“Of course, we have great lives.” Although not one of his more recent problems was solved or even talked through for that matter, he felt much better watching his mother come to grips with his truth. “This is why we’ve kept that part of our lives to ourselves. Can we get back to my emotional breakdown before we deal with yours?”
This time, she tipped the glass back, draining the wine. As she filled another glass, fuller this time, she said, “Here’s what I suggest. Talk to Ducky. Like your father always says, it’s unfair to put your feelings into someone else’s mouth, or however he says it.” She waved a hand in the air. “You’d think I’d remember with as many times as I heard it. You know how he is with his sayings…”
“I can’t talk to Ducky. He’s not responding to me, Mom. Not one word. I feel like he’s believing this crazy over-the-top reaction to what I said.”
His normally quick thinking, articulate mother seemed to struggle for her words.
He waited while she took another drink.
“You’re…” She sat the glass down and mimicked his stance from the other side of the counter, her hands placed on the granite as they again stared at one another. If he guessed right, she was still stuck on the problems he and his sisters had faced during their family’s transition into this new way of life as a blended family life. Her face softened the longer she stared. “How different is this with Ducky compared to the others you’ve dated?”
“Very. All the feelings are there for me. I’ve managed to keep it hidden, telling myself I’d explore more when I was ready. I truly believe he’s straight. I didn’t want to ruin what we shared. Having him in my life a little is better than none at all.”
“My son has strong feelings for someone, and I didn’t know. How have I never heard this before?” She tossed her hands in the air again, then reached for the glass of wine.
“Focus, Mom.” He snapped his fingers to get her attention back on him and pointed at himself. “Me first before this breakdown you’re wanting to have.”
“Okay.” She looked away from Chad, staring off into the room as she spoke. “I suggest you take this in two steps. First, cross the imaginary boundary you have in place with Ducky. Go see him. He’s in Grand Prairie, right?”
Chad nodded. Her perfectly arched brows lifted when her gaze came back to him.
“It’s not far. Maybe twenty-five minutes away. Go to him today.”
“All right,” he said, unwilling to examine why he’d never let that be an option before.
“Explain to him that your words were a knee-jerk reaction. And apologize. See if what you feel carries over face-to-face, into everyday life. If it doesn’t, you haven’t ruined the friendship you have. If you still have these feelings, you need to tell him.” She took another drink, watching him closely.
Chad blew out a breath, considering the idea. He didn’t think he could stand for Ducky to push him away. “I don’t know, Mom. I see the merit in the first part, but we’ll have to see about the second.”
She nodded and gave a little eye roll. “Let’s go back to the other. What about Chloe and Cate? As far as I’ve known, they’ve only dated boys. Is that untrue?”
Yeah, he wasn’t doing that. He left the counter separating them and gathered their lunch dishes to take to the sink. “I don’t know about Cate, but Chloe’s too hard to get along with. No one of any gender will ever want to date her.”
He made quick work of dumping the dishes in the sink before pivoting around and kissing her cheek. “Thank you for the advice. I’ll call Mark to pick up Cara. You don’t need to drive.”
He had to go home and change before he went down south to see Ducky. What did a person wear to impress their best friend? Something nice. He dragged his fingers through his hair as he went for the front door. He wished he had time for a quick spa run.
CHAPTER 8
Dread flooded Ducky, making his stomach roil. He absently rubbed a hand over his tight muscles, hoping to ease the nausea from the outside in. With the way the sweat trickled down his forehead, it had to be eighty degrees inside the small executive office. Skye’s training classes were intense, but this was something different.
Maybe the mounting stacks of unfinished paperwork on his desk played a part in his anxiety. There was actual paper, like from a tree, on his desk. For an information technology geek, the growing mound of tree pulp sent a shiver down his spine.
The most likely culprit to this minute’s severe frustration had to do with his brother’s complete disregard of his wishes. Dallas had signed off on the advertising campaign that Ducky had wholeheartedly rejected.
While Ducky had smiled for the camera and rode the shit out of a spin bike to Skye’s instruction, Dallas scoured over today’s focus group reports revealing how they saw Ducky as relatable, genuine, and charming.Yeah right!
He’d bark out a laugh right now if his throat wasn’t so dry with worry. Apparently his before and after full body shots made all those likable qualities even more endearing to the public at large.
Dallas hadn’t even given Ducky a chance to digest this new information, and he didn’t like that at all. His leg bounced as he stood directly behind Dallas’s desk where Sara sat, finalizing the last details with their advertising agency.
“Stop pouting,” Dallas murmured, standing close to Ducky as if he hadn’t just stabbed the blade right in Ducky’s back.
“It’s really good, Ducky,” Skye said from her perch on Dallas’s desk, next to the monitor where she angled her body to view the computer screen. “If it was anyone but you in those pictures, you’d’ve made the same decision Dallas did. You’re being hard to deal with for no reason.”
“They think we can get ad space in Times Square.” Sara jumped around in her seat with excitement, turning this way and that to see all three of their expressions. “There’s a billboard opening. Do we want it? We want it, right?”
“Yes!” Skye said, jumping off the desk. Her boundless energy had her clapping her hands, joining in with Sara’s enthusiasm.
