It's Not About You (22 page)

He also devoured three bowls of dumplings because he hadn't eaten all day, or much of the day before. After his second glass of tea he got up and sort of staggered. I gestured for him to sit back down. "Don't do too much. You've been sick and the fever can come back. That's why you have to rest."

"But I need to do the dishes."

"I'll do those. You either go back to bed or perch on the couch."

"Come be with me when you're done?"
 

I watched him as he watched me. Were relationships supposed to be this easy? Was this was it was supposed to be like between two people who cared for one another? One wanting to help the other? For those years married to Burt, it had always been about Burt. If Tanae or myself had been sick, then it was my job to take care of us. He was too busy.
 

But if he had been sick—well the world needed to stop. He had to have his meals served in bed, and they had be cooked just the right way. His medications had to be delivered promptly and his clothing and sheets soft. No wrinkles.
 

I hated to admit it, but the first time he called to tell me he was sick when he moved to Boston, I laughed. The asshole thought I was going to drop everything, drive to Boston, and take care of him.
 

I remember the freedom I'd felt when I knew I didn't have to cater to him.
 

But when I looked at Michael…I
wanted
to take care of him, and it was obvious he wanted to take care of me.
 

After I cleaned the kitchen I found Michael in the bed. I stripped down and set my phone alarm before I cuddled against him. He was nude as well and he turned to wrap his arm around me. His skin was cool and his mouth was parted in sleep.
 

I moved my fingers along his thin beard and kissed his lips.
 

I like you
, I thought, but never dared say it aloud. Because like was found on the road to love, and I wasn't sure if I was ready for that.
 

Ever.
 

I made it home and over to the store to open on time, but I wasn't much good during the whole shift. Michael's fever didn't return but he agreed to take the day off and I had more Thanksgiving plans to make.
 

The rest of the week moved at record speed. Kyle and I put a long checklist on the fridge, though it looked like Santa's naughty or nice list. I barely saw Michael until Friday afternoon when he came by the coffee shop. I had just finished making sure everyone had their schedules with no last minute changes so I looked…frazzled.
 

He slipped behind the counter and was helping Mary out when George came in. He stopped short, did a double take and then moved into the office. "What's Pretty Eyes doing behind the counter?"

"Oh, he's probably helping out. Don't worry. He just got here."

George set the other two schedules down on the desk. "Wait…I know you. You wouldn't let
anyone
behind the counter unless they worked for you or you—" He stopped talking in mid sentence, his jaw dropped open, his eyes widened and he slapped his hand over his mouth.
 

That's when I realized I hadn't shared my new boyfriend with George or Brandon.
 

Oops.
 

I looked up at him with a face I hoped conveyed confusion. "Wait…Kyle never told you?"
 

George lowered his hand and ducked out the door. Then he came back in again and whispered. Though George's whispers were more like…harsh yelling. "You're dating the hottie?"
 

"Well I'll be. He
didn't
tell you."
 

"No. That bitch is going to hear it from me!"
 

That's when I reached out and reeled him in. I really loved George, but he was such a drama queen. "No wait. There are things at work you apparently
don't
know and you need to. First up, Kyle works with Michael, and second, Kyle's and Michael's boss doesn't know Kyle's family."
 

"Well yeah I know that about Gerald," George said as he grabbed up a chair and sat next to me. "And he thinks you and Kyle are—" His face did that surprise thing again as he figured out it. "Oh. He thinks you and Kyle are together but you and Michael are together and if he finds out—"
 

"It could be bad. So you can't say anything about me and Michael, okay?"
 

He held out his hands and hunched his shoulders up. "Who am I going to tell? I don't know this person and I have no need to. Kyle's secret is safe with me, though I think he needs to remember he has balls and stand up to the blow hard." Then he punched me in the arm. "But look at you! Dating a baby hottie like that!"
 

I rubbed my injured arm. "Oh he's not that big a baby. He's over thirty."
 

"And you're over forty. Big deal. No wonder our profit's up. You've been getting your cream churned!"
 

Sometimes…no, George. No metaphors. So I changed the subject. "Everything looks good for Thanks giving?"

"Yes, but we're going to have to take a rain check ourselves, Grace."
 

"Going away?"

"Hawaii!" He beamed. "We're getting married, Grace."
 

My jaw dropped. "Brandon finally said yes?"

"No…he asked me!"
 

There was much rejoicing in the shop after that. George gave away the rest of the display goods to any customer that walked in hungry and he offered free small coffees till closing. He also enjoyed meeting Michael.
 

Michael and I spent the weekend at my house since Gerald was going to be out of town. We did laundry, experimented in the kitchen and took a long drive up north to look at the leaves. Sunday Michael got a call that kept him out on the deck for a while. Kyle and I had pulled the Thanksgiving decorations out of the basement and were going through them when Michael stepped back inside.
 

He needed to go and handle some things at work. Kyle offered to help but Michael said it was tech stuff and he needed to go. He gave me a cursory kiss, grabbed this things, and left.
 

That night while Kyle and I fixed ourselves an easy dinner Michael called. "That call I got today—it wasn't work. I've got some things I need to take care of and I need to fly back home tomorrow. I'll be back on Sunday. Or that's how I'm planning it. I could fly back on Friday but…not with Black Friday shoppers out. They remind me of the walking dead."
 

I laughed. Couldn't stop myself. "You may be right. I never have checked to see if they have heartbeats."
 

"Mmhmm. I'm gonna miss yours and Kyle's cooking."
 

"I'm sure he'd cook you anything you want as long as you walked around here nude."
 

Kyle nodded vigorously to that as he finished his wine.
 

Michael sighed. "I'm going to miss you. I didn't realize how much a part of my life you'd become until I thought of going somewhere or doing something without you."
 

"I feel the same, baby."
 

"When I get back, save time for me. I'll get off the plane and come straight to your place. Then after some serious reacquainting ourselves, you can drive me home."
 

"That's a deal. Be careful Michael. Call me when you get there, just so I know."
 

"You're such a mom." But he agreed and I hung up.
 

"I take it that was good news?" Kyle stood in the doorway chomping on garlic bread.
 

I relayed what Michael said.

Kyle frowned. "I wonder why he said it was work related? Surely he'd know I'd find out the truth tomorrow."
 

"Eh…who knows? Set the table and I put the food on it. It's dish your own noodles night."
 

"Sure." Kyle finished his bread and grabbed the every day plates as I stirred the sauce. It seemed everything would work out.
 

But if that was true, then why did I feel like something bad was going to happen?
 

Monday and Tuesday came and went without much drama. Or so I thought until I decided to run by Redbox and grab a movie. I was thinking of the latest Johnny Depp flick—cause that was an actor Kyle and I could agree on.
 

Or Brad Pitt.
 

As I stood in front of the kiosk outside of Kroger, I did a mental checklist in my head. Turkey, stuffing, cornbread, white bread, bag of potatoes, green beans, can of fried onions…

Somewhere in there as my finger tapped on the advance button to move the movies forward because I just couldn't decide, I heard a familiar voice behind me.
 

"The new Brad Pitt zombie movie is good."

Burt.
 

I froze where I was and flattened my hand against the screen while I counted to five. I had to do this to stop from screaming. After I deleted my choices, I turned to face him.
 

He looked the same. Tall, intense brown eyes, almost black. Dark hair, sprinkled with more gray than ever. Not fat but not thin. He had a strange look on his face. An expression I wasn't familiar with there.
 

Burt was smiling.
 

"You have five seconds to get one hundred yards away from me before I start screaming rape."
 

That smile flattened. "Dammit Grace—I just want to talk. Like adults."
 

"You lost that privilege when you filed a restraining order against me for doing absolutely nothing." I took in a deep breath and slipped my hand into my pocket to grab my phone. "Four…three…two…"

"Okay fine!" He backed up to the first row of parking spaces beside a buggy return. "You want to talk from here?" He shouted at me.
 

I pressed Kevin's button on his profile in my phone. I didn't expect him to pick up, so when it went to voicemail I left a single message. "He's here." Then I thumbed up Kyle's name and pressed it.
 

He picked up on the second ring. "I see him."
 

"You do?" I didn't take my eyes off of Burt. I was too afraid too, and that frightened me. Why was it when we were married I never felt physically threatened? But now that's all I felt from Burt? Was I afraid he'd come back into my life and take all my freedoms from me again? That he would start his malicious campaign to distance me from all my friends, call me incessantly when I went out with them, or call out arguments over stupid Facebook Memes?
 

"I'm in the parking lot. I was coming to pick up a movie."
 

Great minds think alike. That's when I saw Kyle jogging up behind Burt. Kyle was a good foot taller, all muscle and fine gay man. And younger. He was also a former judo instructor—one of his many jobs through the years.
 

Burt either heard him coming or saw the expression on my face when I hung the phone up and slipped it back into my pocket. He turned and shook his head, threw up his hands and stalked off. Kyle stood where Burt had been and waited until he got into his car, the same old Buick he'd been driving for ten years, and drove away.
 

When Kyle got to me I was shaking. And it wasn't going to stop.
 

Damn. How could I let someone get to me like that? I was a mess and trying really hard not to cry, but the tears burned my eyes as Kyle scooped me up in his arms and held me, right there in front of Kroger.
 

"Sir is she all right?" It was a woman's voice. Kind. Soothing.

"Yes ma'am. She just had a fright."
 

"Oh no. Did someone try to mug her?"

"No. Her ex-husband showed up."

I heard the woman gasp. "That's worse. Well, you take good care of her young man."
 

I pulled my head out of Kyle's chest to see this little round woman in a flower covered set of scrubs and a Members Only jacket walking away with a buggy in front of her. "I take it (gasp)…she's had this (gasp)…problem." Oh great. I'd hit the ugly-cry and didn't know it. You know which one, where you cry so hard you suddenly can't catch your breath?