Exit to Redemption - 1. Exit to Redemption

Pete pulled his silver Jaguar up to the hotel entrance. He exhaled sharply in annoyance at the two cars in line ahead of him. He checked his phone as he waited, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. It only took a few minutes for the efficient hotel staff to unload the luggage from the cars and move them to the valet parking lot, but it felt like forever to the impatient black-haired man.

He was annoyed to begin with. His employer required him to attend this conference every year, but Pete would much rather be in the office making trades and earning commission. “It’s about time,” he muttered as the valet opened the car door for him.

“My apologies for the wait, sir. Are you here for the finance conference?”

“Isn’t everybody?”

“The majority of our guests are here for the conference, but we do have some other guests as well.”

Pete dropped his keys into the young man’s hand and accepted the numbered slip that corresponded to the one now adorning his keys. He handed the valet a couple of dollars, then followed the concierge, who had grabbed his luggage, through the front doors and to the reception desk. There was a line, of course. Pete bounced his foot in annoyance and fiddled with his phone. He looked up when someone tapped on his shoulder.

“You’re next.”

Pete frowned at the intrusion, but softened his expression when he looked at the man who had spoken. He was tall and his auburn hair was neatly combed. His eyes were deep blue, like a Caribbean sea. He was impeccably dressed in dark suit pants and a blue dress shirt with a darker blue tie that accentuated his gorgeous eyes. Pete found that he couldn’t look away from the beautiful man.

“I can help the next person in line,” the receptionist called out.

The auburn-haired man frowned. “They can help who’s next. That’s you.”

Pete started, then flushed slightly pink with embarrassment. “Oh, uh…thank you.” He managed to start the check-in process, despite throwing numerous glances at the man who had captured his attention. There was a problem with his reservation, which meant that the other man completed his check-in and entered the elevator long before Pete finished berating the clerk, the manager, and everyone else who happened to get in his way.

Pete flopped on the bed as soon as the concierge left. He couldn’t stop thinking about the man in line. He was irritated that the reservation snafu had prevented him from speaking to the other man. He had hoped to ask him out for a drink and possibly more, depending on how the evening went. He was surprised at the depth of his feeling. He hadn’t thought of seriously dating another man since he broke up with Elliot.

He snorted as his thoughts turned to his ex. Elliot didn’t have the same vision as Pete. He didn’t care about fancy cars or houses. He didn’t even care that he cost his father a lot of money when he abruptly quit his law firm and started working for the people he formerly sued. Pete was floored when Elliot started dating Max, a burly mechanic who was the polar opposite of Pete. He knew that Elliot liked working on his old car, but he had no idea that he liked working on cars so much that he actually purchased a car repair shop.

Pete missed Elliot’s companionship, but not the arguments. Five years was a long time to invest in a relationship, and Pete liked to remember their early days. Elliot was a great lawyer; even his father grudgingly admitted that. He grew up in a working-class family and was never comfortable with Pete’s upper class preferences. He tolerated them though, which was one of his qualities that made Pete fall in love with him. He was also dynamite in bed, and Pete missed that, too. It was too bad that their last year together was comprised of so many arguments. Elliot wanted a simpler life, and Pete wanted more of the finer things. It was clear that the relationship had to end, and Pete was the one who said the actual words.

It was almost a year since he kicked Elliot out, and he had only dated a handful of guys in the meantime. He was perfectly ok with that. He didn’t want to deal with the complications of another relationship. Pete pushed thoughts of his ex from his mind and decided to shower and grab a bite to eat at the hotel’s restaurant. Maybe the auburn-haired man would be there, and he could strike up that conversation. He smiled at the thought.

*****

Pete scowled and looked at his watch. The previous night had been a disappointment. He ran into some colleagues at the restaurant and joined them for dinner. It was pleasant enough, but there had been no sign of the gorgeous man he couldn’t stop thinking about. Maybe he was a regular guest and not there for the conference. Now he was stuck in the registration line. He had ten minutes before the first session started.

He was five minutes late when he finally reached the session room. He took a seat in the back and opened the handouts on his tablet. He hadn’t missed anything since the moderator had just finished her introduction of the speaker. Pete wasn’t really paying attention until he heard the deep smooth voice of the presenter. He felt goosebumps raise on his arms, and he looked up from his tablet to check out the speaker. His mouth dropped open, and he had to swallow before he made a fool of himself. The speaker was the auburn-haired man.

He fumbled with his conference program until he found the session’s description, and noted the speaker’s name. Henry McAllister. Henry. He liked the sound of that. Pete didn’t learn much from Henry’s lecture. He was too busy studying the way the man moved around the room, his ass showcased perfectly by his dark dress pants. He was an animated speaker who used a lot of gestures to emphasize his points. He also injected humor into otherwise boring subject matter, and his eyes crinkled when he smiled and laughed. Pete was fascinated by every muscle movement and every inflection of his sexy voice.

He was torn between wanting the session to end so he could speak to the beautiful man and wanting the session to never end so he could continue scrutinizing him. Two hours later, the session ended and Pete found himself in yet another line. This time he didn’t mind however; because it allowed him to study how the man interacted with others. He answered everyone’s questions with grace, patience, and a big smile.

When it was finally Pete’s turn, he held out his hand to the object of his desire and introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Pete Sellers. That was a great session. I really learned a lot. So what are your thoughts on asset allocation in unstable, variable foreign markets?”

The auburn-haired man wasn’t smiling when he shook Pete’s hand. “I spoke about that at length for the last half hour of the session. It’s a complex subject that I can’t give you a pat answer for.”

Pete turned red when he realized that he hadn’t paid much attention to the content of the lecture. “Yeah, sorry. I was a little distracted.”

“Read the handouts, then. My stance should be pretty clear from the slides.”

“I’ll do that.” Pete paused and put on his smile that never failed to dazzle his clients. “Maybe we could discuss it over drinks tonight.”

Henry tried not to grimace, but failed. He recognized the black-haired man as the ass from the registration desk the night before who yelled at everyone he possibly could when a simple mistake was made. “Thanks for the offer, but I already have plans tonight.”

“Oh. Another night, maybe? I’m here until Saturday.”

“I’m only here for another night. Thanks for the invite, but I’m afraid my schedule is pretty full.” Henry turned his attention to the next person in line, and Pete walked out of the room chagrined.

He was floored that Henry turned him down. No one ever turned him down. He was Pete Sellers, the top salesman for one of the most respected and well-known financial firms in the country. He was good looking and charming. He dressed well and owned all the finest things. His disappointment turned to aggravation. How dare he turn him down? Who the hell was this guy? Pete walked to the room the next session was being held in and sat down in annoyance. He flipped to Henry’s speaker bio in the convention packet. He had an impressive dossier, but not as impressive as Pete’s. The dark-haired man snorted and snapped the booklet shut.

He tried to concentrate on the rest of the lectures he attended that day, but Henry’s rejection kept playing in his mind. The only high point of his day was when he was invited to a VIP dinner with some of the bigwigs of the industry. He hoped it might lead to some potential new clients.

*****

The restaurant maître d’ led Pete through the crowded establishment to a table in the back. He was running a little late, which irked him since he wanted to maintain a high level of professionalism with his colleagues and potential clients. He stopped when he saw there was only one open seat. Right next to Henry. So the gorgeous man had been telling the truth when he said he had other plans. A smile spread over Pete’s face as he felt profound relief at that revelation. He greeted the other dinner guests and sat next to Henry, who scooted his seat away to make room for Pete. Pete didn’t miss the slight scowl on the other man’s face or the fact that he left his chair where it was.

“So I guess we get that drink after all,” Pete said and laughed.

Henry smiled indulgently before resuming his conversation with the man sitting on his other side. He cursed his luck at being seated next to the arrogant ass.

Pete tried his best to engage Henry in conversation throughout the evening, but the auburn-haired man was as elusive as a slippery fish. The short bursts of banter they managed to engage in were stilted and uncomfortable. Pete had his hopes raised at one point, when he found out that Henry was single and gay. Those hopes were quickly dashed, though when the waiter brought Pete the wrong dinner. The look on Henry’s face when Pete made it clear to the waitstaff what he thought of their service and the establishment, was enough to make him finally shut up.

Pete was miserable when he returned to his hotel room. He couldn’t stop thinking of his dinner companion’s rejection. He hoped he’d have a chance to try and redeem himself. He eventually fell into a fitful slumber.

Pete didn’t see Henry again during the conference, which didn’t help improve his temper.

*****

Pete was in a foul mood. It had been two months since he met Henry at the finance conference, and he couldn’t get the intriguing man out of his mind. It’s not like he didn’t try. He went on a couple of dates, and when those didn’t work out he hit the bars in the upscale, trendy part of town. Even though he went home with a few men, he found the encounters decidedly unfulfilling. None of them held a candle to the beautiful, auburn-haired Henry.

Pete debated whether or not he should contact the other man. The few encounters he had with him didn’t go well. He didn’t understand why Henry didn’t respond to his overtures. Pete considered himself quite the catch. He was good looking and successful. He drove an expensive car and lived in the trendiest neighborhood. What was there not to like?

At least there was one bright spot to his day. He had a meeting that afternoon with a potential new VIP client. If the client signed with their company, then it meant millions of dollars and a huge commission check. Pete had his eye on a new car. The Jaguar was a couple of years old now, so it was about time for an upgrade.

Pete knew his presentation and figures would be hard to beat. He straightened his tie and put on his winning smile. He pushed thoughts of Henry out of his mind as he entered the meeting room. His face fell when he beheld the man his boss was talking to.

“Pete, I’d like you to meet Henry McAllister from the Modarato Firm. Henry, this is Pete Sellers, our top salesman. He’ll be leading the presentation today.”

Pete smiled again, and held his hand out. “Nice to see you again, Henry.”

Henry nodded and gripped Pete’s hand briefly before letting go. “I had no idea you worked here.” His tone was neutral, but he was not pleased to be dealing with the arrogant ass he met two months ago.

“You two have met?” Pete’s boss asked.

Pete nodded. “Henry gave a talk at the conference I attended a couple of months ago.”

“Excellent!” Pete’s boss introduced him to Henry’s colleagues, a man and a woman, who shook his hand perfunctorily. “Well, let’s get started. Pete, you can take the lead.”

Henry and Pete’s boss settled into their seats while Pete plugged his USB drive into the computer and started his PowerPoint presentation. Henry and his colleagues nodded and whispered in all the right places. Henry asked several questions, and Pete responded to them all fluently and knowledgeably. The black-haired man knew the presentation was flawless. Henry would be a fool if he turned down their offer.

After consulting with his bosses on the phone, Henry accepted the firm’s offer. He wasn’t thrilled when he found out he’d be dealing with the arrogant ass as his primary contact. He didn’t have much choice in the matter though, since his bosses insisted that he handle the account personally.

Henry was pleasantly surprised to find that Pete was remarkably easy to work with. Most of their interactions were either over the phone or via email, but there were several occasions over the next few months where Henry had to meet with Pete in person. The auburn-haired man found himself slowly warming up to the arrogant ass, and wondered if his behavior at the conference was out of the norm. Maybe Pete had been having a bad few days.

About four months after Henry accepted the contract, there was an issue with one of the accounts that necessitated a face-to-face meeting with Pete and his superiors. After they spent an entire day pouring over the account, scrutinizing every number, the mistake was traced to one of Pete’s subordinates and was immediately fixed. Pete was livid that such a simple error had occurred under his watch. He was furious with himself for missing the mistake, and the subordinate for causing it. He tried not let it show to Henry, as he stood and stretched.

“Are you hungry? We could go out to eat and celebrate. I’m starving. I didn’t realize it was so late,” Pete said.

Henry smiled and nodded. “Sure. That sounds like a great idea.”

“What are you in the mood for? There’s a great steakhouse just down the street, or we could do Italian if you prefer.”

“Steak sounds great. I’m absolutely starving.”

Henry and Pete walked the two blocks to the restaurant and were seated immediately. The two men reviewed the menu and decided their selections. They conversed while they ate hot buttered rolls and waited for their appetizers to arrive.

“You know, you’re much different to work with than I imagined,” Henry said, then popped a piece of roll into his mouth.

“Oh? How so?”

Henry shrugged. He didn’t want to tell the truth and hurt Pete’s feelings, so he stalled while he thought of a suitable response. “The truth is, I didn’t think much of you when you asked me that question after my seminar at the conference. It was obvious you hadn’t been paying attention.”

Pete laughed. “Sorry about that. I was paying attention to you, though, just not to what you were saying.” He winked.

Henry coughed on his drink of water, then laughed. “Wow, Pete. I’m flattered.”

“Oh c’mon…you can’t tell me you don’t get attention from guys all the time.”

Henry did, but wasn’t about to admit it. It was mostly attention he didn’t want. “So tell me about yourself. What do you like to do when you’re not working?”

“I like to go out on the yacht or up to my summer place. Sometimes I like to just go home and watch a movie or relax on the veranda. I like to golf, too.”

“Yeah? I’m a golfer myself.”

Pete smiled. “I’ll have to take to you the club sometime. They have the best course in the state.”

“I’d like that.”

Their conversation slowed when the waitress arrived with their appetizers. Henry moaned in pleasure as he ate bacon-wrapped scallops and spicy spinach artichoke dip. Pete smiled, and wished that there was a very different reason for Henry’s moans.

“These are amazing! Great choice, Pete. If the steak’s as good as these appetizers, then I could die tonight a very happy man.”

Pete laughed. “Well, I’m glad you approve, but let’s not get too drastic here. After all, we still have a lot of life to live.”

Henry raised his glass. “Amen to that.”

Pete clinked their glasses together, then drank a large sip of his wine. The entrees were better than the appetizers, and Henry even managed to find room for dessert. He was surprised to realize that he was enjoying his company just as much as the food. Pete was behaving very differently from the arrogant ass persona he displayed at the conference. He was very charming, sweet, and Henry was amazed at how much they had in common. It didn’t hurt that Pete was also very good looking.

Henry snuck surreptitious glances at Pete as they slowly walked back to the firm’s parking garage. He didn’t want the wonderful evening to end. They stopped when they reached Henry’s car.

“I had a great time tonight,” the auburn-haired man said with a slight smile.

“Me, too.”

Henry exhaled. “We’ll have to do this again sometime.”

Pete smiled. “I’d like that.”

Henry opened his arms and slowly drew him in for a hug. He wanted to hold onto the slightly smaller man all night, but after a few seconds, he broke the hug and cleared his throat.

“I’d better get going. It’s late and that 9:00 meeting is going to come awfully early tomorrow.”

Pete nodded. “Yeah, it sure is.”

“Good night, Pete.”

“Good night, Henry.”

*****

Henry arrived at the office at 8:55 am. He breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that he wasn’t late. He smiled as he remembered the previous evening, and whistled softly to himself as he entered the firm’s reception area. He raised his head in alarm as he heard shouting and saw the tense demeanor of the receptionist.

“Is everything ok?” he asked.

She smiled tersely. “Mr. Sellers is on the warpath again. Poor Gary transposed some numbers on an important account yesterday and is getting raked over the coals for it. It made a lot of extra work for Mr. Sellers and the client.” Her eyes widened and she put her hand over her mouth as she realized who she just relayed that information to. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t be telling you all this. It’s very unprofessional of me.”

Henry smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. It’s our little secret.” He winked.

She laughed in relief. “Thank you, sir.”

Henry looked at her quizzically. “You said he’s on the warpath again. Does he behave like this often?”

Even though they were behind closed doors, Henry could hear every word that Pete was yelling at Gary. The poor man would be lucky to keep his job for simply transposing some numbers. It was an innocent mistake that had been easily fixed, once found.

The receptionist grimaced and nodded. “I’m afraid Mr. Sellers has a bit of a reputation for being a hardass. Oh! I shouldn’t have said that, either!”

“Well, I think you’re right about the ‘ass’ part.” Henry’s heart sank. Apparently last night had been the fluke and conference Pete was the real Pete Sellers.

“If you have a seat, sir, I’ll let him know you’re here.”

“Take your time. I wouldn’t want to talk to him while he’s like this.”

She smiled gratefully. “It’s ok. Sad to say, I’m used to it.” She disappeared into the office area and the shouting stopped. She reappeared after only a minute. “He’ll be right with you.”

Henry nodded. “Thanks.”

Pete appeared just a minute later, a big smile on his face. “Good morning, Henry. Come right in and we’ll get started.”

Henry nodded with a cool expression on his face. Pete was confused by the change in demeanor from the other man. Last night had gone so well, he didn’t understand why Henry was being so cold and dismissive. After they completed their work, Henry said a terse ‘good bye’ to Pete and headed out the door.

“Henry, wait!” Pete said.

Henry stopped and half turned toward Pete.

“I reserved a tee time at the club tomorrow afternoon. I thought we could use an afternoon off.”

“Sorry Pete, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to pass.”

“What? Why? What’s going on, Henry? I’m really confused. Last night you said you’d love to go golfing.”

Henry exhaled and drew his hand through his hair. He turned to face Pete fully. “Yeah, I did say that last night. Look, Pete...I’m going to be honest with you. When I said I didn’t think much of you when we first met, I wasn’t telling you the whole truth. The truth is, I thought you were an arrogant ass. The way you talked to the hotel staff, and then the way you berated that waitress in front of everyone at dinner… well, it was really off-putting and I thought you were the biggest asshole I’d ever met. To say that I was not happy to find out I’d be working with you would be an understatement.

“You’re great at your job, Pete, which is why I’ve stuck around so long. You’ve been nothing but pleasant and professional, and I had such a great time at dinner last night that I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt about your behavior at the conference. I thought it was just a fluke and that you were having a bad few days. Well, this morning you proved that theory wrong. I heard what you said to Gary. The whole office did. Your co-workers are terrified of making a mistake and pissing you off. I can’t deal with that, Pete. I’ll work with you professionally, but anything beyond that is off the table.” Henry headed out the door, but paused and turned back to Pete one more time. “It’s such a shame. I was really starting to like you.” He walked out the door, leaving a stunned Pete looking after him, slack-jawed.

*****

Pete stared at the big screen plasma TV and took a swig from the bottle of wine he had opened as soon as he got home. Some cheesy sit-com was playing, but he wasn’t paying any attention to it. Henry’s words kept playing over and over in his mind. “Arrogant ass”. Pete snorted, then took another long dreg from the bottle. He considered switching over to scotch, but figured he’d polish off the wine first.

He stood and walked unsteadily to the sliding glass doors that opened onto the veranda. He looked out at the dark night sky and leaned his forehead against the cool glass. He was contemplating everything Henry had told him. The words were frighteningly familiar. Elliot had called him arrogant many times. His ex had called him out on his behavior so many times, he just naturally tuned him out; especially when he compared him to his father. Pete stood up straight and dropped the wine bottle. It clattered noisily to the floor and rolled to a stop at the door jamb. He acted just like his father. It was not a pleasant revelation. He walked over to the liquor cabinet and grabbed the bottle of scotch. He drank himself into a stupor before passing out on the couch for the night.

*****

The next two months were hell for Pete. Henry returned home, and they communicated mainly via email or text messages about the firm’s account. The few phone conversations they had were strained and uncomfortable. Pete made a conscious effort to curb his temper. His co-workers gave him funny looks every once in a while, but their productivity actually increased, which pleased the black-haired man.

Pete decided to head to his summer home for Memorial Day weekend. He was about an hour into his drive, when he saw an exit sign for the town Henry lived in. He cut across two lanes of traffic, ignoring the honks and yells of the drivers he cut off, and took the exit. He pulled over to the side of the road and entered Henry’s address into his GPS. About fifteen minutes later, he turned down Henry’s street and drove slowly until he found the address. The house was a cute little cape, with brown shaker shingles and beige trim. The yard was meticulously maintained and flower baskets containing red geraniums hung under the windows. It was a lovely middle-class home, and Pete was surprised to see that Henry didn’t live somewhere more upscale.

He took a deep breath, then exhaled as he exited the car. He knocked on the side door and awaited a response. After a minute, a good looking brown-haired man answered the door. “Can I help you?”

“Uh…yeah…uh…I’m looking for Henry McAllister.” Pete thought that Henry lived alone. He had no idea who the man was who answered the door.

“May I tell him who’s asking?” The man didn’t look happy to see him.

“Pete? What are you doing here?” Henry appeared behind the other man, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Making a mistake,” Pete mumbled. “Sorry to bother you.” He turned and walked down the driveway toward his car.

“Pete, wait!” Henry yelled after him and jogged the short distance between them. “What’s going on? Why are you here?”

Pete turned to face the auburn-haired man. Henry was shocked to see tears in the other man’s eyes.

“I was on my way to my summer house for the weekend when I saw the exit sign for your town. I found myself exiting, and entering your address in my GPS without really thinking about it. It’s stupid. I’m sorry I bothered you. It won’t happen again.” Pete turned to leave, but was stopped by Henry’s hand on his arm. He looked at him quizzically.

“Why don’t you come inside and have a cup of coffee. It seems we need to talk.”

“I don’t really want to meet your boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend?” Henry looked at Pete like he was nuts. “I don’t have a boyfriend, Pete.”

Pete looked confused. “Then who answered the door?”

Henry laughed so hard he doubled over. “Oh my God…wait until I tell Cody...” He straightened up and wiped his eyes. “Cody is my cousin. He had some financial problems and is staying with me for a few months so he can get back on his feet.”

“So you’re single?”

Henry nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips. Pete swallowed and took a step toward the beautiful man. Henry took a step back and crossed his arms.

“Let’s go inside and talk.”

Pete followed Henry into his house. The side door led into the kitchen, and Henry gestured to a small table. Pete pulled out the chair and sat down.

“Can I get you anything?”

“Just a glass of water.”

Henry poured Pete a glass of water and set it in front of him before sitting down in the chair opposite him. “Why are you really here, Pete?”

Pete took a sip of water and fiddled with the glass. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? For what?”

“For my behavior. I can see why you don’t want anything to do with me now. I just wanted to apologize.” Pete took a deep breath. “And ask if there’s any way you can forgive me.”

“You remind me so much of Jason,” Henry said quietly.

“Who’s Jason?”

“My ex. We were together for almost six years before he walked out on me. I was working for a firm that I hated. I was miserable all the time, just so he could have all the expensive clothes he wanted, a nice car, and a huge house. I finally quit and took the job I have now. It meant a big pay cut and a reduction in the finer things for Jason. He left about a week later. Apparently I was just a sugar daddy to him.”

“You sound like Elliot.”

“Your ex?”

Pete nodded. “Elliot never cared as much about the finer things as I did.”

“And now?”

“I’m not going to lie, Henry. I like the finer things in life. But I’m learning that there are more important things.” He looked into Henry’s bright blue eyes.

“Pete, I like you. But I’m scared that we want different things. I can’t be with someone who treats other people the way you do. I’m sorry, but unless you drop the arrogant attitude, we can’t be together.”

“Those things you said to me before you left really hit home. You showed me how much of an asshole I’ve been. I’m trying to change, Henry. Even if things don’t work out between us, you’ve opened my eyes to my behavior, and I don’t like what I see. Please give me a chance. I understand if you won’t, but at least give us a try.” Pete sniffed and wiped the tears away from his eyes.

Henry stood and opened his arms, and Pete embraced him, laying his head on his chest. Henry’s arms tightened around him, and Pete knew he’d do whatever it took for Henry not to let go.

Henry felt Pete’s body shake as he started to cry. He held him tighter, rubbing circles on the distraught man’s back, which only produced more sobs. His heart broke for the other man, and he realized how much he had missed Pete’s company over the past couple of months.

When Pete finally calmed down, he couldn’t bring himself to let go. “I’m sorry,” he said into Henry’s chest. Henry’s deep chuckle reverberated throughout his whole body.

“Don’t worry about it. I needed to change my shirt anyway.”

Pete looked at Henry in consternation. “That’s not what I’m sorry about.”

Henry nodded. “I know.”

“I’m trying to change, but I can’t guarantee I won’t relapse.”

Henry smoothed Pete’s hair back. “Don’t worry. I promise I’ll let you know when you’re being an ass.”

Pete laughed. “So you don’t hate me, then?”

Henry sighed and moved his hands to Pete’s face. “No, I don’t hate you.”

A tear slid down Pete’s face. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Henry kissed Pete’s cheek as a second tear fell. “I missed you, too.”

Pete turned his head as the other man’s hands drew him close, and their lips briefly met. They separated, looking into each other’s eyes and assessing what they saw. They smiled at the same time and kissed again, this time more passionately. Henry stopped first and separated from Pete, taking his hand.

“C’mon. Cody’s dying to meet you.”

“He is?”

“Yeah. Apparently I can’t shut up about you.”

“Really?”

Henry nodded. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me, too.”