"There's always your trust," Dale said carefully.
"Which I won't use, and you know it."
That made Dale smile wide. "Same stubborn son-of-a-bitch." Jeremy's only saving grace for the longest time had been that he'd never cashed in a dime of his trust fund, even after it got turned over to him at twenty-one. His dad had fought it getting turned over, worried he'd blow it on coke or hookers, or doing lines of coke off hookers' dicks.
"And proud of it." He straightened up. "Well, I'm gonna get back to the house. Me, Carter, and Sarah are going into town tonight."
"Alright. Get me that contract ASAP. I'll get to looking over it. Send me your manager's number too. I'll see if she's a haggler."
Lucy? Shit. Jeremy doubted that seriously.
"Cool." He headed for the door, but stopped just as he got to it and tossed over his shoulder, "Thanks, dad." He probably hadn't said those words, sincerely, in a decade. He rapped his knuckles on the door frame and headed back toward the house.
* * *
Carter sighed as he ended the call with his mother. It honestly hadn't been that bad, but she was becoming more insistent on his assistance with what looked to be an upcoming apology tour.
She seemed as surprised as Carter at his lack of willingness to fall in line like he had in the past. It wasn't even really that he disapproved of whatever it was she and his dad did amongst themselves. He was probably as embarrassed as any kid would be in that situation, but he didn't really give a damn what they did.
What he did care about, still, was how they could have been so hard on him about what they perceived as "bedroom issues"-her gay constituents would love that turn of phrase-when they didn't exactly follow tradition themselves. He had supported his mother, even when he had been mortified to be in the public eye. He had been the good son. He still needed time to let go of some of this resentment. He was annoyed with himself for feeling so childish. He was a grown man, for God's sake. He was a veteran. But right now, just for a little longer, he was tired of being an "old soul", tired of smiling and nodding.
He rubbed his hand down his face. He had to laugh inwardly at the fact he had at one time been judgmental of Jeremy not growing the fuck up, meanwhile he seemed to be regressing.
The opening of a door and approaching footsteps drew Carter's attention.
"It's not as dramatic as all that, is it?"
"Not really, no. Just my mom."
"How's the Senator this fine afternoon?"
Carter huffed. "Considering not tendering her resignation."
Jeremy's brows went up. "Oh. I thought it wasn't up to her after … " Jeremy made a face, like he didn't know how to finish the thought.
"Technically, they'd have to go through a process to actually fire her. It's all complicated." Carter pocketed his cell phone. "She wants me to cut my ‘little vacation from life' short and help."
"And you told her to fuck herself, naturally." Jeremy said it like he knew Carter would do no such thing.
And Carter hadn't. Certainly not in so many words. "She's not really some villain twirling her mustache, waiting to sick her goons on me if I don't come back. She's just frustrated and I'm being stubborn."
"Which is a positive step if I ever heard one," Jeremy said on a laugh. "I don't think I've ever heard you so much as openly complain about your parents. Even when we were teenagers." Jeremy raked his eyes over Carter in a way that made Carter's cock wake up and take interest. "You don't even have so much as one rebellious little tattoo on your body." Jeremy stepped a little closer so only Carter could hear his next words if someone else were listening. "Not one rebellious bone in your body." He stepped closer still. "But I'm working on that."
Carter's head fell back and a burst of laughter erupted from his chest. "You're an idiot."
"You love it," Jeremy tossed over his shoulder as he turned to walk back toward the kitchen. Carter blinked, then swallowed thickly as the words one day, maybe popped through his mind.
Fuck. No. No, no, no.
He shook his head to erase all that like a mental Etch-A-Sketch. He followed Jeremy when he heard the soft tones of Sarah greeting Jeremy. When he rounded the corner, Sarah waved. "You guys ready to head out soon?"
"I don't understand what you need us for," Jeremy whined. Sarah punched his shoulder, harder than just playfully, judging by Jeremy's grimace.
"The whole point is introducing you guys to my new boyfriend. Trial run for the parentals, and all."
Carter snorted and pointed at Jeremy. "You think he'll be easier to meet first than your parents?" Carter tried to convey with his tone that, no, Jeremy would not take it easy on the guy.
"I'm not that bad." Jeremy couldn't even say the words with a straight face. Carter imagined someone meeting him for the first time. The man had a tattoo over his left brow for fuck's sake.
"Nope. Not intimidating at all," Carter replied drily.
"That's why I wanted Carter there too." She turned to him. "Your timing on this trip is perfect. We've been talking about meeting parents for a while."
"Oh? Must be getting serious." Carter almost cracked up at the scowl his words had made appear on Jeremy's face.
"Yeah. You'll remember him. He was a counselor at that day camp we worked at the summer after junior year." Her smile turned positively evil. "Chris Holder. I believe you were quite fond of his ass back then."
Carter and Jeremy both scowled at her for that, and she cackled. "Jerk," Carter mumbled.
"It's okay." Sarah winked. "It is a nice ass." She checked her phone when it dinged and Carter felt his cheeks heat when Jeremy looked at him with a quirked brow. "Anyway," Sarah continued when she finished with her phone. "He was excited to see you again, too. I'd told him about your boxing. He's opening a gym downtown and when I told him about the gym you worked out in up in New York, he wanted to pick your brain about the facilities."
"I'm just an amateur, at best. Not like I can tell him much more than stuff about equipment." Sarah made a please just get on board face, nudging her head imperceptibly in Jeremy's direction. Carter rolled his eyes slightly but said, "I'd love to." He didn't mind. It was kind of cool he would be seeing Chris again. They hadn't been super close, but Chris had spent enough time with him and Sarah that summer to have considered them friendly.
"Excellent." She gestured between Jeremy and Carter. "It won't kill you two to get away from this damn house, anyway." Opening the refrigerator and looking inside, she missed the way Jeremy raked over Carter with his eyes again.
"Plenty of entertainment around here."
She shut the fridge door and said, "Right. Well, you'll survive one night out, hermits." She opened the bottled water she had retrieved and took a drink before turning back to Carter. "I'll be ready to leave in about an hour. Don't let that one go hide in his cave just yet." She looked back at Jeremy. "And Chris is driving me back tomorrow, so we can just go in your truck. Please don't go smoke and get too baked to drive."
Jeremy made a childish face, intoning please don't get too baked to drive. "Yes, Ms. Daisy. Move along. I'll be ready."
Sarah turned to Carter, who just rolled his eyes and shrugged. When she left, Jeremy asked, "Do you really think they're that serious?"
Carter shrugged again. "Guess we'll find out."
Jeremy's scowl was cute. He wanted to kiss those slightly pouting lips, but thought better of it. Damn, he was getting himself in trouble with his mind playing games, trying to make things with Jeremy out to be more than they really were. Yes, he was having a great time with the man, and yes, they had great sex. But that was as far as Jeremy had said it would go. That was as far as it could go.
"Stop whatever you're overthinking over there," Jeremy said. "Looks painful."
Carter jutted his chin out, trying to gather a little dignity after having been busted being a drama queen. "I'm going to go get ready."
Maybe a night out would be good. He would have to keep his distance from Jeremy. Seemed like breathing room might be a good idea.
12
Walking out of the restaurant, Carter tugged on his jacket. Jeremy's face was still settled in a disgruntled line, which amused Carter to no end. Honestly, the dinner had gone pretty well. Jeremy had been surprisingly quiet, thoughtful, rather than ribbing on Chris.