Lois, thank you for the beta...you are the greatest!
Chapter 2 – Plans within Plans A Little Later…(Day 15) Arriving at the Diner, Brian ordered his usual egg white omelet, dry wheat toast, and coffee while Gus ordered cereal. Justin made his usual statement about being hungry and ordered scrambled eggs, blueberry pancakes with sausage and bacon, juice and coffee. “You know if you keep eating like that, you’re going to be too fat to fit through the door to the loft,” Brian teased, shaking his head in continual amazement. “I’m sure we can find some way to work off my excess calories, if you would just be a little more creative,” Justin responded with a laugh. “I see, so any weight that you gain is now going to be my fault?” Brian asked, feigning complete disbelief. “Of course.” A few moments later, Emmett joined them. “You know, Sweetie, we have to talk about your concept of morning,” Emmett complained. “After all, some of us still need our beauty rest.” “Sorry Em, we just have a lot to do, and I wanted to get an early start,” Justin said apologetically. “Will it placate your loss of beauty rest, if I pay for your breakfast?” Brian asked with a smirk, not bothering to lower the morning paper he was now reading. “Nothing makes up for the loss of beauty rest, but breakfast is a start,” Emmett finally sighed. Emmett’s disposition changed immediately as he ordered his favorite blueberry/banana pancakes. Everyone’s order eventually arrived. Emmett paused from eating to flip through the images in Justin’s sketchpad. Emmett and Justin began talking about the sketches, and Justin became temporarily distracted from his plate of food. They both made notes about a few special items they needed to purchase, and Emmett made his own set of notes based on Justin’s drawing. While Emmett and Justin were talking, Brian and Gus found the opportunity they had been waiting for. Justin mistakenly left his plate unguarded just for a moment...just long enough for Brian to decide he would like to have bacon with his omelet and dry toast, and for Gus to decide he really wanted blueberry pancakes. These items were quickly and easily removed from Justin’s plate. So when Justin looked at his plate again, there was a lot less food there than he had originally ordered. Brian and Gus both tried to look innocent, but instead they had these guilty expressions on their faces. Justin mumbled something about he just couldn’t understand why people just didn’t order what they wanted to eat. Emmett found the whole thing amusing…since it always happened. Both Gus and Brian always found Justin’s plate more interesting than whatever they had ordered. Emmett laughed as watched, for he couldn’t believe that Brian and Gus still believed, Justin wasn’t wise to their actions. While they were at breakfast, Brian called the caretaker at Bri-tin and told him he had decided to stay at the house for a while. He also warned the caretaker that a lot of “strange” people would be stopping by the house, helping to get things ready. The caretaker was excited by the news, for the house had been empty for so long. For the last year the house had remained empty. Now Brian and Justin were going to occupy the house. For a long time, Brian had secretly always hoped this moment would arrive. Now that time was finally here. In the course of the conversation, the caretaker reminded Brian that a large package had arrived at the house several weeks ago. The caretaker indicated he had called Kinnetik several times, but each time he was told that Brian was out of town. The caretaker indicated that he had been assured that the messages would be given to Brian upon his return. Brian immediately called Cynthia and instructed her to find out why he had not received those messages. Cynthia could hear that Brian was upset, so although this might have seemed to her like a trivial matter, she knew she needed answers, and she needed them fast. During the conversation, Brian mentioned that he would stop by the office after breakfast to drop off the receipt for the Justin’s rental car, so Cynthia could complete the remaining paper work. While closing his cell phone, Brian took a moment to remind Emmett that HE would be occupying the house. He further gave a continual stream of last minute threats and warnings to Emmett, which included references to ‘no pink, no feathers, and no lace’. Brian attempted to continue with his ‘no list’, but Emmett silenced him with a wave of his hand. “Brian, will you go run Kinnetik or something where people actually pay attention to you. Justin and I have work to do.” *** By the time Brian, Justin, and Gus made it to the Kinnetik offices, Cynthia had already solved the mystery of the undelivered messages from the caretaker. The problem had to do with temporary employees and vacation schedules. The people responsible had already been severely reprimanded, and Brian was assured this sort of thing would never happen again. “You know Brian, when you first mentioned using the Kinnetik art department to produce the final boards for the campaign if my schedule got jammed, I didn’t think it would be necessary. But we’ve had so many interruptions and I still have to go out of town, I was thinking that it would probably keep us on schedule if I could get some help with those boards for the presentation. How do you want me to handle it?” Justin mentioned casually, while standing in Brian’s office. Before Brian could answer, Cynthia interrupted, “Whatever you’re thinking, Brian, forget it. You promised me that you wouldn’t deal with any Kinnetik staff on this project. You promised!” Cynthia folded her arms across her chest in a stance of defiance. “So how do you propose that we get any necessary work accomplished, Ms Fixit?” Brian asked sarcastically. “It seems simple to me,” Cynthia tried to explain. “We let Justin be your liaison with the art department. I’ll make the necessary arrangements. I already have everything practically worked out.” Brian watched from the sidelines as Cynthia and Justin worked out a few minor details. Brian quietly tried to figure out the exact moment that he lost control of HIS company. Of course, in the midst of Brian’s brooding, Justin just happened to look at him and smiled, and Brian no longer cared about the answer to that question. When Justin and Cynthia were finished plotting, Brian finally handed her the receipt for the rental car. Brian also asked that she coordinate with Jennifer and Emmett during the day, so that Justin had whatever he needed. With last minute tasks out of the way and Brian, Gus, and Justin were off to Bri-tin. *** The traffic was extremely light on the interstate in the direction they were traveling, but Brian observed the heavier traffic on the other side of the highway. He made a mental note to be sure to allow extra time for commuting during peak hours, once he and Justin had moved in. Brian was already envisioning himself on the highway in his Corvette. Brian knew he was going to enjoy this commute. About 30 minutes later, they approached the house, and everyone became very quiet. Brian remembered the day he bought the house and the hopes he had for their future. He remembered the first time Justin had seen the house, and how much he had loved it. “I had hope this house would be everything you had dreamed of,” Brian had said, after their first tour of the house. “It is and more,” Justin had responded. Brian remembered that he had proposed to Justin here, and here Justin had finally agreed to marry him. They made love in front of the fireplace. And, for one brief moment in time, everything was perfect…and then the art world intervened. Justin remembered things too. He recalled the last time he had seen this house. It had been the day before he was to leave for New York City. Justin had asked Brian to bring him here one last time before he left. Justin had tried to imprint in his mind a lasting memory, fearing he would never see this house again. Brian had already voiced his plan to sell the house at the first opportunity. Then, there were the months when Brian just withdrew, and they didn’t talk. During this time Justin would often despair, but somehow working on the designs for the house gave Justin a great deal of comfort and a reason to hope. Eventually Brian came to New York, and they were able to put the relationship back on track. But Brian never mentioned the house, and Justin just assumed it had already been sold. Justin thought his drawings were all that was left of what had once been a beautiful dream. Then one day Jennifer mentioned that she had received offers from several potential buyers for the house, but Brian always seemed to resist selling the property. Eventually, Jennifer stopped taking offers, and the sale of the house was never again discussed. Then Brian made the decision to hire a couple, to live on the property as caretakers. Brian had instructed them that the house and grounds were to be maintained in move in condition at all times. Like the rings that Brian couldn’t return, the house also began to represent the promise of hope, and Brian had dared to cling to hope. Brian parked the SUV in the driveway and slowly got out of the car. He helped Gus out of the car, and Justin walked over to join them. Brian and Justin each held one of Gus’s hands, and together they opened the front door and walked inside the foyer. There in the entryway, resting against the opposite wall was the package, prominently bearing the Santa Barbara return address. Brian cast a longing look at his package and then looked back at Justin with sad eyes. “For crying out loud Brian, you’re worst than Gus,” Justin said with a smile. Brian moved closer to the package, trying to content himself with touching the outer surface of the package. At least now, Brian knew his painting was real. At that moment the caretaker and his wife appeared. Brian made the appropriate introductions of Thomas and Teres to Justin and Gus. They all chatted for a moment. Finally Justin asked Thomas, “Would you mind moving this package into the living room?” Brian simply beamed with hope, as Thomas relocated the package, as requested. The package was laid flat on the floor. Gus curled up on the oversized ottoman to watch the events unfold. Justin left Brian and the painting alone in the living room with Gus while he returned to the car, and removed a wrapped set of tools from under the front seat. “You’re probably going to need these,” Justin said, with a smile as he handed the wrapped tools to Brian. “What?” Brian asked, completely surprised by the turn of events. “You’re going to need these to open that package,” Justin repeated, motioning with the wrapped tools in the direction of the painting. Brian eventually took the offered tools, and then he simply sat here in utter disbelief. Justin interrupted his state of shock as he said, “Gus and I will leave you alone. We’re going to go upstairs so Gus can see his room.” Justin took Gus by the hand and turned to leave the living room. Brian reached out and grabbed Justin and kissed him passionately. Gus just giggled because he was so used to seeing Brian and Justin kissing. “Well, what was that for?” Justin asked with a smile. “Thank you,” Brian whispered, before releasing Justin completely. “Just remembered what I said, there’s still going to be a lot of chaos here at the house for the next few days.” “No problem.” “And, Brian remember I was experimenting with a new technique, so don’t expect too much from the painting.” “None of that matters, Sunshine…it never matters,” Brian whispered. “I know I’ll love the painting.”