Chapter 7

7

YORK

" Y ou're here!"

As soon as he opened the door, Fir enveloped me in a warm, long hug. I clung to him, letting the warmth of his embrace and affection chase away the lingering cold the visit to my parents had left inside me.

When I finally let go, he scrutinized me. "Your parents?"

I nodded. With Fir, I never needed to say more because he knew. I stepped aside. "I'd like you to meet Quillon. My boyfriend."

Fir's eyes flared wide to almost comical proportions, but then they narrowed to thin slits. "No, he's not."

I turned to Quillon. "And that's why we needed to tell him the truth."

Quillon sighed.

"What truth?" Fir asked.

"I'm Quillon Minch." Quillon shook Fir's hand.

"Fir Everett. What the hell is going on? Why are you back in town, and who the hell is he? Actually, why don't you come on in?"

He moved aside to let us pass. "Is Tomás home?" I asked.

"No, he's in Brazil for a few days with Tiago. Their mom needed surgery, and they wanted to be with her."

"Is she okay?"

"Her prospects are excellent, but it's still surgery. I'm sure their dad appreciates their support."

"And the boys?"

"Hanging out with my parents."

Fir's parents lived in town as well, and they'd been a huge help to him after his first husband, Samuel, had become sick and then passed away from cancer.

We settled in the messy living room, where the presence of Fir's two teenage sons was visible in backpacks carelessly thrown into a corner, a forlorn sock on the floor, a pair of dirty soccer cleats, and a chess game in progress. The clutter was so wonderfully normal that it almost made me emotional.

"Who's playing white?" I nodded at the chessboard.

"Gabe, of course." Fir chuckled. "I haven't beaten him in twenty games. It's about time you played him again so he remembers what it's like to lose."

"Anytime. I enjoy playing chess with him. He takes the game seriously, as he should."

"Hey, no need to explain that to me. Former captain of the chess club, remember?" Fir laughed.

He wasn't quite as big a geek as I was, if only because he'd opted to become a family doctor like his father, but we still had plenty of hobbies in common that others would find nerdy.

Fir brought us drinks—more water for both of us—and sat in a chair. "Talk to me."

"You can't share this information with anyone," Quillon said.

Fir raised his chin. I hadn't been aware he could pull off a haughty look, but he sure as fuck managed it now. "I'm a doctor, Quillon. You don't need to explain the concept of confidentiality."

Quillon, properly chastened, held up his hands. "Good."

"Remember I told you about a breakthrough in my work?" I'd never shared any details about my job, but I'd kept Fir up to date in broad terms.

"Yeah. Wait, you mentioned your boss was concerned about your safety. Does Quillon being here have anything to do with that?"

I chuckled sheepishly. "Turns out, he was right. They had to get the FBI involved, and long story short, Quillon is my bodyguard. We're staying in Forestville for now because it's easier to control the environment in a small town than in Seattle. Except, no one can know the truth, so he's pretending to be my boyfriend. Which is a bit of a stretch, I know, and people must wonder what a guy like him is doing with me, but we're hoping to pull it off."

"Jesus. Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Fir's eyes softened. "Hey, it's me. Let down your guard, honey."

For some reason, I looked at Quillon, who was watching me with an expression I hadn't seen on his face before, something that looked like…concern? Hell, on a good day, I sucked at reading people's emotions, and after today, I was happy to form coherent sentences.

Quillon rose. "I need to make a phone call. Is there a room I could use?"

"My office upstairs. Second door on the right," Fir said.

They exchanged a look I couldn't decipher, and then it was just Fir and me.

"It can't be easy for you being back here," Fir said softly.

"I already got the worst part over with."

He winced. "How bad was it?"

"Quillon is a former Marine and served with Essex for a little while. That made them happy because he could share some stories about him."

"Oh, York…"

"It is what it is. They'll never change."

"Did Quillon say anything?"

I thought of the way he'd looked at me, how he had laced our fingers together. "No, but he saw. Hell, she even showed him his room."

"Don't they realize how creepy that is? It's a fucking mausoleum."

I would never get over the power of feeling heard and seen. No one else understood, and even Fir could only try to put himself in my shoes, but he always validated my feelings. "I don't think they do. It's become their normal."

"They do know that if they sell The Lodge, they'll have to leave that all behind, right?"

"Why do you think they've waited so long? They don't want to leave, but they have to. My father can't drive anymore because of how bad his Parkinson's has gotten, and it's only a matter of time before my mom won't be able to either. They've asked me repeatedly to buy the property from them so they can leave that room as is and come to visit."

"Buy?" Fir's face tightened. "Isn't it going to be yours anyway when they die?"

I shook my head. "I don't want it. If they leave it to me, I'll sell it before they're cold in the ground. Hell if I will spend the rest of my life with my brother's shadow looming over me."

"Can't blame you. Plus, it's a great property in a perfect location. You should be able to make a pretty penny."

"I don't want the money. I don't want anything from them. Why would I want from them in death what they couldn't give me in life?"

Fir sighed. "Yeah."

"Anyway, I introduced them to Quillon, and they didn't react badly to me being gay, so there's that."

"He's hot."

"Who, Quillon?"

Fir rolled his eyes. "That is who we're talking about, no? Yes, Quillon. I like his name too, by the way. Very unique."

"Says the man named after a tree."

"It beats the hell out of Douglas. Seriously, do I look like a Douglas?"

I chuckled. "Nope, I agree. Fir fits you perfectly."

We sobered again. "How serious is the situation?" Fir asked.

"I can't talk about it, but it's not good. That's why we moved here. Seattle was too chaotic to protect me effectively—Quillon's words."

"I don't like this at all. I mean, I do love that you're back in town, but not the reason."

"Can't say I like either. It's good to see you more, but other than that? It's not gonna be easy."

"I couldn't believe it when Tomás told me you'd be staying in his house."

"Sorry, I should've talked to you first. But I called Auden to ask him about any properties on the market, and he mentioned Tomás's house was available, so I contacted him."

Fir waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. You had a lot on your mind, and besides, you know I'm not easily offended."

No, he wasn't. Another reason I liked him so much.

"Talk to me about Quillon. Is he nice to you? Do you get along?"

"He's been"—I frowned, searching for the right words—"respectful? He seems to sense when I need time to myself and accepts when I don't want to talk about stuff, like with my parents."

"That's great to hear, but that's a pretty low bar."

"He's not my actual boyfriend, so is there even a bar?"

"I know, but I want to make sure he's treating you well. Do you feel safe with him?"

Huh, that was a question I hadn't considered yet. Did I? I'd been so focused on the practical details I hadn't taken the time to process that aspect. "I guess I do. He's been vigilant, constantly keeping an eye on our surroundings. I doubt anyone or anything would slip past him."

"That's good."

"And he's nice. I have to admit I wasn't too sure about him after discovering he was a Marine, but he's been friendly."

"Is he gay?"

I opened my mouth, then shut it again. "I have no idea."

"You didn't ask?"

"Why would I? I asked if he had a partner, and he said he didn't, but neither of us ever specified gender."

"Because he's pretending to be your boyfriend? If both of you are straight, you'll never be able to sell it."

Damn, why hadn't I thought of that? "I thought the biggest challenge would be the obvious difference between us, but I guess you're right. I'll have to ask him."

"Hold up. What do you mean by the obvious difference?"

"You said it yourself. He's hot. And you're gay, and your boyfriend is officially one of the sexiest men alive, so you would know."

"Yes, and?"

"You don't think the contrast with a geek like me is a little too much for people to believe?"

Fir crossed his arms. "What contrast? Because if you're telling me you think you're not attractive, we need to have a word."

My cheeks heated. "I'm not hot."

"Didn't you just confirm I'm the expert here? Seeing as how I've been gay my entire life, have never looked at a girl twice, and yes, have a boyfriend who has won ‘Sexiest Man Alive' more than once, I know handsome."

"But you don't… I'm not… I have no idea what you're saying."

Fir took my hand. "What I'm saying is that you're a catch, York Coombe, and anyone should count themselves lucky and proud to be by your side. You're cute, handsome, sweet, kind, super smart, and loyal to a fault. The only reason you and Quillon might not match is that I'm not convinced he's good enough for you, even if it's fake."

I was dumbstruck by his words and, at the same time, touched to the point of my eyes growing moist. "That's… I don't know what to say."

"You could agree with me."

"On the super smart, yes. That part, I'm happy to concede. But the rest?" I swallowed. "It's like you're talking about someone else."

Fir, still holding my hand, sent me a sad smile. "No, honey, I'm talking about you, and one day, I hope you'll be able to see yourself the way I do."

I doubted I ever would, but I still appreciated the sentiment. "You're the best friend a man could have."

"Aw, thank you, but so are you. I'm so glad we found each other."

That was what I loved about Fir. He was able to say shit like that without it being weird or sounding forced. He meant it, and that sincerity always came across.

Quillon's footsteps came down the stairs. Fir let go of my hand and sat back, one leg crossed. I inhaled deeply, calming myself. Quillon didn't need to see my vulnerability.

"So, am I the only one who knows the truth?" Fir asked as if the entire conversation between us had never happened.

"You and Auden," I said.

"I'm glad you're telling him. He'll be able to inform you if anyone new arrives or if anything unusual happens. ‘Cause if it does, he'll be the first to know."

"Which is what I told Quillon. Auden will be our next stop, and then we're done with all the socializing, and I can have some peace and quiet."

Quillon cleared his throat, and I looked at him quizzically, but he didn't say anything.

Fir chuckled. "I think he was trying to signal that what you said could come across as you being here against your wishes, but I know that's not what you meant."

Oh fuck. Quillon was right. To anyone else, it would've sounded like I wasn't enjoying myself and was counting down the days until I could leave. But Fir wouldn't take it like that. "It's been a long day."

"I know."

I rubbed my temples. "You know I don't like people, and today has been a lot of peopling."

"York…" Fir waited until I looked up again. "Stop explaining yourself. There's no need."

I breathed out. "Thank you."

Fir rose. "Go hit Auden up and then take some time to decompress. Tomás had a new Jacuzzi installed in the main bathroom that I have personally tested and found to be very relaxing."

I laughed. "I guess you weren't by yourself, though."

"A gentleman never tells…"

At the door, he hugged me fiercely. "Be careful, York. Please don't do anything stupid."

"I promise. And I'll be by later this week to play chess with Gabe."

"I'll let him know. He'll be over the moon."

Fir extended his hand to Quillon. Hmm, they hadn't interacted much. Quillon had stayed upstairs for a long time. That phone call must've been important.

"Keep him safe," Fir said.

"I'll take good care of him," Quillon replied.

Fir studied him, then nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think you will."