Second Shot - 17. Chapter 17: First Time for Everything

Ten minutes early. Royce’s conditioning left Jason sitting around waiting for people too often for his liking. Peter said he would meet him after class, which meant two p.m. Finding an empty bench, Jason sat back, looking at the blue spring afternoon. Hopefully Peter wouldn’t mind if he went running later.

“Looky here, Joe, if it isn’t Jason Tellerfag.”

Jason didn’t need to look over to know it was Myers.

“Wow, fat, slow, and stupid.” Jason stood up. If Myers wanted to fight, he wouldn’t give him a sitting target. “Who knew they could pack so much crap into one person.”

Myers brow creased and his eyes narrowed. “You better watch yourself. Coach isn’t around to protect his precious little pet. I bet you’re his little butt boy, the way he treats you.”

“Oh let me see, you sucked as a striker and I was good; that had nothing to do with why you got benched.” He felt himself shaking. Clamping down, he tried to stop it; no way he would let Myers see he was scared. “You were always a jerk Myers, now you can be one in real life instead of playing one on the soccer field.”

“Awfully tough without your protectors.”

“Yeah, you’re Mr. Tough guy when you have a wingman.” He nodded toward Joe. “Never seen you say this shit when it was just you and me. What, afraid to take on the gay boy alone?”

What the hell was he doing? How stupid was it to provoke Myers when he had back up? No, fuck that, Myers called him a fag, no way he had to take that, certainly not from him.

“You really think you can take me?” Myers laughed, but Jason noticed he was shaking too.

“Problem, Jase?” Peter’s voice sent a wave of relief through him.

For all his posturing, Jason noted Myers took a step closer to his friend when Peter spoke. Now that Peter was standing next to Jason, Myers suddenly looked around. Resisting the urge to call him a ‘fucking coward,’ Jason shook his head. Just as he thought, no way Myers wanted to face him alone.

“Who the fuck are you? Tellerfag’s boyfriend.”

“This asshole must be Myers.” Peter took a small step away to his right. Jason noticed him shift his weight slightly, getting in the fighting stance they practiced at the dojo.

“What gave it away?” Jason never took his eyes off the two in front of them.

“I’m required by law to tell you I am a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. If you two start a fight, I’m not responsible for your injuries.” Peter told Jason in the past of his need to announce his status before a fight to avoid legal problems.

The color drained from Myers face as he turned to look at his friend. Joe never acknowledge the look. Instead he held up his hands. “Hey man, I’m not a part of whatever he’s doing. I don’t want any trouble.”

Walking backward, he left Myers alone to handle the fight he started.

“Just walk away douche bag,” Peter growled. “If you try to throw a punch, you will be sorry.”

Had Peter not just insulted him, Jason figured Myers would have walked away quietly. Now his honor was at stake. If this came to a fight, however, it would be no contest. Honor or no, Myers would be lucky to land a punch.

Jason watched as fear, anger, embarrassment and frustration all played across Myers’ face. Glaring at the pair, Myers stepped back, turned and walked away.

“That was fun.” Jason realized he was breathing quickly. Drawing in a lung full of air, he held it for a count of five.

“First time?” Peter rubbed his shoulders.

“Huh?

“First time someone called you a fag?”

Peter’s hands felt so good, Jason almost forgot to answer. “Yeah, well not really. Myers has been call me that since last semester, but then he didn’t know I was gay so not sure that counts.”

“Anytime he said it counts. You should report him.”

Jason grabbed Peter’s hand pulling him in the direction of the Java Shack. “Asshole will be gone soon, he isn’t worth the effort. Let’s go, I’ve waited all day to see you.”

Jason noted Peter’s frown. No doubt Peter would have filed a complaint if the comments were directed at him.

“Let me think about.” He said, hoping to mollify Peter. “Do I get you all to myself until you have to go teach?”

“Thought you were taking me to the Java Shack? Not much chance we’ll be alone there.”

Jason stopped walking so he could face Peter. “Are you trying to get me to choose between you and coffee?”

“Never!” Peter put his hand behind Jason’s head and drew him in for a quick kiss. “I’m afraid I might not win.”

They resumed their walk, Myers all but forgotten.

*********

Gently lifting Peter’s arm from around his waist, Jason left his sleeping boyfriend to use the bathroom. Not quite sun up, there was still enough light for him to find his way without running into the furniture.

Finals started tomorrow, today really, but his first test was tomorrow. He still couldn’t believe the semester was almost over. Summer meant leaving school and going home, something he wasn’t sure he could do.

Staring at himself in the mirror, Jason tried not to worry about the summer. Besides finals, no small consideration, he was happy right now. Last night they hung out with friends, some of his and some of Peter’s; some gay, some straight. No one cared they were a couple other than to make fun of them for looking ridiculously happy.

Although still early, Jason knew he wasn’t going to get to sleep again, he had too much on his mind. Rather than wake Peter, he went into the kitchen to make coffee. With his history test tomorrow, he could put the time to good use.

Going home for the summer meant hiding who he was again. No, not hiding, pretending was more accurate. Spending the summer at home meant pretending he wasn’t gay and Peter didn’t exist. Now that everyone knew, he saw no reason to act otherwise.

Then there was his mother’s treatment of him. They barely said five sentences in the nine weeks since she found out. Ice was warmer. The last time she answered the phone when he called, she handed the phone to his father once Jason said hello. She never acknowledged him, but he heard her say, “here,” as she gave the phone to his father. Jason refused to call the house after that, contacting his father on his cell phone instead.

Maybe he should just stay on campus. Soccer practice began before classes so he and Darryl signed a full year lease on their apartment. That took them through the end of next May. At least he could be close to Peter if he stayed. Staying, however, left him a killer commute to work every day. Then again, this all presumed he worked for his dad’s firm.

All year he assumed he would work for his father as he had the last summer. Since telling his parents, or more accurately, since Jordan outed him, he and Royce never discussed what he would do this summer. He still owed his parents for his car so he needed a summer job; somewhere. The question was did he work for his dad again or try to find a job around campus?

Grabbing a cup he realized he needed to call his father to resolve this issue. “But not right now.” He said into his coffee cup.

Flipping through his notes, he focused on those parts he skimmed last night. Despite what he expected, studying with Peter made him more productive not less. Peter’s grades inspired him to try harder, something his boyfriend encouraged. If he even thought about playing video games, Peter redirected him back to his books.

Unable to clear his head to focus on European Medieval history, Jason grabbed his iPod. Flicking through songs, he found what he wanted. Dancing around in just his boxers, he collected what he needed for cereal. Turning to get milk, he froze when he saw Peter smirking at him.

“What the hell are you doing?” Shirtless, wearing just a pair of Jason’s shorts he did not go to bed wearing, Peter started laughing.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Jason quickly pulled out the earphones and put the iPod down.

Peter kissed him on his way to get himself a bowl. “So you decided to get up and practice for your Dancing With the Stars tryout in your boxers?”

“Shut up.” Jason wanted to crawl under the table. Why did it bother him? He knew Peter was playing. Two steps from the table Peter pulled him back. Jason could feel Peter’s chest hair against his back. “Besides I’m not a star, so it was for my ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ tryout.

“I was kidding.”

“I know,” he pushed back just enough so Peter wouldn’t let go. “How stupid did I look?”

“Aside from the fact you dance about as well as I do, it was seeing you do it in the kitchen in nothing but your boxers that made me laugh.” He kissed the back of Jason’s neck before going to get the box of cereal. “What has you up so early?”

“I didn’t want my restlessness to keep you awake. You were up later than me last night.”

“My first test is today,” he reminded Jason. “Unlike some people who get to study an extra day.”

“You finish a day earlier than me, but do I complain?” He couldn’t resist the urge to run his hand over Peter’s chest. “Hey, fuzzy chest.”

Getting a kiss first thing in the morning always made Jason smile. One turned into several before Peter went for some orange juice.

“What’s got you restive? Finals?” Peter brought the pot of coffee over to refill Jason’s mug.

“Thanks.” Jason took a sip. “Not really, thanks to you I’m better prepared going into exams than ever before.”

Seeing Peter so comfortable in his apartment made Jason smile. A year ago he wished for something like this, but never believed it possible.

“Summer,” Jason mused.

“Summer?” Peter stopped with a spoonful of cereal perched in front of his mouth. “That’s it, just summer?”

“What am I going to do this summer, where am I going to work, where do I live?”

“Aren’t you working for your dad?”

“Not sure.” He shrugged. “I haven’t talked to him about it since . . . well we haven’t talked about this summer ever.”

“You think he won’t let you work there this summer?” It was clear Peter didn’t agree with this assessment.

“Honestly? I don’t know right now. Even if he does, in some ways that makes it worse.” Jason’s mood was decidedly worse than moments before. “I really don’t want to go home, but if I’m working for my dad’s firm, the commute from here will be brutal.”

“Oh yeah.” He nodded. Peter ate some more before he spoke again. Judging by his expression Jason didn’t expect a brilliant suggestion. “Do you really need to work this summer?”

At first Jason was stunned by the comment. He wanted to say, ‘of course I need to work,’ but held back at the last moment. Looking at it from Peter’s perspective, it was a legitimate question. He didn’t have a pressing need to work, his parents paid for everything.

“Sort of,” Jason tried not to sound angry. “I still owe my parents for my car. The agreement was I work summers to pay for half the cost.”

“Right, you told me that.”

Peter’s comment was hard for Jason to read. Was he annoyed that Jason’s only need to work was to give his parents money for a car they already paid for? Or was he acknowledging that even though his family had money, Jason still had to work.

“Besides,” he push aside his half eaten bowl of cereal. “My dad sees Dean and I working as life lessons. He doesn’t want us to turn out like my Uncle Raymond who doesn’t have a job and lives off his trust fund. Having already disappointed him once this semester, not working won’t help me improve my standing.”

“Jase, you didn’t disappoint them.” Peter reached for his hand. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Being true to yourself isn’t a bad thing.”

“Let’s not revisit this, please.” He really didn’t want to get into a debate with Peter again over how his parents felt. “Leave it that I have to work this summer.”

“No, Jason, we can’t leave it at that.” Despite his insistence, Peter wasn’t angry. “You need to stop blaming yourself for their reaction. This is who you are, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Why are we doing this now?” Jason knew Peter meant well, but he did not want to talk about this, even with him. Better to just let it alone. “Shouldn’t you be worried about finals and not me?”

Peter inched closer. “Nothing is more important to me than you.” He held Jason’s gaze. “Look, I know I’m lucky my mom is okay with me being gay. It is unfair for me to judge your relationship with your parents. But you can’t expect them to accept you if you keep thinking you did something wrong.”

“I never said I did anything wrong.” Jason sighed.

“Saying you already disappointed your dad is the same thing,” he said calmly. “If he’s disappointed, that is not your fault. Unlike working, being gay was not your choice. Your parents need to accept this is who you are and that you are not choosing this. They need to understand you didn’t do this to embarrass them, you’re not doing this to rebel, it’s just who you are.”

“We’ve had this conversation a dozen times now.” He really didn’t want to have it again. “I know I’m not doing anything wrong, but it still upsets me. Sometimes when I close my eyes, I see his face when I told them. It was not his, ‘proud of his son’ face. Whether he’s wrong or I’m wrong or neither of us is wrong, it hurts to see that look on my dad’s face.”

Peter’s face told Jason all he needed to know; his opinion hadn’t changed. “How do I explain this? I know what my dad wanted for me; career, wife, children, that sort of thing. He never came out and said it, but he always expected he would get to have grandchildren from me. That’s how my family is. Now I won’t be doing that and I know deep down it bothers him. He is disappointed, maybe not in me, or my being gay, but for what he will never have.”

Picking up the spoon he began to scoop up milk and cereal and slowly pour it back into the bowl. This was the part that made him saddest. There was no one he looked up to more than his dad. He felt a tear roll down his cheek before he could stop it.

“Dad has always been there for Dean and I, always. If there was a better father, I haven’t met him. I respect him more than anyone else, so shattering his dreams hurts me.”

Peter reached across, using his thumb to clear Jason’s cheek. “Jase, those are his dreams not yours. If he loves you as much as you say, he wants you to be happy.”

“I know.” Jason felt stifled by the conversation. It constricted his chest to the point he felt he needed to lash out or run away. “But that’s the thing, I love him just as much and I want to make him happy. His dreams are not mine, but it still hurts knowing I can’t give him what he wanted from me.”

“I get it.” Peter seemed far away for a moment. “I felt like that for a while with my mom. It gets better, honest, you need to give it time.”

Peter got up, taking his empty bowl with him. “Just think about what I’m saying.”

“I always listen to you.” Jason smirked. “From what you tell me, I’m rather good at listening to you.”

Laughing, Peter grabbed him from behind. “How about you go get your butt in the shower and get the water warm for me.”

“Yes, sir!” Jason reached around to kiss him. “I like this conversation much better.”

“I bet you do.” Peter pushed him forward.

****

Jason staggered back under the impact of Peter’s punch.

“Remember to rotate from the hips, just like when you kick a soccer ball. That’s where you get your power.” Peter demonstrated again by hitting the thick pad Jason held up to his chest. Even through twelve inches of padding, he felt the blow. He always ended up sore after training with Peter. “Got it?”

Jason nodded. The dojo was empty except for the two of them. Mr. Lee was around but hadn’t disturbed them while they trained. Though Peter said he would teach Jason, their ‘lessons’ more often than not turned into Jason being a sparring partner for his ‘teacher.’ The more Peter taught him, the more intense Peter attacked him.

Handing Peter the ‘tombstone,’ as the pad was called, Jason assumed a fighting stance. He quickly learned to kick properly, his years of soccer being good practice for many of the basic movements. When they trained, Peter focused more on punching to improve Jason’s upper body conditioning.

Trying to keep Peter’s instructions in his mind, Jason struck at the pad Peter held tight against his chest.

“Drive it!” Peter called out. “Breathe!”

Grunting as he punched, Jason remembered to push from his core, not just his arms.

“Keep going!” Peter yelled. “Harder, come on, keep punching!”

His lungs burning from the exertion, Jason kept punching, refusing to stop until Peter said it was okay. When even he could tell his form was suffering, Peter took two quick steps back.

“Stop!”

Not needing to be told twice, Jason stood with his hands on his knees, sucking in as much air as he could. “That’s so much harder than it looks. I thought I was in such great shape, but this kicks my butt.”

“Different muscles require different training.” Peter smiled at him even as he put the pad away. “You just need to work up to it. I know I can’t come close to running as fast and as far as you, so it’s all a matter of conditioning.”

“Yeah, but I’m winded as if I ran five miles.” Jason remembered to breathe deeply. No wonder Peter was so ripped. Anyone who could do this for any period of time had to be in great shape.

“I’m not sure I could run five miles, so we are even.” Peter looked around the studio before kissing him. Even though everyone knew he was gay, he didn’t want to be seen kissing Jason if there were young kids around. “Don’t worry, you’re doing great. Your punching has really improved. I can feel the difference already.”

Peter’s compliment made Jason feel better. For all he knew, Peter lied just to make him feel better, but he smiled anyway.

“Thanks Pete, I’m glad you got me to come. I won’t say it’s fun, it’s too much work to be fun, but I like it.”

“Says the man whose idea of fun is to spend hours chasing a ball around a field while other sweaty men try to tackle him.”

“And?” Jason smirked. “What part of that ISN’T fun?”

After a pause, Peter laughed. “Okay, that does sound fun, but I meant you spend hours running as if it were fun. To me this is fun.”

“Because you’re good at it,” Jason argued. “For me, it takes so much concentration, it isn’t quite fun, even if I like it.”

“You will get better soon, you pick things up fast.”

Before he could answer his phone rang.

“What’s wrong?” Peter asked.

“Huh?”

“Your face. You look like something’s wrong.”

“Oh.” Jason shook his head while he retrieved his phone. “Nothing’s wrong, it’s my dad’s ring. Can’t imagine why he’s calling.”

Rather than guess, Jason quickly found his phone. “Hello?”

“Jason?” His father asked.

“Hey dad. How are you?” He tried not to sound as confused as he was. Dad rarely called during working hours.

“Good, how are you?” If there was a problem, his voice didn’t give Jason any hints.

“Good, a little tired of studying. My first exam is tomorrow.”

“What are you doing now?” Royce still didn’t give him any clues about what he wanted.

“Just getting done at the gym. I figured some exercise would be good for me.” He wasn’t sure he wanted to tell his father he was with Peter training alone.

“Did Darryl go with you?”

“No, sir.” Suddenly he could almost hear Peter’s voice from this morning. “I’m at Mr. Lee’s dojo. Peter was giving me lessons.”

What did he have to lose? They knew he was gay and he was dating Peter. Telling his father he and Peter were together wouldn’t come as a shock.

“Right.” For the first time Jason could hear something in his father’s voice. “Dean mentioned you were taking martial arts classes.”

“Sounds like you don’t approve, Dad.” Jason was tired of avoiding hard choices with his family.

“Will it affect soccer?”

“Probably, but only for the better. It’s much harder than you would imagine.”

His father laughed. “Who said it would be easy?”

“No one, but I didn’t think it would be this much of a work out.” He watched Peter shake his head. “So, you just checking up on me?”

Hearing his dad’s voice improved Jason’s mood. Especially since his father called him.

“I wouldn’t say checking up on you. More like seeing how you are.” He almost sounded amused. “That and I am not far from campus. A client of ours is out this way so I figured I would see how you were. What are your plans for the evening?”

Plans? He couldn’t remember the last time is father asked about his evening plans.

“After we clean up, we’re going to eat then study.” He wondered if his father picked up on the ‘we’ part.

“Have time to meet me for dinner or will that interfere with your studying?”

“Sure Dad, I can do dinner.”

“What about Peter?” His dad’s question surprised him

“I don’t think he’ll mind if I meet you.”

“No, I meant is he able to join us?”

Jason moved the phone away from his ear. Unable to answer, he stared blankly at Peter, drawing a confused look.

“Jason? Are you still there?”

“Um, yeah dad, I’m here.” Did he just insult his dad with his silence? “I don’t know if he can join us, let me ask.”

Peter heard enough to look equally shocked. Tapping the mute button, Jason stared at the phone for a moment. “Dad is nearby for work. He wants to know if you want to come to dinner with us.”

“Seriously?” The disbelief in Peter’s voice matched Jason’s reaction.

“Totally.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Come with me for sure,” Jason said without hesitation. “Dad wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t cool.”

“Okay,” he answered, sounding unsure of what he was doing.

“Dad?” Jason turned off the mute.

“I’m here.”

“Yeah we’re both free to meet you. We need to shower, but we can meet any time after that.” Jason forgot how tired he was from his work out as well as the studying he still needed to do. Beyond his expectations, his father seemed to be accepting who he was. Peter was right all along. Hopefully he wouldn’t rub it in too much.

****

They arrived at the restaurant fifteen minutes early surprised to find they were there before Royce. No doubt his dad didn’t know the best ways from where he was, Jason thought. Peter fixed Jason’s collar, making sure the tie was hidden by the shirt. It was Peter’s idea to wear a tie, arguing Jason’s dad was going to be in a suit.

“Stop tapping your fingers,” Peter told him.

Taking his hand off the bar, Jason shoved his hand in his pocket. “Sorry.”

“Why are YOU so worried? I’m the one meeting the in-laws.”

“In-law,” Jason corrected. It would take an act of God bordering on a miracle to get his mom in the same room with him and his boyfriend.

“Whatever.” Peter unwrapped his hands with the practiced ease of an expert.

“I’m just nervous. My dad suggesting he meet us is a big deal for me.”

Peter winked at him. “I know it is and I promise not to embarrass you.”

Now Jason laughed. “The better question is will I embarrass you?”

“Jason.” They both turned in the direction of the voice.

As Peter surmised, Royce still wore his suit.

“Hey dad.” He gave his father a hug then stepped back. “Dad, this is Peter, Peter Gregory. Peter, my dad, Royce Tellerman.”

“Nice to meet you Mr. Tellerman.” Peter stood up, offering his hand.

Shaking Peter’s hand he said, “Nice to meet you Peter. Royce will be fine. You boys been waiting long?”

“Not really,” Jason lied. “We got here a couple minutes ago.”

Royce looked chastised by his son’s remark. “Sorry for being late. Who knew there would be such traffic on the way over.”

“It’s 6:28 Mr. Tellerman,” Peter observed. “You told us to meet you at 6:30.”

“Royce, please. Jason knows anything less than five minutes early is late in my book.”

“Last I checked, that only applied to Dean and I meeting you.” Jason laughed. “We never made a reverse rule.”

This made his dad smile. Grabbing Jason affectionately on the shoulder he said, “Let’s see about that reservation.”

“Peter?” A female called out causing all three to turn.

The hostess, a well dressed woman about thirty, walked over smiling. “To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit? Erin isn’t working tonight.”

Too much jewelry, Jason thought as he watched her raise a ring covered hand to her short blonde hair.

“I’m having dinner with . . . a friend and his dad.” Peter’s deliberate use of just ‘friend’ made Jason smile. So much for not being nervous.

“Oh?” She smiled pleasantly at Jason and his dad. “Any friend of Peter’s is a friend of La Scala’s. What name is the reservation under?”

“Tellerman,” Royce told her. “Royce Tellerman. Three for six-thirty.”

“Denise this is Jason and his dad Royce.” Peter belatedly made the introductions.

“Jason.” A note of recognition could be seen in her eyes. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Nice to finally put a face to the name. Erin speaks highly of you.”

Jason tried not to blush. “Um, thanks.”

“Well,” she said awkwardly. “Let me go see about your table.”

“My sister works here as the assistant manager,” Peter explained hastily.

Royce nodded, looking slightly amused. If he was uncomfortable with the exchange, Jason saw no indication.

“How did your meeting go, Dad?” he asked as Denise led them to a table near the back of the room.

“Very well.” He took off his coat while Jason and Peter took seats next to each other. “Always pays to keep the client happy. Especially in this economy.”

Their waiter appeared with water and explained the specials. After taking their drink orders, he left to let them decide what they wanted for dinner. Conversation resumed once they gave the young man their orders.

“Jason tells me you’re a finance major.” Royce directed this to Peter.

“Yes, sir. I haven’t made the decision to focus on banking or accounting yet.”

“I’m sure Jason told you I am an accountant by trade.” Turning to his son for confirmation, he received a confirmatory nod from Jason.

Peter nodded. “He did, sir. Said you have your own firm in Harrisburg.”

“Correct. If you ever need some career advice or want to stop by to see what goes on, tell Jason to call me and I’ll set it up.”

Jason hoped he didn’t look as shocked as he felt. He knew the offer was genuine, but he didn’t expect his father to say it.

“Thank you, sir. I will be sure to call if I have any questions.”

“Peter,” Royce laughed. “This is not an interview, it’s a friendly dinner. If you are uncomfortable with calling me Royce, Mr. Tellerman will be fine. Sir is a bit much; it is usually reserved for people who want something from me.”

After that remark, the tension seemed to abate. Dinner conversation ranged from baseball and soccer to world economic trends and the recession. When the check arrived, everyone reached for their wallets.

“Stop,” Royce said. Jason heard that tone many times as a child. “Let me put an end to this foolishness right now. Neither of you are going to pay the bill, split it, leave the tip, nothing. One of the perks of being older is you get to take your children and their friends out to eat from time to time.”

Jason worried Peter would be uncomfortable, but he appeared relaxed when Jason snuck a look over at him.

“Thanks, Dad. Getting to see you tonight was great.”

“Yes sir . . .” Peter stumbled after saying, ‘sir.’ “Thank you for dinner, it was great.”

“You are both welcome. I don’t get to see my son often enough anymore so this was a great opportunity.” When he smiled at him, Jason knew Peter was right again; his dad wasn’t disappointed in him. “Since Jason mentioned more than once how much he thinks of you, I figured it was time we met.”

They both blushed slightly at the comment. “I’m glad we met as well. Jason speak about his family all the time.”

“That is good to hear.” Royce’s face changed suddenly. “At the risk of being terribly rude, can you excuse us for about ten minutes? I need to speak to Jason alone.”

“Dad.” Did his father really ask Peter to leave? “What are you doing?”

“It’s okay.” Peter stood up. “I’m going to use the men’s room, then wait for you at the bar.”

“Peter.” Royce stood up, shaking Peter’s hand. “I appreciate this. We need to discuss Jason’s summer situation. Though I’m sure he will tell you everything once you two get home, I would prefer to speak in private. Have them put whatever you like on the bill.”

“Please, Mr. Tellerman,” he shook his head. “My sister is the Assistant Manger here; they have been comping me free soda for years.”

Royce smiled. “Thank you again for understanding.”

“See you in a few, Pete,” Jason added quickly. When he was out of earshot Jason added, “Did we really need to send him away to talk about this?”

“Jason.” His dad appeared uncomfortable with what he was about to say. “I know you’ll share what we talk about, but I still prefer to tell you in private. That way neither of us will be embarrassed talking in from of him.”

“What’s so terrible we can’t speak in front of Pete?” Now he was concerned there was something wrong.

“Nothing terrible, more like uncomfortable. I want you to be able to speak your mind freely.”

Jason nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“Good then, let’s get to this so we don’t keep him waiting.” Royce moved some of the plates aside so he could rest his hands on the table. “As you are aware, right now is not a great time economically.”

“What? You mean the ‘Great Recession’ that old W left us with?” Jason joked, hoping the political comment didn’t offend his dad. They never talked politics, but he always thought his parents were republicans.

“It might surprise you to know, I never voted for a President named Bush.” Royce raised an eyebrow to make his point. “As I was saying, the economy is not the best and that has affected our firm.”

Great, Jason thought. No job this summer. How was he going to pay his dad back now?

“We retained a good chunk of our clients, even managed to pick up a few to offset our losses. Despite that, our revenues are down.”

Jason was mildly surprised to hear his dad tell him the fortunes of the firm in this much detail. Now he wasn’t sure what was coming next.

“Jason, the bottom line is we’re not hiring summer staff as we have in years past. In fact, we laid off 10 staff members effective the end of the month. It would look bad if we hired the children of the partners for summer work after announcing lay-offs. People would assume we did it just to put our kids on the payroll.”

“I understand.” He really did. “If you hired me, I’m not sure I could survive the dirty looks I would get from the permanent staff.”

“Exactly.” He smiled at his son. “However, the partners agreed that we would try to hire unpaid summer interns to do some of the work we used you kids to do in the summer. I want you to be one of those interns.”

Jason tried to process everything. How was he going to work for free AND find the money to pay his dad back? On the other hand, his father was always generous with him. He really couldn’t say no when his dad’s firm needed help.

“Sure, Dad. But you’ll need to give me an extension on my car loan.”

“Actually there is more.” The smirk on his father’s face worried him. “Your mother and I discussed this with Ray and Flora and they are willing to hire you and Dean to work on the estate along with the other students they hire for the summer.”

Now he was confused. “Work at grandma and grandpa Henry’s? How do I do that if I’m working for you?”

“Sorry, I wasn’t clear.” His father rolled up his left sleeve that had unraveled during their talk. “You and Dean will work at the firm Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday as interns. That way you can keep relevant work experience on your resume. Thursday, Friday and Saturday you go to your grandparents’ estate and work for them.”

“On the seventh day he rested.” Jason’s comment made his father laugh.

“Much as I love you son, the God comparison is a bit much.” He rubbed Jason’s head. “In exchange for the unpaid work at the office, your mother and I will forgive the rest of the debt you owe on the car.”

“Which is just like paying me.” Jason smiled. This was a win-win for him. He expected to need almost all his money from working for his dad just to pay them back.

“Glad you see it that way. So, how does that sound?” His father’s ‘question’ was more requirement than optional.

“Sure dad, sound great.” Jason didn’t have to fake his feelings. “What’s not to like, work experience, car paid off, spend the summer with Dean and get a few dollars in my pocket compliments of Grandma and Grandpa Henry?”

Royce gave him a wink. “Somehow I figured you would find a way to see this was a good solution.” Royce’s mood changed instantly, causing Jason’s smile to disappear. “Now for the conditions.”

“Conditions?”

“Yes, conditions. We have not told your grandparents about your . . . you being gay. We would appreciate it if you did not discuss this around them. They don’t need to know.”

Jason considered the request. His dad was right, why did they need to know? It wasn’t like he wanted his parent’s to know so not telling his grandparents didn’t upset him, at least not too much.

“There’s more.” From his father’s body language this was all coming from his mother. “Given his age, your mother and I would prefer you not bring Peter around Dean.”

“Seriously?” His anger slipped passed his defenses. “Why? You think Peter is going to molest Dean?”

“Of course not.” Royce tried to brush it aside. “That’s not why.”

“Then what? Afraid it might turn Dean gay?” This ruined what was a great evening for him. “C’mon dad, you know it doesn’t work like that. You met him, how is Peter being around Dean going to hurt? Dean doesn’t care, you saw how he was when I came home.”

“Slow down Jason.” Holding up his hand, Royce tried to calm Jason. “I know all those things, but for now your mother is still struggling with this . . . .”

“Hmph, that’s an understatement,” Jason muttered.

His father ignored the comment. “She would prefer Dean not be exposed to it this summer.”

“Dad, you act like it’s not everywhere already.” Jason shook his head. Getting mad at his dad was stupid. Clearly his father wasn’t the problem. “I mean I’m sure there are gay kids at school. But you know what, fine, no Peter around Dean.”

He brought his hands down harder than he intended, causing enough noise to make people turn.

“Jason,” his father started.

“Dad, it’s okay.” He let his anger drain away. Motioning to the table he added, “I appreciate this, tonight, more than you know. The source of the requests is noted. If this will make things easier for you, I’m happy to do it. I owe you at least this much.”

“Son, you don’t owe me.” Royce looked slightly less tense after Jason calmed down.

“For all the support you give me, this isn’t such a bad thing.” He tried to smile, but he knew it looked forced. “No talking about it around the grandparents, no bringing Peter around, not even trying to pass him off as just a friend from school, nothing.”

Jason turned around to hide his anger. What did his mom think? He and Peter were going to waltz over to the estate, gather up Dean and his grandparents and start making out in front of them.

“I am sorry about this, Jason.”

“I know you are.” He looked back at his dad. “You never ask for much and give me a lot in return. This isn’t so bad. We can work around it.”

“Thank you.” His dad sounded as relieved as he looked. “I think we have kept Peter long enough. I still need to drive home and you need to get back to studying.”

Jason led them to the bar where Peter was chatting with the bartender. When he saw them come in, he said his goodbyes and followed Jason out of the restaurant.

“Mr. Tellerman, thanks again for dinner.” He flashed a genuine smile as the two shook hands. “Not that you need me to tell you, but it meant a lot to Jason. Me too.”

“You’re welcome. Jason is lucky to have you.” He let go of Peter’s hand and turned to his son. “I mean that.”

Near tears, Jason gave his dad a hug. “Thanks Dad. This was really important to me.”

“You’re welcome.” When they stepped back, his father added, “Good luck, both of you on your finals. See you sometime next week, Jason.”

“Bye Dad.” He felt a bit weird standing next to Peter waving goodbye to his dad. When his father’s car left the parking lot, Peter grabbed his hand. Drawing it to his lips, he gently kissed the back.

“So, wanna tell me what happened?” Peter nodded his head and raised his eyebrows making Jason laugh.

“Sure, let’s go home so I can fill you in.”