Cowboy: The Mathesons - Book 2 Read online

  I asked, “Is there some special meeting today? The suit is amazing, but it’s not what you usually wear to work.”

  Tate reached out and pulled me close. I was suddenly acutely aware that anyone else in the office could see us through the glass walls surrounding the office. The vertical blinds were partially open, and it was impossible to hide in the space.

  Tate said, “I wore it for you. I decided that I needed to dress sharp if I was working regularly with the man I love.”

  He was successful with his flattery. That word went right to my heart like an arrow from Cupid. I worried that I was on the way to a case of jello knees.

  Tate reached out to pull me close in a hug. He pursed his lips slightly for a kiss and leaned forward. The fact that everyone could see us made me hard. I didn’t consider myself an exhibitionist, but it was exciting to be claimed by Tate in public. We kissed. It wasn’t a lot more than a peck, but it was visible to everyone else in the main office space. He couldn’t dismiss it as a friendly hug or some other kind of contact between acquaintances. We were boyfriends again.

  I whispered, “Maybe we should get down to work. Or we can take this elsewhere if necessary.”

  Tate laughed. “I’m on company time. You said you’ve got something to show me. I assume it’s related to the design project.”

  I chuckled softly and sat on the opposite side of his desk. I pulled my laptop computer out of the messenger bag I carried with me to appointments. “I’ve got samples to show you. Of course, the colors aren’t perfect on the screen, so this is the first narrowing of options. Once you choose five possibilities or, if you want, fewer than that, I’ll get the paint chips and carpet samples that match.”

  Tate pulled his chair up close to the desk and leaned forward. “You know, I should probably trust your opinion. You’re the one with training and an eye for what works. After all, I didn’t even notice how bad the office is. Mason had to point that out.”

  Trying to sound wise, I said, “A lot of the time we don’t understand how drab something is until something more exciting and brightly colored shows up.”

  Tate rubbed the stubble on his chin and said, “Yeah, I know. One day this cowboy appeared, and my world changed.”

  I felt a pink blush creep across my face. “Was it really as dramatic as that?”

  Tate’s voice grew louder. It was like he needed to proclaim the value of our relationship. “Absolutely. It was like that moment in The Wizard of Oz when it changes from black and white to technicolor. In the past, sometimes I felt like I was just tolerating guys that I dated. You were nothing like that at all.”

  A slightly bitter taste rose in the back of my throat. I knew that Tate saw everything through a pair of rose-tinted glasses. Our life together wasn’t all technicolor. It involved many gray days of me sitting alone in the apartment waiting for him to come home. Too many times I gave up and went to bed only to feel him climbing in beside me at midnight or after.

  It wasn’t the time or place to get into an in-depth discussion about our previous relationship. I nodded and looked at the computer screen. “Why don’t we start with the walls of the waiting room out front as a start.”

  Tate didn’t respond to my question. He said, “I’m happy that we’re giving this a try. I missed you.”

  I recognized his approach to conversation. When he had a question in mind, he never asked it directly. He was fishing for my response to giving our relationship a second chance. I did agree, but I also knew that if I followed up on his question, it would lead to more talk about us and less about the work. For the moment, I wanted to separate the two.

  I asked, “The waiting room?”

  Tate laced his fingers together and lowered his head for a moment. He was frustrated, but he wasn’t upset. “Something like a light turquoise on the walls with dark blue accents,” said Tate. “I think that was Mason’s suggestion.”

  “What do you like? What do you want?”

  I ran my questions back in my head and wanted to kick myself. They were so loaded. I was asking about the offices, but I couldn’t blame Tate if he drew an analogy between the questions I asked and our relationship. When he struggled to respond, I clarified what I was asking.

  “What colors would you prefer if you were visiting the offices of a business providing a service like advertising. Let’s think about it like you waiting in the lobby of a commercial production firm. Let’s assume for the moment you don’t have your own in-house video people or any company on retainer.”

  Tate rubbed his chin again. I finally had him focused on the task at hand. “I’d rather have it be a warm palette in yellows or even orange. Does that make sense?”

  I smiled. It made a lot of sense. I was pleased that it was relatively easy to focus his attention. “Let me show you some of the yellow and orange paint chip colors. I’ve even got a sample view of a waiting room here on the computer. We can look at it in any combination of colors we’d like. I love this kind of application.”

  I set the computer up sideways on the desk, so we could both see it easily. As I punched the keys to bring up the first view, Tate pointed an index finger at the screen. “We should have done all of this before we moved in. I guess I wasn’t thinking ahead.”

  “Was something distracting you?”

  Tate shook his head. “No, I think my life then was still shot in black and white. I was going through a lot of the motions day to day. Now, the colors are coming back into view again.”

  13

  Tate

  The image of Mason on my computer screen suddenly shook violently. After the shaking stopped, Mason started laughing out loud. With a worried look on my face, I asked, “What’s going on? Please don’t tell me that was an earthquake. I’ll worry about the big one on its way all day long.”

  Mason struggled to stop laughing. Finally, he managed to say, “If that was an earthquake, its name is Max.”

  “Max?”

  “Kyle convinced me to go to the animal shelter in Shady Valley with him. Max is still a kitten, but he’s as big as a lot of adult cats. He’s an orange tabby, and the vet thinks he’ll be over fifteen pounds when he grows up. Max has some separation anxiety when we’re both away, so I take him with me to the office. It saves wear and tear on the furniture.”

  “Wow.” I couldn’t remember Mason expressing any interest in cats in the past. In fact, I thought he was a little nervous around them.

  “Before you say anything or ask any questions, you’re right. I didn’t like cats when we were kids, but Kyle is into them. He loves their independence. I gave him the benefit of the doubt on it, and so far Max is great. He’s a little disruptive, yeah, but his energy is fantastic. At least it is when he’s awake. I love how he runs around at full speed until he’s tired. Then he’s asleep in seconds. I guess he’s our baby for now.”

  “So why was the screen shaking?”

  Mason laughed again. “Was it that bad? Max was rubbing on the back of the laptop. I threw a ball across the room to distract him.”

  “I wonder what I would do if Simon wanted us to get a cat. I think I’m more of a dog person, but we didn’t have many pets growing up. Mom panicked when we lost the lizard in the house that one time.”

  Mason blinked, and I cringed. He wasn’t paying any attention to my comments about pets. I’d let the cat out of the bag, so to speak, and it wasn’t Max.

  Mason asked, “You’re back together with Simon? Like on a regular basis outside of work? Dating?”

  For a moment, I considered denying it. I thought about making up a story that I’d been seeing him so often at work that it was logical to get that confused with talking about how things were in the past. The mental gymnastics to try and sell that idea didn’t make sense to me. Mason would see through it immediately.

  In a low voice, I said, “Yeah, we’re dating.”

  Mason pushed back slightly from the screen and thrust two fists in the air. He grunted, “Yes! Congratulations little brother
!”

  I said, “We’re taking it slow. Don’t get too excited.”

  For a moment, I couldn’t believe that I was downplaying the relationship. That was Simon’s path. He was slowly warming up to things and seeing what we had as serious again, but he still tried to keep some distance. After our most recent date, we made out just outside the door to my apartment for almost an hour. I suggested, “We could go inside. The couch is a lot comfier.”

  “That would mean walking through the entrance to the rabbit hole. I still need to dance around outside for a little while longer. Is that okay?”

  I answered the question with another passionate kiss. We were moving forward, and that was enough for me. Each date built my confidence, but reigning in Mason was prudent. I couldn’t stop him from telling Kyle about it, but perhaps, if I appeared somewhat tentative, he wouldn’t spread it through the entire family just yet.

  Mason said, “That’s amazing, Tate. You know how much we all love Simon. He’s a good man, and the whole family will welcome him back with open arms.”

  “Well, let’s not jump the gun. Can you keep it quiet for now?”

  “Okay, but you know that I have to tell Kyle. He’s good with secrets, though. He grew up with Lily, and nobody keeps more secrets than she does. I mean, she successfully hid a pregnancy for almost six months. Who’s able to do that?”

  I laughed. “Yeah, I remember.”

  “You know, maybe we could travel together sometime—you, me, Kyle, and Simon. I know that Kyle wants to go to Europe, the Alps, and check out some other ski resorts. He wants to see if he can bring any good ideas back home. I’m sure he could use two more opinions.”

  “Aren’t we jumping ahead?”

  Mason quieted down slightly and pushed his chair forward again. I could still see a sparkle in his eyes. I’d made his day, and I hoped that soon Simon and I could make it all permanent again.

  “Okay, yeah. I get it. I understand. After that first time goes bad, everybody is a little gun-shy. That’s understandable. For what it’s worth, though, I think the two of you are perfect for each other. You can’t fight nature.”

  “Thank you. Yeah, I wake up in the morning, and I’m happy that we’re dating, but I want to wake up in bed with Simon.”

  “So you haven’t…consummated things?”

  “Fuck, you’re a little nosy. Aren’t you, big brother?”

  “I want to know whether to feel bad for you.” Mason squirmed slightly in his seat. “Weeks of blue balls, you know. It’s not good for the health of the little guy down there between your legs.”

  “My little guy is healthy enough, thank you.”

  Mason laughed. “Well, when things move along a little more, and I’m confident they will, think about a trip. You’re good at skiing. Think about the Alps. We’d all have a blast.”

  Mason was always successful at derailing the conversation from work matters when I had something on his mind. I knew that I was taking a risk following him off the path, but I did have a valid question to ask. From the outside, his relationship with Kyle looked wildly successful, and I wanted to know whether he had any solid hints or tips.

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Meanwhile, Simon is the one who’s dragging his feet a little bit. Do you have any big hints for moving forward?”

  “Oh, that’s right, you had that workaholic problem before like me, right? We’re both on the reform route. I honestly can’t figure out how I was ever like that. This new way of life is too good.”

  I shook my head. “It’s the family disease, according to Simon.”

  “He might be right. I’m in recovery. Dad never stopped, but he was the genius who figured out the balance.”

  “So how’d you figure out how to enroll yourself in the recovery program?”

  Mason scratched his head. “You know, I’d say think about what Simon wants to do when you aren’t working.”

  I started to smirk.

  “Other than that.”

  “You can read my mind, Mason.”

  “That’s not tough. It’s what’s on every guy’s mind. Seriously, there’s that track and then everything else, but surprise him with something. What’s he like?”

  I thought about Simon. He liked hanging out together, and he tried to get me to watch superhero movies with him. I knew there was more than that, and then the lightbulb switched on.

  “You figured it out,” said Mason. “I can see it in your eyes.”

  “Baseball.”

  “Oh, man, yeah. I remember that. You said something about him getting bent out of shape about you wearing a Dodgers jersey to a Yankees game. Even I understand the problems with that.”

  I frowned. “Well, good for you. I could care less about sports. Honestly, we couldn’t be further apart. He wanted to put a poster of a baseball player in the bedroom!”

  “And Kyle wanted a cat.”

  I stared at Mason. He had a point. I thought of other ways that Mason met Kyle halfway. He moved his work to Shady Valley, and he was talking about the trip to the Alps when I knew that Mason loved the beach. He was working hard to change his ways.

  “So do you think I should buy tickets to a Yankees game?”

  “It would be a great gesture. It might earn you a kiss, or even a night that makes the little guy happy.”

  “Sheesh, can you quit talking about it like it’s a different person?”

  Mason rolled his head back and laughed out loud. “Hell, mine has a mind of his own, so I might as well treat him that way. It’s easier to see it as somebody different. Then I don’t have to take as much of the blame.”

  It was my turn to laugh. “I get it. When you get in trouble, you say, ‘My dick made me do it.’”

  “Well, that worked before Kyle. Now my dick belongs to him.”

  I shook my head. “Okay, big brother. I think this conversation is swiftly coming to a necessary end. Thank you for the advice, and I’ll tell you how it goes. Now, how about looking at a mockup of our new waiting room?”

  * * *

  After I finished up the work meeting with Mason, I pulled up a website to purchase tickets to a Yankees baseball game. I didn’t have any idea that it could be so complicated. I stared at a diagram of the stadium with different colors representing different sections of seats. I assumed the ones in the middle of the diagram were closer to the field and better seats, but I didn’t know how to choose anything specific.

  As I walked up to the desk of Felix, one of our interns, he asked, “Hey, Boss. What’s up?” He held his hands up in surrender. “I promise I didn’t break the photocopier this time, and that typo on the website isn’t mine either.”

  I laughed. “Does that mean all of it’s your fault?”

  “Damn, am I that transparent? This is probably the right time to remind you that I’m only the intern.”

  We had a good laugh. “You’re a baseball fan, right? I’ve heard that floating around the office.”

  “Oh, yeah. I’ve got tickets to a game this weekend. I’m taking the new boyfriend as long as we last that long.”

  “Then you’re the man I need to consult. Come with me to the office.”

  As Felix trailed along behind me, he asked, “Did we get a contract with the Yankees? That would be super cool.”

  As I closed the door behind me, I said, “No, it’s nothing like that, and if you promise not to yap about helping me here for a moment, I won’t spread stories about the photocopier.”

  Felix cocked his head to one side. “Isn’t that blackmail, Boss?”

  “Could be…” I laughed, and Felix laughed with me. “Now, since you’re into baseball—when you order tickets, which seats are the best?”

  “At Yankee stadium? Or are you talking about the Mets?”

  I completely forgot any other teams existed in the New York area. Simon only talked about the Yankees. He had tunnel vision when it came to baseball. “Yankees. Is that your team, too? Since you brought them up?”

  “Oh, yeah. T
he Mets are in that other league.” He flashed a grin at me, and I wasn’t sure what it meant. Felix asked, “Can you pull up one of those maps of the stadium on your computer? It’s easiest to show you. I don’t remember what they call those seats right down by the field. They’re too expensive on an intern’s salary.”

  I turned the monitor of my computer around so he could see it. The diagram was still front and center on the screen.

  “If you can get ‘em, these right here,” said Felix. He pointed. “I’ve never been down close to the field myself, but yeah, those are great seats. With the boyfriend, we’re sitting way up high. I get a little vertigo sometimes climbing up there, but he’s the best. You do what you do to keep ‘em happy.”

  I clapped Felix on the back. “That’s what I needed, and you’re a good man. I won’t forget about your special assistance.”

  Felix had a goofy grin on his face when he left my office, and I decided I’d buy an extra pair of tickets for him on a future date after I purchased the two for a night at the ballpark with Simon.

  It was quick, easy, and outrageously expensive, but I remembered the words from Felix. Simon was the best, and since I wanted him back, I was going to do what I needed to do.

  After the team’s ticketing system assured me that the seats were mine, I turned my attention to sending a message to Simon. I wasn’t sure where he was or what he was up to, but he treated his phone like it was attached to his hand with Super Glue. I sent a quick text message.

  “Seats in the Champions Suite on Saturday. You and me, and a stadium full of fans.”

  I paced in a circle around my office waiting for a reply. Finally, I got it. Simon was short and sweet.

  “Yankees? Holy f***! I can’t wait. We’ll get you the right jersey to wear.”