Anything For My Brother - 1. Chapter 1

Paul lay across the left side of the bed, his arms wrapped around his lover. He smiled as he looked out the window at the falling snow, the cat sitting near it, tapping as the large flakes fell just outside the double pane. Finally, life was going his way. He had a new job, his lover, and all was right with the world. He leaned over to nuzzle closer and … brrrrringg … brrrrringgg … brrrrringg!

He opened one eye and stared at the bright red light of his alarm clock showing it was barely five minutes after midnight. He hated that he was dragged out of the best dream he had experienced in months. Brrrringg! He stretched and snagged his cell phone off the nightstand as he forced himself to sit up in bed.

“What?” he snarled into the phone.

“Paul? Paul, please wake the hell up.”

“Danny?”

“Who else would call you at this hour? Did you see the news tonight?” There was an almost hysterical tone that forced Paul to be more alert as his brother spoke. “Lisa and I are so fucked.”

With one hand he rubbed his face and tried hard to wake up. “Dan, you have to slow down for me. I haven’t seen the news. I was in bed by ten. What is going on? Why would you and Lisa be screwed?”

Paul heard his brother crying, but knew there wasn’t much he could do. He reached across to his nightstand again and snagged the remote, turning on the television and looking for the news.

“It’s all over the news, Paul.” Danny’s voice was soft and scratchy. “The guy fucked us. I mean he really and truly fucked us.”

Paul was about to ask what he was going on about when he spotted the newscaster standing in front of Land’s End Restaurant and Catering Hall. He thumbed up the volume just in time to hear Ted Aberton, the special reporter.

“And so tonight so many brides and grooms are wondering just what this means for their weddings. When the staff left the place last night they had no idea the owner had planned to close the doors and lock it, permanently. The Land’s End was scheduled to hold a conference this morning, and a wedding this evening. It is booked solid through the end of next month, according to one of the former employees who found that they had been fired via a text message this morning from the owner. Already lawyers have been called in, but there is little doubt that much can be done for the many weddings that had paid in full and now have no hall, no band, no food, nor much else, as one of the busiest months for weddings is about to begin. This is Ted Aberton reporting live from New York City …”

He clicked off the TV and swallowed hard. “Please tell me you and Lisa had a backup plan?”

“Sure, we had booked a second hall and spent another small fortune.” The sarcasm wasn’t lost on Paul. “I don’t know what the fuck we are going to do. This was her dream place. We barely have money left for our honeymoon. I’m not sure how the hell we’re supposed to pull off the wedding now.”

Paul’s own life might be in the crapper and fixing it wasn’t something he was sure he could do, but give him someone else’s problems to fix and he would always find some way to come through. He sat for a moment longer, feeling like a fool for even asking the stupid question he had posed. Then he got off the bed and wandered over to his desk, turned on the light, and pulled out a notebook and pen.

“Alright, Dan, I need to know exactly what you guys still have access to. I know you said you were screwed, but what was the hall providing for your wedding and what were you providing?”

Silence.

“Dan, I can’t help if I don’t know.”

“I’m not sure to be honest.” Another pause. Paul heard the pain in his brother’s voice. “Lisa was in charge of most of it, Paul.”

“Can I talk to her?”

“She went home to her mother as soon as she heard. All her father will tell me is she’s crying non-stop and staring at her wedding dress. I mean we were due to be married on Sunday.”

“I know. Look, I’ll start looking around to see what favors I can call in. This isn’t going to be easy, Dan, but I won’t let your wedding be a disaster. I promise.”

“We’re so fucked.” Dan’s voice cracked again.

Paul could hear his brother blow his nose through the phone.

“Alright, go to bed. I’ll talk to you both come morning.”

There was a click and suddenly Paul was alone once more in his tiny flat. He shook his head and muttered to himself, “I can’t make my own life work, but god damn it; I’m going to make sure they get their wedding.”

_  * _ * _ *

“Manny, if I haven’t told you before, I’m telling you now. You are a sweetheart.”

“You pulled my bacon out of the fire a few times. It’s the least I can do.” Manny’s deep voice held a note of laughter. “I’ll have a few grills up there and we’ll work miracles with what you’ve managed to buy.”

“Thank you so much.” Paul took off his glasses and leaned back in his seat. “You have no idea.”

“Hey, your brother shouldn’t have had to worry. I’m just glad to hear how much you have managed to pull together.”

“You have no idea the deals I’ve made so far. I’m going to let you go. I still have a few calls to make.”

“No problem. See you early Sunday morning then.”

Paul leaned back in his chair and looked over his lists. In less than two days he had nearly put together the wedding. It wouldn’t be like the first one was supposed to be, but it would come off. He double checked everything he could. His parents had managed to donate close to two thousand dollars, which he in turn had used for food, and then he had taken out a loan and gotten another few grand which was used for tables and chairs for the venue he was using. The amount of donated talent and locations was staggering. There was a knock on the door.

“Go away. I’m busy,” He growled without looking up.

“Sorry, but I need to talk to you.”

Paul looked up to see his future sister-in-law standing in his office doorway. Lisa’s eyes were red and swollen, but otherwise she didn’t look too bad.

“Sorry, Lisa. I didn’t know it was you.” He quickly moved to meet her at the door. “Come in. Sit down.”

“Thanks.” Lisa collapsed into the chair by his desk. “I … I need to talk to you … and to apologize.”

Paul walked back behind his desk and sat down. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

“I do.” She blushed and glanced at Paul before looking back at the floor. “I’ve been a bitch to you and you still came through for Dan and I. Face it, I’ve had no use for you and asked Dan to change his best man three times.”

Paul sat in silence. He didn’t know that Lisa had asked his brother to drop him from the wedding party.

“Yet you have still done all this for us.”

“Lisa, just so you know, Dan has never said a word to me about you wanting me out of the wedding party. My brother has asked me over and over again to try and get along with you. I never knew the reason, until just now.” He took a deep breath before he continued, “Or how little you cared for me.”

Lisa looked up, her eyes wide. “You didn’t know?”

“No. My brother wanted us to get along, so I’m sure he just kept whatever problems there were to himself.” He shook his head sadly. “I would do anything for Dan.”

Lisa stared at him. She made as if she was going to leave the room.

“Sit down, Lisa.” Paul stood up behind the desk and studied her. “Please.”

She turned. Her face a mixture of shame and rage.

“If our family is going to get along at all we need to settle this. What the hell is your problem with me?”

“You hit on Robert.”

“Robert? Who the hell is Robert?” Paul looked blankly at her.

“My cousin,” she said, one hand wrapped tightly around her purse. “He came to the engagement party and complained that you hit on him all during it.”

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t hit on anyone.” He shook his head and stared back at her. “Secondly, who the hell is your cousin? I have no idea who he is or what he looks like.”

“Robert is … well he’s blond, green eyes, about your height.” She bit her bottom lip. “Sort of shy, and well, just a real sweetie.”

“Wait a minute. Is he the guy who was dressed all in blue?”

“Robert is always in blue.”

Paul laughed out loud.

“What is so funny?” Lisa demanded as her cheeks colored again.

“I didn’t hit on him.” He raised his hands before him. “I have a feeling your cousin might be gay though. He followed me around like a puppy dog all during the party and I kept politely asking if there was something wrong. All he kept saying was no. “

Lisa shook her head.

“Honest. I never made a play for him or anything. He seems like a nice guy, but, well a bit too shy for me.” He leaned back on the edge of his desk.

“I’m going to kill him.” She shook her head. “I’ve sort of suspected he might be gay, but he made it sound like you were trying to corner him all during the party. He is so shy and sweet that I wanted to punch you every time I’ve seen you after he told me.”

“Relax. I’m never aggressive in going after someone. Besides, he seemed a bit lost and I’m not one to take advantage of someone.”

“Can we put this behind us?” She slowly seemed to relax.

“Considering I didn’t even know it existed, sure.” Paul smiled and shook her hand. “Wanna know how the plans are going?”

Lisa smiled. “Desperately.”

“Okay, come sit over here and I’ll go through everything with you. I think I have managed to cover nearly all the bases. You are so going to owe me. I expect to be godfather and that kid is going to be spoiled.”

“Don’t rush the children. Hell, Dan and I aren’t even married yet.”

“Yeah, not until Sunday, then you can start working on it.”

She laughed. “Jesus. You sound like my mother.”

Paul laughed and pulled his lists together. He showed Lisa all he had accomplished in just a day.

_ * _ * _ *

“Is my tie straight?” Dan asked for the fourth time in as many minutes.

“You look perfect. Would you just relax?” Paul smiled as he checked over the other two groom’s men.

“I still can’t believe you pulled this off. I can’t thank you enough.”

Paul shook his head. “I can’t begin to tell you what deals I’ve made, but I promised you that I would make it happen.” He gave his brother a quick hug and winked. “Besides, I’m the best brother in the world.”

“Yeah, I’ll find a way to make it up to you.” Dan smiled and returned the hug.

There was a knock on the door and a petite blonde woman walked in. “Hi gents. Just checking to make sure you are all ready.” The guys nodded. “Paul, can I talk to you for a moment?”

Paul gave his brother a hug and turned to face Marcy, his second in command and the one person he trusted enough to hand the reigns over to for his brother’s wedding. He followed her out into the hallway and closed the door behind him.

“Alright, what’s wrong?” He kept his voice down to make sure Dan couldn’t hear him.

“Christ. You are as bad as any bride,” she giggled and shook her head. “There’s nothing wrong. I wanted to update you so that you could relax. The last bus just arrived from the old venue, and the guests are being seated. Mrs. Andrews is asking to make sure everything is just the way you wanted it. She is seriously considering using the house as a bed and breakfast that can be rented for weddings. I still don’t know how you convinced her to do the trial run with your brother’s wedding, but everything is beautiful. The guys from the job can’t believe she has property on the Hudson. It is like a fairy tale out there.” Marcy glanced over her clipboard.

“Yeah, I know what a beautiful place she has. I had to take pictures for that news article we were hired to do about homes on the Hudson. It took some sweet talking and promises that she could use Dan’s wedding pictures to help promote her place as a bed and breakfast.” Paul turned and looked back at the door where the rest of the wedding party was waiting. “Tell me Manny is here and that the food will be okay.”

“Manny said to tell you, and I quote him here, ‘Tell the old goat to stay out of my way and I will cook the way I want to.’ So, I suppose the food is okay.” She smiled and shook her head.

“It just about killed Lisa to give up the plans she had for a plated dinner. With the last minute change in menu, I convinced her that a buffet was the way to go. Manny and his crew are barbequing and doing god knows what else.” Paul stood biting his nail till he caught the look Marcy shot him. “I know he is bringing food as well. No one would believe the shit we are doing.”

“Consider it a trial run.”

“Trail run? Oh hell no. I don’t ever expect to go through this again.”

She laughed. “Liar. Some day the right man is going to come into your life and you will be swept off your feet.”

“Marcy, my love, don’t bet the farm on it. Twice burned, remember. Too old now anyway, because lord knows nobody wants a graying old forty something.”

Marcy arched her eyebrow and stared at her boss. “That’s some load of shit. Hope you weren’t expecting me to believe it.” She turned on her heel and headed toward the bride’s side of the building.

“Thanks for nothing!” Paul called after her. She shot him the bird and he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Everything okay?” Dan stood in the doorway, nervous.

“Relax. Everything is fine. Marcy was just touching base to let me know how it was all going.” Paul smiled and hugged his brother while leading him back into the room.

“I don’t know. With everything that’s gone wrong, maybe Lisa and I just aren’t meant to be married.” Dan shifted uncomfortably in his shoes and looked out into the pale blue sky.

“Dan let me make this clear to you. You love Lisa, she loves you, and even with all the problems, you both want to spend the rest of your lives together. Don’t go looking for more issues. Just smile and get ready to start your life together.”

Dan smiled. “You know, only one thing would make this day perfect.”

“Oh, really? What is that?” Paul cocked his head and looked at Dan.

“Seeing you find someone so you could be as happy as I am.”

“What is it about today? Everyone is trying to marry me off. Ain’t my wedding day bro, it’s yours.”

There was a knock at the door and Peter, one of the groom’s men, went to answer it.

“Afternoon all.” The Reverend Krista Merry stood in her robes. “It’s just about time and I wanted to double check on a few things very quickly. I figured it would be easier to check with you guys, than it would be to try to get to see the bride.”

That brought a round of smiles from all the men in the room.

“Now, who is Daniel Rigby?” The reverend looked around the room.

“That’s me, ma’am.” Dan stepped forward.

“Okay. I don’t usually like meeting everyone just at the service, but this has been a rough one I understand. You and your wife-to-be have written vows?”

“Yes. We both have written something to read at the ceremony.” Paul pulled out a few note cards from his pocket.

“Good. Nice to know you’re prepared. I understand you have someone doing a reading as well.”

“Yes, Reverend. I’m doing the reading,” Paul walked over and shook the reverend’s hand.

“Okay, and so I can keep this straight, you are?”

“I’m sorry, I’m Paul Rigby. I’m the best man and the one who sort of pulled this all together for them.”

“I’ve heard good things about you,” she smiled. “Sounds like you are used to projecting your voice too. Good. That’s one less thing for me to worry about.”

Paul smiled as Dan stepped along side of him.

“Yeah, my brother can occasionally be a big mouth, but I love him anyway.”

Reverend Krista laughed. “I like a family that can joke together. I’ll see you all up at the altar in a few minutes. Once you are in place, the wedding will really be underway.”

She headed out and closed the door behind her.

“What did you do? Hand the whole wedding over to women?” Peter asked looking at Paul.

“Damn, you have good taste in them anyway,” joked Terrance. “Why couldn’t you have set me up with one or two?”

“You are both terrible. Besides, you’re married already, Peter, and your fiancé would kill me, Terrance.” Paul lightly punched Terrance’s shoulder.

“Yeah, Chrissy would have ripped your nuts off if you had.” Terrance agreed with a smile.

Marcy knocked and popped her head in again. “Okay gents time to line up. The Reverend is in place and you are the next ones out.”

The guys took a moment to do a group hug and then headed out to their places as the sounds of the wedding march began to play.

_ * _ * _ *

Paul stood off to the side nibbling on a piece of chicken from one of the plates going around during the cocktail hour. Even he was tired of being in front of the camera and just wanted two minutes to eat something. He was finally relaxing when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

“Hm.” He tried to swallow quickly as he turned to face a handsome man that looked vaguely familiar.

“Oops. Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you while you were eating.” The man blushed. His pale skin turned a deep crimson and his blond hair glistened in the light.

“Sorry,” Paul swallowed the piece of chicken and looked over the man before him. “You’re Robert, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” He blushed again.

“You caused me a lot of trouble with my sister-in-law.” Paul cocked one eyebrow at the young man who suddenly seemed like a little kid. Robert slid his hands into his pockets and suddenly found the ground before him to be completely fascinating to look at.

“Sorry.” His voice cracked and grew softer. “I never thought Lisa would take me serious.”

“Well, she did. She tried to get me out of her wedding party. It’s a good thing she didn’t succeed or else there might not have been a wedding.” Paul spoke slowly and watched Robert as he realized what was being said.

Robert paled. “I … I never meant … I mean … that wasn’t what I wanted to happen. I mean ….”

“Look, I’m sure you never meant to cause such problems. You should find Lisa and apologize. Explain whatever you meant to do. Just don’t cause me any more problems. Okay?”

Robert nodded and slipped away.

“You realize he has a crush on you,” came a whisper from behind.

“Huh?” Paul turned. His brother had a huge smile on his face and rocked on his heels like a little kid.

“He likes you.”

“Give me a break. Aren’t you supposed to be by your wife’s side?” Paul snagged a pig in a blanket as the server passed him. “Leave me be.”

“Oh don’t play innocent with me. Robert likes you. Hell, I felt like I was intruding. You could have gone easier on him. I don’t think he has much experience.”

“Look, I’m sure Robert is a sweet guy. I’ve heard from Lisa how nice he is and all. I’ve also heard that because he said I was hitting on him that Lisa wanted me out of the wedding. Why didn’t you tell me she had asked you to remove me as the best man?”

Dan laughed. “You aren’t changing the topic that easily. Yeah, she was mad at you, but I also know you. You aren’t the most forward man when it comes to dating. So I knew that there had to be a mix up.” Dan grabbed a quesadilla from a passing server before turning back to his brother. “Besides I think you two might be a good thing.”

Paul shook his head. “No. No more dating. I’ve told you that. It is done. Over. Finite. The days of me making an ass of myself are over.”

“Glad to hear that. Cause Mr. Not-For-You is coming back, I believe, to apologize. Behave, play nice, and see how things go.”

Before Paul could say another word, Dan walked off with another guest and Robert was suddenly at his side again.

“I’m sorry, Paul. I really want to apologize. I explained to Lisa, who said if I don’t make up with you, she’ll never talk to me again. Please forgive me.”

Paul had never seen someone look so miserable.

“Consider yourself forgiven. Now go back to your cousin. I need to eat something before they grab us for photos and I have to make the toast.”

“Paul! Paul, don’t you move.” Marcy rushed toward him.

“Now what?”

“Don’t you ‘now what’ me! Get your ass over here. You have more pictures to take. I can’t find your brother and Lisa is standing with the bride’s maids and the other groom’s men. They are just looking for you two for pictures.”

“Tell them you can’t find me. I need to eat something first. The appetizers will be gone before I get to have any and then the buffet will start. I want the cocktail hour snack food.”

“Tough. Get your ass across the lawn now.” Marcy stood there with her clipboard nearly bouncing with anger.

“I’ll fill a plate for you.” Robert commented softly looking at Paul. “I promise. I’ll have food for you when you are done.”

“See. Handsome over here will get you a plate of food.” Marcy kissed Robert on the cheek before turning back to her boss. “Move your ass. I have to find your brother.”

“Fine.” Paul held up his hands in surrender. “I’m going. Robert, make sure you get some sauce for the pigs in a blanket.”

Robert smiled as Paul headed across the lawn. Robert went in search of a plate and began to hunt down the servers.

“I told you it would work.” Marcy whispered as she watched Robert begin his search.

“Remind me not work against you or my wife,” Dan said, trying not to laugh.

“Speaking of your wife, you need to get going. I promised her that you’d all be together for another photo. In ten minutes this will all be over and people will be moving toward the tents, so you can all be introduced.” She smiled wickedly and ticked off another thing on her check list. “I wonder how he’s going to take finding out you were setting him up with Robert?”

“Hopefully he’ll never know.” Dan kissed her cheek. “Hey, sometimes the baby brother has to step in to take care of the older one. You always have to have a backup plan.”

“Now I know it’s a family trait.” Marcy giggled as she led Dan across to where Lisa and the rest of the wedding party were waiting for more pictures to be taken.