WhileIunderstood where he was coming from, it wasn’t only my pride that had me seriously considering picking up nomination papers after the first of the year.Yes, that had initially been the driving force becauseI’dnever been the type to make empty threats, andItruly believed someone needed to getThompsonout of office before he did more damage, but my motivations were shifting.
Seeingthe families we’d reached during the holiday party had been the first eye-opener.Somewherealong the way, we’d become a sleeper city, the sort of place people came home to at night but not where they truly lived or spent their time and money.Becauseof that, it was easy to ignore the problems right in front of us.Whileit made sense that city government focused on things like economic development, adequate clean water, and public health and safety, that didn’t mean there wasn’t room for them to combine efforts with other groups in town who did have the time and resources to focus on life inHarmonyGrove.Andthat was whatIhoped to do.
Still, he brought up valid points.Ihadn’t considered whatI’dhave to give up in order to run for office.Irested my elbows on my knees and tried to imagine walking away from the clienteleI’dbuilt.Amonth ago,Iwould have insisted there’d be a way to keep up my client work in the evenings and on the weekends, but that was no longer whatIwanted.Eveningsused to be a time for more billable hours, but now thatI’dhad a taste of what downtime could look like, that was whatIwanted most.Makingdinner withKevin, maybe takingBartfor walks when it wasn’t cold as hell, and just relaxing were the things that made the days a bit easier, my stress level lower.
“Iwouldn’t be able to just close shop, but maybe it’s time to think about bringing in someone to help me regardless.”Thatsounded like a good first step.Iwatched my dad, hoping for any hint of reaction.Butthat wasn’t his style.Hewas far more the type to say his piece and let us work things out for ourselves. “I’vebeen restless for a while now, ready for a change but unable to admit it becauseIdidn’t want to upset anyone who’s counting on me.”
“Atsome point, you need to remember that you’re counting on you too.It’sadmirable to have a strong work ethic, and that’s something that will help you in whatever comes next, but can you honestly tell me you’re happy working on real estate contracts day in and day out?”
Theurge was there to immediately swearIwas.Thiswas the pathI’dchosen because it was a better fit ifIwanted to stay in a small town.Itwas a specialty that didn’t require me to place my moral compass to the side ifIknew a defendant was clearly guilty of a crime.Iwas helping people achieve their dreams and protecting land that had been in families for generations.Butsomewhere along the way, that had stopped being enough to fulfill me.
Ishook my head. “Idon’t thinkIcan.Ilook at whatBilly’sbeen able to do atHarmonyHouse, and ifIkeep using my degree,I’dlove to start doing something more meaningful.I’mliving a life, butI’mnot doing anything that’ll leave a mark afterI’mgone from this world.”
“That’snot necessarily a bad thing, son.”Dadwas shifting into devil’s advocate mode.Hesipped his own drink, assessing me. “Butif that’s something you want,Ithink running for office would be a good way to do that.Youhave the support of your family and friends, andIthinkIspeak for all of us whenIsay we’ll do everything we can to help you win.Andthen, we’ll keep you in line if you start letting the power go to your head or forget this conversation.”
Therewas no doubt in my mind he would, but a swift kick in the ass wouldn’t be necessary.He’dmanaged to clear up the lingering doubts plaguing me, andIknew now what had to be done.Satisfiedthat he’d said what needed to be said,Dadpushed out of his recliner and went downstairs to join the rest of the family.
* * *
Thefollowingweek was no man’s week for most people, but it was a busy time of year for me.Peoplewho’d been hemming and hawing about finalizing deals suddenly wanted things wrapped up before the end of business on the thirty-first.Thehours were long and the work tedious, reaffirming my decision to put out some feelers for someone who might want to join me.Ideally, someone younger so they could be molded to the wayIwanted things done, but that would be difficult given the fact this wasn’t the most lucrative area of law.ButIwasn’t in a huge rush.
Bythe timeIpulled into the driveway onThursdayevening,Iwas ready to flop into my bed and sleep through the final hours of the year.Unfortunately,Kevinhad been invited to a party with some of his friends fromPinevilleand wanted me to go with him.Itwasn’t thatIdidn’t want to meet his friends.Ididn’t want to deal with people, andIdidn’t want to be driving home in the middle of the night when the drunks were on the road.
Ididn’t even bother going into my own house.IfIdid,I’dsuccumb to the siren’s call of my bed, and that wasn’t howIwanted to start the new year withKevin.Instead,Itrudged through the snow between our yards.Bartstarted jumping on the couch, barking at me from the other side of the window as soon asIcame into view.Bythe timeIreached the door, he was there to greet me. “Hey, boy, have you been good today?”
“Aperfect angel,”Kevincalled out from the kitchen.Theparty we were going to didn’t start until later, so we’d decided to have dinner at home before leaving. “Ijust put the potatoes in the oven, so there’s about thirty minutes if you want to grab a quick shower.”
Assoon as he rounded the corner, his eyebrows drew together.Hecrossed the room, gripping my forearm to lead me into the living room. “Onsecond thought, you’re going to sit your ass down and rest.”
“Aren’tyou the bossy one today,”Iteased.Itwould have come across better if not for my huge yawn or the wayIleaned against him for support.
“WhenIwalk out to give you a quick kiss and you look like you haven’t slept in days, yes,Iwill be bossy.”Hegrabbed a crocheted blanket asIsettled onto the couch. “Andif you still look like hell when dinner’s ready, we’ll stay home tonight.”
“No, we won’t,”Iargued.Funny, sinceI’dbeen trying to feign excitement about the party asIpulled into the driveway. “I’moff the rest of the week.Ican catch up on my rest then.Youwere excited about this party, so we’re going to go.”Kevin’sshoulders tensed and he chewed his bottom lip.Thiswasn’t the first time he’d acted this way since bringing up meeting up with his friends. “Unlessyou’re not up for going out or think it’s too soon for us to meet.”
“It’snothing like that,” he assured me.Butit was definitely something.Ipatted the cushion in front of me.Hesighed heavily as he sat. “There’ssomethingIfeel likeIshould have told you before you agreed to go becauseIdon’t want you blindsided.”
Thatdidn’t sound ominous or anything.Itook his hand, rolling onto my side to give him more room to get comfortable. “Whateverit is,Iwon’t be upset with you.Ifyou had truly believedIwouldn’t want to go ifIknew,I’msure you would have said something sooner.Sowhat’s going on?”
“Myfriends aren’t like yours,” he hedged.Ididn’t expect they would be since most of them were significantly younger. “Theparty itself won’t be an issue, but it’s the location of the party that could be.”
Fora man who sworeIneeded to relax and possibly nap, he was doing nothing to help me turn off my mind.Instead, it whirred at high speed and it was unlikelyI’dwind down any time soon. “Whydon’t you just spit it out and let me be the judge of whether it’s going to be an issue for me.”
“Itold youRowan’sfamily owns a party barn.Alot of weekends, it’s a unique space they rent out for wedding receptions, reunions, and things like that.Butsometimes, they host a different sort of party,” he explained.Sensingthe tension in the room,Bartcame up and nudgedKevin’sknee.Itshouldn’t irritate me that he started to relax as he combed his fingers through my dog’s hair, but it did.Iwanted to be the one who had that effect on him. “Ididn’t think anything of it whenIinvited you, but now that you’ve decided you’re serious about running for mayor, it could be a problem.”
Isat up, giving up on getting the nap he’d insisted on.Droppingone foot to the floor,Ipulled him into the space between my legs.Ilooped an arm around his chest, pulling his upper body against mine.Hisheart raced against my palm.Ipitched my voice lower, the wayI’drealized made him give in. “Tellme,Kevin.”
“They’rekinky,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Okay, and…?”Whilewe were what my brotherDannywould refer to as vanilla, other than a little slap and tickle orKevinwanting me to be the one in control,Ididn’t have an issue with people who liked to get a bit freaky.AndKevinought to know that since we’d teased one another on occasion about breaking out of the safe, somewhat plain routine we’d fallen into in the bedroom.Hearingthat his friends were into kink made me wonder if there was more to it from his side than banter and throwing a little bit of fun into the mix.
“Theydon’t publicize things, obviously, but they host kink nights at the barn a few nights a month.Thereused to be a club inPineville, but they closed down, soRowanbuilt a space on part of his parcel of the family land.Hisfamily is…unique, and they all help out.”
“I’mstill failing to see why this would be a problem.”
“Ican’t guarantee there won’t be people there from town.”Okay, now it made a bit of sense, but surely, if they were in attendance, they wouldn’t be the type of people we needed to worry about.WhileIappreciated his concern, it was unfounded.ThelittleIknew about the kink community came from my brother and his husband, and they swore it was a close-knit group and that no one talked about anything they saw outside of the club.
Ohcrap.
