"Not at all," he assured me. Then he glanced back at the top of the stairs. "So, where is he?"
"Out in the back field turning hay," I said, waving him down. "Probably won't be back until around sundown. Luke's out with his daughter at some dress fitting for her mom's wedding. Right now, it's just us." I cocked my head the same way he'd been looking. "Going to move your things in while I put this away?"
"Which room is he in?" Ash asked.
"Cy's across the hall from me. "You can have the same room as last time, and if you're going to stay awhile, then we can redecorate."
"I'm hoping to move in full time," he told me. "Not going to promise it yet, but Leslie's got this."
"Where did you find her?" I asked.
"She was actually a temp they assigned while I was here. Came back and the office was working decently, and I just kinda had an idea. I mean, if Gran could take pieces of shit like us - not you - and turn us into something worthwhile, then I was already ahead of the game with a kid who wants to work in fashion, right?"
"Give her a little authority, some praise, and set her up to succeed." I nodded, having heard that many times from Gran. "Right now, we're still running on hotspots for internet, though."
"I'm fine with it," he promised. "And I figure that if I'm here, then it makes sense for Risqué to invest in a dedicated internet line, right? Can't promise they won't take out part of the fence and tear up the drive to make it happen, but I figured I could start making calls next week."
"And that is why I love you." Then I turned him back to the front door. "Go grab your luggage. I'm putting this away and washing my damned hands."
"Priss," he teased, but he did head that way.
By the time I was done, Ashton had everything out of the car and upstairs in his room. I could hear him tossing things around up there, but it was kinda nice. The house felt too quiet most days, and without a stable internet connection, I couldn't even stream music. That was another thing to put on my list. Yes, Gran had a collection of old records and an antiquated surround sound system, but we had very different taste in music.
After checking to make sure that Cy was still working, I made my way upstairs and tapped lightly on Ash's door before stepping in. He was in the process of hanging his shirts in the closet, so he tossed a smile back at me, then gestured for me to hand him the next batch.
"I've got work clothes, nice clothes, and sweep you off your feet clothes," he explained. "Three suitcases full, and if this lasts for more than two weeks, I'll ship down more from my apartment."
"So, you're keeping that too?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said. "First, because it's not going to sell fast. Second, it's an investment, and if I'm claiming residency here, a tax write-off. And third, because finding an apartment in New York is hell. If nothing else, it makes a good vacation spot." Settling the shirt he was holding on a hanger, he turned to face me. "How's Luke?"
"Good, actually." Although I knew he wasn't asking about his health. "Cy did a session with his daughter, and everyone's happy with how it went. Faith thinks that Cy's pretty amazing, so that's going to become a regular thing. And I'm pretty sure those two are friends."
"Nice," Ash said, acting like he actually meant it.
"And Cy has a crush on Luke," I added, mumbling a bit.
Ash just pulled in a long, slow breath. "Ok. At least that gives me a place to start. How do you think Luke's going to handle all the 'faggots?’ Because you know he's going to figure it out, and sounds like that's another thing that's not done around here."
"Actually..." I scrunched up my face, convinced this was going to be the last straw for him. "Cy kinda told him. Sort of."
"Gimme more," Ash begged.
"From what I understand, Simmons showed up, I kissed Cy, and Luke saw. Cy went to talk to him, Luke said it made sense. Straight or gay, even the rumor could cause problems around here, and kissing a woman is proof, right? But in their talk, Cy said something about other options? I'm not exactly sure how that went down, and Luke went home and Googled. The next day, when they started this stuff with the hay, he asked. Guessed? I'm not sure, but Cy didn't deny it, and Luke doesn't seem to care."
"Fuck," Ash breathed. "I didn't see that coming. So he knows about us?"
I shook my head. "Cy and I aren't about to out you. You're about ninety percent straight, and things between you and Cy are over, so why bother?"
"Because your little boy-toy is here a lot, and that history will come up." He grabbed another shirt and began working it onto a hanger. "Vi, I'm not ashamed of who I am. You know better. I'm more than willing to flaunt it. The only reason I didn't was because I thought your life-long crush would run screaming for the hills."
"Still not my call," I pointed out.
"Fair point," he agreed. "So, from now on, you're allowed to admit it. Blanket pass. Don't try to tie yourself in knots to protect me like that." Hanging that shirt, he gave up and crossed the room, both of his hands finding my waist. "You still eating?"
"Luke cooks tofu, and he's been giving recipes to Cy. Sounds like Faith is almost as picky as me."
"Is that what we're calling it?" he teased.
