Suddenly, with an almost fierce desperation, he needed Zach and wished he could go home to see him and put his arms around him. Sam wanted to sink into Zach’s familiar warmth and feel the heat of his breath on his skin, drink in those sweet kisses that always tasted of chocolate and cinnamon. More than anything, Sam craved the comfort only someone you loved could give when you were scared shitless and didn’t know what to do. Zach would tell Sam it would be okay and make the shaking stop.
BUt Sam knew as he exited the train at his stop and joined the throngs of people heading up the stairs onto Wall Street, he couldn’t do that to Zach; he’d be shattered with worry. So Sam would do the next best thing and protect Zach from himself. Both of them didn’t need to worry about his health.
Wasn’t that what you were supposed to do for the ones you loved?
Chapter Three
‡
The caterer, Gideon,was so patient with him; at first Zach had a hard time making up his mind between a buffet and a sit-down meal. In no uncertain terms, Sam informed him he wasn’t about to wait in line like a herd of cattle to eat his food, but Zach still demurred. In somewhat gentler terms, Gideon suggested that in his professional opinion, because the wedding was to be held in a private house, a sit-down dinner with a variety of hors d’oeuvres would be best, and he outlined a sample dinner menu for him.
Rico Estevez, Gideon’s assistant, joined them with a plate of hors d’oeuvres and offered them to Zach. The aroma tantalized; there were mini meatballs, samosas, egg rolls, and the little hot dogs in a blanket Sam requested, the perennial favorite of any party.
Zach popped a hot dog in his mouth and watched Sam take two. They were delicious, but he didn’t want to fill up on what was essentially junk food, so he refused Gideon’s urging to take another, glaring at Sam when he took the offered snack on a toothpick. Sam winked at him as he chewed, and Zach could only shake his head and smile.
Lately he’d begun to worry about Sam. Over the past few months, there’d been several nights Zach had awoken to find himself alone, the rumpled sheets next to him cool to the touch, only to find Sam sitting silently in the darkened living room, staring at nothing. When Zach approached him about it, Sam downplayed his sleeplessness and began kissing him with feverish desperation, leading to such intense lovemaking, it drove out all thoughts of what might have caused Sam to be up in the middle of the night, instead of soundly sleeping in their bed.
“Rico is giving you guys each a plate of our most popular dinner entrée—prime rib.” Gideon took one plate from Rico and handed it to Zach, while Rico gave Sam the other. Before setting it on the table Sam admired it, his face alight with pleasure.
“Now this looks great. I love a good piece of prime rib, and once you have the option for chicken and fish, you have all bases covered. No one could possibly complain.”
Each plate was adorned with a slice of prime rib and a mini cast-iron ramekin of mashed potatoes with homemade onion rings and a mix of roasted vegetables that smelled better than anything Zach had eaten in the past month.
“Wow, Gideon, the food looks amazing.” The prime rib was rare and pink, with a pepper-crusted edge, and the onion rings had a dusting of spicy chili powder. “Doesn’t it, Sam?”
With his mouth full, all Sam could do was nod, his cheeks bulging like a chipmunk’s in the fall, a blissful expression on his face.
“Sam, you’re going to choke,” said Zach, exasperated with him. “You’d think you hadn’t eaten in months.”
Sam swallowed and took a sip of water before speaking. “That’s the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted. And I know Gideon didn’t mind me not standing on formalities and digging right in.” He held up his fork in a salute. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re it.”
While Sam tucked into the rest of his plate, still extolling the virtues of the food, Zach finalized the entire meal with Gideon and Rico. Although both men were several years younger than him, Zach sensed their life experience more than made up for their lack of mature years. They worked in tandem, each seemingly anticipating the other’s needs, no words required.
Rico’s soft, dark hair hung over his brow, and charm radiated from his warm smile. His chiseled features belonged in a magazine rather than a kitchen, but in Zach’s opinion, his beautiful, almond-shaped, caramel-brown eyes were his best feature: they danced with a laughing light. In contrast, a world of worry hid behind Gideon’s intense blue-gray eyes.
Gideon didn’t take any notes nor did he enter their information on the computer at the desk behind him, which Zach could see had different menus set up based on price packages. After they confirmed all the passings and Gideon still hadn’t written anything down, Zach could no longer resist and had to ask.
“Don’t you want to write this all down? Not that I don’t trust you guys to remember everything, but I’d like to take something back for my own records.”
After an awkward silence, Gideon cleared his throat and laced, then relaced his fingers together. “Um, it’s not necessary. I can remember it all.”
“Damn,” said Sam admiringly, “you must have one hell of a photographic memory.”
“I do. And Rico takes care of the business end; I’m just the pretty face. He’ll make sure to have a printout of the contract with everything before you leave today.”
Instead of going along with the joke, Rico scowled at Gideon. “I’ve told you before, man, that’s not funny.” His jaw flexed, and Zach sensed the anger rolling off his tightly muscled frame. “You keep putting yourself down, and it pisses me off.”
Was Rico really mad? The tension between the two friends bubbled right below the surface, yet still Rico seemed oddly protective of Gideon, making Zach wonder if they hadn’t once had a relationship that extended beyond the business aspect. The two men glared at each other, and Zach shot Sam an uneasy look.
The face-off ended, and Gideon’s smile deflated. “Lighten up; you know I’m okay with it now.” He directed the conversation back to Zach and Sam. “I’m severely dyslexic and can barely read or write, so I’ve trained my brain to memorize numbers and data. It’s been a struggle, but I’m finally coming to grips with it. Lucky for me, it’s never affected my ability to cook.”
This honest admission from a man who was basically a stranger ramped up Zach’s admiration for Gideon even more. It was hard enough to start a business and distinguish yourself amid the hundreds of others clawing their way to survive. To do so with a disability was awe-inspiring.
“That’s amazing. You know what?” Zach took several of the business cards Gideon had on the table. “I’m going to make sure to talk to my friend Marcus, who owns the nightclub Sparks. Have you heard of it?”
At the nods from both men, Zach pulled out his phone and took a picture of not only the business card, but the plate of food that sat before him, as yet untouched, as well as the half-filled tray of hors d’oeuvres. As he typed a message, he spoke to Gideon and Rico.
“Marcus is my best friend, and he throws all these benefits, including a big one for the Fire Department coming up in a couple of months that’ll be perfect for you. Those guys love to eat.” With a satisfied smile, Zach pressed send and sat back waiting for Marcus’s response, which he knew would be immediate and positive. “And it has nothing to do with what you just told us, Gideon. Your food is delicious, and if I can help you get the word out, I’m happy to do it.”
