A Tattoo for Lex - 22. Chapter 22

Monday morning Lex and Ian enjoyed a quiet breakfast together. When Ian asked Lex if he wanted to use the truck he declined saying it was a nice day and Cassie liked to ride with him on the Chief.

“I was thinking about getting a new vehicle” mentioned Lex. I won’t be able to keep the Chief on the road in the winter and I can’t keep using your truck all the time. I’m debating on whether or not I should take Cassie with me and go look.”

“Have you thought about what you might want?” asked Ian.

Lex smiled widely and replied “A Lexus of course.” He caught Ian’s look and said “What? If your name was part of a brand you’d want one too. Don’t even think of denying it,”and laughed.

Ian snickered and answered “Yeah, you’re right. So what are you going to look at?”

“I’m thinking SUV. I assume that winters out here suck and there’s lots of snow.” Seeing Ian nod his head in agreement Lex continued “They offer two full size models, so I figured I could go test drive them and see what I like better. I may even go today depending on what time Cassie is done with your mom.”

Ian got up from the table and told Lex “Sounds like a decent plan. I’ve gotta run. My first appointment is in a half hour and I still need to set up. Love you!” He planted a heated kiss on his lover’s lips and grabbed his keys off the counter as he walked toward the door.

“Love you too” Lex shot back at him. He quickly cleaned up what little mess there was and headed into the living room to get his laptop. There were a few emails to go through and he was able to remote into a conference call to do a follow up with a client to see how well things were working after implementing the changes that Lex had suggested.

Around 11:00 he got a text from Cassie asking if he could meet them for lunch at 1:30 at Pizzaria Uno. He shot back an affirmative answer. He figured he should leave by 12:45 to give himself enough time to get there and find a place to park. If anything Cassie was punctual when she wanted to be and God forbid Lex ever be late. He finished up with his computer, took a quick shower and was on his way.

Lex found a parking spot for the Chief not too far from the restaurant and once inside saw Kathy wave at him. He made his way over an slid into the seat next to Cassie. He noticed that there were no big bags anywhere to be found. Just one from Bath and Body Works. He knew that had to be Cassie’s. She loved that stuff. He figured they probably put stuff in Kathy’s vehicle.

“Hello ladies. Did you have any luck? he asked.

Cassie was quick to offer “Nope, the stores here didn’t have exactly what we wanted. We need a little bit higher end for what we’re thinking. But we did get some ideas and I’m pretty sure we found exactly what we wanted online so we ordered it to be shipped to Kathy’s. You guys will have to wait for it to come in before you see it and you’ll have to try it on. At least when I look at something in person I can tell if it will fit you or not.”

That was true. Lex used to always shop with Cassie and she was pretty good at knowing if something would fit him just by looking at it.

Lex scanned the menu and looked at Cassie and asked “Did you ladies want to share a pizza or do you want to order individual ones?

Cassie looked at Kathy and said “How about the Chicken Fajita pizza and a big salad?”

She glanced over at Lex who nodded his approval. Food was food. He was hungry and he wasn’t picky. Kathy agreed heartily with the choice and caught the attention of their waitress who came over and took their order. Cassie, who in another life was a medieval torturer, gave him a blow by blow account of what stores they went to and what they bought. Turns out there were bags brought out to Kathy’s SUV.

Not being able to take any more Lex held up his hand saying “Shut up Cass! You’re killing me. I really don’t need you to describe every pair of lacy underwear you bought from Victoria’s Secret.” He rolled his eyes nearly to the back of his skull.

Kathy took pity on him and said to Cassie “It might be time to leave him alone dear. My CPR skills are a little rusty. My certification is up later this fall and I haven’t taken the refresher course yet.”

Cassie giggled and whined “It figures I get the gay dude friend who’s not into fashion. If he’s gotta go all macho on me at least he has a cool bike.”

Lex took the opening and as their food was brought out he asked Cassie “I want to go look at SUVs today. I can’t ride the Chief in the winter and need something with four wheels. Wanna come with?”

“Only if I get to pick the color,” she said, grabbing a slice of pizza that had no peppers on it. They had to order it with half no peppers. Cassie couldn’t stand them. Onions she loved, but don’t get her started on the evils of peppers.

Lex sighed, knowing she would get her way. He grabbed a slice with peppers and helped himself to some of the big salad that was brought out. Kathy entertained them with funny stories from her job at the high school. Classes were starting up again right after Labor Day and she was looking forward to it. According to her, kids were a wealth of entertainment with all of their drama and teenage angst.

When they were done their waitress came over to make sure everything has been satisfactory and left the check. Lex reached for it and Kathy snatched it from his fingers and informed him in her “Mom” voice that she would take care of the bill. As much as he wanted to protest she had left no room for argument. If he were to admit the truth, her tone of voice scared him. It had been a long time since he had heard the “Mom” tone directed at him and it stopped him dead in his tracks the same as if it had been his own mother. It made him happy that Kathy was comfortable enough with him and Cassie to use it on them.

Once the bill was paid they figured out that they were parked in the same general area and Lex went with the girls to the car to get Cassie’s bags.

When Kathy popped the hatch to her SUV Lex’s eyed bugged out. There had to be at least a dozen bags! No way were they going to fit in the saddle bags.

Cassie saw his panicked looked and said to Kathy “Told you he’d freak out when he saw all the bags! Don’t worry Nemo, only four are mine. They’ll fit in your precious saddlebags without doing any damage.”

Lex breathed a sigh of relief as Cassie grabbed two medium size bags from Victoria’s Secret and one from the Gap and one from Banana Republic. Even with the bag she was already carrying with her bath products he knew they would fit. They waved to Kathy and headed down the row to where the Chief was parked. Lex stowed Cassie’s stuff and handed her the blue helmet and slipped his own onto his head, securing in it place. He double checked Cassie’s strap even though she had told him a hundred times she was more than capable of securing a helmet. She smiled though as he gave the strap a light tug. She understood that any passenger on the bike was his responsibility. One that he took seriously. Once he was satisfied they were able to get underway.

It wasn’t a long drive to the Lexus dealer in Springfield. As soon as they parked the bike and walked into the showroom they were approached by a salesman in his mid-thirties. Lex saw right away that he was not the right salesperson for him. His aura projected just a little too much greed. Lex politely declined his offer to help and asked if there was a manager available to speak to him. Once the manager had come over and introduced himself Lex asked him to point out all of his sales staff on duty that day. The manager looked a little puzzled, but complied.

There were five more salespeople working and Lex quickly dismissed four of them in his head. The fifth was a guy who looked to be about forty. He was outside, walking back to the showroom. Lex could tell by his aura that he was hard working, had a family and was worried about something. Lex looked at the manager and asked “Could we please have that salesman help us?”

The manager called him over as he came in a side door and introduced him as Andrew, then excused himself. Lex shook his hand and introduced himself and Cassie telling him “I’d like to look at the GX and the LX. I need something that will handle the winter in the Berkshires.” He saw the man’s aura flash, not with greed, but with hope. Just the reaction Lex was wanting to see.

Andrew led the way out side to show him both models that Lex had asked for. He was friendly but not pushy. Cassie being the nosy one, asked him about his life. He was married with three kids in either middle or high school, his wife was currently not working due to some health issues. Lex now understood why he was worried. It’s hard to support a family on a single income in today’s world.

They looked over both vehicles and Cassie climbed all over each one supposedly checking to see how easy they were to get in and out of. Lex wanted to drive both of them so Andrew went inside to get the keys. Lex got into the smaller RX first. Not knowing the area he wanted Andrew to come along so he could give directions as well as explain some of the features. Cassie played with every button within her reach. Lex liked the feel of how the SUV drove as well as how it looked. They returned to the dealership to swap vehicles and as soon as Lex behind the driver’s seat of the LX he was basically sold. It was more comfortable for his 6 ft frame and Ian was two inches taller than him. They headed onto the highway and Lex loved the smooth ride. He looked over at Andrew and said “this is the one!” He didn’t have to see the man’s aura flash a sunny yellow, his wide grin showed how happy he was.

Once they got back to the dealer Andrew led them into a small office and they spent the next hour going over different options. Lex wanted the three row version figuring they would have enough room for Sean’s family when they came to visit. They had Ian’s truck if they needed to haul cargo. The LX would be for hauling people, although Lex did instruct Andrew to add a trailer hitch. When they were finally finished Lex had basically added on almost every bell and whistle possible. Cassie chose blue for the exterior and black leather for the interior. When Andrew asked if he need any financing options, Lex shook his head and took his black Amex out of his wallet “Can you put it on this?” he asked.

Andrew, to his credit, kept his expression neutral, took the card and replied “I believe we can.”

As soon as he left the office to run the card Cassie turned to Lex giggling and said “He’s good. He nearly shit himself when you pulled out that card. Who the hell charges over $100k on a credit card?”

Lex just looked at her and smiled “What’s the point in having the damn card if I can’t charge a large purchase once in a while? Hell, up until now I think the most I’ve ever charged on it at once is maybe five grand. And you’re one to talk, you hardly ever use the card I gave you.”

When Lex had found out he was a wealthy young man it had freaked him out. He had always lived frugally as money was usually tight being raised by a single mom. He had continued to manage his own finances carefully once he was a legal adult. He and Cassie had shared an apartment from the time they were 18 until he left two years ago. He still paid for his share of the expenses. He had tried to get Cassie to let him pay for all the household expenses but she would have no part of it. Lex had no clue what to do with so much money. He had a financial advisor who took care of his investments. There were several charities which he donated to generously every year. Lex had the Amex card which he charged most of his expenses to, emailing or texting a picture of his receipts to Mike so they could be reconciled every month. He also had a debit card linked to a checking account in case he needed cash for anything. He had Cassie put on his Amex account way back when, but she only used the card when Lex explicitly told her to, like for her ticket to fly out to see him. She had never even charged so much as a coffee on the card even though Lex told her she could use it. That was Cassie, and Lex could actually understand. He would’ve done the same had their situations been reversed. The whole money thing was one of those conversations he was going to have to have with Ian soon. Hopefully Ian might have some ideas as to what to do with the money.

Lex’s phone buzzed with a text from American Express asking him to confirm the charges Andrew had just run, He typed a quick reply and a few moments later Andrew came back with the paperwork. The LX version that he wanted had to be ordered and would take a few weeks before it was delivered. Lex signed in all the right places and soon he and Cassie were headed home.

It was just after seven o’clock when they walked in the door. Ian was already home and Lex slipped his arms around the man and just breathed him in, burying his face in the crook of his neck. He would never get tired of that scent.

Ian returned Lex’s hug, added a kiss for good measure and asked “Any luck today?”

Lex and Cassie gave him a rundown of the day’s events as Ian pulled some roasted chicken and potatoes out of the oven. He had also fixed some fresh green beans and they three enjoyed their usual bantering and teasing as they ate and cleaned up.

By ten o’clock Cassie was yawning, the effects of the past few busy days catching up to her. Lex reminded her that they were picking up Ms. Helen in the morning and taking her to breakfast. It wasn’t too much longer that the Lex and Ian headed for their bedroom as well, although sleeping was not the first thing on their agenda!

The next morning Cassie was bright eyed and bushy tailed after getting a good night’s sleep. She had taken Lex’s advice and downloaded a white noise app and that had drowned out the early morning chirping of the birds outside her window. By eight forty-five the three of them were on their way to get Ms. Helen.

Upon pulling into her driveway they saw her waiting for them on the porch. Lex jumped out and offered his elbow to escort her down the stairs. She giggled like a young girl. Cassie had slid down from her seat in the middle and Lex introduced them.

Ms. Helen took Cassie into a hug saying “Well, aren’t you a pretty girl!”

Cassie smiled at her and said “I like you already!”

Lex helped Ms. Helen up into the truck and Cassie squeezed into the narrow back seat and settled behind Lex as he pulled the door shut. Ian greeted Ms. Helen with a kiss and they headed over to Betty Ann’s for breakfast.

When they got there Ms. Helen seemed to know everyone in the place. Such is life in a small town. Ian knew a fair amount of the other patron’s as well. Once they were settled at a table their waitress brought over coffee and handed them menus. Lex wisely kept his mouth shut about the muffins.

Cassie looked at him and mouthed “blueberry” and snickered.

After placing their orders Ms. Helen asked how the wedding plans were coming along. Ian and Lex filled her in. Then she turned to Cassie and inquired “Tell me about yourself dear. What do you like to to?”

Cassie could talk all day if you let her. She filled in Ms. Helen on her life on the west coast and her work and the current challenges it presented for her. Finally, as their food arrived she lamented “I just hope I can find someone for me like Lex found Ian. That’s what I really want.”

Ms. Helen reached over and took her hand and told her “I think dear, that happiness is out there for you and I have a feeling it won’t be much longer before you find it.”

Lex and Ian exchanged a look. Both knew that Ms. Helen had a thing for matchmaking and they wondered if she knew something they didn’t. Oh well, only time would tell.

They all enjoyed their breakfast and the conversation that went with it. Ms. Helen seemed to get along great with Cassie as the two of them teamed up and teased the two guys playfully. Ms. Helen offered the bed and breakfast if they would be having any guests from out of town. Lex and Ian thanked her and said they would let her know. Lex took care of the bill and Ian left a generous tip on the table.

After dropping Ms. Helen back off at the house Ian asked Lex and Cassie what they wanted to do. It was Cassie’s last day and Ian had cleared his schedule. Neither one had a clue so Ian suggested going to Howe Cavern in New York. It was only an hour and half drive and he knew Lex would enjoy it. Cassie agreed it would be fun. Lex sat in the middle and kept his hand on Ian’s leg the whole ride knowing it would drive the other man crazy. Ian would shoot Lex a dirty look every time he felt a squeeze on his thigh.

Upon arriving at the caverns they saw that they would only have to wait about 20 minutes for the next tour. Lex paid for their admission and Cassie commented that it was too bad they didn’t know about the evening lantern tour. You needed reservations and it was already full for that night. Regardless, Cassie had an early flight out in the morning and they would have to leave at 5:00 AM to get her to the airport as her flight left at 7:45 AM. Lex had called Delta and upgraded her to first class. She wouldn’t be able to kill him by the time she found out. Lex knew she was worth it. She was his best friend after all.

They queued up when the guide announced that their tour was ready to start. There were close to twenty people in their group, about eight of them were kids. Thankfully they were all well behaved. You didn’t see a lot of that. The group listened as the presentation included a history of the caverns. They rode an elevator down to the the Vestibule where their guide started the tour. Ian had remembered to grab the two jackets he had in the truck and they bought a sweatshirt for Cassie. The temperature inside the cave was currently 52 degrees. Lex and Cassie were fascinated by the natural rock formations and the stalagmites and stalactites as they wove their way through the caverns. There was an underground river and a short boat ride was included in the tour. Overall it was a fun and interesting way to spend a few hours.

When the tour was over they headed to the gift shop to browse. Cassie bought a shot glass. She liked to pick one up whenever she went somewhere new. It was late afternoon when they headed back to Massachusetts stopping along the way for dinner. They made it back to the house at a reasonable time and they decided to light the gas fire pit and enjoy a glass of wine before heading to bed. Cassie had packed her bags and was ready for the morning. The night air was cool and the fire provided just the right amount of warmth. Cassie settled on Lex’s lap enjoying snuggling with her best friend.

Ian smiled at the easiness that existed between them. He had a feeling that they would be having company again tonight and an hour and a half later just as he was pulling Lex into his ‘little spoon’ position, Cassie slunk in and wormed her way in between them. Ian just threw his arm around both of them and settled his head on his pillow letting sleep take over.