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He’d known that Robert thought.That his sister was in love with Barkley.It was difficult to tell what he felt for her as the man was nearly as hard to read as Dan was.Sitting in the chair that was across from the big desk, he tried to think how to tell his little sister that he’d seen her love for Barkley just yesterday.
“He’s a good man.”He agreed with her.“He’s been nothing but kind to all of us.Even when he’s upset, which isn’t all that often, he still goes out of his way to be nice to everyone.And he loves his parents.I like them too.”
“Have you told Barkley that you love him yet?”She shook her head and looked out the window behind her.“Carrie, what’s holding you back?You love him.You should tell him and soon.”
“I’m not going to do that.”Asking her why the hell not, she smiled at him.“Because he has it all.Money.Prestige.He even has you guys wrapped up and friendly with him.I’m just me.Carrie Boone that barely has a high school education.I work at a job that I loathe.But it pays the bills.I don’t even have anything about me that makes me stand out from other dark-haired women.No tantalizing eye color.Blue isn’t all that uncommon.I’m thin, no boobs to speak of, and I’m too tall for most men.”
“But all those things are special to us.”She tisked at him.Robert laughed.“You’re beautiful, Carrie.You look so much like Mom that sometimes I find myself thinking you’re her.Mattie looked like Dad.In all the wrong ways.However, if you don’t let Barkley know that you love him, I will.”
“No, you won’t.”He wouldn’t, at least, he didn’t think that he would.Robert wasn’t sure how she knew that.“I’m ready to go back home too.I need to before Bethany and Sunny take more of my heart.Did I tell you that I spent the evening with them last night?They are adjusting so well after what’s happened to them.”
“They would.They’re just babies, and I don’t know that they’ll remember what has happened to them.At least, I hope not.Why are you leaving?You’re not staying for the trial?To make sure that they get what they deserve?”She said that she was going to talk to Mick.“Why?I mean, he’ll just tell you more lies and expect you to believe him.I don’t want you to go home, Carrie.What if they’re not as accepting of me and Dan after you leave?”
“You don’t believe that any more than I do.”He said he was grasping at straws to keep her around.“You’re going to have to try harder.That one is just stupid.You and Dan have made more friends in the last few weeks here than I think you did all during high school.”
“You’re right.Have you always been so stubborn?”She just stared at him.“I guess you have.But honey, I don’t want you to miss out on something wonderful like being in love with a great person.And I don’t think there are any better than Barkley.Any of them, really, but Barkley is the best.”
“Barkley is the best at what?”There he stood in the doorway, looking at them both with a sandwich halfway to his mouth.“You all should stay here forever.Of course, I’d have to join a gym or something.Because the way that Dan cooks would be a killer for me to eat—”
“Carrie is in love with you.”He looked at his sister and stuck out his tongue.“I told you I was going to tell him.And now I’m going to go to the kitchen and tell Dan that we have to find us a home close to you guys.I want to be an uncle in the worse kind of way.”Robert stood up and closed Barkley’s mouth.“Go to her, you nutball, before she changes her mind.”
He was nearly to the kitchen when he turned around, going back to the still standing man and shoved Barkley into the office.He couldn’t do everything for the man, but he did close the door.Smiling, he headed to the kitchen to tell Dan what had just happened.The two of them had been speculating for days about the couple, and he was glad that he’d gotten the opportunity to let Barkley know that someone loved him as much as he did Dan.Dan was jealous that he’d not been able to tell Barkley that Carrie loved him.
“What do you say that we go and put in a bid on that house on Fifth Street.It’s the perfect home for the two of us.”Robert sat at the counter as Dan continued.“We’ll make a fortune off the house back home the way that we’ve renovated it.”
“What about our stuff?I mean, we’ve been collecting things for that house since we met.Are you willing to just let it go too?I am if that helps you with your answer.”Dan told him that he’d just as soon not ever have to go back there again, not after the send-off they were given when they came here.“I know.I had no idea that our neighbors were so…I guess we should have figured it out sooner, but to be honest with you, Dan, I think I didn’t want to know that they thought of us as terrible people.”
“No, neither did I.”Dan poured him a glass of tea and sat down on the stool next to where he was.“Not once since we’ve been here have we had one person treat us any differently than they do the Strongs.I’m not so naïve to think that it’s our personalities that have had them welcome us so much as it was the Strongs.But the townspeople have been really accepting of us even when we’re not with them.Mrs.Daniels even came over yesterday to ask me to help her out with the dinner party she was having.”
“She even invited us to go.”They’d had a great time too.Not once did they feel like they’d been invited over because she wanted to show off the gays that lived in town.“Mr.Burgess’ party that he threw was hurtful.The fact that he wanted us to wear a sign that said that we were faggots turned my stomach.The fucking bastard.”
They’d been invited to the dinner party back home that was for the street party and how it was going to be handled this year.He and Dan had always donated money to the street-wide cookout and get-togethers.But they’d never gone.When they were at the door, Mr.Burgess’ wife told them that they had to wait a minute.She had something to give them.Then her husband gives them both a sign that said ‘I’m with the faggot’ to wear so no one would forget.Dan had wanted to stay and embarrass the older man, but he’d wanted to just go home.
It wasn’t that he was ashamed of what he was.He loved Dan and would tell anyone that.But to be made the ass of a party with signs no less was too much.The two of them vowed to never have anything to do with the people on their street again.Then this thing with Mattie had happened.
“Do you think that your sister, Mattie, would have felt the same way about us as the Burgess and the rest of the street had?”Robert told Dan that he hadn’t any idea what she would have done.He didn’t know her at all.“That’s what Carrie said when I asked her.That she more than likely would have been cruel to us but that she wasn’t sure anymore.”
“Let’s not go down that street, Dan.All right?”He nodded, and Robert was glad.“We’ll make an offer on the house, and we’ll sell everything that we left behind.We’ll find us an attorney or, better yet, have Barkley find someone to take care of it all for us.Then once it’s finalized, we’ll just pretend that nothing ever happened to us and that we’re here where we should have been all along.What do you think?”
“Perfect.”They both turned to the door down the hallway.Dan smiled at him.“You think that we’re going to be related to the Strongs soon?I can’t think of a better person than Barkley to love Carrie.They both seem so suited to each other.”
“It worries me a little, to be honest, that the two of them seemed to not understand that they’ve been in love for the last week or so.I think they started out as friends and are still, but Carrie caught on first that she was in love with the man.Hopefully, we’re right, and Barkley is in love with her as well.”Dan asked him if he thought they were wrong about Barkley loving Carrie.“I don’t think so, but we could be.I don’t want it to be only something that wewantto see happen between the two of them.I’d hate that she is in love with him, and he only sees her as a buddy.Someone to hang out with and such.They do that a great deal.Hang out, I mean.Just yesterday, I heard them arguing.It was about how his mood was affecting her.Then they laughed.They’re either in love with each other, or they need help.They’re mentally off otherwise.”
They were both laughing when Dan’s phone went off.He used it to time things, and when he got up to take something out of the oven, Robert felt his mouth water.His cookies were the best he’d ever eaten.But his homemade bread would make him want to do just about anything for the first slice.Often times Dan would bake a loaf of bread, and they’d eat the entire thing for dinner.Just that and a salad, of course, to balance things out.With them being guests in someone else’s home, he figured he’d have to share with Carrie and Barkley.
“He’d better understand how much I like him if I’m willing to share hot homemade bread with him.”Dan agreed as he sliced up thick slices of the still-steaming treat.“Bring on the butter, Dan, so that I can pretend that there aren’t about seven thousand calories in this one slice.”
“I made another loaf for dinner tonight.We’ll eat this one quickly, then I’ll pull out the second one to bake.”They were both laughing as they tried to cram half a slice of the too-hot bread in their mouths while talking about dinner.Christ, he loved Dan and thought everyone should be as happy as they were.“Oh, Ms.Lisa sent over some strawberry jam for us.I’ll get it now.”
He didn’t care if he weighed eight hundred pounds.Robert was going to enjoy his lunch of bread and jam if it was the last thing he did today.It smelled like fresh strawberry pie to him.He was so happy they were moving here soon.
~*~
Barkley stared at Carrie when they were shut up in his office.She was avoiding looking at him for some reason, and he wanted her full attention.When she started talking about going to see Mick, he raised his hand up.He wanted her to stop talking about anything but what Robert had told him before leaving.
“You love me.”He wasn’t sure if he asked her or told her, but she said that she did.With all her heart.“Why didn’t you tell me?I mean, we’ve been together a lot the last several days.Or am I asking the wrong question?When did you realize that you loved me?”
“Yesterday, when we were taking a walk into town.You were telling me about the people that were out in front of their shops.You also mentioned their families and how you needed to get a few gifts for the butcher’s daughter’s wedding.Most rich people could care less what the butcher is doing, much less his daughter getting married.But there you were, telling him how much you were looking forward to going to it and that you couldn’t believe that Tess was old enough to be getting married.Isn’t she about your age?”He said that she was two years older.“I see.Then how is it that you’re disbelieving of her being old enough to marry?”
