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Isaiah laughed and flung an arm around his brother, hugging him close. “I’ve missed you, Ian.”
“Did mom tell you I got a full scholarship to study environmental science here at Harrison?”
Isaiah froze. “You’re shitting me.”
“Mr. Gage wrote Mom and said if I wanted to come to Harrison, he’d take care of it.”
“Darren’s dad wrote to Mom?”
“No, the other Mr. Gage. Darren’s grandfather. He told her it was the least the university could do after how they treated you.”
“Still think filing that complaint was the biggest mistake you ever made?” Darren asked from behind.
Isaiah playfully shoved Ian toward his mom with a hurried “later” and whisked around to his boyfriend.
His beautiful, generous, kind boyfriend.
His beautiful, generous, kind boyfriend who loved Isaiah back.
Isaiah’s face split with a smile.
Darren took his hand and loosely linked their fingers. “My grandparents are here. Can I introduce you?”
If this night got any better, Isaiah might burst apart.
Darren steered him toward a genteelly smiling elderly couple. Their smiles doubled at Darren’s approach.
His grandmother held her arms out, and Darren leaned in to give her a hug. “If you get any more handsome,” she said, “I’m going to faint.”
Isaiah agreed.
“If you get any prettier,” Darren murmured back, “I’m going to have to hire guards to keep the men away.”
She giggled. “You and this silly old coot”—she nodded toward her husband—“need your eyes examined.”
Grandfather Gage grabbed his wife’s hand and kissed it gently. “My eyes are perfectly fine, Dorie. You’re still the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”
She didn’t protest. “Are you going to introduce me to your handsome beau?”
“I know better than to interrupt when someone is complimenting you.” He kissed her cheek and introduced Isaiah. “Isaiah, this is my grandmother, Dorothy Gage.”
Isaiah nodded, dizzy with good feelings. “I’m afraid I have to agree with them, Mrs. Gage. You are quite beautiful—and I’ve twenty-twenty vision.”
“I always knew my grandson would have good taste.” She offered Isaiah a hug, and he accepted. She kissed his cheek and whispered, “Thank you for making Darren so happy.”
“Isaiah, this is my grandfather, Darren Gage.”
“So many Darrens! I mean, uh, good evening, sir.”
Darren’s grandfather laughed. “Not the most creative in the naming department, the Gages. Nice to meet you, Mr. Nettles.” He held out his hand with a mischievous look in his eye that reminded Isaiah so much of Darren. “I understand Darren tried to introduce us a few months ago, but the call never went through. I’m glad we finally get to meet.”
Isaiah blanched and glanced at Darren. “You told him that story.”
“He tells his grandfather everything,” Dorothy said. “They’re like two ten-year-olds when they get together.”
“What can I say? My grandson keeps me young.”
Isaiah laughed, and nervously blurted, “I want to thank you for giving my brother a scholarship to Harrison. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”
The playful lilt disappeared. “As I told your mother, you handled yourself with a great deal more grace and dignity than the university did. Since I expect your brother will be working for Darren one day in MAS Oil’s new renewable energy division, I need to make sure his education is up to standard.”
Darren stiffened at Isaiah’s side. “Doesn’t that assume I’ll head the division?”
“One assumption I am confident in.” He looked between Isaiah and Darren and focused on Isaiah. “I know you each wrote to the Gage Scholar Committee asking that we give the award to the other person.”
Isaiah whipped his head around to Darren. “You did what?”
Darren looked just as startled. “That’s my line!”
Grandfather Gage chuckled. “One letter would have been amazingly selfless, but for you both to do it. Astounding.”
Isaiah clasped Darren’s hand and throttled it. “Darren deserves the honor. He took on the school to fight for me. I don’t mean to presume too much, but I think your grandfather would have been very proud of his great-great-grandson.”
“Here, here,” Grandfather Gage agreed. “He would also be proud of you, for standing up for what was right despite the risk. Needless to say, this is a most unusual year for the program. One that requires an equally unusual result.”
What was going on? Isaiah side-eyed Darren, and Darren shrugged, equally perplexed.
Grandfather Gage continued, “Josh and I made a recommendation to the committee, which they unanimously accepted. Because you embody the attributes your great-great-grandfather wanted in his heirs, Darren will be the Gage Scholar next year—”
“But—” Darren tried to interrupt, but his grandmother swatted his arm.
“Hush, Darren. Don’t interrupt your grandfather.” She almost sounded too amused to be mad.
“As I was saying, Darren will be the Gage Scholar next year. But since he doesn’t need the stipend or the job after school, the committee agreed to award those to you, Isaiah. In recognition of your tenacity and willingness to fight for what you believed right.”
Isaiah blinked.
Then he huddled close to Darren, murmuring under his tongue, “Pinch me.”
