“You know?” It came out as a squeak.
Caroline’s expression was full of love. “Of course, sugar. Do you think a mother doesn’t know these things? Though I admit, you had me fooled for a while, until I figured out you like boysandgirls.”
Benson’s newspaper flapped. “Wait—what?” He frowned. “What was that about Ben liking boys?”
“Go back to your paper, dear,” Caroline said with a wave of her hand. “Everything’s fine. Our son is bisexual, that’s all.” She smiled sweetly in his direction.
“Oh, okay,” he said absently. Then his paper flapped again. “Wait—Ben is bisexual? Why am I the last to know these things?”
“Benny.” Caroline waited until he was focusing on her. “Do you have a problem with Ben being bi? BecauseIsurely don’t.”
Benny’s brow cleared. “Of course I don’t. All I want is for our children to be happy.” He smiled at Ben. “That’s fine, son.” Then he went back to his paper, still murmuring about always being the last to know.
Caroline turned to Ben. “See, honey? That wasn’t so bad, was it?” She beamed at him and then swept a glance around the table. “Now, is there anything else we need to be told? No? Fine, then I for one am going to finish my lunch.” And with that she picked up her knife and fork and calmly proceeded to eat her meal.
Ben just sat there, looking stunned. Then his face creased into a smile and he burst out laughing. His eyes met Tommy’s. “You gotta love my family, right?”
Tommy looked around the dining table, his heartbeat back to normal. For the first time since he’d walked into his parents’ living room, he felt a glimmer of hope.
Maybe all those people on YouTube were right. Maybe itdoesget better after all.
Chapter Eight
“I always hatedthis part of the holidays,” Mike said as he handed his mom the last of the Christmas tree ornaments for her to pack away in their box, ready to go up into the attic. He glanced around the living room. Everything always looked so bare when the trappings of Christmas were taken down. Mom insisted that this was done the last day of the year, ready to start the New Year with a clean slate.
Penelope Scott laughed. “Oh my, yes. I have vivid memories of you when you were five or six years old, asking me why we couldn’t leave the tree up until next Christmas.”
“Oh God, really?” Mike smiled. “I don’t remember that.” He handed her the last gold-colored garland. “There, that’s the last of it.”
His mom pointed to the top of the tree. “Uh-uh, you missed something.” He glanced at the star, and she laughed. “You can get that for me. I can’t reach that high without a ladder.”
He chuckled. Mom was five feet nothing, yet he knew plenty of people who were scared of the tiny lady who’d started out as a millinery buyer for Rich’s Department Store before ending up as a manager there. Mike stretched up and plucked the star from its lofty position. He laid it in its box and then stepped behind her,stooped to wrap his arms around her waist, and brought his chin to rest on her shoulder.
“Love you, lady.”
She reached up to stroke his face. “Love you too, baby.” She turned and stared at him, eyes alight with love, and then she stroked his beard. “Aw, my baby got gray.” Her words were soft.
Mike laughed. “You’d be this gray too, if you only quit covering it up.” He dodged her quick blow to his arm with a chuckle and then regarded her intently. “Maybe you should be thinking about retiring soon.”
Mom snorted. “I could say the same thing about you, dear.” He stared at her, and she shrugged. “I see how hard you work, at the bar, the shoots. You’re always off somewhere or other, always busy….”
Mike sighed. “It is what it is, okay? I’m just trying to keep up most of the time. But it won’t be forever. I’ve planned for the future, just like you taught me.”
“Glad to hear it,” she said simply. “You were always such a sensible young man.”
Mike walked over to her front window and stared out at the quiet street beyond. “The industry is changing, Mom. Maybe I need to make some changes too.”
“Might these changes include a man in your life?”
Mike groaned. “Mom.” It was an old refrain. He walked over to her and led her to the couch, where they sat down. “We both know it would take a very special kind of man to put up with my career.” God knew, he hadn’t found him yet, and it wasn’t for want of trying. But Dirk’s departure had knocked it out of him, and he’d stopped looking.
“I could understand that being the case in the past, sure,” his mom said quietly, “but if you retire, that wouldn’t be a problem, right?” She leaned back against the comfortable cushions. “Something else you may want to think about too. You’ve alwaysgone for the same type of man, son. If you keep fishing in the same pond, you’re gonna keep reeling in the same kind of fish.”
He stiffened. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Mom barked out a laugh. “Oh, come on, Mike. How long have I been working with gay men? We’re talking the seventies, eighties, nineties… I see what goes on, I see the circuit groups, I hear about the white parties.”
Mike stared at her. He couldn’t believe he was hearing this. “Mom?”
