New Tricks Read online

  “Already got them.”

  “Then let’s go.” Thomas gathered the papers he needed into his case. “Send me the final architect’s drawings so I can review them one more time before we file them with the city, as well as your construction plans and detailed timetables. We can review them next week.” He shook Blaze’s hand. “You did good. Now bring this puppy in on time and budget, and you’ll be a goddamn rock star.”

  Blaze nodded and turned to leave. When he opened the door, Brandon passed him coming inside and started packing up Thomas’s things.

  “I have our bags in the empty office just down the way. The car will be here in half an hour to take us to the airport, and everything is set for when we land in Denver.”

  “You ready to go home, Energizer?” Blaze teased. “You’ve got more energy than anyone I ever met.” He smiled and left the office, closing the door with a chuckle.

  Brandon didn’t seem to know what to do with that comment.

  “If he’s picking on you, it means he likes you.” Thomas checked his watch and gathered the last of his things. “Let’s go.”

  Marjorie joined them in the office. “Your driver will meet you down front and will take you to the plane, which is ready and waiting for you.” She smiled and looked at each of them in turn. “You travel safely, both of you.” She hugged Brandon, whispering something to him. Brandon blushed and nodded, then pulled away and left the office. “You… take it easy as much as you can, and for goodness’ sake, take care of yourself.” She was such a worrywart.

  “I will. Give my best to Peter and the kids, and you leave the office at a reasonable time. I know you stay late because of the time difference. You don’t need to. Go home and spend time with your family. Few things are so urgent that they can’t wait until the following morning.”

  “I will if you will,” she agreed, and Thomas figured what the hell and hugged her.

  “By the way, there are going to be some changes around here, and I think it’s time we had an office manager. I did a lot of those duties along with you, but it isn’t fair for Blaze to take them on, so what do you think about taking the job? It would be a raise, and you would be in charge of all the assistants, as well as managing the office itself.”

  Marjorie didn’t respond at first, but then she squealed with total delight. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes. You’ll still report to me, but your duties will change.” There was nothing more thrilling than promoting great people. “Think about what you think the job should entail, and we’ll talk next week. Until then, finish up here, take the rest of the day off, and you take your family out for dinner to celebrate… on me.” He shook her quickly. “I have to go, but we’ll talk more next week.” He left his office to find Brandon weighed down with all the bags. Thomas took two of his, and they headed toward the elevator and rode down to street level. The car was indeed waiting, and soon enough they were at the airport and on their way west.

  Thomas fidgeted in his seat, and Brandon leaned closer. “I….” He met Brandon’s gaze and bit his lower lip. He was leaving New York, so maybe it was time to leave it all behind. “Angus….”

  Brandon nodded. “Are you ready to tell me about this ex of yours whose neck I want to wring?” he asked as he got out of his seat and sat next to Thomas. “I’ve seen the scars he left on the outside. Now tell me about the ones he left inside.”

  Thomas nodded. Maybe it was time to talk about this whole thing and get it off his chest. “I’ve said a lot about it, but in a nutshell, Angus was hired on as an engineer. We have one on staff to help us evaluate buildings we’re interested in, verify designs, and for general reference. They’re an integral part of what we do. At that time I spent a lot of time working with him and Blaze.”

  “And you guys grew close…,” Brandon prompted.

  Thomas shrugged. “I don’t know how it happened. As I look back, I think he was interested, I was lonely as hell, and I never thought things through.”

  Brandon nodded. “Are things with me like that? I know they’ve happened pretty fast, but do you think of me as convenient?”

  Thomas thought for a split second. “No. You were never convenient.” He realized what he’d said and wanted to bang his head on the table in front of him. He rolled his eyes. “I mean, things weren’t like they were with Angus. He was all about staying in fancy hotels and going on expensive trips, eating trendy meals out. I think for him, the money I made was what attracted him. He wanted a lifestyle and knew I could give it to him. So he pursued me with assurances that things wouldn’t affect our work, blah, blah, blah, blah.” Thomas sighed. “They were all lies. It was Angus’s favorite pastime.” Thomas swallowed hard. “It turned out his entire life was a lie. He exaggerated his credentials and was incompetent, stamping plans instead of reviewing them properly. It nearly cost us the business. Blaze was the one to discover it. They hated each other, and thank God for Blaze’s suspicions. He had his background searched and came up with a lot of crap. And I was forced to fire him, and I broke things off.”

  “And the scars?”

  “Angus was manipulative as hell and had me buffaloed for nearly a year. He’d moved into my apartment and had taken over my social life. We did things together and had fun… at first.” Thomas raised his hands. “I was in love with him. I like to think that was why I didn’t see all the stuff he was pulling. After we broke up and I got him out of the apartment, he attacked me, and I know he left me hoping I’d die.” The plane shook as they passed through some turbulence, and they both fastened their seat belts. “I vowed after that to never date people I worked with, and I didn’t… hell, I didn’t date anyone. I worked and worked. Then I moved home, and this stunning man with incredible eyes and a soul as kind and caring as I could ever hope for was hired as my assistant.” He smiled and stopped the maudlin thoughts from taking over. Thomas didn’t want to think about Brandon leaving.

  “The last few weeks have been great.” Brandon bit his lower lip. “It’s only an interview. I don’t know that they’re going to offer me anything and….”

  “None of that kind of talk at all. This is your dream, what you wanted more than anything. You go get it!” Thomas was deadly serious. “You’re young and have your entire career ahead of you.”

  “And you’re only forty and should stop talking like a senior citizen,” Brandon chided.

  “Thirty-nine… for six more days….” He grinned.

  “The point is, you don’t get to have that conversation where you tell me that it’s the things I didn’t do that I’ll regret. My grandma already had that conversation with me.” Brandon lowered his gaze but still leered at him like he was peering over an imaginary set of glasses. “I know that may be true….”

  “It is true. So you have to give this your best shot. As you said, we’ve only known each other for—”

  “We’ve gotten closer in the last few weeks, but I’ve known you a long time. Remember that.” Brandon winked. “I remember you as someone who was more than fair and hired me when I needed a job.” He leaned against him as the plane shook a little. “I don’t intend to tank this interview or anything, but sometimes the timing on stuff is pretty shitty.” Brandon took his arm, holding it.

  Thomas had to agree that sometimes life’s timing was pretty damned sucky, and there was nothing he could do about it. He had already made up his mind that he wasn’t going to hold Brandon back or ask him to stay no matter what happened in Hollywood. Thomas was fairly certain that once they met Brandon, they were going to snap him up and make him an offer that was too good for him to pass up. Thomas needed to be ready for it.

  The rest of the trip was fairly quiet. Neither of them seemed in the mood to talk, and Thomas was tired from the travel and a very busy week. He wished he could sprawl out to rest, but then he’d have had to move away from Brandon, so he sat still, just enjoying the peace, listening to the hum of the engines.

  Once on the ground, they got their luggage, carried it to th
e car, and Thomas let Brandon drive.

  “Just go to your grandma’s right away. You can take care of your things and stuff.” He wanted Brandon to come home with him, but he wasn’t going to ask. They had spent much of the last week together and… it was for the best.

  “I need to make sure everything is okay, but….” Brandon turned to him once he’d pulled to a stop at a light. “Don’t think you’re going to pull the ‘I’m going to pull away because it’s for your own good’ shtick. It’s been done, and it’s kind of tacky.” Brandon shot him a look, and Thomas held up his hands.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.” Thomas sighed and waited until Brandon pulled into Thelma’s drive.

  The lights were on and the home seemed warm and filled with life. The curtains parted and then fell back into place before Thelma opened the door.

  “You’re home,” Thelma said happily. Thomas intended to go right home, but Thelma had other ideas and ushered him inside. “I have some dinner on the table. Travel always makes me titchy, so I figured I’d have a home-cooked meal for both of you.”

  Brandon went to put away his bags, and Thomas sat on a worn sofa that had probably been in the same spot since the eighties.

  “Thank you.”

  “How was your trip?” Thelma asked. “Did the two of you get everything done that you wanted? Did you see anything in New York?”

  “Grandma, it was wonderful,” Brandon said as he hurried back into the room. “They got us a suite at the Plaza hotel, and that place was posh on top of elegant. The restaurant has a stained-glass ceiling that’s lit from the other side. The room was as big as the whole house.” Brandon sat next to him. “I was scared to sit down, everything was so nice. And we had a view of Central Park. Grandma, it was breathtaking.” He held out the box of chocolates he’d bought for her. “I got these in the gift shop. Eat them slowly. They’re the most expensive candy you’ve ever had, but they are wonderful.”

  Brandon was filled with energy again, and it overflowed everywhere. It was like the sun had come out in Thomas’s life, at least for a little while yet. He sat back, half listening, basking in the glow and warmth that was Brandon and wondering what he was going to do without it when the time came.

  “Okay.” She smiled. “I take it you showed him the sights,” she said to Thomas.

  “He did. And he took me to a show. That was awesome.” Brandon went into a recap of the trip and told her about the rest of the food. “I had tartare and it was good.”

  “You ate raw meat?” Thelma asked with a shudder.

  “It was amazing. It tasted like beef, and there were onions and spices and it was cut into tiny cubes instead of ground, so it had texture.” Brandon looked around. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing to be able to eat in a place like that. The women wore all these diamonds, and everything glowed and glittered, including the people. It’s hard to describe. Even the elevators were extra quiet and paneled with real wood.”

  “Did you work while you were there or just have fun?” Thelma teased, her question setting off another recitation of some of what had happened without going into full detail.

  Thomas started to wonder if Brandon had figured out how to talk without breathing, because he went on and on.

  “We didn’t go up in the Chrysler Building, which would have been awesome, but we were too busy.” He finally took a breath, and Thelma excused herself. Brandon gave a slight grin. “I guess the Energizer Bunny came home with us.”

  “I guess so,” Thomas said with a smile.

  “Brandon, can you help me?” Thelma asked.

  Thomas stood as well, gave her a hand with setting the table, and then sat down with them. Dinner was a simple herbed chicken salad, bursting with flavor.

  “I’m going to California next week.” Brandon bounced in his seat. “I got called for an interview with Columbia Pictures.”

  “Good for you. That’s what you always wanted.” She patted Brandon’s hand, sharing a smile with him, her eyes shining.

  Thomas shifted his attention to the table, not wanting to broadcast his worry.

  They talked over the details of what Brandon was going to be doing and the schedule with Thelma, who lightly patted Thomas’s hand as though she knew what he was going through. But no matter the hurt Thomas might see on the horizon, he wasn’t going to throw a wet blanket on Brandon’s dreams.

  Chapter 10

  BRANDON WAS flying high. When he got off the plane from California nearly a week later, heading toward baggage claim, Thomas was at the bottom of the escalators, waiting for him.

  “You made it home,” he said, his huge smile filled with warmth. The few days before he left, Brandon hadn’t seen that smile very often, and it had worried him. Thomas would probably never describe himself as a person who smiled a lot, but he did, if one knew what to look for, and Brandon was becoming a connoisseur of Thomas’s smiles.

  “Yes. It was a good trip.” Brandon set his small bag on the floor and hugged Thomas tightly. “They liked what they saw. I met with a couple groups of people over a few days, and I even attended a pitch session and threw out some promotional ideas that they liked. I don’t know if they’re going to use them, but….” Brandon sighed and squeezed Thomas as tightly as he dared. “I’m going to find out, because they hired me. The studio wants me to come work for them. They offered me a job with a really good salary, and they want me to start work in a few weeks. They said they’d arrange and pay for temporary housing, and offered me a small relocation package, but since I don’t have much, that will be great.” He was so looking forward to this. It was what he’d dreamed of. But now he realized his dreams came with a price.

  “I’m happy for you,” Thomas said. “This is your dream, and I want it to come true for you.” There was happiness in Thomas’s voice, but Brandon detected a hint of sadness as well. He probably wouldn’t have noticed it except that he felt it too. Even if he and Thomas could make something work long-distance, it wasn’t going to be the same. Seeing Thomas every day, holding him, having him there, had become so important to him. And now there was doubt, no matter how he looked at it.

  Brandon caught Thomas’s gaze. “I know what you’re feeling, because I feel the same way. Don’t think that packing up and leaving is going to be easy, because it isn’t. If it had been six weeks ago, before I saw you again, I’d have had my bags packed and been on the very next plane. Heck, before I met you, I probably would have asked someone to send me my stuff and stayed there.” Brandon was kidding, but only to a degree.

  “I know. Things have changed. I won’t stand in your way. I can’t.” Thomas wiped his eyes. “We only get one life, and I don’t want you to regret anything.”

  Leaving for the interview without Thomas had been difficult. Leaving for a job was going to be hell.

  Sirens beeped and the baggage belt started. The bags slid in, and they waited for Brandon’s to make an appearance.

  “Everything is really different out there,” Brandon said. “Sort of like New York, but with palm trees and lots of sunshine. I think I’m really going to like it.” He hefted his bag off the belt and rejoined Thomas. They left the airport terminal, and Thomas motioned to a limousine parked at the curb. The driver took his bag, and they got inside. “Don’t you think this is a little much for the airport?”

  “You’re going to need to get used to this,” Thomas quipped with a smile. “The truth is that I didn’t feel like driving and wanted to spend as much time with you as I can.” He sighed. “I’m just trying to get my head around how things are going to change again. I-I….” Thomas stuttered, which was unusual, and worry stabbed at Brandon. “I knew you wouldn’t be staying forever. You’re talented enough to go anywhere. I guess I was hoping to have more time, and now….” He turned away, looking out the window. “This is what I was afraid of in the first place, but I knew…. I don’t regret it. Not for a second.” Thomas turned back to him. “I know you’re going to go, and it’s the right thing to do.” Thomas to
ok his hand, threading their fingers together. “You need to go, and I need to figure out how I’m going to move forward.”

  Brandon hated the thought of Thomas moving on to someone else. It roiled his gut, and the appetite he’d begun to build now that he was on the ground again slipped away. “The thought of someone else touching you makes me want to rip their throat out.” Brandon had never thought he was the jealous type, but maybe that was because he’d never had someone to be jealous over before. The worst thing was that there wasn’t actually someone else; it was just the idea that got him riled up.

  “Do you want to know how I feel about you meeting some tanned, toned surfer guy with incredible eyes and…?” Thomas clenched his fists.

  “Is this the age thing again?” Brandon pressed and then gasped and put his hand over his mouth. “Today is your birthday.”

  “Yes, it is, and I’d just as soon forget all about it.”

  Brandon lifted his bag off the floor, opened it, and pulled out a wrapped present.

  “You little shit,” Thomas said gently.

  “I wasn’t going to forget.” Brandon handed Thomas the gift. “I wanted to give you something so you’d know I was always with you. I really hope you like it.”

  Thomas ripped open the paper with all the energy of a kid at Christmas. Brandon had always suspected that the “getting old” stuff was a façade. There was a little boy in Thomas; he simply needed to make an appearance. Brandon was happy to see him, even for just a few minutes.

  The dark green paper ended up in tatters on the seat beside them, and Thomas pulled the lid off the small box.

  “I thought….” Brandon bit his lip as Thomas took out a black tooled leather cuff with silver. “I found it at a store that sells all Native American items. There’s an artist in Santa Fe that made this. The silver is tooled in a pattern to represent the mountains where he lives.” Brandon took the cuff and put it on Thomas’s wrist. “You don’t really have to wear it if you don’t want to. I just wanted to….”