Echo (12 page)

Even though his suit fit him correctly, Cole always looked as though he was a kid in dress up. He just looked so young and innocent, which gave Anderson the urge to debauch him.

His fingers itched to reach out and grope Cole. He knew better than to try it here, but the temptation was great.

He was a bit surprised when Cole came right up beside him and reached out to join their hands together. "Promise you'll protect me from your dad and I'll trust that everything will be all right."

Anderson grinned, squeezed Cole's hand. "I promise."

* * *

He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but the house was more massive than anything he'd imagined in his head. Just stepping toward the front door, he could feel a hard knot forming in his stomach.

There was no way George Bester was going to like him, so this whole thing was going to turn into some horrible experience.

When Anderson opened the door and casually strolled in, tugging Cole after him, Cole felt like a balloon on a string. He wanted to lag behind, but Anderson wasn't letting him, so he forced his shoulders square and tried not to look utterly terrified.

"They're probably out back," Anderson said. "My dad's madly in love with his barbecue grill. Come on."

They walked through the large house--from the entryway through a giant living room, then out through a sliding glass door into a backyard wonderland. Everything was bright and green and carefully sculpted by someone that probably made it their living.

When Anderson had said "barbecue grill," Cole had pictured the kind of gas grill that had featured so predominantly at the barbecues of his childhood.

What he saw when he stepped outside was like something out of a sci-fi movie. All he could identify was shiny steel and granite counter tops and the fact that it ran the whole length of the patio.

"It's huge," he whispered.

Anderson snorted. "I told you he liked to barbecue," he said, then raised his voice, "Dad!"

George Bester looked remarkably like his son aged another thirty years, though there was something hard in his eyes. He was playing the part of the kind man, but there was something about him that said he wouldn't hesitate to eviscerate his enemies, verbally and otherwise. "It's about time you got here. Laura's in the kitchen getting the pasta salad together and this stuff out here's about done."

Cole felt a bit frozen when those laser blue eyes focused on him. He got the sensation that he was being examined from the outside in, and he didn't think he was going to pass whatever test was taking place here. "And who's this?" George asked curiously. He grabbed a towel to wipe his hands on, then came toward them.

"This is Cole Heath, Dad," Anderson said, with just a hint of warning in his voice.

"Well, it's nice to meet you," George said, holding out his hand.

Swallowing his nerves, Cole took his hand. "
It's nice to meet you
, sir. You have a very lovely home."

George laughed and gave him a firm handshake before letting go. "You're a nice kid." He looked at Anderson. "It's been awhile since you brought one of your friends around, but I think I like this one a lot better than that Frankle kid. I still think he stole some of the silverware."

"He didn't steal anything Dad." Anderson rolled his eyes so melodramatically that Cole had to laugh.

Not having had a father of his own, Cole had always been fascinated with the interactions of other fathers and sons. He'd never really felt left out because his mom had always been there for him, but he'd been curious about the alien relationships of "men."

So to see firsthand just how close Anderson and his father were, it made him kind of happy.

He let himself be herded toward a glass topped table where Anderson poured him a glass of sweet tea. He still felt the awkwardness of meeting new people, but Anderson seemed bound and determined to try and make him as comfortable as possible.

It was the kind of thing that only Jeremy and his mother had ever done for him before. There had been a couple of people that had pretended to help him out just so they could maximize their mockery later. But he didn't think Anderson would ever be one of those kinds of people.

"So, Cole, what is it that you do?" George asked, settling into the chair across from him."

Cole swallowed hard. "
What is it that you do?
" he echoed, feeling his cheeks heat up with embarrassment. He couldn't help lowering his eyes to the tabletop, focusing on the ripple pattern in the glass. "Well, I work at Bester International. Um, Anderson just took over the department I'm on. I've really enjoyed working there."

There was what he felt was an awkward silence, then George snorted. "I'm glad you like it at the company. When I took over for my father there were tons of complaints everywhere. The old man was pretty hard to deal with and he took an almost sick delight in making everyone miserable. I just had to come in and act halfway human and I was already beloved. I think it's the kind of thing the replacement for a murderous despot feels. It's not exactly comfortable, but it's actually kind of nice."

Cole laughed. "
But it's actually kind of nice
. Now I see where Anderson gets his sense of humor from."

He twitched and craned his head to see when Anderson came up behind him and rested a hand on his shoulder. He liked it when Anderson gave him a light squeeze, as though to say "Don't worry. I'm here to protect you." It made him feel safe.

"What my dad didn't say is that Granddad really liked to shock people. Even when he was young he was a crotchety old man and he just got worse as he aged." Anderson shook his head. "Some of the things he did were pretty admirable. Most everything else was pretty horrifying. The kind of things that could get you put in jail now."

"But the employees that could withstand working with him were some of the hardest people I've ever met," George said fondly. "We had one guy--Jim Cattigan--and he wouldn't take crap from anyone. But he loved to dish it. He must have had his nose broken more times than most professional boxers and he was always up for more. A real son of a bitch, but God, he knew his stuff."

Anderson took the seat next to Cole and basically dominated the conversation with his father. His leg was a steady pressure against Cole's while he talked, a silent offer of support.

Cole was just happy to listen to the two men, occasionally throwing in a comment or two. And neither seemed to mind his echolalia or how hesitant he was to speak and he didn't feel left out like he usually did.

He felt welcomed and safe. It was the nicest thing he'd felt in a long time.

* * *

Bringing Cole had worried him a bit. He'd known that his father wouldn't purposely try to be cruel, but sometimes George Bester could come across as a bit harsh and abrasive. And he didn't suffer fools gladly.

Anderson had prepared himself for George coming across as a dick and having to protect Cole from him. So to have the two of them get along so readily... it was a real weight off his shoulders.

George didn't even seem to care about how shy Cole was. He hadn't even blinked the first time Cole echoed him and it was an attitude he'd maintained throughout the rest of the visit.

Laura, bless her, had just taken things in stride with her usual grace. She smiled at Cole and lured him into a conversation about food and the latest movies.

And Cole had just seemed to blossom under the attention of people that didn't try to humiliate him in some way.

It made Anderson sad and angry to realize just how cruel people had probably been to Cole in the past to make him practically cringe away from the idea of talking. And he was so funny and sweet when he did talk that Anderson simply couldn't understand why anyone would ever want to be mean to him. Especially just because of his echolalia, which really wasn't that big of a deal.

Pushing his plate away, he leaned back in his chair to listen to Laura and Cole debate the relative worth of the latest blockbuster movie. A faint smile quirked his lips as he saw just how animated Cole had become.

"I have no idea what they're talking about," George said, low-voiced. He was smiling at Laura though. "It's nice that they have something in common though."

Anderson barely glanced at his dad as he nodded agreement. His eyes were locked on Cole where he stood with Laura next to one of the really big planters. Cole looked so handsome with the sunlight bringing out the hint of red in the glossy strands of his black hair. Young and fit and so desirable without even being aware of his own charms.

"So, when are you planning on marrying him?"

Anderson's head snapped around and he stared at his father. "What?" It was a real struggle to keep his voice from being too loud.

George grinned at him like a shark. "You can't fool me. I see the way you look at him and he's the first one you've ever brought home. So when are you going to pop the question?"

"This is like one of our first dates," Anderson hissed, darting a quick glance toward Cole to make sure he hadn't noticed anything. "There's no way either one of us is going to want to get married right now."

"'Right now,' huh?" George raised his eyebrows. "So at some point in the future you wouldn't be too against the idea of marrying him and making my grandkids legitimate."

"You're already giving us kids? Really?" Anderson huffed. "Look, we're still getting to know each other, so there's not going to be any marriage talk for a while and definitely no grandkids either."

"Yet you don't seem too against the idea," George said, smirking. "And I'm not too averse to the idea of having one or two of the kids being from him. You could probably use the same surrogate if it came down to it. I'll have to have the lawyers draw up some paperwork."

Anderson blanched at the idea of Mary hearing about this little legal issue. The teasing would never end. "Seriously, we've just started dating. Please don't ruin this for me by scaring him off.
Please
."

"Don't worry," George said, "I'm not going to scare him away. Not when you finally look like you're thinking about settling down. He really is a good kid though."

Anderson couldn't help his somewhat goofy grin. "Yeah, he is."

He looked at Cole laughing at something Laura said and he felt such a surge of
want
that it nearly took his breath away.

CHAPTER NINE

As he'd kind of thought, the house was gigantic. Family friendly and impeccably furnished, but gigantic.

"I can't believe you have a mansion," Cole said again. His head was tipped back as he looked at the mural on the dining room ceiling. There was the sun and the moon and all of the planets, surrounded by a swirl of color to represent the Milky Way and other galaxies in the distant background. Everything was done in rich hues and beautiful detail and he imagined it had taken the artist dozens of years to create such a masterpiece. It was breathtaking.

"I can't believe it either," Anderson said, and he really couldn't.

He'd spent his whole life trying to be just one of the guys. He'd grown up in a world of wealth and comfort and decided that he would rather be seen as just another man on the street.

So to have his father buy him a house like
this
... It kind of boggled the mind.

"Does it bother you that I have a mansion?" he asked just a little worriedly.

From the minute they'd followed George's directions and driven around the neighborhood to Anderson's new house, Cole had looked a bit overwhelmed. Especially when they walked into the place and realized exactly how lavish and maybe a bit over the top it was.

"This place is huge," Cole had said the minute they'd walked in the door. And his eyes had gotten bigger and bigger the more they explored.

Laura had done a nice job with the decorating, so Anderson couldn't complain there. It was just the sheer size and grandeur of the place that was putting him off, and that mostly because it really seemed to be making Cole uncomfortable. He seemed scared to touch anything, and that really wasn't how Anderson wanted him to feel.