Brandon jumped, knocked out of his reverie by Gage’s arrival. “Oh, shit, yeah. Hi.” Brandon fumbled his words.
“Did I scare you? Sorry about that.” He pointed at the clinic. “That’s where we’re going. Why don’t we head inside? I can introduce you to Dr. Weber and get you settled.”
Brandon shrugged. “Sure. Is anyone else coming from school?” It still disturbed him a bit that Gage had asked him. As if the man had somehow figured out Brandon had a secret and peeled back the layers he hid behind, exposing his core.
“Nope, only you.” Gage patted him on the back. “You’re my first victim.” He laughed, and though Brandon joined him, that uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.
They entered the low-rise brick building, and Brandon was immediately struck by the vibrant, almost electric energy inside as Gage greeted the young woman at the front desk. This was a place of action, where things were accomplished, goals were achieved. Brandon came to a standstill, looking at the pictures on the wall behind the front desk of all the doctors who worked there, he presumed.
“That’s Dr. Drew Klein.” Gage pointed to a picture of a dark-haired man in his midthirties with a nice smile and light green eyes. “This clinic was his dream, and he started it and brought his two friends in on it. Dr. Peterson is an orthopedist”—Gage indicated the picture next to Dr. Klein’s of a handsome blond-haired man—“and Dr. Levin is the dentist. The three of them run the medical center.”
Once again, regret pricked Brandon’s heart.If only…But past regrets wouldn’t help present problems. “They sound like amazing people. Not many doctors would willingly come to a poor area and work with people who most want to forget.” He followed Gage down a hallway to the back of the building. They passed examination rooms and offices. Finally they stopped in front of one of the closed doors, markedConference Room.
“And Dr. Weber, the psychiatrist who is starting this program, is also a great guy.” Gage knocked on the door, then opened it without waiting for an answer. “I have a feeling the two of you will hit it off.”
Brandon glanced around the empty room. “Guess we’re a little early.” Chairs were set around in a haphazard manner, and the desk in the front was bare of any material.
When Gage checked his watch, he shrugged. “Yeah, only by about ten minutes. Why don’t I go tell them we’re here?”
Before Brandon had a chance to answer him, Gage left. After wandering around the room, Brandon stood at the window, looking out over the dark city sky. It was times like these he wondered if he could risk it all, go back home, and deal with the consequences. He understood a little better now, with the wisdom coming from a life hard-lived, why his foster mother became so overprotective of him. Years of being beaten down and weakened by living with a bully and abuser like Munson would make anyone want to believe in a religion that promised salvation. While he didn’t understand the religious aspect, he supposed it gave her something to hold on to when her life crashed and burned around her.
The door opened. “Oh, hello. I didn’t realize anyone was here yet.”
Brandon turned from his contemplation and faced the man at the door. His eyes widened, recognizing the man he’d seen crossing the street. Once again his body registered an unusual heated response.
“Yes. I’m here for the mentoring program. I came with Gage Taylor.” The man was even better-looking close up. His eyes were hazel with streaks of gold, and his face had a masculine, rugged quality. Not classically handsome, but arresting and, in Brandon’s eyes, so much more memorable.
“Oh great.” The man entered the room, leaving the door ajar behind him. “We were hoping Gage was able to pick up a few volunteers to come tonight.” He extended his hand. “I’m Tash. I run the program.”
At the press of Tash’s hand, a shiver rippled through Brandon. Deciding he was reading more into the touch than he thought, Brandon withdrew his hand a little quicker than he normally would and sat in one of the chairs, drawing a quizzical look from Tash.
“Tash. That’s an unusual name.” To his shock, Brandon realized he’d gotten hard. Mortified and hoping his cheeks weren’t red, he shifted in his seat, trying to get comfortable. This had never happened before. Ever. He took several deep breaths and concentrated on the man speaking.
Tash rubbed his chin ruefully. “Would you believe my mother is an avid reader of Regency romances and Sebastian was her favorite name? My sister couldn’t pronounce it when she was a baby, and it was shortened to Tash.” He chuckled. “I suppose I should be grateful she didn’t also add the title she loved the most, or you’d be calling me Duke.”
They were still laughing when Gage walked in, followed by a group of people, some of whom Brandon recognized from the pictures hanging on the wall.
“Oh good, Randy, you met Tash.” Gage dropped into the chair next to Brandon. “Randy is the teacher I told you guys about. Even though he joined our staff as a permanent teacher only this year, he’s already made a tremendous difference in the lives of the kids he teaches.”
Brandon’s face colored, and he squirmed under the scrutiny as the attention of everyone in the room shifted to him. “It’s no big deal,” he muttered. “The kids are awesome and eager to learn.”
“My man here is too modest.” Gage stretched out his long legs. “Within weeks of the start of the school year, all the kids could talk about was Mr. Gilbert and how much they love him. All the kids want to be in his classroom. He’s taken it upon himself to stay late, well after school is over, to work with any of the kids who are struggling, not only the ones in his class.”
“Come on, Gage, cut it out. That’s not why we’re here,” Brandon protested, unzipping his jacket. He hung it on the back of his chair. “Don’t hold up the meeting. No one wants to hear you talk about me.”
“But you’re wrong, Randy,” Tash cut in. “You’re exactly the type of person we need for this program. Someone young, who the kids can identify with, someone who doesn’t look down on them. Someone with empathy for their pain.”
Their gazes held, and Brandon’s breath grew short in his throat. Like a movie where the sound is muted, the rest of the room disappeared; it was as if only he and Tash were present in that small conference room, with Tash whispering the words straight to Brandon’s heart.
Instead of the familiar trepidation at facing new people, Tash’s presence centered Brandon, untangling all the knots the big ball of his hopes and dreams had twisted themselves up into. For the first time in what seemed like forever, Brandon felt safe.
“You make me sound special. I’m not.” It was the truth. All he gave those kids was his time and concern. They craved attention and the knowledge that another person gave a damn about them. Brandon was anything but special. If they knew who he really was, they’d avoid him.
“Everyone is special.” The man he recognized as the founder of the clinic, Dr. Drew Klein, spoke. “That’s what we need these kids to understand. Because they’re different, either in their looks or their sexual orientation, that doesn’t make them weird or bad. Loving someone differently from the norm doesn’t make you wrong.” The doctor smiled at him with a clear, friendly expression.
Brandon wondered if the doctor was gay. In the chair next to his, Tash’s presence brushed up against him, warming him as if he’d been caressed. Brandon’s skin prickled with awareness.
“There’s a chance Randy can help you since he’s already taken it on himself to tutor the kids.” The door opened, and a young man walked in carrying a box of coffee and a bag that smelled like sugar. Gage’s eyes lit up. “I didn’t know you were having coffee and snacks.”
