Change of Heart - 40. Chapter 40

Chicago, New Year’s Day, 2018

Sam and Dave were still out when Jeff and Paul returned to the apartment. Paul noticed Jeff’s gaze drift around the living room as though he was about to search for something and was trying to decide where to look first. Even as it clicked in his brain, he said, “You're going to miss this place, aren’t you”?

Jeff gave a snort followed by a whimsical smile, met his lover’s gaze, and said, “I hardly think so. I was just thinking that I’ve lived here for years and never really thought of this place as home. Not like the ranch. I used to think it was because I’d lived almost all my life there. Later on, I decided it was because here, I was all alone. Home is more than just an address. It’s the people you love and, er, uh, well a whole lot more. I actually thought about getting a roommate, like in college. Then I thought about what a crapshoot that could be. I think I stayed in Chicago after my parents died mainly because, here, I missed them less. It didn’t hurt as much. I wasn’t in denial but, sometimes it would cross my mind that I should call home to check up on ‘em and then I’d remember they weren’t there. After law school, I stayed here to establish my credibility as a bonafide attorney. I thought it was important to gain experience separate from any family business. Everyone seemed to understand. After Mom and Dad died, I stayed here to avoid the pain.

“That bullshit about how “time heals all wounds” is just that its bullshit. The pain just gets duller. I just wish I could keep their memory clear but, it seems to fade right along with the pain.”

Jeff shook his head to clear his thinking.”It wasn’t until Aunt Mellie and Uncle Joe were actually shocked that I had called them. After that call, I knew my time in Chicago was coming to an end. Looking back, I prepared for not returning to work. I turned down any work that required my involvement into the new year and closed out all my active cases. I didn’t really know I wasn’t coming back for sure until I walked into the house and realized it was still ‘home’ to me. Paul, leaving Chicago and going back home to live had been my intent even before I knew you existed. Well, maybe I knew you existed from Uncle Joe’s and Aunt Mellie’s phone calls. But, moving back to the ranch was the plan before we met.

“Years from now, I doubt I’ll remember much about this place beyond the fact that I once had an apartment in downtown Chicago. So, no, I won’t miss this place.”

Paul pulled his lover into an embrace. It warmed him to know that Jeff was leaving with no regrets. It also pleased him to hear once more this move was not a spur of the moment decision inspired by their coming together.

The two moved into the bedroom and began to undress. Paul asked, “I’m not jealous, just curious. Did you bring a lot of guys here”?

“Aha! The old “exchange of detailed sexual history”. That means you’re probably interested in more than just a one night stand. Okay, let’s see.” Jeff let his smile drop as he explored his memories. “I had friends in college, both gay and straight, that were promiscuous. For them it really was like being a kid turned loose in a candy store. I did my share of hookups. I wasn’t a slut, but I wasn’t a prude either. I never brought anyone back here simply because it would have been uncomfortable for both of us the morning after. It was easy to feign an excuse about school and then later, work.My sex life was pretty vanilla before you brought out my kinky side. You and I have done things sexually that I’ve never done and likely would have refused to do with anyone else. That’s because I trust you completely and I know how much you love me. I don’t feel like I own you, or like you own me. I just… I just feel like being with you is the most natural thing in the world. It’s like, well it’s like we share each other. The best way I can say it, and I know this is a cliche, but, it’s like I’ve been traveling for a very long time, and now, at last, with you, I’m home. And, somehow everything is new and exciting, just because I’m with you.” With that, he pulled Paul into a kiss that started out as soft and loving and grew into something that communicated feelings, more than words could ever hope to express.

The next morning Jeff took one last look around and decided he was leaving nothing important behind. Paul sent emails to their “Chicago” friends expressing gratitude for their hospitality and encouraging them to visit their part of Texas where he promised it was neither as windy nor as cold.

Paul admitted that this time the whole “private jet” thing had advantages that eclipsed the best of commercial air travel. He couldn't imagine any commercial jet, would be made ready at his whim, to fly him anywhere in the world. Certainly not without endless waiting, ticket hassles, and of course crowded seating. And of course, obnoxious fellow travelers. He happily realized, as the flight steward greeted him and took his coat, that all he had to worry about was getting himself onboard and that this and every flight, from now on, was and would be at his convenience. The aircrew waited just for them, and of course, clearance to take off.

Paul called to speak to Maria and let her know her Daddies would see her shortly. Jeff relayed an invite for the two of them to have dinner with Uncle Joe and Grandma Mellie. Paul quickly agreed and texted their manny, Fred. Which resulted in Fred being able to take Rosarita on a date. Paul mused that for a moment most of the key players in his world were content.

On the ground, Sam jogged away to retrieve their SUV. Dave insisted on helping unload the luggage. In order to keep Dave from straining his injured arm, Jeff and Paul both helped with the baggage. Paul chuckled. It seemed his life as a spoiled “jet-setter” hadn’t lasted very long. Now he was a lowly baggage handler. He mused to himself, ‘c'est la vie’.

After the idea they would soon be home had settled in, Paul asked Jeff, “Cowboy, I know with helping Uncle Joe and Daniel with their campaigns means you could be busier than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. But, that will be over by the end of March. I know you want to help run the ranch but, is that going to be enough? I expect to be a working man for many years to come. It may eventually get to the point where I work exclusively for a few ranchers. But, I don’t see me sitting around just managing money. I like not having to worry about making money but, I’m not gonna worry about making more.”

Jeff eyed the passing scenery for a moment, then turned to Paul, “ I know this doesn’t answer your question regarding my aspirations of long-term employment. But, I’ve already spoken to Raymond and he has set aside an office, in our newly acquired building on the town square, for me to provide pro-bono legal services to those who might not have access to adequate representation. That service will include civil cases, but I intend to represent selected defendants facing criminal charges, as well. Oftentimes, public defenders are overwhelmed by the number of cases they’re charged to deal with plus they often lack the resources to adequately prepare a case for trial. Sometimes, just having an attorney during questioning can mean all the difference. No offense to Danny or any other professional law enforcement officer but, cops are more likely to get promoted based on arrests and convictions, rather than the intangible concept of “keeping the peace”. Let a cop on traffic patrol slack off on issuing citations and see how long he lasts.

“I expect to have the office manned by a secretary and a paralegal during normal business hours. I propose to only be available three days a week. I know it may, on occasion, require more of my time but as long as I can still give Uncle Joe a hand in managing the ranch and it doesn’t threaten time with you and Maria, I can handle the workload. I’ll be counting on you to get my attention, should anything impinge on our time together as a family.”

Paul squeezed his lover’s hand. “I will gladly rattle your chain at the first sign you might be ignoring us. I’ve gotta say, I’m not surprised that you’re already getting involved in helping people around here. I volunteer time at the local shelters. TR and David do also. It makes me feel more connected or better grounded. It’s like it does something good for my soul when I’m helping others, even if the others are animals. At the end of the day, I still feel good for having helped.”

“I know what you mean. I did pro-bono work at a senior citizen center in Chicago. It was mostly just wills and threats of litigation to deal with. But, it meant a lot to those folks. And that made it mean a lot to me. It’s nothing that deserves a pat on the back. But, it made me feel good to think I was directly helping someone.

“Now, as to the other activities you mentioned. Well, before the elections we have a wedding to attend. Then, I expect to dedicate a lot of my time and energy toward helping Uncle Joe and Daniel win their elections. I don't’ mean by a few votes, I mean by a significant margin, heck, maybe a downright landslide. I know that’s unrealistic given the apathy of the average voter but, I want us to give it our best shot. I want this election to mean something to everyone. I, for one, am tired of the same old ineffectual politicians focused on reelection before the ballots are even counted and public servants who practically refuse to serve the public.”

“After the election is decided, I want the gay festival to be a success. By that, I mean I want all people who attend, gay or straight, young and old, to come away having had a good time. I want every man, woman, and child that attends to also come away with a more positive view of gay people. Which reminds me, I think we should invite a wide range of gay professionals. I mean, doctors, lawyers, police, firefighters, teachers, cowboys, and ranchers. I think we'll ask every gay or gay-friendly visitor to wear a pink triangle just for the day. We seriously need to contact gay organizations and PFLAG in Dallas. They might be able to help even on such short notice. Hell, we’ll pay gay professionals to man the educational booths, if we have to. I want enough publicity and free rides and events to entice people from all over Texas. I want Ilya to handle security above paying policemen overtime. I want this to be the funist, safest, straight friendliest “Gay Us Carnival in Texas”. I want people to talk about what fun it was up until it’s time for next year’s soiree.”

As they pulled off the highway onto their property, Jeff got a text from Raymond letting him know that he and Daniel would be joining the family for dinner.

Maria was her usual effervescent self in welcoming her Daddies home. Paul noted that protecting his balls already came as second nature to Daddy Jeff. Maria confessed to having fallen asleep before seeing the ball drop but, “Grandma” pulled up a video for her to see after she woke up. Greeting Sam and Dave, it was clear that she was unaware of the shooting in Chicago. Dave told her he bruised his arm and would have it in a sling for a few days.

She had learned to FaceTime with DJ and he was telling her all about the “socialized medium”. She then asked Daddy Jeff if a medium social was the same a large social, like Grandma Mellie’s get together at Christmas time? Paul made his excuses saying he had to call TR and David, his coworkers to discuss his first day at the office. The curt glance Jeff flashed his way let him know that he would pay for deserting his partner in his time of need. Paul was just glad he had someone to give him occasional relief from the constant barrage of, not always appropriate or easy, questions a curious little girl could ask. Besides, it served Daddy Jeff right. He chuckled to himself, after all, he gave Maria a tablet for Christmas. Paul silently mused, Karma has its ways. Giving a five-year-old access to the internet, that’ll learn ‘em, durn ‘em.

Finding himself alone in the den, Paul made his phone call. With TR and David on speaker, it was left to him to decide as to his starting date. Paul admitted he wanted to get back to work as soon as possible.

After that was resolved, TR dropped a bombshell. Apparently, Maria had overheard someone talking about her Uncle Raymond and Deputy Lovan’s upcoming wedding in Hawaii. Aside from the fact that news of the wedding was on a need to know basis, Paul found what TR had to say… enlightening, to say the least.

DJ had wondered how the sex would work if they got married in Hawaii, instead of getting married and then going there to have sex? It was this sticking point that led him to his Daddy TR for clarification. DJ also shared that Maria wasn’t sure about the sex part either since she was pretty sure her Daddies already did sex stuff and they weren’t married. They just refused to talk about it. She had confided in DJ, “you don’t have to be married to do sex, you just had to be old.”

TR, David, and Paul all agreed that further discussion regarding sex and the importance of not eavesdropping was needed for both families. Paul felt slightly nauseated when he remembered how confused and ignorant of sexual matters he had been even beyond puberty. The thought of his little girl eventually having sex made him have to swallow his bile. He dreaded the upcoming discussion. It would be like knowingly stepping into a minefield... blindfolded. Certainly the idea that Maria may have innocently outed Daniel was a potential powder keg in itself.

He needed to find Grandma Mellie. Not to criticize but to just let her know her discussion had been overheard and to remind her that “little pitchers have big ears.”

Paul left a very upset Grandma relaying the bad news to Daniel’s mother. He wanted to talk to Maria to find who else she might have shared the news about the upcoming wedding. He promised himself to have that issue resolved before Joe, Raymond and Daniel joined them for supper. He decided that if Maria didn’t ask about sex he wasn’t about to bring it up. He decided that it might be cowardly but that would be his policy regarding sex and Maria. If she didn’t ask, he wouldn’t tell. He just prayed that program worked better for him than it had for the military.

He prayed even more fervently that Grandma Mellie would be around to prepare his daughter for when her Aunt Flo became a monthly visitor. Even as his mind gave birth to that thought, he chastised himself for being both an animal husbandry professional and a father and yet, afraid to talk his daughter about S. E. X.

As he entered the family room he could hear the “Frozen” soundtrack. Jeff, with his arm around Maria, glanced up at his lover’s approach. Seeing Paul’s face and not wishing to alarm Maria, he silently demanded, “What’s wrong”?

Paul’s gut urged him to pause the movie and get right into the discussion and get some answers. Looking into his lover’s questioning eyes Paul realized that blindsiding Jeff could make a potentially uncomfortable discussion into something so much worse. He didn’t want to suffer through another painful lesson in communicating with his husband. He wanted Jeff as his partner in all things that meant an equal partnership in parenting Maria as well. “Jeff, could I talk to you for a minute”?

Stepping into the hallway and closing the door to prevent another case of eavesdropping, Paul shared what he knew with Jeff. Jeff agreed with Paul about simply finding out who else she told and making her realize that while her Daddies wedding was up for discussion, Uncle Raymond’s and Deputy Lovan’s was not. Sex would not be brought up by either Daddy.

When they were satisfied they were on the same page, they returned to the family room and sat either side of Maria. Maria began to wonder what was up when both her Daddies scooted to the edge of the sofa and half-turned to look at her. Paul picked up the remote and paused the DVD. “Marie, honey, Daddy Jeff and I think the three of us need to have an important talk.” The challenge of defining eavesdropping as opposed to accidentally overhearing a conversation was understood more easily than either man expected. Maria’s understanding was verified when she offered that not everything she said to DJ was something she wanted anyone else to hear by accident or worse yet on purpose. She solemnly promised, in the future, to leave the room or at least make her presence known whenever others were engaged in what they might think was an otherwise private conversation. The point was brought home when Daddy Jeff asked her if she wanted all the boys in her class to know that she had said they were, “icky”? Maria agreed that it might hurt their feelings or maybe even make them want to hurt her. Besides she had changed her mind. DJ was a boy and he wasn’t “icky”. The more boys she got to know the less icky they got.

Once “eavesdropping” was covered they moved on to “who else did you tell”? In this it was easy, Maria had only mentioned it to DJ. He was the only one she had spoken to since she had learned the news. Both Jeff and Paul breathed a huge sigh of relief. TR had assured Paul that DJ had told no one about the wedding except TR and David. The only reason Maria had even talked to DJ about the wedding was because of the whole "sex in Hawaii” thing.

The next problem was in helping an innocent little girl understand prejudice, bigotry, and homophobia. Jeff began to see the magnitude of what he and Paul were doing with Maria. Even a preschooler is exposed to gratuitous violence on TV to some extent. But, to make it real, to make an innocent child realize and accept that physical harm can come to someone simply because of whom they love, is gut-wrenching. Suddenly, Jeff felt a new appreciation for his own parents and their profound love and acceptance. It was brought home again that this “parenting” thing wasn’t all about exuberant hugs and butterfly kisses. It wasn’t just embarrassing questions asked at the most inopportune times. Sometimes, like now, “parenting” could be a metaphorical kick in the balls.

Paul began, “Honey, we’ve talked about how some men love men and that’s called “gay”. We also said that some men love women and they are called “straight”. They’re all people and it’s still love they feel and that’s good. Being gay or being straight is different the same way spaghetti with meat sauce is different from macaroni and cheese. They’re both pasta and that’s good, but they’re different. Some may like one more than the other and that’s okay. Your Daddy Jeff and I will get married in a few months. Everybody knows and we don’t care. Some people are happy but some people are very angry that we can get married. Those people think being different is always a bad thing even if love is involved. Daddy Jeff and I ignore those people who can’t or won’t see we love each other and that getting married is one way we can show our love for each other.

“Your Uncle Raymond and Deputy Lovan also love each other, very much and they are getting married. But, they are in a situation where people who don’t like gay people could make life very hard for them. If the people around here who don’t like gay people find out Uncle Raymond and Deputy Lovan are getting married, Deputy Lovan could lose his job. To your Uncle Daniel, that’s as bad a getting beat up. Uncle Raymond and Uncle Daniel are prepared to fight those people who might try to hurt them. But, Uncle Daniel doesn’t want to stop being Sheriff and that could happen if the wrong people find out about the wedding. Only people who love Uncle Raymond and Deputy Lovan know they’re getting married. We don’t want anybody to get hurt, especially those we love. So we adults are keeping their wedding a secret for as long as we can. Daddy Jeff and I need you to help keep this wedding a secret? Just like the adults that love Uncle Raymond and Uncle Daniel. We’re asking that you not talk about this wedding with anyone outside the family. You know who our new family members are, don’t you Sweetheart”?

A solemn nod from a little head and Paul continued, “We’re going to Hawaii, as a family, to celebrate their wedding. But, we can’t tell anyone who doesn’t absolutely love Uncle Raymond and Uncle Daniel, even after we all come back from Hawaii.

Paul glanced at Jeff. Jeff, understanding his partner, added, “Princess, what your Daddy and I are asking is that you keep this wedding secret to protect Uncle Raymond and Uncle Daniel. We know it’s an important job and it’s hard keeping anything secret from friends, playmates, teachers and all the people you meet outside the family, but we both think you’re grown up enough to do this. It’s one of those things you have grown into. It’s also important that if, by accident, you do let anyone else know about the wedding that you tell me or your Daddy or Grandma or Uncle Joe or even Uncle Raymond or Uncle Daniel. We both promise that we will understand if you slip and tell anyone. No one will be angry with you. Everybody makes mistakes. But, it’s important to face up to the mistakes we make. We need to know if anyone else finds out so we can protect Uncle Raymond and Uncle Daniel. Please try to keep the wedding a secret and if you do slip and talk about it to someone, just hurry and tell someone in the family so we can keep Uncle Raymond and Deputy Lovan safe. Can you do that”?

Paul thought his baby girl was on the verge of tears. He wanted to grab her and reassure her and protect her and tell her his love would always keep her safe. It felt just like a cold, hard, stone had dropped into the bottom of his heart. He knew that whatever Maria was thinking would have to be internalized before she would accept his offer of comfort.

It took moments, maybe minutes. To Jeff and Paul, it seemed like an eternity passed. Maria searched both her Daddies’ faces, more than once. Finally, she stood and turned to face the two men. She asked Paul, “Did what I say to DJ get Uncle Raymond or Uncle Daniel hurt”?

Paul couldn’t hold back, he grabbed Maria and pulled her into his loving, protective embrace. “Nooo, baby. We already talked to DJ’s Daddies and they’re talking to DJ so he will keep the wedding a secret. No one has been hurt.” Relaxing his crushing hug, he continued, “But, we have to keep the wedding a secret so no one ‘does’ get hurt. Now you know not to eavesdrop and to let people know that you’re around. Eavesdropping is never good and letting people know you can overhear their conversation is just being polite.”

///////////////// MEANWHILE //////////////////

With the holidays behind them, Raymond and Daniel proceeded to move into the smaller house. That meant while he was at work, Jeremy had arranged for and supervised the movement of Daniel’s clothes and personal effects into the master bedroom and ensuite of the now finished smaller house.

Daniel’s day at the office was spent in the still new tasks of day-to-day management of law enforcement efforts throughout the county. He was surprised at the number of Municipal Police Chiefs that had called to congratulate him on his promotion, his own hometown Police Chief being a glaring exception. More than a couple had expressed outright disdain for his predecessor. Each Police Chief asked questions about the ongoing investigation into the old Sheriff’s activities. Daniel wasn’t sure if it was idle curiosity or fear that made them ask. In any case, he was circumspect in his answers.

In a discussion with the lead investigator, Daniel learned that there was at least one other “person of interest” still working in the Sheriff’s department. Daniel tried to find out more, but the man clammed up, then quickly excused himself. It left Daniel somewhat paranoid. He tried to reason out who the likely culprit was and exactly what he or she was suspected of. Hopefully, that issue would be resolved by the time the investigation was wrapped up.

Daniel drove through the ranch gate just after four. He had felt a twinge of guilt at skipping out early and promised not to make it a habit. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he had skipped lunch. He was definitely ready for dinner. He snorted as he realized he couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten dinner alone or for that matter, slept alone. A smile of anticipation flared as he considered his new sleeping arrangements. Had it really been only a few days? Yes, and yet the feeling of sleeping entwined in his lover's arms seemed so natural that it was hard to imagine ever sleeping alone again.

The smile faded as he remembered before “bedtime”, they were all to gather for dinner at Uncle Joe’s. Raymond had advised it was for the family to discuss and formalize their campaign strategies and goals, before unleashing the professionals. He had a personal matter he wanted to discuss with the family before they began any talk of campaigning. As he parked at the smaller house, his belly grumbled again. Daniel decided a snack would be needed to quiet the beast.

Daniel was happily greeted by Raymond with an enthusiastic embrace and a scorching kiss. Both men chuckled as a totally inappropriate sound from Daniel’s belly effectively quelled their ardor. Raymond dragged his lover into the kitchen and grabbed the first thing he saw that was edible. That happened to be one of Runt’s leftover cinnamon rolls, much to Daniel’s delight. Roll in hand, and mouth, Daniel allowed himself to be led back into the living room to properly greet a broadly grinning Linda.

Linda, with her usual enthusiasm, had already led Raymond through the big house. In spite of her having to sometimes shout above the near-constant din of construction noise, she insisted it could be occupied as a residence. Raymond laughed. He offered the use of the place to Linda and her husband until construction was complete. He could see from her expression, she suddenly wasn’t so sure about the idea of “ready for occupancy”.

The fact that Daniel arrived just as they were about to tour the smaller house totally reinvigorated Raymond. Once he had provided needed sustenance for his mate. He let Linda give them the tour. He wasn’t surprised at the changes that had been wrought at his ranch. He was very much aware of what properly motivated people could accomplish. Especially properly motivated people armed with a generous budget could accomplish. In spite of this “cynicism”, he was quite impressed with the final results concerning the smaller house as well as Larry and Runt’s new place. The smaller house was completely furnished in what Linda declared was “Raymond’s style”. Raymond just looked at Daniel and shrugged.

To Daniel, the “smaller” house was much bigger than his idea of a “smaller” house. But, relative to the main house it was significantly smaller. To him, just like the penthouse, this place felt warm and welcoming. Every seat looked comfortable without being bulky, awkward, ugly or too small or too confining. Linda added that Daniel’s Mother had been consulted regarding his tastes. She had insisted her son would “go crazy for it”. Raymond didn’t want Daniel to go too crazy for this place to the point he might actually want to live here instead of with him at the big house. This house was to be a red herring so people would believe Daniel lived alone and rented this house from Raymond.

The thought of nosy people led Raymond to consider the ranch’s new security system. State of the art cameras, each with motion/ infrared/night vision sensors covered the entire perimeter as well as the exterior of each of the houses, barns and other outbuildings. Each could be monitored, swiveled and zoomed remotely from a central location in the barn. An App allowed Raymond to view and control the cameras from his phone or iPad. He could even get alerts if intruders were detected. A couple of late night scavengers helped him decide to lower the threshold for receiving personal alerts, for now.

Raymond’s day had been taken up in the minutia that he didn’t like to allow to eat up his time. Still, with the relocation and the training of his new assistant, Jeremy, it was to be expected. It was like settling into bed alone, between cold sheets on a winter’s night, it would get tolerable, eventually.

As the tour continued, Daniel decided he could be perfectly content living in this house, just the three of them together, Raymond, the baby and himself. It was tasteful, comfortable and spacious. Like Raymond’s penthouse, it made Daniel think of the kind of taste that probably comes from being constantly and continuously exposed to the finer things in life. It wasn’t something one picked up from TV, books or movies. It was absorbed and ingrained and it came from a lifetime of exposure. Like inherently knowing the finer points of etiquette and employing just enough so as not to make one's company feel ill at ease. It wasn’t pretentious or an affectation it was smooth and sophisticated. And his Raymond had it. Good taste. As this thought dawned on him, Daniel suddenly gushed with love for and pride in his mate.

The home would likely never be considered for some designer magazine article. But, Daniel liked the idea that he wouldn’t have to worry about relaxing his big frame in a delicate chair or sprawling on a sofa designed more for aesthetics and visual appeal than comfort. Every piece appeared to have been made with great care and an eye for detail and most importantly designed and built for a lifetime of use.

Once Linda was satisfied the home had been shown at it’s best, she headed out. Daniel and Raymond got freshened up for dinner and decided to stop by on their way out to Uncle Joe's and to check in with Larry and Runt. Raymond let them know that Runt’s cooking and cleaning services would be needed starting at breakfast to be ready at seven in the morning. He made it clear that Larry and Runt would be sharing meals with himself, Daniel and any other guests that happened along. Both cowboys acknowledged the directive with a nod.

Larry told them that rumor going around town has it one of the city council members is planning to announce his bid for Mayor. He’d heard that whoever it was planned to hook up with Deputy Jones and run joint campaigns, showing how well they could work together, as Mayor of the county seat and the County Sheriff. There was already talk that this would be a mean fought campaign. Seems Deputy Jones was being painted a hero for refusing to arrest the preacher’s wife. Rumors were also being spread that cast aspersions on Daniel’s military service and questioning how close he and the old Sheriff really were. Larry was hesitant to clarify there were hints of sexual misconduct between Daniel and the last Sheriff.

Neither Raymond nor Daniel were really surprised by the information that Larry had shared. Raymond was more than a little curious about who the City Councilman was who was to be Uncle Joe's opponent. Why was the man being so mysterious? He thanked Larry for sharing his insights and asked that he continue to do so. Larry was pleased that he might, in some small way, contribute to Daniel becoming the duly elected Sheriff.

When Raymond asked about their new place, Larry let them know that almost all of the interior and exterior finishing work had been completed. The contracting work for the deck and porch were finished. Runt was only too happy to tell them that Linda had insisted on buying only top of the line furnishings and appliances. He was quick to state that Linda was judicious but insistent that they get the most for each of Raymond’s dollars that they spent. Larry relayed his cousin’s promise to have the modular housing for the security team ready for occupancy within another few days.

Raymond nodded to Larry. Then he laughed as he turned to address Runt, “Linda spends my money like she’s a vengeful, soon to be ex-wife who just found out her husband has been cheating on her for years. I saw it when she decorated my apartment in Dallas. She’s still the same. But, she knows what I like and I think she does a great job.” His eyes searched Daniel’s face and his smile broadened when Daniel nodded his agreement. That gave them all a much-needed chuckle. Raymond and Daniel headed out to Uncle Joe’s.