Wayne Gray

Thanks. I'm working on it.

@kbois, @Butcher56, @chris191070, @Parker Owens, @Hawgdad, @Philippe, @Danners. Thanks for the comments! Sorry for the abbreviated reply to all of you. My time lately is scarce, particularly during the week! Some highlights. Sandra is definitely having control issues, yet she is finding Troy an interesting distraction. There were comments concerning her physical health and how that was an issue in her potential softening approach. That likely has some merit. We'll see if she continues along this track or not. Gavin is such a strange guy. Quirky, probably somewhere on the spectrum and capable. He truly loves Grant, and he's thrilled that his "nephew" is happy. Don't worry @Danners, he's not gonna get handsy with Troy. 😉 There's more coming for all of our characters. Next chapter is a fun one. 🙂

Thanks for commenting, droughtquake. Was this man you speak of a redhead? If so, I think perhaps there may have been a different motivator for paying him such heed. 😛

11 February 2019, Monday 12:11 p.m. (Pacific Time) "Damn it, I'm sorry, Troy." Grimacing just after the door shut behind his father, Grant turned to him. William had shown them to Grant's rooms, then he'd left the two men to themselves. Grant shook his head. "I should have told her it was a condition of our coming here - no inquisitions." Smiling, Troy shrugged. "Honestly, this is relatively minor torture." He sighed. "Really, man, you're pretty lucky." He looked directly into Grant's ey

You’re rather scarred by Harris, eh? Hehe. Goooood. 😉

Thanks, chris. I like these guys. And ... yeah, it was fun to write them going at each other. I'm just as much of a voyeur as my readers are!

Hehe. Thanks, Jeffrey. I guess this is all fantasy, so in an alternate universe this really happened between Brian and Aaron. I like my characters well rounded, and interesting no matter what purpose they serve. In this case ... the guys served each other. 😄

Don't say I never gave you anything.

"Wow!" Turning in place, Brian grinned as he looked over the beautiful living space in the small cabin. "Man, I love your parents' cabin, Aaron." Aaron grinned as he unloaded his bag on the futon. "Yeah, we love it too. Georgette and I try to get out here a couple times a year, at least." They busied themselves putting away the few days' worth of clothes they'd packed. The cabin only had the one bedroom, so they were sharing closet space. "Well," Aaron held up a pair of Brian's brief

Mine too! I'm glad you enjoy her, Fae. 🙂

Thanks for the great comment, Danners. It's pretty crappy that what Dr. Petrucci did for Grant and Rhett is not the norm. It should be. Since he's the sole owner of the practice, there's no red tape for him to cut, luckily. He's a good boss, and believes in rewarding hard work. Lucky for our guys, eh? Rhett is getting real reinforcement that he's valued. It's likely that Dr. Petrucci knows or suspects Rhett suffers from social anxiety. He's perceptive and invested in Rhett, so that's probably something the doc has noticed over the time Rhett has been employed by the clinic. That means he's been careful to provide a place Rhett could potentially succeed. Finding in Grant a provider Rhett clicks with, and someone he is comfortable working closely with is to the doc a great thing. Hehe. That was a fun wake up for Troy, wasn't it? Sex is fun and great, but sex paired with love? That's on a different level ... and that's what they've got. Sandra is fun. Social engineering has pushed her to continually search for cracks and weaknesses in everyone she contacts - as one never knows when one will have to use those weaknesses to the advantage. She's a product of her upbringing, and her mindset has served well as a business owner in Napa Valley. In Troy, she finds a disarming openness. He's willing to lay it all out for her to assess once she has all the information to do so. There's no guessing, or extrapolation needed, Troy will simply tell her what she wants to know. Which is a bit disarming to a woman who is used to having to guess at motivations. 🙂 There's a lot more of the Sandra show coming. Stick around.

Yeah, Sandra is formidable. She has had to be for a number of reasons ... not the least of which is her own family. She has treated Grant much as her own family treated her growing up ... it's how she knows to parent. Grant had the good fortune of also having William who blunted the blow of his overbearing mother. Thanks for the comment. 🙂

Like a cuddly wolverine, maybe? 😛

Thanks, Etotsira! William and Sandra neither have a problem with gay people. I mean ... they own a winery in Napa Valley. Who do you think their clients are? hehehe. Though, yes, it's a completely different matter to have to accept your child's sexuality. I'll grant that much, certainly. Hrm. I'm trying to imagine a Sandra prone to hugging. I don't know ... that's an interesting mix! 😄

Hehehe. I'm glad the chapter dropping is a reason to celebrate, kbois. Grant and Rhett do great work, and Dr. Petrucci (the man who owns the practice, and their boss) recognizes that. He's a good boss, and quick to reward great performance. Hanging on to Rhett is something else the doc wants too. Yeah, he knew Rhett was likely going to stick around regardless, but his paying off that last year of Rhett's schooling means a huge amount of loyalty. It's a good move. I'm rather fond of my equipment and my husband's too. So, maybe you're on to something there. 😉 Sandra is so fun to write! She's got all of those qualities you mentioned, and yet there's more to her than what is on the surface too. William is an expert at teasing them out, and we'll see more of that later. Sandra's tough, but William really is her rock. You'll see. Troy is now a confident man, sure of his capabilities. He also has an appreciation for people (and clients!) who can tell him what their expectations are right off the bat. Sandra ticks those boxes for him. He "gets" her, probably better than Grant ever will. And that's all the hinting you'll get from me! 😄

The Doc really did let them know they're doing a good job. Retaining Rhett is important to Dr. Petrucci, and paying Rhett's last year is a small price if he can make it happen. Sandra has clearly made her stance known to Troy. She is interested in him due to his association with Grant, and Troy knows she's not the type to back down. Thanks to Grant's conversations over the phone with her, and Troy's own ethics and attitude, he had the answers to her questions. And Sandra is just brimming with possible surprises. I guess we'll have to see what she does, eh? Thanks for the comment, chris!

Sandra cannot be told what to do, not even by William, the man she loves. She was a bit "Hello, welcome to my house. Are you planning to leech off my son?" hehehe. You don't have to guess with her. She will flat out tell you what she thinks, and why she thinks it, and then offer "helpful" feedback on your responses. Maybe someone should just tell her to "relax." I'm sure that'd go well! Let's find out what happens. That's coming Sunday! 🙂 Thanks for the comment, Butcher!

Hehe. Sandra is one of my favorite characters. She's prickly, smart, and driven. I don't write many like her, and it's fun to throw her into a room with her on guard son, and a remarkably prepared Troy. Rhett is unprepared for his own success, but he's trying to catch up. Grant gently pushing him helps, and Dr. Petrucci's faith does too. Thanks, Parker!

28 January 2019, Monday 11:53 a.m. Rhett and Grant were at the tail-end of their Monday morning clinic, and every patient on their schedule had showed. Additionally, they had squeezed two young men into the schedule between their regular patients. It made for a hectic morning. They were learning what Grant called "the dance." It was where they anticipated the needs of the other and did their parts unconsciously in support of their two-man team. Leaving room six, Rhett smiled at Grant

Thanks for the great message, Danners. Grant has a lot of empathy, and he values Rhett. Grant wants to do what Rhett needs to feel safe and accepted, and his friends are conscious and smart enough to follow his lead. He truly is a caregiver; it's who he is. That control you mention is important to all of us, and even more to someone like Rhett. Situations that I find exciting, and mildly stressful can paralyze someone with social anxiety. Handing over as much control over the situation was something Rhett needed, and Grant did it instinctively. Yes ... you're right that he found it rewarding once he got through the fear. Also, I appreciate that you shared your own struggle here. Thanks for doing that. I hope it helps to see people like Rhett in stories. We've all got our "something" but that doesn't mean we can't have lives. Rooting for Rhett is good. Rooting for Rhett to get mauled by Aaron and Brian is likely going to result in disappointment. So far the only handsy behavior with men Brian and Aaron display is with one another, and even that has, so far, been done in fun. But you keep hoping. 😉

Rhett is a good man with some challenges most of us don't have to deal with in our day to day life. The friends can sort of sense that something's different about him, and they're being pretty gentle. Grant works in a good place with good people. Dr. Petrucci values him for what he brings to the practice, and he doesn't care one way or another about Grant's sexuality. Though, in this case it works out to the practice's advantage! Thanks for your comment!

Thanks, Jeffrey. Brian is a real friend, to both of them now. He's also a believer in communicating, so he was going to tell Grant how he felt. He's a good friend ... one who would go to war for them both.

Oh, just wait. That train's coming. Thanks for reading and commenting, Tom!

Oh, good! Thanks for the great feedback on the chapter and Troy’s reaction. It felt right to me too, so I’m glad it works for you. Thanks for reading and commenting!

Wow, well thanks, Tom! Like you, I'm impressed by the readers who see fit to comment on this story. It's nice. Since I try to write characters that have real-world issues, I think people see themselves reflected in the work. I believe that encourages feedback, because people have things to say about something they're intimately familiar with. For example: I'm not an expert on social anxiety, but I worked hard to get it right. I welcome readers who deal with it to tell their stories - how they're similar and different from Rhett. And how, maybe I could have done things even better. I want to know. Yeah. I appreciate all of the great feedback. It helps.