue, but his kiss was pretty darn knee buckling without it.

Then I heard a word that chilled my growing lust and forced it into hiding. “Dad?” a female voice asked.

Tristan pulled back, peeling himself away from me in slow motion. I would have thought being caught by his daughter, kissing a man, would have jolted him into jumping away from my body, but it hadn’t. Maybe it was akin to the police yelling, “Freeze!”

Claire wasn’t as relaxed and preoccupied as I remembered from the gym. Her jaw was two inches from the floor, eyes bugged out, and she was mirrored by her two friends.

Tristan swallowed so loud I could hear it. “Hi, Claire,” he said, probably because there wasn’t anything else he
could
say.

“I don’t believe it,” she said, still gaping. “I mean, you called and told me you were gay, but I didn’t think you were
actually
gay. You don’t even look gay. But now… you’re… holy shit, that’s the guy from the gym!” Her eyes bugged out even further as she pointed at me and dropped her bags.

Tristan said, “His name is Grant.”

I weakly lifted my hand. “Hi.”

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes.

“Claire!” her male friend chastised. “Don’t be rude. Besides, that guy’s cute.”

I knew I blushed. I blushed at everything, so a compliment from a kid wasn’t going to escape the list.

Tristan grinned at me and then addressed the kid. “Thanks. What’s your name?”

“Danny,” the boy answered, batting his eyes and smiling way too sweetly at my man. He was wearing a tight sweater with a blue scarf. I liked the scarf. My shirts didn’t accommodate scarves, and therefore I mainly wore ties. Still, I appreciated his style even if I could do without his flirtation.

Tristan then asked the girl, “And you?”

She answered, “I’m Kirsty. I think it’s cool you’re gay.”

Claire nudged her. “Shhh. Don’t encourage him.” She glared at Tristan. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.

Tristan cocked his head to the side. “I should ask you the same thing, young lady. Where’s your mom?”

A pain shot through my stomach. I couldn’t bear to see that woman twice in one day.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I spent the night at Kirsty’s, and her mom dropped us off while she bought some birthday presents.”

“Does she know about Danny?” Tristan asked. I sort of knew why, but I didn’t want to hear Claire’s answer.

She grimaced. “No. Are you kidding me? She hates men. She’s a freak when it comes to….” Then I saw her expression open up. Her shoulders relaxed and her tone completely changed. “Oh, God. That’s why you’ve never said.”

Tristan nodded.

She cupped her mouth briefly, then said, “I’m so sorry, Dad.” Tears formed in her eyes right before Tristan hugged her. I heard her sniffle. “I never realized, until recently, how mean Mom is.” Claire pulled out of the hug and took the tissue Kirsty offered. She wiped her eyes carefully to avoid smearing her makeup and continued, “As soon as high school started, everything changed. She started getting strict, like she never had been before. She’s been checking my grades online every week to see if all my assignments are in. She e-mails my teachers. I don’t understand why, when I’ve had almost all As since fifth grade. The worst was when I met Danny in Honors Government last year. He came over to research a paper with me, and Mom got really rude toward his father when he came to pick him up. Then she went into this twenty-minute rant about how I’m not allowed to date—ever! I couldn’t believe the things she said. She criticized Danny and she doesn’t even know him. She just assumed from his hairstyle he was gay and went off about gay men having sex in bathrooms!”

I recoiled. Hearing Teresa’s bathroom example again made me never want to do it on principle alone.

“True story,” Danny added, holding his hand as if swearing in court. “I heard the whole argument and did my best to act straight and deepen my voice when I said good-bye. I haven’t been over there since.”

“It’s so dumb,” Kirsty said. “Besides, Danny has great hair.”

I would agree. His hair was very well coifed, but I would hardly call it “gay.”

“He’s my best friend, Dad, and he can’t come over to my house because he’s a guy and his dad is single. I don’t understand her deal. I thought it was bad enough when she bashed men in general, but she’s worse now. It’s like she doesn’t want me to have friends at all.”

It all came together for Tristan as he summarized, “Which is why you’re at the mall with your friends when your mother isn’t around. I get it. She dropped by to see me this morning, right after breakfast, and denigrated me in front of Grant.”

“It was awful,” I added.

“Wait, breakfast?” Claire questioned, only to drop her jaw a second time. “How early was she there?”

“It isn’t what you think,” I defended.

“I think you spent the night and my mom caught you,” she said.

Tristan sighed. “Okay, that
is
what happened, but nothing was going on. His car broke down in my driveway.”

Danny snickered behind his hand. “Likely story.”

“It did!” I exclaimed. I caught sight of the clerk watching us from afar. It was odd, I had to admit, having this type of discussion in the middle of Hot Topic, but at least there weren’t loads of other patrons. The store was empty besides us.

“Look, Grant and I are in a relationship. I told you about my sexuality because how I feel about him isn’t casual. In fact—” He glanced at me before he said it. “—we’re getting married.”

“What!” she cried.

Danny clapped while hopping up and down. “Yay!”

Kirsty said, “Aww, that’s so sweet.”

Claire didn’t share her sentiment. “Sweet?” she questioned. She glared at Tristan, and suddenly I felt bad for him. It must be tough being a dad. “When were you planning on telling me, Dad? And don’t even say it’s because I’m too young to understand. I’m fifteen; I understand plenty. My best friend is gay, I take Health—which is much more detailed than back when you were in school—and I know a girl who gave birth in eighth grade and posted pictures of the delivery on Instagram. Trust me, I know way more than most.”

Birthing photos? Good Lord!
Yes, I believed being a father was way harder than it looked, and it looked pretty rough. I just waited to see where this was going. It wasn’t my place to divulge information to his daughter. Plus, the Instagram thing made me throw up just a little in my mouth.

Tristan explained slowly, “The marriage part of it fell together suddenly… this morning… while your mom was visiting. I promise I did not intentionally hold back information. I was hoping Grant would become a permanent fixture in my life, which is why I told you I’m gay. It never mattered until now.”

I touched his back. “Oh,” I gushed. Knowing he cared enough to say something to his daughter made me feel really special.

Tristan gave me a soft smile and said, “I knew when I met you, Grant.”

I got choked up and covered my mouth. What could I say to that? Yes, this was moving very fast, but it was also romantic. Tristan was practically sweeping me off my feet.

I sank into his arms as he slipped his arm around my back. I needed the security of his embrace when his words made me feel vulnerable.

“That is just too cute,” Kirsty commented.

“I have to admit, Dad, seeing you kissing was kind of gross, but this….” She gestured. “It’s sweet.” She exhaled and added, as if reluctantly, “And I guess you kinda look cute together.”

“Totally,” Kirsty agreed, Danny nodding right along with her.

Tristan snickered. I think the guy was easily amused. He held me around my back and rubbed my arm with his other hand. I wanted to bury my face against his neck, but then I’d be rude to the rest of them. I turned my body to continue the conversation, but I refused to let go.

Tristan said, “I’m glad you approve. I know the wedding plans are last minute, but if you want to, you can come. It’s your weekend anyway.”

Claire was pleased. “Really? I’d love to! I’ve never seen a real-life gay wedding before.”

“It’s not going to be much more than standing in front of a clerk. We haven’t planned a big thing with a reception. I figured we could come back to the house and have hamburgers.”

Not what I would have planned, but it
was
last minute. I told him, “Hamburgers sound good.”

Claire said, “It doesn’t matter if it’s a big thing or not; I’ve only seen gay weddings on television shows like
Glee
.”

“
Glee
?” I asked quietly, my eyes locking on hers. “You’ve seen
Glee
?” I relaxed away from Tristan’s chest, turning slightly more toward the others.

“Heck, yeah.”

Danny said, “We’ve watched it at my house. Blaine is my favorite character.”

I let go of Tristan. “Mine too!” I cried. This day was getting better and better. Now I’d found out I had something in common with Tristan’s daughter and her friends. “Look,” I insisted, holding out my phone to show Danny the lock screen.

He gasped and placed his hand over his mouth before lowering it to ask, “Did you take that picture?”

I smiled proudly. “Yup. I went to see
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
on Broadway in June before his run ran out. I about died!”

“What are you talking about?” Tristan asked.

Kirsty, who was also eye-poppingly shocked, answered, “Darren Criss. He’s the guy who played Blaine Anderson on
Glee
. Grant has a picture of him. Do you have more?” she asked me.

“Um, yeah, I think so. I’m not the best at taking pictures. They always turn out blurry. I snapped about fifty, and only six are clear. Of course, none of them have him smiling. The one where I know he was smiling has a guy’s playbill in front of his face. I have horrible luck.”

“You were that close to him?” Danny asked.

“Yup. About four feet with people in between me and the barricade thingy. He was the nicest guy. I swear. He talked to every fan who said something to him, and signed every piece of paper shoved in his face. Classy guy, gracious and patient. I walked away with an autograph, some photos, but also a deep respect for him as a person. I hope he’s always like that. Some actors get rude over time. I hope Darren Criss retains his genuine niceness.” I knew I was rambling, but it was how I felt. It was the first time I’d been close to someone famous, and I’d gotten a really great vibe off of him. It made me like his music and acting all the more, knowing he was a nice guy in real life.

Danny put his hand over his heart in a dramatic fashion and said, “I believe an all-night
Glee
marathon is in order.”

I smiled. “Sounds good to me. Although I might be tempted to sing along.” Suddenly I was as comfortable as ever in Tristan’s world, because I didn’t have to stop being myself.

Kirsty waved her hand at me. “Danny sings too. You’ll fit in just fine.” She turned to Claire and said, “I really like your dad’s boyfriend.”

I thought Tristan would make another comment, but he didn’t.

Kirsty and Danny started talking to me, but I caught sight of the expression Claire gave her father. Not anger. Not disappointment. Not frustration. Not embarrassment. Claire exuded contentment. I think she was truly pleased with her dad.

“I love you, Dad,” she said finally, hugging him tight.

“I love you too, sweetness.”

If I hadn’t been caught up in the moment talking plot issues and character flaws with Danny and Kirsty, I might have cried.

THE MANAGER
of Hot Topic kept watching us, and eventually I suggested we leave because he made me feel uncomfortable. Tristan bought me a few shirts, and we added another bag to our load. His daughter and her friends joined us for ice cream but decided to scamper off when everyone was finished. Kirsty had commented, “Hanging with your dad, Claire, isn’t as cool as I thought it would be, even if he is gay.” We went our separate ways, but in good spirits.

Tristan stopped strolling and pointed to a jewelry store. “Well, are you ready for this?”

I nodded slowly. “I think so.”

“Just remember, if you don’t see something in this store, there are plenty of other places to try. Don’t settle for something you don’t want.”

“Okay.”

As soon as we walked through the door, several sales associates made eye contact. The sudden lust for a sale filled the room, and I grabbed on to Tristan’s arm instinctively. I didn’t want them descending on me all at once. I felt like the only duck in the sky on the opening day of hunting season.

Tristan must have sensed my unease, because he whispered, “I’ll handle it.”

He walked toward the display case at the back of the store, but a woman stepped up and asked, “May I help you?”

“No, thanks. We’re just looking,” he said curtly.

“We have a few sales if you’re interested in—”

He stopped and spoke more sternly. “We’re fine, thank you.”

She looked flustered and shrunk back. “Okay.”