Fit for the Job (36 page)

“Bodie, what are you doing?”

“I’m packing,” he said, continuing to toss things into his bag.

“That stays here,” Eben said.

Bodie looked up. “What?”

Eben pointed to his bag. “That knickknack. It came with the house.”

Bodie looked down, and realized he’d grabbed the old fashioned ceramic clown that had sat on his bedside table, and tossed it into his bag. “Oh.” He took it out and set it back down next to the lamp.

“I’ve just been talking with Sassy,” Eben said.

“Oh?”

“She told me about Jay.”

“What about him?”

“That you’re in love.”

Bodie stopped his frantic packing and looked at Eben. “You need to teach her how to respect people’s privacy.”

“I had no idea, Bodie. I knew you’d grown close but... Is it true? Are you in love?”

Bodie sat down on the end of the bed, wringing his hands. “Doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters,” Eben said. “Does Jay love you?”

Bodie nodded.

“Come have a drink.”

“I don’t want a drink. I appreciate it Eben, and I love you. But I don’t want to have a heart to heart right now. I’ll handle my own shit.”

“Bodie, come on. I care about you. I want to make sure you’re all right. You fell in love, for Christ sakes. That matters.”

Bodie’s seams came unraveled then, and the stood, facing Eben. “Of course it matters!” he said. “I said it doesn’t matter as code for I don’t want to talk about it. And of course I’m not all right! I’m packing...clowns, for God’s sake!”

Eben turned over one of the short glasses on the table and filled it with whiskey. He looked up at Bodie. “Sit. That’s an order, as your employer.”

Bodie sighed and moved over, taking the other chair.

“Drink.”

Bodie took a sip of whiskey, wincing. “You like this shit?”

“Yes,” Eben said. “Too much. That’s why I’m giving it up.”

Bodie took another small sip, and a sliver of calm fell over him as the liquor hit his blood. “I really shouldn’t drink on the job.”

“You’re not on the job,” Eben said. “Telling you to sit was my last statement as your employer today. For the rest of the day, you’re just my little cousin. And I want to talk. As family.”

“All right. But I don’t have much to say, so you talk if you want to.”

“You were always a
strange
kid,” Eben said.

“Thanks.” Bodie laughed. “That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

“Remember when you used to come stay with us in the summer time?”

“Of course. Best times of my childhood.”

“I used to watch you back then. You always had a good time. You were athletic, got involved in the games and what have you. But there was something in your eyes back then that made me sad. You were sweet and polite and socialized well enough, but there was something about you that always stayed on the sidelines. Like you didn’t belong. Like the fun and the family wasn’t yours.”

“Well, it wasn’t. It was your family. I was just borrowing it.”

“That’s not true,” Eben said. “You did belong. Your parents aren’t your only family, Bodie. I know they were shitty to you. I know they still are. But you do have a family that loves you. You’re part of us. And I care about your happiness. More than you know.”

Bodie glanced up at him. “Well, I appreciate that. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

“I’m glad. And now you can do something for me.” Eben pushed the glass of whiskey toward Bodie.

“What can I do?”

Eben smiled. “You can sit here, and drink that glass of whiskey. And while you do, we’re going to talk. I want you to tell me everything about Jay Capello. I want to know all about this man who saved my daughter.”

Bodie chuckled. “That could take a while.”

“We have time,” Eben said. “And liquor.”

“I don’t know where to start, Eben,” Bodie said. He laughed, looking down. “You want family honesty? Well, here it is. My fucking mind is tied in knots. I don’t know what to do.”

“Then we’ll sit here until we figure it out. Okay?” Eben reached over and grabbed Bodie’s hand. “However long it takes, Bodie.”

Bodie took a sip of whiskey then set the glass down. He nodded. “Okay.”

Chapter Eighteen

Jay had been lurking around the guest house for hours, waiting for Eben to come talk to him. What had felt like a cozy home away from home now seemed like an awkward and uncomfortable place. He felt like an intruder here now, and longed to simply pack his shit and leave.

It was starting to get dark when he finally heard a knock on the door.

“Hey,” he said as he let Eben in.

“Hey,” Eben said, smiling.

Jay looked Eben over as they moved to the living room and sat down. Eben looked happier and more relaxed than Jay had seen him thus far. The jeans and collared button down shirt fit him so perfectly it was like the clothes had grown out of his flesh simply to accentuate his superior form. Eben’s blue eyes twinkled like sapphire stars.

Jay had a moment of wondering how often Eben got laid, now that he knew his true orientation and the invalidity of his marriage. He suspected it was a lot. A whole lot.

Eben rested his arms on his knees, clasping his hands. “So you already know we’re leaving.”

Jay blinked, surprised. “Ah, yeah.”

“I talked to Bodie,” Eben said.

Jay nodded. “Oh. Okay.”

“I guess this job wasn’t quite what you expected,” Eben said.

Jay laughed, some of the tension leaking out of him. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“I’m sorry,” Eben said. “I can’t imagine what you think of us all.”

“Actually,” Jay said, “I’ve grown quite fond of everyone I’ve worked with here.”

Eben nodded. “You know everything, am I right? You know about me and Ingrid. Our marriage.”

Jay fidgeted in his seat. “Yes.” He glanced at Eben “I saw the tape.”

Eben leaned back in his chair, letting out a long sigh. “I know you did, Jay. I know you saw it.” He smiled at Jay. “We were in drama school together, Ingrid and I. I knew her, but not that well. She was already so popular. I was in awe of her.” He shook his head, eyes distant. “God, she was so talented, so confident, with that strange, unconventional beauty. I used to think...if only I wanted to fuck her. It would be the perfect match. She’d be my perfect woman.”

“But you didn’t want to fuck her,” Jay said softly, still a bit intimidated by his boss, despite his sudden frankness. “Or any other woman.”

Eben nodded. “That is correct. Funny thing was, when I finally got to know Ingrid, got close to her, I learned that I wouldn’t have had a shot regardless.” Eben belly laughed.

Jay smiled. “She didn’t like men.”

“Oh she
liked
men. Most of her friends are men. She just prefers to have sex with women.”

Jay chuckled looking at the floor. “So how did you go from that to...this? You guys are a
couple
.”

Eben sighed, then gave Jay a small smile. “It was serendipity. When we were both cast in our first film, we were blown away that we’d scored the same opportunity out of the gate. Naturally, through the long hours, we grew close. Neither of us ever expected that this first film, with we amateurs, would be such a huge hit. We never thought it would launch our careers. We assumed we’d have to work years to get even a decent part in a blockbuster film.”

Jay smiled. “
Winter Haven
. I’ve seen it. You two were great.”

“We were
young
, is what we were.” His eyes lifted and he looked at Jay. “Things were different back then, you know. You might not believe it was so different, but it wasn’t like now, with everyone coming out of the closet. We had friends who were gay, and watched their career choices disappear once they revealed themselves.”

Jay nodded. “I can imagine.”

“Our careers were everything to us back then. We’d worked
so
hard. And suddenly, our dreams were being realized. We made a choice. I was single. Ingrid’s girlfriend had broken up with her because she couldn’t handle the demands her career required, the time she had to spend away, working.”

“So you decided to get married,” Jay said.

“Not right away. When we were promoting the film, we had to do a lot of appearances together. The studio suggested we play it up, our close friendship. And if people assumed it was something more? Well, everyone liked the idea of us together. The scripts started to roll in.”

“And you were afraid they might stop rolling in if people found out you were both gay.”

“Yes. I’m not ashamed to say it. Yes, that’s exactly what we were afraid of. After the movie promotion had petered off, we continued to spend time together. To allow ourselves to be seen together. And it boosted our career choices, no doubt about it.”

Jay nodded. “I don’t doubt you.”

Eben wrung his hands, then glanced at Jay. “Ingrid and I had a lot of long talks about our choices, and what we wanted from our lives. Ultimately, we decided it was up to us to determine what we wanted our public face to be. Our private lives would be our own. But our public image? It was all part of the job. We knew it would be difficult, but were certain that with caution and vigilance, we could maintain them both.”

“That requires a lot of trust,” Jay said.

“Ingrid and I aren’t just friends who had a kid,” Eben said. “We have a sublime connection.” Eben looked at the ground. “Well, we did. Once.” He looked up. “But we got married. It was both a business partnership and a friendship. I love Ingrid. And I think she loves me, when we’re not fighting.” He laughed. “At least we have that. We do fight like any other married couple.”

“Why did you decide to have Sassy?” Jay asked.

“Sassy.” Eben smiled. “Despite what you saw in that...tape, I always wanted a child. So did Ingrid. She wanted one badly. And we knew that the safest, and most logical way to do so, would be to have one together. Sassy is the best thing that ever happened to either of us.”

“And you never told her,” Jay said. “About the two of you.”

Eben’s shoulders slumped. “We thought it would be best. We naively thought love was all that mattered. That Sassy didn’t need to know the truth about us. But the truth has a way of crawling to the surface.”

“How is she dealing with it now?”

“She’s coming around,” Eben said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do on our relationship, but I think she’s going to be all right. Much of that is thanks to you.”

“I don’t know about that,” Jay said.

“I do,” Eben said. “Not only did you pull her out of her depression, you found her last night. I don’t know...” He took a deep breath. “I don’t know what Libby planned to do with her after it was over.” He looked at Jay. “I owe you, Jay. Big time.”

Jay nodded. He felt silly accepting accolades. He’d been quick to the draw, sure, but he wasn’t some superhero. He’d had a moment of clarity, figuring out where Sassy was. He could have just as easily choked, and thought of nothing.

“I’m just glad it worked out the way it did, Eben. But you don’t owe me. I care about Sassy. I wanted to see her home safe.”

“Say what you will,” Eben said. “But I do owe you. Which is why I have a proposal for you.”

“I think I know what you’re going to say,” Jay said. “But there’s no need to pay me for more than the time I worked.”

Eben chuckled. “That’s not what I was going to say. Bodie tells me you’d like to open your own gym.”

Jay was stunned. “Bodie...Bodie talked to you about me?”

“Oh yes,” Eben said. “For the past four hours.”

“Oh.” Jay frowned. “I ah, well yes. I would like to open my own gym one day.”

“How would you like to do so sooner rather than later? With my help.”

Jay shook his head. “I don’t understand. I can’t accept money from you that I haven’t earned.”

“It won’t be money you haven’t earned. I want to invest, and supply the start up cash. Be a silent partner. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use my name. I’d like to have my name attached to it, if you think that would be beneficial.”

“If I...” Jay’s mouth fell open.
If I think it would be beneficial?
Well, fuck yeah it would be beneficial. Start up cash aside, having Eben Wright’s name attached to a gym would almost surely guarantee success. “You would do that?” Jay asked.

Eben nodded.

“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful Eben, but why? I mean, this is...huge.”

Eben shrugged, his handsome grin in place, looking pleased with himself. “I think it would be a good investment. I’ve thought about opening a gym myself, lots of times. And if this one does well, who knows? Maybe we could open others. I’m backing off from films for the time being. Maybe forever, I don’t know. So I’m going to have extra time to pursue other things. And I trust you. I respect you. I believe you can make this work, for both of us.”

Stunned, Jay wiped his brow, his heart beating hard. “I don’t know what to say, Eben. Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. And you should say yes.”

Leaning back in his chair, Jay let out a breath. “I’m shocked.”

“There is one thing,” Eben said.

Jay burst out laughing. “Oh no. I recall you saying those same words when you hired me.”

“No deception this time, I promise. I’ll be back in California, taking care of Sassy. But I’d like to have my own representative out here to work with you. I was wondering if you’d consider Bodie.”

Blinking, Jay stared at Eben. “Bodie.”

“Yeah.” Eben nodded. “You don’t like the idea?”

Jay ran his fingers through his hair. “Bodie. Oh. Boy.” He eyed Eben. “Whose idea was that?”

“Mine,” Eben said.

He cocked an eyebrow. “You know, don’t you? About me and Bodie.”

Eben shrugged. “I know he’s miserable right now. Because of leaving you.”

“But...” Jay shook his head. “This offer, is it because...are you doing this so that...ah, shit.”

“So that you and Bodie can be together?”

Jay nodded.

“If that’s part of my reason, is that a problem for you?”

Jay stood and turned in a circle, rubbing his brow. He glanced at Eben, then let out a nervous laugh. “Well, it sounds great of course,” he said. “I’m crazy about Bodie. But if he wants to be with me, that should be
his
choice. Something he decided on his own, not a convenience because you want to fund this gym.” Jay held a hand up. “Not that I’m not grateful, I mean this is over the top generous, Eben.”