Britin - Early Evening

Eyes strained from studying the screen on his laptop for way too long, Brian lifted his gaze to peer over at the doorway as he heard a soft shuffling sound, smiling as he recognized its source.  "Hey, Sonny Boy.  I thought you were keeping Justin company?"  He noticed his son wearing his favorite play outfit:  a light blue shirt, a pair of dark blue khakis, a chocolate-brown apron tied around his waist and neck, and a "Gus" nametag pinned to his chest. He was carrying a white order pad and had a pencil tucked behind his ear, with a menu sticking out of one of the apron's deep pockets.

"I was. But you didn't come down for dinner, Daddy, and I thought you might be hungry."

Brian grinned as he rolled out from behind his desk, holding out his hands in invitation as Gus came walking closer to sit in his lap, his face so expressive and open.  "Well, that was very thoughtful of you."

Gus smiled at the praise.  "I told Justin I would come in and take your order." He efficiently pulled his pencil out from behind his ear; Brian chuckled as he watched his son lick the tip of the pencil lead, much like someone else he knew used to do.  "Here's the menu," he told his father as he handed it to his father.  "So what can I get you to drink, Daddy?" Gus asked, his face solemn and businesslike.

Brian pretended to think for a moment before he decided.  "I think I'd like some water with lemon, please."  He watched as Gus slowly scribbled something down on the pad before turning to peer back at him. "Do you know what you want to eat, or would you like a few minutes?"

Brian grinned; his son had practiced this role so often in the past that he could probably work for real at his favorite restaurant.  Fortunately for him, however, he didn't have to worry about his son running away to find a job there, because there were no Sit a Spell restaurants located in Pennsylvania.  He opened the menu to study the items for a few seconds before he closed it again.  "No, I know what I want," he told him as Gus nodded, pencil poised over the pad to jot down his order.  "I'd like the Low-Carb Steak Dinner with oil and vinegar for the salad dressing.  And the steak medium, please."

Gus giggled.

"What?"

"Justin said you would order that one."

Brian smiled.  "Oh, he did, did he?"

Gus nodded vigorously as he carefully scrawled his father's order down onto the paper pad.

"I guess he knows me pretty well by now, huh?"

Gus nodded again as Brian grinned.  "Yeah." Gus was quiet for a few moments before he asked, "Daddy?"

Brian gazed lovingly into the miniature version of himself, his arms wrapped protectively around his son's small body, as he replied, "Yeah, Buddy?"

"I'm glad Justin came to live with us. Aren't you?"

Brian smiled.  "Yeah.  Yeah, Sonny Boy, I am, too."  Gus smiled back at him as he pecked his son on the cheek.  "Well, I'd better let you place my order with our resident chef and get my water, okay?"

Gus nodded as his father gently lowered him to the ground.  "Daddy?"

Brian's smile grew wider.  "Yeah, Gus?"

"Justin says you're a big tipper. Are you?  I need a new train set."

Brian laughed.  "That depends on the type of service I get, Sonny Boy.  Whenever you wait on me, though, you always do an awesome job, so I think I see a big tip coming up afterward.  Now get going, Mr. Waiter.  I'm getting really hungry."

Gus nodded eagerly as he turned to hurry out of the room.

"Oh, and Gus?"

His son turned around to study his father.  "Yeah, Daddy?"

"After you bring me my meal, would you ask the chef to come and see me afterward so I can tell him what a good cook he is?"

Gus nodded.  "Okay, Daddy!" And with a flash, he quickly disappeared, his footsteps echoing down the hall. A few seconds later, he heard his son call out, "Justin!  Order up!"

Brian shook his head in amusement and laughed again, his mind drifting back to the dramatic day when he and Justin had first met...

One year earlier - Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Brian sighed, wiping his brow. For the beginning of June, it was stifling under the bright noon sun; the high dew point made him want to return to his hotel room with his Energizer Bunny of a son and slip into the large pool for the rest of the day. But his joint custody days spent with his son were way too precious for him not to allow Gus to do whatever he wanted to do when they were together. True, perhaps it meant spoiling him way too much, but to his credit his five-year-old son had remained relatively happy even with the simplest of things, such as what they were about to do now:  eat lunch at the newest restaurant in town - The Sit a Spell.

He rolled his eyes at the hokey name; a long row of rocking chairs were perched outside on the wide, front porch, currently filled with patrons old enough to be his parents - or more like his grandparents - waiting for their names to be called.  An antique wringer washer sat next to the door, a couple of red-and-white checkered, cloth napkins slung over the top.  A wheelbarrow, old and green with flecks of rust and filled with brightly colored petunias, was situated on the opposite side.

A greeter, wearing a ruffled, white dress sprinkled with green polka dots that looked like it had been previously used in a square dance, smiled at them in greeting as Gus tugged his father urgently toward the door.

"Wouldn't you rather go play Hillbilly Putt Putt Golf, instead, Gus?  There's a hot dog stand right next door," he added hopefully as he pointed across the street to the Arcade.  But to his chagrin, his son shook his head.

"No, Daddy!  I want to eat here!  Can we...please?"

No fair looking at me like that, Sonny Boy, Brian lamented as he agreed with a reluctant nod, watching his son's eyes light up in delight.  Politely acknowledging the greeter, he held the door open as he and his son stepped inside, immediately encountering a large gift shop brimming with all sorts of items: clothing, watches, garden items, country DVDs and CDs, candles, cookbooks, and - much to his consternation - all kinds of old-fashioned candies and child's toys. It was like his son's dream come true - only on steroids.

"Gus!" he shouted as his son broke free from him and scampered over to the toys, immediately latching onto a large, metal dump truck someone had  left on the floor.  Motor sounds and a ‘beep, beep, beep' flew out of his son's mouth as he proceeded to back the truck up, right into a display of wind chimes.  "Oh, no," he groaned, as the entire display came crashing down next to his son with a cacophony of clanging noises.  The previously bustling gift shop came to a dead stop as everyone ceased talking and an eerie quiet permeated the room as they turned to stare over at who had caused the commotion.

Brian rushed over to his son to make sure he was all right, along with the manager.  "Gus!  Are you hurt?"

Gus shook his head, right before he began to whimper in fright and embarrassment.

Brian's heart broke as he pulled his son to his feet and lifted him up to hold him in his arms protectively; his son's sniffles muffled somewhat as Gus buried his head in his chest.  "It's okay," he told him soothingly, feeling his son's tears wetting the expensive shirt he was wearing.  "It was just an accident," he murmured tenderly as he glanced over at the middle-aged manager.  "I'll pay for anything that he broke," he assured the other man.

To his credit, though, the manager shook his head.  "It should be fine," he reassured him.  "They're mainly made out of wood and metal, so I don't think he broke anything."  He smiled.  "I have a rambunctious grandson about his age, so I know how it is."  He motioned with his hands for a couple of employees to come over as they began to pick up the metal display stand to start rehanging the chimes back up.

"Thank you," Brian told him gratefully as he stroked his son's head.  "It's okay," he repeated as Gus slowly lifted his tear-stained face to look at him to make sure.  He smiled at him in confirmation, accepting a Kleenex from one of the waitresses to gently dry his son's face.  "Let's go eat, okay?  I'll even let you pick out a dessert - as long as you don't tell Mommy.  It will be our little secret," he added conspiratorially with a wink.  To his relief, his son smiled back at him and shyly nodded.

"That's my boy," he told him as he finally lowered his son to the ground and held his hand as they walked toward the hostess station located directly in front of the dining room.

A woman dressed in a similar outfit as the other woman - except for the red color - smiled at them and inquired, "How many in your party?"

Brian glanced down at son.  "Gus?  Would you tell her how many of us are going to be eating?"

"Daddy," Gus chided his father in a ‘duh' sort of tone, the previous, unpleasant episode sufficiently forgotten.  "There're only two of us."

Brian chuckled, relieved his son was back to his normal self as he held up two fingers to verify Gus's count.

The hostess nodded. "Well, right this way, then, gentlemen," she instructed father and son as she grabbed a couple of menus and a coloring activity page and box of crayons before leading them into the dining room.  Brian was pleased when she steered them over to a booth near the window and made a point of asking Gus if the choice was acceptable to him as if he was the leader in their group.  Gus giggled and nodded his approval as the two of them took a seat opposite each other.

"Your server will be right over," she told them as Brian nodded.  He opened up his menu and winced at all the high-calorie, fried, country-style foods. Crispy, buttermilk chicken.  Chicken and dumplings.  Fried cod sandwiches.  Meat loaf dripping with tomato sauce.  Sugar cured ham. He grimaced; at least he noticed a few grilled entrees listed, along with some side dishes that were fairly healthy.

"See anything you like, Gus?" he asked his son, noticing him studying the side of the coloring page that listed the items he could order.

Gus nodded.  "They have macaroni and cheese, Daddy!" he exclaimed in delight.  His son seemed to have developed a fetish for the high-calorie comfort food lately.   "And I want the chicken fingers."

"Can I see?" Brian asked, reaching over to take the page from his son, scowling at the choice of blatantly high-calorie items.  He sighed in resignation as his son eyed him quietly, knowing he would just have to grin and bear it this time; there were precious few healthy items on the kid's menu, just as he suspected.  "Okay; mac and cheese and chicken fingers.  Barbecue sauce?"  Gus nodded.  "And you get one other side item," he told him as he studied the sparse menu, "either steak fries or fruit.  How about some cantaloupe and pineapple?"

Gus wrinkled his nose up in distaste.  "No, Daddy, I want fries."

"Gus...You need to try and eat one thing at least from the menu that's healthy.  You like fruit."  One look at the disappointed look on his child's face, however, and Brian knew he was fighting a losing battle.  "Okay, okay," he acquiesced.  "But after today, we are going to start eating healthier the rest of the time we're here on vacation, deal?"  He handed the menu page back to his son.

Gus nodded.  "Do I still get dessert, Daddy?" was the hopeful question.

Brian smiled.  "Yes, Buddy, you still get dessert," he assured him as Gus's eyes lit up.  "But only for tonight. Tomorrow we are going to cut out all this junk food and eat REAL food.  Will you at least order 1% milk to drink? Chocolate milk?"  To his relief, Gus nodded in agreement. "Good."

"What are you getting, Daddy?" Gus asked curiously as he picked out a red crayon from the box on the booth's table and began to carefully color a picture of a rooster on the other side of the activity page.

Brian picked up his menu and intently studied the wide choice of items, noting they all included way too much food; he could easily feed an entire army just from one entree.  "Good question," he muttered in disgust, clearing his throat.  "Let me look at it a little more," he decided as he heard the server placing what sounded like glasses of water down onto the booth's table.

"Hi, I'm Justin, and I'll be your server this afternoon," a smooth, rich voice stated.  "Are you ready to order?"

Brian lifted his eyes to peer up then at their server, and his heart stopped in his throat at the sight before him, unexpected but oh, so amazing:  there, standing a couple of feet away from him, was the most incredibly beautiful young man he had ever seen:  blond, slightly rebellious hair that fell softly to the man's shoulders, a strong, muscular jaw, long, elegant-looking fingers, and a slender build that suited him perfectly.  And those eyes; the blue, long-sleeved shirt he was wearing accentuated the light blue of his eyes kissed by lush eyelashes, and the brown apron that was tied around his chest molded itself expertly around his upper body.  As their eyes met, the blond flushed and averted his eyes toward Gus, an attractive, pink tint coloring his cheeks, and Brian's gaydar pinged strongly in reaction.  Fuck, this man is so mouth-watering hot, he couldn't help thinking.  His mouth hung open in admiration and he practically began to salivate as the man spoke again.  He glanced at the plastic name plate on the man's chest.  Justin...Hmm...

"Hi, there!" the young man exclaimed to Gus with a smile so amazing Brian's eyes widened in reaction.  "What's your name?"

Gus, normally one to be shy around strangers, oddly seemed quite comfortable with this man as he answered promptly, "Gus."

The blond smiled again with a nod.  "Gus.  I like that name."  Gus beamed at the attention as the server asked, "Have you decided what you want?"

Gus nodded.  "Uh, huh.  I want the chicken fingers, fries, mac'roni and cheese.  And milk."

Justin grinned.  "I bet you're a chocolate man, right?  No white milk for you."  Gus nodded vigorously, pleased that Justin seemed to know him so well.  "Got it," he told him as at last he turned to peer over at his other guest, finding his heart racing at the almost predatory look in the other man's eyes.  Justin had been propositioned more than enough in the past by both male as well as female guests to know what that look meant, and this man practically oozed sex out of every pore on his body.  He had to be the most gorgeous-looking male specimen he had ever laid eyes upon.  Taking a deep breath to compose himself, he smiled politely at him, opening his mouth to ask him for his drink order and hoping he wouldn't hear any tremor in his voice as he spoke. But the other man prevented him by speaking initially by addressing him first.

"I happen to like both white and chocolate milk, by the way," Brian told him with a smirk, watching the server blush over the tone of his voice.

Justin's pulse raced incredibly fast; so fast that he felt sure the other man could see his heart thumping furiously underneath his apron as he replied, "You want me to bring you some milk, too?"

Brian grinned evilly.  "Not right now.  I might have a craving for some cream later, though...with my coffee, I mean."

Justin's face turned ever redder as he swallowed hard.  "Oh."  Good one there, Justin! He silently berated himself.  He cleared his throat.  "Well, what can I get you, then?"  An idea loomed in his head as he smirked back at his guest then as the other man opened up HIS mouth to reply.  "On the menu, I mean."

Touche.  Brian grinned.  "Well, I'll take the grilled cod for now, with a fruit cup and the seasonal vegetables.  And water with lemon.  Is it bottled?"

"No," Justin replied with a chuckle.  "They drink it straight up down here in the Great Smokies," he told him with a grin and a cowboy twang as the other man scowled in response.  "Would you like something else to drink, instead?"

"No," Brian muttered in distaste.  "But keep that cream handy for my coffee later, okay?"  He added, his sense of humor returning.  He was having way too much fun at the other man's expense, and he loved watching the myriad of emotions flickering across the beautiful face.  Sure enough, the other man blushed again in reaction as he scribbled down his order.

"I'll be right back with your drinks, then," he told them as he turned to leave, feeling the man's eyes upon him the entire time.

Brian stared intently at their server as Justin turned to go, his eyes drinking in the perfectly rounded ass that had been hiding from his scrutiny earlier.  Holy shit, he thought, thinking what it would be like to partake in a little extracurricular activity with that particular part of the man's anatomy.  Puts a whole new spin on ‘Moonshine', he thought as he openly admired his backside.

"Daddy?"

Brian reluctantly turned his gaze back to his son and smiled.  "Yeah, Sonny Boy?"

"That man is nice.  I like him."

Brian grinned as he glanced over to see their server disappearing into the open door of the kitchen.  "Yeah, Buddy. Me, too. Real nice."