“By making yourself more valuable. The sausages you’ve been talking about—make some and give them to Henry. Show him what you can do. Maybe they can sell them in the store. That’s a way to make yourself worth more, by having something special that only you can do. Show that you deserve to make more money by bringing in more revenue.”
Darren nodded. He had been thinking about that for a while, and it was time he got off his butt and did something about it. “I will.” Chet was right. If what he made sold, well, he would be worth more and then he could ask for more money. “I promise.”
“Good. Because you deserve a chance to have friends and a life outside work. I know you only work in Fort Bragg a few nights a week, but it would give you time to have a little fun.”
Darren nodded. “And what about you? What are you going to do about driving your own future? I know that you feel like you have to take over the business from your father, but is that what you want? Or are you going to follow your own path?” He held Chet’s gaze. “You have opportunities I can only dream about. I know that. And in some ways, I’m envious as hell, but then, you have the same problem I do. How are you going to make your life your own?”
Hillary set their plates in front of them, along with the check. “I know you only have so much time.”
“Thanks,” Chet told her with one of his bright smiles. “I appreciate it.” He handed her a credit card, and she took it and the bill away.
“So? It’s easy for you to give me advice, but you need to figure out the life that is going to make you happy.” He took a bite of his salad and waited.
Chet nodded slowly. “Do you know what it’s like to stand up to my father?” He rolled his eyes. “There’s a portrait of every one of my ancestors from the founder to my father in his office, and I’m supposed to take his place and join them.”
Darren set down his fork. “And you can do that. You don’t need to walk away from the heritage and what you feel is your obligation. Just make it your own. And figure out how to do that. Just like what you told me. I have to make my job my own so I can be of more value. And so do you.”
“But what the hell is that? What does it look like?” He took a bite and chewed for a few seconds before taking a drink and pushing his plate away a little. “I don’t have a clue.”
“Maybe that’s because you’re too close to it. Or you have been. But you’ve been here for two weeks, and you checked your email and did some work, but the pressure has been off. You had a chance to clear your head, so go back with fresh eyes. I want you to be happy. That’s what counts. So, find something that does that and hold on to it.” It didn’t matter to him what form that took. If it was another person in his life, so be it. The thought made his stomach clench, but what was he going to do?
Darren lowered his gaze and finished eating his lunch. Then he checked the time. He had about five minutes before he needed to get back.
“I’ll be here this evening once you’re done with work. Okay?”
“Yeah.” Darren gave him keys to the house. “Get your things and take them to the house. That way you can relax there and stuff. I should be done about ten.” He glanced around, kissed Chet quickly, and then hurried out to go back to the store to finish out the first part of his workday.
ChapterEight
His packedbags sat by the front door. Their last night together was over. Chet munched on a piece of toast, sitting at Darren’s small table with a plate in front of him. Darren skittered around, cleaning up the kitchen from their snack last night, what little there was to do. Chet understood. It was just Darren’s way of keeping busy, so he didn’t dwell. Chet was doing his best to do the same thing. He finished his toast, rinsed the plate, and set it in the sink with the few other nearly clean dishes.
“I know you have to go to work,” Chet said.
“Yeah.” Darren checked the time and headed for the door. “I’ll help you get your luggage loaded and then I have to go.” He swallowed hard, grabbed one of the suitcases, and hefted it before heading out the door. Chet followed him with the other, and they got them into the trunk of the rental car.
“I don’t quite know what to say,” Chet said softly. His throat was scratchy, and leaving was something he didn’t want to do, but he had to go back to his life and let Darren move forward with his. He had obligations he couldn’t just walk away from. Chet sighed and grabbed Darren by the belt, tugging him closer.
“I don’t either.” Darren’s voice nearly broke, and Chet kissed him and then held him tightly. Maybe this was one of those times when words just didn’t say enough. “Travel safe and all those sorts of things seem really kind of dumb.” He stepped back. “Take care of yourself, and we have phones.”
“Yes. I’ll let you know when I get home.” He stood there by the car, not sure what to say next. Darren hugged him once more and then hurried back into the house. Chet climbed into the car,took a last look around, and then started the engine and slowly pulled away. As he drove down the street, he saw Darren in his rear-view mirror walking down the street behind him. He was tempted to turn around and offer him a ride, but it was time to go.
At the corner, he took a final glance and then made the turn, heading toward Highway 1, where he went south and began the four-hour drive to the airport.
He’d done this drive before, and it was no big deal, but the last time, he’d been with friends, so he’d had someone to talk with. Now, it was just him, and he had plenty of time to think about what he was leaving behind. Chet hoped that the farther he got and the more distance he put between him and Darren, the better he’d feel. But as the hours ticked by, he didn’t know what he felt. The only thing he was sure of was that he wasn’t looking forward to things returning to how they’d always been at home.
It seemedlike he had been traveling forever. The drive to the airport, turning in the rental car, getting to his flight and flying across the country to LaGuardia, and then the trip into the city, fighting traffic the entire way. By the time the Uber pulled up in front of his building, Chet was exhausted. He got the luggage, and thankfully the doorman helped him with one of the bags and to the elevator.
Once inside the apartment, he unpacked and tossed his dirty clothes in the laundry. Then he hit the shower and dressed comfortably after, sitting on the sofa, looking out over the city through his large plate-glass windows.
His building was old, a little quirky, and he loved it. The apartment had been purchased by his grandmother after his grandfather passed away. She wanted a smaller place and leftthe large family home with his parents. Once she passed, she left the apartment to him, and Chet had always been grateful. The apartment had character. The outdoor space was the fire escape, but he had a few chairs out there and loved to sit out in the evenings. He never told his parents, but the fire escape was where Grandma went when she wanted to smoke… and Grandma always had the good stuff.
He opened the window and stepped out, breathing in the city air. There was a soupiness from the rivers and the humidity, but it was completely different than Mendocino. The air here felt heavy, scented with pressure and drive, even with a constant breeze, where the air out west had been clean, fresh, and head clearing. His phone vibrated, and he pulled it out, reading the message—okay, demand—from his father to see him at ten the following morning. Chet sighed and answered him before sending a text to Darren to let him know that he had made it home.
Even though he had been traveling forever, and it was late here, his body still felt like it was much earlier. He thought of Darren for a few minutes, but then he had to go to work. Chet thought of trying to go to bed but wasn’t sure how successful that was going to be, so he closed the window, set the air-conditioning, and settled on the sofa with a movie. But he ended up ignoring it as his thoughts kept wandering to Darren and what he was doing. Judging by the time, Darren was serving his customers at The Pub or at the Harbor View. Either way, he had been working for many hours and still had more to go. “I’m such a slacker…,” Chet chastised as he shook his head. “You miss him, and you can admit that,” he told himself out loud, not that it seemed to help.
Chet forced himself to watch the movie for a while before giving up and going to bed. It was time to get back to the grind.
“Are youlistening to me?” his father asked as Chet looked out the window of the corner office downtown. The view of the city was amazing.
