Pets, Paranormal Box Set

All a Steer Can Do Is Try-5

That evening, a group of ten very happy and chatty gay men checked in at the front desk, along with an older gay couple who were the parents of Ian’s husband-to-be, whose name was Corey and in his late twenties. Corey, a tall, handsome African-American man, was totally besotted with Ian, and it was lovely to see. They were a lively, colorful group and it made me smile to see them “ooh” and “aah” over everything.

Right before I helped Jet with dinner, I went over to say “hello” to my cousin, since he’d been busy earlier, checking that the preparations were just right.

“Ian, thanks for inviting me to be a part of this,” I said after he gave me an unexpected hug.

His hair was a darker red than mine, with a little silver at the sides. He sported a neatly trimmed beard and moustache. “I’m so happy you’re here. I know it sounds silly, but I wanted someone from the family to be a part of the ceremony, though they’ve never cared a thing about me and my preferences.”

“It doesn’t sound silly, Ian. I understand. I’m happy to be here for you, and congratulations on your impending nuptials.”

I kissed his cheek and left him to mingle while I assisted Jet with sharing out the meal for everyone. The senior citizens who were more-or-less permanent fixtures at the resort were excited to be guests at the wedding on Saturday, and the conversation that night over dinner was lively.

At the end of it all, after the dining room and kitchen was set to rights, I left Jet working with his mother on some last-minute details, and wandered outside. Bambi was enjoying all the attention she could get from the new guests, and I thought I’d overheard someone saying she might even get to walk down the scarlet carpet with roses around her head. I’d definitely have to take pictures of that.

The moon was out, reflecting on the still lake. I took my time, strolling, lost in thought as I listened to the owls hooting in the forest nearby. What was I going to do on Sunday? As I pondered my decision, the phone in my pocket buzzed. I hadn’t used my cell for any reason at all since I’d been here, so it made me jump.

I answered the call without thinking. “Hello?”

“Where the f**k are you?” Lambert Morton yelled over the phone.

Oh, he had some bloody nerve. “Why?”

“You need to come in and handle the Shady…whatever case. I went by your place and you weren’t there.”

“I told you, Bertie, that I would be going out of town, on vacation. I see your selective hearing still works well.”

“I told you not to call me that! You need to get here ASAP and fix things. Negotiations are deteriorating, and I might have…made an error on some of the numbers I’d thought you’d done wrong, which is making us look bad.” How is this my fault?

I snorted. “‘Us’? Since when has there been an ‘us’ when it came to this company?”

I heard him huff in frustration. “Why are you being difficult? It’s always been you and me. I can’t do this without you.” His tone turned wheedling, and I felt sick to my stomach. God, he could turn it off and on like a faucet. What a jerk!

“You were pretty adamant a few days ago, so why is this my problem all of a sudden? I know you can’t be calling me for help, because I remember you shouting at me that you’re in charge, you can handle things, you made the company great and not me, and other such gems of wisdom. So there’s no reason why I should help you while I’m on f*****g vacation, is there?” I felt my head pounding. s**t.

“These people refuse to talk to me anymore. They claim they want you to handle things, or the deal is off. I…this deal can’t fall through, Cliff.” He’d only ever called me that in the privacy of our dorm room. “It would damage the company image, and employees could be affected.”

He knew that would get to me. “You’re a bastard.”

“True, but you would never let anything jeopardize the peons that work for us, so I figured if nothing else, that would get through to you.” He sounded so self-satisfied and smug over the phone, I wanted to smack him long distance.

I heard footsteps approaching, and I turned my head to see Jet nearby, concern etched in his face. I held up a finger to him. “Lambert, I will do this, only because the company shouldn’t suffer because you’re an asshole. But after this, I’m done. My resignation is effective immediately. Send me the numbers by email and I’ll fix them. Set up a call for tomorrow morning at eight. I’ll use Skype and handle things from where I am. After that, you can take this job and shove it up your putrid ass.”

“But I need—”

I hung up before he finished. Rubbing my temples, I wished my headache would go away but knew it wouldn’t, not until I did this one last thing.

Jet hugged me and kissed my cheek. “Come on, sweetie. Let me get you some hot coffee and a few Tylenol before you get to work.”

I leaned on him heavily as we made our slow way back to the resort.

* * * *

I might have been slightly shell-shocked after that phone call. I’d actually told Lambert Morton the Great that he could take his job and shove it, in a manner of speaking. What a manipulative lowlife. Any lingering feelings were washed away by the utter slime-ball behavior Bertie had just displayed.

Jet got me some java and painkillers, then set me up in the office behind the front desk so I could have a place to work on my laptop. It’s a good thing I’d had it with me. It had been a last-minute decision. Maybe I’d known, subliminally, that something like this would happen.

It took me the rest of the night, most of it with Bambi chasing rabbits in her dreams at my feet, to fix the mess Bertie had created. At six on Saturday morning, I stood and stretched the kinks out of my spine.

“You haven’t been to sleep at all, have you?” I heard a voice say, and I turned to see Jet frowning in the doorway.

“It’ll be fine. I’ve done this before, but at least it’ll be the last time. That’s what keeps me going.” My nose twitched, and I belatedly realized he had a plate of waffles and another cup of coffee on a tray in his hands. I vowed to give up caffeine after this. “You’re an angel.”

He gave me a pained smile. “I wish I could do more. No wonder you have headaches all the time. Here,” he said, placing the tray in my hands so he could clear a spot for me to eat. “Okay, sit there and have your food, and then you’re going to lie down for a while until it’s time for your conference call.”

“But…”

He firmly shook his head. “I’ll wake you up in time, never fear.” He ran a hand over my already disheveled hair. “I’ll take care of you, Cliff. I’m not an asshole like your soon-to-be former boss. You have my word.” And I believed him.

“Okay. Thank you, Jet. What you’re doing…it means a lot to me.”

“You’re welcome, hon. Eat, and then rest.”

* * * *

Though I was still exhausted when Jet woke me with fifteen minutes to spare, I put on my game face, as well as the suit I’d be wearing at the wedding, and got on Skype.

It took four hours of browbeating and accusations before we ironed everything out and the merger became a done deal. While I worked in a corner of the office, Jet and his mom came in and out, glancing at me from time to time with concerned looks. Bambi wandered in and out, too. It was nice to have someone worried about me. I hadn’t had that, ever, aside from Bambi.

I finally ended the call, then typed my resignation letter and emailed it with my electronic signature to Lambert and HR. That life was over now, and I could feel the weight on my shoulders lifting, second by second.

Thankfully, the wedding would be held in the late afternoon, and all I had to do was sit in the family row and smile. In the meantime, I needed some sleep. When I left the office, laptop in hand, Jet was immediately at my side to help me up to my room.

“Where’s Bambi?” I asked, my speech slightly slurred now that the adrenaline had passed.

“She’s fine, sweetie. Corey just finished putting a rose crown on her, and the guests are taking pictures with her. Let’s worry about you, now, shall we?”

I think I nodded, but I don’t really remember because suddenly, I was face down in my bed, my clothing magically removed as my eyes fell closed and I was lost to the world around me.