“He was, but I won him over.” Cody sighed, then sipped his tea. “Now you know what I’m willing to tell. Did you get Orsen’s records that I left for you? You have no idea how much wheedling I had to do to get them. Mr. Darcy didn’t want me to have them till I gave him the reason why, and even then he wasn’t sure.”
“His last test scores are here. Considering his lack of attendance up to that stage, his scores are excellent. I don’tbelieve he’ll have much trouble catching up. We’ll tackle the core subjects first, like English and math, then add others in.”
“He’s smarter than he knows, but with his past, he thinks he’s thick as shit. I know I did, and I came from a relatively stable family.” Cody arched his eyebrows when he said ‘relatively.’ “Give him a few months and praise him a lot. He won’t have had much, if any, of that. You’ll see him blossom. In some ways he’s like a child with his lack of social interactions, but in other areas of life he’s more mature than he should be.”
“I’ve noticed. I told him we should meet up in town to talk, and he asked if it was a date.”
“Could he be attracted to you?”
“I’m older than him so—”
Cody burst out laughing. “Oh, I’ve heard that line, and look where it got him.”
Santino chuckled. Yes, Cody would have heard that line from TJ, but they had a history, so their relationship would have been different. “We hardly know each other, and I’m showing him the attention he’s missed out on growing up. I don’t want him to confuse appreciation with attraction.”
Cody stared at him, his eyes moving over Santino’s face, and Santino remained still, letting him look. “You’re not a bad-looking man. I can see why Orsen would be attracted to you.”
“Thank you. I think. However, he needs to experience life, go out and have fun—”
Cody laughed again. “Thisislike me and TJ.” Cody put his cup down and leaned on the table. “Not everyone wants to go out and live life the way others think they should. Orsen has lived a life. One filled with fear and terror and pain. He suffered when he should have been cherished and nurtured. Do you see him coping in a city environment?” Santino shook his head. Orsen would drown in a place like that. “He has a place here. He needs to find it and himself. I speak from painful experiencethat sometimes you have to be at your lowest point before you understand who you are and what your life can be like if you make a change. He’s making those changes, but in his time. Education being the first step, and I know he wants to tear down that shithole he grew up in. That will be therapeutic for him, but also painful. It holds memories, and even though they are painful ones, it will still hurt to see the place he called home destroyed. Emotions are a bastard sometimes.”
“He appears to be doing well with Mr. Crompton.”
Cody laughed again. “Do not say the Mr. part in front of him. He’ll tear you a new asshole. Crompton doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He tells it like it is, and for someone who has been lied to their whole life, that will be refreshing.”
“We discussed honesty. It’s something he values.” Santino sipped his fruit tea. “I want to help him. There’s something about him that makes me want to help.”
“Hmm. Wouldn’t be those eyes of his or the way he looks? I’m not blind. Some decent food, some time in a gym, and a good haircut and don’t be surprised if he turns a few heads. Orsen is very attractive, but he doesn’t see himself that way.”
“His eyes are…” Santino moved his fingers as he tried to find the word he wanted. “Captivating.”
“Electric blue. I looked it up.” Cody grinned. “Imagine staring down at them as you get up close and personal.”
“You mean sex.” Santino had suspicions and voiced them. “Are you trying to set us up?”
Cody pointed to his chest. “Me? Why, yes, I am. I saw the way he looked at you when you were both at our place. I also noticed more than one glance from you, but I understand. The age, the past, the blah blah blah.” Cody rolled his eyes. “When you next visit him, really look at him. Ignore the past and the age and all the other things and look at him, then tell me he isn’t goodlooking. Not my man good looking because he’s mine and no one else is having him.”
“Possessive,” Santino murmured.
“Yes, and proud of it, too.”
Santino checked his phone when it beeped. “Orsen. Wants to know if I’m free.”
“Get him to ask Crompton to bring him here. It’s quiet at this time of day, and you can treat him to some cake.”
“Are you always like this?” Santino had family members who liked to organize his life. Cody behaved like them.
“No, I’m not, but Orsen needs someone, and I think you could be that someone.”
“And why is that?” Orsen and he had vastly different life histories. They were worlds apart when it came to experience.
“He needs someone who will be there for him. Someone who will never lie to him and will always be honest. You give me the impression that trust is important to you, and after what Orsen went through, trust will be very important to him. Would you be with him and lie and cheat? No, I don’t think you would. You’re calm, thoughtful. You look at a situation from multiple angles. You’re stable and he needs that.” Cody leaned back in his chair. “I think you’d enjoy showing him a life that’s vastly different from the one he’s had. His happiness would be important to you.”
Santino raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Cody had only known him a few short months but had him pegged. The things that would become important to Orsen were already important to Santino. Trust, honesty, commitment. “I’m impressed.”
“Don’t be. We’re similar in what we want in life, only I’m a possessive bastard now that I have mine.”
“I’ll consider what you’ve said. One issue, though. He’s only seventeen.”
