“That’s good practice, hon.”
“Mom!”
“I love you, too, sweetie. But I’m serious. If you love Leon, you need to tell him.”
James snorted. “You know, he said something similar recently. ‘If you care for someone, you should tell them.’”
“Sounds like he’s gearing up to tell you he loves you as well.”
James grimaced and pulled away. “I don’t know about that, but…you’re right. It doesn’t matter if he feels the same way or not. I love him.”
She cupped his cheek again so she could wipe away a tear. “You’re a good man, James. A dutiful son, a loyal friend, and a loving partner, but above all else, you are just such a wonderful person. There’s no way he couldn’t fall for you.”
She swiped away another tear as he huffed out a wet breath. “Pretty sure you have to say that.”
“Nonsense. Such nonsense today,” she said, but they were both smiling now.
A knock at their front door, along with his mom’s gasp of surprise, managed to scare the last of James’ tears away.
“Oh, shoot! I’m so sorry, James. I meant to tell you they were coming over when I asked about Valentine’s Day plans, but I got so distracted,” she said, turning as if to rush to the front door. She was doing light years better than before, but she’d tripped over the rug in the front hall just last week, and he was still trying to scrub that terrifying image out of his head. He was here right now, so he could help.
He placed a no-nonsense hand on her shoulder as he stepped around her to go answer the door himself. He pulled aside the curtain to find Howard and Linda standing on their porch holding takeout boxes.
“I was planning on having everything all ready for Valentine’s Day, but they insisted on coming over to help,” his mom said as she came down the hall, cautiously lifting each foot up over the edge of the rug before shuffling towards the door.
“That’s sweet, Mom. Do you…want me to go out?” James asked as he unlocked the front door and pulled it open. “Leonhad another long day trying out his meds with Aspen. It went much better than yesterday, but he’s tired, so I could go to the Rainbow Bean, or?—”
“No need to leave on our account!” Howard boomed in his loud, jovial voice. He was dressed in his usual uniform: a tweed jacket, golf polo, and neatly pressed slacks. James had no idea what Howard did for work, but he envisioned him driving around in golf carts, closing on high-stakes deals.
“We brought enough to feed an army, James. Please stay and have dinner with us. Lord knows I see enough of these old coots every week,” Linda said, as she pulled her knit beanie off her head. She was a bit more eclectic in her style, ranging from flowy, brightly colored tunics to A-line dresses and heels, depending on the day. Today she was wearing a very chic pantsuit.
“Oh, don’t you two look nice! Maybe we should skip the decorating. I don’t want you to get your pretty clothes all wrinkled,” his mom said, smoothing down the hem of her tie-dye t-shirt and wiping her hands on the velour track pants she liked to wear around the house.
He loved that these three seemingly disparate people had all come together because of a cancer support group and a chance encounter on a dating app.
“I can take care of the decorating,” James said. “You three sip brandy and reminisce about the old days–or whatever it is you like to do when I’m not here.”
Oh god. Was he as bad as Hailey?
Howard guffawed, and Linda hid her laugh behind her pink manicured fingers.
“My dear, you really don’t want to know what we do when you’re not here. Hence why it’s so lovely that you’ll be at Leon’s on Valentine’s Day,” his mom said as she led the four of them into the kitchen.
“No need to scare the boy if he’s already agreed to it, sweetheart,” Linda said, placing the bag of food down and ripping into it with a viciousness that was rather surprising for someone wearing a smiling hedgehog brooch on her lapel.
“If you want to run around and put out the Valentine's Day baubles, be my guest, son. I’m just here for the company,” Howard said, as he slid his knotted bag over to Linda for her to open as well.
“I have to remind him to respect his elders,” his mom said, kissing first Linda and then Howard on the cheek.
“I respect you,” James said, walking over to retrieve the silverware before his mom could ask. “But sure, I’m happy to decorate. Maybe we can put on the drag competition?”
He’d told them over Christmas that he was watching the popular drag TV show with Leon, and Linda had suggested they watch an episode or two to fill their time at Howard’s house. He’d started them on Season 10, which most folks deemed the start of the show's more modern era. Howard had surprised them all by being the most into the show, and now the three of them were watching on their own time. The last he’d heard, they were on Season 15. He and Leon were only on Season 7, which meant it would be a while until they overlapped.
“We just started Season 19,” Howard said, curling his blonde mustache with his fingers.
“Wow, you’ll probably be done in time for the new season to come out next month,” James said, narrowly avoiding running into Linda, who was rushing to the sink to wash her hands. Apparently, one of the boxes of curry had spilled in the bag.
Linda was one of those impressive women who power walked around the park with weights on her ankles. When she took the weights off, she was a speed demon, able to lap him when he’d gone exploring at Howard’s place and easily zipping around James’ compact home. She’d offered to let James borrow someof the weights, and seeing the lithe way she moved around the hectic kitchen had him seriously considering it.
