PATHS THAT WIND
PART THREE
Jim and Blair made their way from the dining car to their first class seats. The train was moving from Yakima to Spokane, and then it would loop back west to Cascade.
They’d been on the train all morning, and despite being vigilante about any situation at hand where a sentinel might be needed, it had been a smooth, uneventful ride.
They took their seats and Jim picked up his Sports Illustrated. Blair was sitting near the aisle and noticed the man across from him engrossed in his laptop. He’d boarded the train at Yakima.
Blair leafed through the brochures and magazines in the seat pocket in front of him.
“Excuse me, sir?”
Blair looked up. The man with the laptop was leaning over the aisle toward him.
The man said, “I just wanted to ask if you or your friend are interested in trying our product.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of writing pens. “These have ink so that they don’t leak. The barrel is large enough so that your hand doesn’t get cramped. And yet the writing stream is smooth and easy-to-read. Go ahead, have some.”
Blair accepted the pens. “Uh, thanks.” Jim had glanced up only briefly, and then went back to his magazine.
The man’s hand dipped into his pocket. “Here’s my card. If you’re interested in more of the pens, please contact me or go to our website. They’re only available on the internet.”
Blair accepted the card. “On the internet?”
“Yes, the company is marketing them that way. It keeps the costs down.”
“Does the company only sell pens?”
“At the moment. But we have a whole line of products scheduled to come out in the next month. Why?”
Though Jim appeared to be reading, Blair knew he was listening. “I’m interested in learning how to market some kind of product or service over the internet. I don’t know much about how to do it.”
The man pulled out his wallet and produced another card. “My cousin is the one who has developed all the marketing schemes for our company. He freelances for others too. He’s some kind of internet guru.” He handed Blair the card. “Get in touch with him and see how he can help you.
Blair grinned hugely as he stuck the card in his pocket. “Thanks. I’ll do that.”
**
It was close to midnight when the train pulled into the Cascade station. As they got off, Blair said, with some disappointment, “I guess the whole point of the trip was so I could get that guy’s card.” He patted his pocket. “I guess that means, at least, that we’re on the right track with the internet stuff.”
“It was nice to see more of the country anyway.”
“Yeah. Maybe we should buy another ticket and go down the coast to California.”
Jim put his arm around Blair’s shoulders. “If we do that, I think I’d rather drive. Then we can stop where we want along the beach.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
The autumn air was crisp as they made their way to the parking lot.
Upon bypassing the first row of parked cars, Jim stopped and cocked his head.
“What is it?” Blair asked.
“Groans.” Jim listened another moment. “Sounds like a woman. Come on!”
Blair followed as Jim sprinted to the right.
A young woman was lying on the blacktop, her pretty pink print dress outlining the unmistakable shape of her belly. She was panting heavily and her legs were up.
Oh, my God, Blair thought as he stood back.
“Ma’am,” Jim said gently, kneeling beside her. “You’re in labor?”
“Yes, I think so,” she panted. Then, with a brief grin, “Never done this before.”
“Okay, take it easy. We’re calling an ambulance,” he nodded back at Blair. “I assisted at a birth once when I was in the army. It’s going to be fine.”
As Blair dialed 911, he tried to remember if Jim had ever told him about a midwife assignment in the army.
The woman muttered a thanks to Jim, and then she let out a scream and bent her legs more.
“The baby’s coming,” Jim said.
Blair’s mouth fell open as he listened to the 911 operator pick up.
They were going to witness a birth.
**
Three hours later, they emerged from Cascade General into the silent darkness of the early morning.
Blair threw his arms around Jim’s neck, grinning widely. “We delivered a baby.”
“Uh-huh.” Jim was also grinning. They each sported unlit cigars, courtesy of grateful family members who had made their way to the hospital. The woman hadn’t been due for another three weeks, but mother and daughter were healthy and doing fine.
They found their truck, in which they had followed the ambulance – with mother and newborn – to the hospital.
“Man,” Blair said, “that was scary but it was terrific.” He took out his cell phone and began pushing buttons.
“Who are you calling?”
“Simon.”
“Chief, it’s four-thirty in the morning.”
Oh, yeah. But the phone was already ringing. “Too late now.”
“Hello?” an alert voice said.
“Simon, you sound awake.”
“Sandburg?”
“Yeah. Guess what? Jim and I delivered a baby.”
”Huh? Are you still
out of town?”
“We just got back and we found this woman in the parking lot going into labor.”
“Is she all right?”
“Yeah!” Blair laughed happily. “Mother and daughter are doing fine.”
Jim glanced over at him. “Ask him how come he’s awake.”
“Simon, how come you sound awake?”
“Daryl got in late. We sort of had an argument.”
“Bummer.”
“Yeah, it’s just the usual teenage bullshit.”
Jim said, “We’ll take him to breakfast, if he wants.”
“Hey, Simon, Jim and I will pick you up and take you to an early breakfast.”
Hesitation, then, “Yeah, okay. There’s an IHOP over on Hampden.”
“See you in a few. Bye.”
As Blair put the phone away, Jim said, “We need to tell him about us.”
“You think he’s ready for that? He and Daryl were fighting.”
Jim shrugged. “We need to tell him at some point. May as well be now.” He glanced at Blair. “You okay with that?”
“Yeah. As long as you’re the one who figures out how to break the news.”
**
At the IHOP, Simon talked for twenty minutes about the horrors of parenting a teenager before he finally wound down.
He shoved dripping buttermilk pancakes into his mouth. “So, you guys delivered a baby, huh?”
“Yeah, it was great!” Blair said.
“Right after you go back from that train trip?”
“Uh-huh.”
Simon furrowed his brow. “Now, why was it you took that trip?”
Jim shrugged. “We had tickets. Remember the coupon? Had the time.”
“What are you going to do with yourselves now?
Blair said, “We met a guy on the train who knows somebody who’s into internet marketing. I have some ideas for selling stuff – products and services – to college students. I’m hoping this person can help me get started so we can start making an income.”
“We?”
“Jim and I.” Blair shifted with discomfort. “I mean, it’ll be my website. But the money….” He glanced uneasily at Jim and then became interested in his cooling French toast.
“It’ll be both of ours,” Jim said casually.
“Oh, so you’re helping the kid out by putting up the capital?” Simon seemed pleased.
Jim sipped his coffee, and Blair wondered how he could be so relaxed.
Jim said, “The capital is both of ours. The income will be both of ours.” Pause. “Everything Blair and I do is both of ours.”
“A complete partnership,” Simon concluded.
“Totally complete,” Jim emphasized.
Simon looked from one to the other. “Why did you say it like that?”
Blair decided he wanted to join in. “We’re everything to each other, Simon.” He watched the dark eyes continue to shift back and forth. “You know.”
Jim reached to Blair and put his arm around him, and Blair slid across the seat and laid his head against Jim’s shoulder, his hand on Jim’s stomach. He normally wouldn’t be this touchy-feely in public, but there were only two other patrons, and they were sitting at the counter.
Simon stared at them. Then, levelly, “How long?”
Blair chuckled. “Seems like forever, in a way.”
Jim pushed his empty plate away. “We’ve been sleeping together for a couple of weeks, tops.”
“Man. Who else knows?”
“Nobody,” Blair said. He glanced up at Jim. “But we’re not going to go out of our way to keep it a secret. There’s no need.”
Simon nodded slowly. “I guess that means you definitely don’t intend to return to the PD.”
“It’s not in the cards,” Jim said softly.
“Then what is? You’re going to try this website thing, for an income. What are you going to do with yourselves to stay busy?”
“We still don’t know,” Blair said with a laugh, feeling the freeness of their future. “Something will come along.” He grew more serious. “We’re doing okay, Simon. Great, in fact.”
Jim belched and Blair straightened, muttering , “I can do without smelling that.”
**
The sun was peeking over the horizon when they emerged from the elevator at 852 Prospect. A note was taped to the door of their unit.
Jim unfolded it and read out loud,
Jim,
Please get in touch as soon as possible. I
really need to talk to you.
Your bro,
972-555-1261 cell
“What do you think is going on?” Blair asked as they entered the apartment.
Jim shrugged. “I don’t know. It could concern our father’s firm.” He took at his cell phone and kept his eyes on the note as he pushed the buttons.
“Isn’t it a little early?” Blair said.
“He said as soon as possible.”
The phone was picked up on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Steven? It’s Jim. Blair’s here too.”
Jim leaned down so Blair could put his ear near the phone.
“You’re up early,” Steven said.
“So are you. What did you need to talk to me about?”
“I’ve accepted a position at Dad’s firm. I’d really like to discuss it with you.”
“I’m not interested. I told Dad that.”
“Just hear me out. Please. How about breakfast? Blair can come too.”
“Steven, we just -- ” Jim hesitated when Blair tugged on his arm. “Hang on.” He put his hand over the phone.
“It can’t hurt to hear him out,” Blair whispered. “It’s the least we can do. Then he and your dad will know they’ve done everything they could to convince you.”
Jim put the phone back to his ear. “All right. But Blair and I will just have coffee. We’ve already eaten this morning.”
“Good enough. How about Martha’s Morning Café near Hanson Lake? You know where that is? I have an appointment in that area later this morning.”
“Sure. We’ll be there in half an hour.”
“Great.”
Jim cut the line and looked at Blair. “Where the hell is Martha’s Morning Café?”
Blair rolled his eyes and went looking for the phone book.
**
Steven was already eating breakfast in a booth when they arrived. Jim and Blair slid in the seat opposite him. A waitress came by and took their orders.
After Steven sipped his coffee, he said, “Are you two always up this early?”
“Not usually,” Jim said with forced casualness.
Blair said, “Long story, Steven. We’ll tell you another time.”
Jim folded his hands on the table. “So, what is it you have to say that you think will change my mind?”
Steven finished his eggs and pushed his plate aside. The waitress brought Jim and Blair their coffee and took the empty plate.
“First, you and Blair are a team, right?”
Jim nodded. “That’s right.”
“So, anything you do, you both want to be involved.”
“That’s the idea,” Blair encouraged. He, too, had his hands folded on the table.
“At Ellison Enterprises, they’re opening a new department. It’ll be a community services type of thing – doing non-profit work in the name of building goodwill with the city, state, and country.”
Jim snorted. “I take it that wasn’t Dad’s idea.”
“I don’t know whose idea it was,” Steven admitted. “But the Board approved it. There’s a guy – Jefferson – who’s in charge of it. He’s going to need people to get out into the community and implement the projects that are approved.”
“What kind of projects?” Blair asked, intrigued.
“There’s a couple that have already been accepted by the Board. One is going to be opening a whole new section of the Cascade Natural History Museum. Ellison Enterprises will be funding all the construction and obtaining of artifacts.”
Blair leaned forward eagerly. “What sort of artifacts?”
“The theme of the new section will be on Central America.”
“I know a lot about that part of the country.”
“Exactly. That’s what Dad and I were thinking as we were discussing it with Jefferson. Your anthropological background would be ideal for implementing that kind of thing. Granted, it wouldn’t be as hands-on as you might prefer, but you’d have the knowledge and education to help with building the most ideal wing for the museum, including what sort of exhibits would be housed there.”
“What’s the other project?” Jim asked.
“We’re going to buy a ranch in Montana to help at-risk teens. We aren’t looking to reform criminals, but to give opportunities to good kids that have grown up in bad, impoverished areas, and give them a chance to learn that doing hard work can pay off, as well as teach them skills they can use in the future.”
Jim crossed his arms. “How would I fit into either of these projects?”
“With your military background, you know how to create things from scratch, how to be prepared, that kind of thing. Don’t sell yourself short, Jim. You may hate paperwork, but you understand budgeting and planning. You know how to create new structures and organizations in the most efficient way possible. And with something like the ranch, your leadership background might help with picking out the kids with the best potential.”
Blair said, “Wow, Steven. That sounds amazing.”
“We’re all excited about it. And there’s more ideas we have, including helping areas in Africa, but we have to be careful of over-reaching ourselves financially.” He looked at Jim pointedly, as though to say, “That’s where you fit in.”
Jim sighed. “Whatever good it might do, it’s still an office job.”
“Not entirely,” Blair said, watching Steven nod. “We’d be out at the museum site to make sure things were running smoothly, and probably visiting with other museums and universities to see what we could buy or borrow for exhibits. We’d need to be in Montana to oversee the purchase of the ranch, do whatever construction and remodeling needed to be done….”
“We’re still working with the budget,” Steven said, “so I can’t say for sure what your salaries would be. But it would be more than you made as a cop, plus expenses, of course. There’s good benefits too.”
Jim shook his head. “I just can’t see it, Steven. Working for Pops – ”
“You’d hardly ever see him,” Steven said firmly. “I had those concerns too. But he’s out of the office a lot himself. He’s on a whole different floor. His attention is definitely on the make-a-profit side, so he’s turning complete control of Community Services over to Jefferson. And Jefferson oversees other departments, so he wants to delegate out as much of the responsibility as possible.”
Grinning at the idea, Blair said, “So we would be our own bosses?”
“In a way, yes. You’d still have to get the job done. Get the assignments built and developed. Keep things within budget. But other than that…,” Steven shrugged. “I was almost tempted to take it myself. But my strength is in recruiting other people. That’s what I’ll be doing at Dad’s firm.”
Blair looked at Jim. “It’s worth thinking about.”
“That’s all I can ask for now,” Steven said. Then, curiously, “What else do you intend to be doing?”
“We’ve got some ideas,” Blair said, not wanting Steven nor Jim to feel they needed to grasp at the only straw being offered.
Jim shifted with discomfort. “Look Steven….”
Blair wasn’t sure what Jim wanted to say.
“There’s something you and Pops need to know.”
Oh. Blair now knew what it was. As soon as Jim started to reach for him, he slid next to him and rested against his side, putting his arm around his waist.
Steven looked puzzled.
Jim rubbed up and down Blair’s arm. “We’re together in everything,” he said firmly. “If you, or anyone else, has a problem with that, there’s nothing else to talk about. We don’t need to flaunt it, but we aren’t going to hide it.”
Steven’s mouth fell open. “Jim,” he whispered, “man.” He reached for his napkin. “I mean, it’s crossed my mind before, but I didn’t actually think – ” He wiped at his mouth.
Softly, Jim said, “Blair’s been with me through everything – before the shooting and after.”
Blair smiled lovingly at Jim. Then he said to Steven, “Jim’s been my whole world from the day I met him.”
“It’s been going on that long?” Steven asked.
“It didn’t get intimate until recently,” Jim said. “Are you going to be okay with it?”
Steven nodded, putting the napkin aside. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. Have you always been – ”
Jim shook his head. Then, “How do you think Pops is going to take it?”
“He won’t be happy about it, of course. But, Jim, you gotta know how relieved he is that you survived the shooting. He’d rather have you back – in any way – than lose you.”
Steven suddenly looked at his watch. “I need to get going.” He looked from Jim to Blair. “Will you at least think about it? They need to make a decision by the end of the month.”
“We’ll think about it,” Blair said as Steven rose. “We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”
**
The morning was gray and crisp, but Jim and Blair walked away from the docks and fishing boats, and into the nearby wooded foothills. After cresting the peak and starting down the other side, they held hands, for no one else was around.
“This seems right up your alley,” Jim said quietly.
“It is, in a lot of ways. At least, the way Steven made it sound. It’s hard to know exactly what we’d be doing, day-to-day.”
Jim was silent.
Blair sighed, and then brought them to a halt. “Jim, let me ask you something. If this was somebody else – somebody from out of the blue – who was offering us positions in the new department, what would you think?”
Jim grimaced, knowing where this was leading. “I’d say it was worth considering.”
“Exactly. It’s because it’s your father’s firm that you don’t want to think it’s a viable option.”
What could he say to that?
Blair squeezed his hand. “I understand that. I do. I get that. But maybe,” Blair’s voice dropped an octave, “this is an opportunity for you to start leaving that baggage behind. Plus, like Steven said, it’s not like you’d necessarily even be around your father all that much. It sounds pretty independent.”
Jim shrugged. “Steven has only recently accepted his position there. He can’t be certain what it’ll be like over the long haul.”
“You’re making excuses.”
Jim glanced behind them and saw a boulder large enough to support them both. He sat down, still holding Blair’s hand, and Blair settled beside him.
“What about my senses?” Jim asked. “Where could they fit in?”
“I don’t know. But I have faith that they’re going to be useful.”
“Faith in what?” Jim asked. “This isn’t the path Incacha pointed out to us. We got on the train and you met that internet guy. Then we delivered that baby. We never could have helped that woman if we hadn’t just gotten back from the train ride.”
Blair moved from the rock and squatted in front of Jim, their hands still clasped. “We don’t have to abandon the internet idea. That’s the neat thing about the internet – you can run an internet business from anywhere, as long as you have access to a computer. We could have that going on the side. If it got big enough to support us, and we were unhappy with working for your father’s firm, then we could resign and just do the internet stuff – or anything else that came along that we liked better.” He squeezed Jim’s hand. “It’s not like, if we took the position at your father’s firm, we’d be obligated to stay there forever. But it’s something to try, isn’t it?”
Jim gazed into Blair’s eager eyes, envying his ease with accepting change. Then he swallowed and looked away. “Doesn’t pride count for anything?” he asked softly.
“You mean you feel like it’s giving in or accepting charity to work for your father?”
Jim thought about that, and then turned back to Blair. “In a way. But it’s more….,” he searched for the right words. “I’ve always been independent. It’s like returning to the nest because I couldn’t make it on my own.” He quickly added, “I know that kind of family thing works for some people – like Steven – but it feels wrong to me.” He looked out into the forest.
Almost whispering, Blair said, “Only because of the lies your tell yourself about yourself.”
Jim looked sharply at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Blair held his gaze. “That you’re somehow less because the company that wants you happens to be owned by your father.”
The fact that it was true didn’t change how he felt about it.
Blair squeezed his hand again. “Think back to that experience you had on the operating table. How minor all these feeling are in the grand scheme of things.”
Jim stood, flinging Blair’s hand away. “Don’t hold what happened against me. I’m still human.” How dare Blair expect him not to be.
He turned his back.
He heard Blair’s in-drawn breath, and then Blair’s arms were embracing him from behind. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He moved around to face Jim, kissing his cheek and chin. “Sorry.”
Blair’s sincerity was so clear in his words. Jim embraced him with both arms, squeezing hard.
They rested against each other for a long moment, Jim’s cheek on top of Blair’s head.
“We don’t have decide anything right now,” Blair said.
Jim rubbed up and down his back.
After a time, Blair said, “It’s so nice out here.”
Uh-hmm.
Blair raised his head. “Will you let me guide your senses through a little exercise?”
Jim wasn’t sure why, but he nodded.
Blair lay his head back against Jim’s chest. “Close your eyes,” he said softly. “Block out the sounds from the road, the sounds of the dock, the boats out on the lake…..”
Jim basked in the instructions, trusting them.
“Turn your hearing toward the forest. The birds singing, the insects buzzing, the breeze rustling through the trees….”
Yes.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
Yes.
“See yourself as a light. Expand the light. See in your mind’s eye past these hills, into Cascade. Past that to the shores of Seattle. Back the other way to the eastern plains.”
Jim knew that Blair was imaging the same thing for himself.
“Out across the entire country. Up into Canada. Down into Mexico and South America.” Blair drew a blissful breath. “Around the globe. Your light encompasses the whole world. And now out into the universe….”
Jim imagined that his light shown everywhere, through all of existence.
With whispered reverence, Blair said, “It’s all connected. All the rocks and the trees and the water and the insects and the animals. Our souls. It’s all made of the same stuff.”
It was so easy to believe that, in this peaceful moment.
“In these bodies we’ve been gifted with for this life, I’ll always be with you, Jim. We’re always going to be okay, because we’ll always have each other.”
The image of the universe disappeared. And then they were just he and Blair, embracing each other, the sound and smells of the forest all around them.
Finally, Blair took a step back.
Jim opened his eyes.
Blair smiled at him. “I love you so much.”
Yes. Right now, Jim wanted the rawest, most physical expression of that fact possible. “I want to fuck.”
Blair gazed at him, and then a slow grin spread across his face. “Here?”
“Yes, here, nature boy.” Jim pushed on Blair’s shoulder, then reached down to the closure of his pants. “Get me hard.” He unzipped his fly.
Blair’s was waiting on his knees, and reached to take Jim’s desire. With one hand, he guided the flesh to his mouth. With the other, he felt between Jim’s legs.
Jim’s accommodated, spreading his legs more. He felt satisfaction as the questing finger penetrated his anus.
Blair was so good at this. Sucking his cock while stimulating his prostate.
It wasn’t just the way it felt. But the way Blair’s mouth moved so wetly, the eager noises he was making.
It was over too soon. “That didn’t take long,” Blair said, stroking Jim’s flaring length with admiration. “We’re going to need lots of spit.”
“Drop your pants,” Jim commanded. He wanted to relax Blair as much as possible, and knelt just as Blair stood.
With one hand, Jim grabbed Blair’s cock and guided it to his mouth. With the other, he squeezed his ass.
“Argh,” Blair gasped, beginning a thrusting motion.
Jim squeezed a few more times. Then he shifted his hand to fondle Blair’s scrotal pouch, just the way Blair liked it best.
“God,” Blair groaned, swaying. “God, yes, swallow my cock.”
Jim loved the way his own cock ached, as it waited its turn.
He took Blair to the back of his throat. Let go to fondle his ass with his other hand, while continuing to roll the fleshy pouch within his grip.
“God.” Blair let out a series of groans, and Jim felt triumph at the fluid that collected on the back of his tongue.
“God,” Blair gasped, quivering. “God.” He collapsed awkwardly to his knees.
Jim didn’t want to wait to remove Blair’s pants. He manhandled him into turning over, then pushed his head down to the dirt.
Blair raised his hips as best he could with his jeans pooled at his ankles.
Jim parted Blair’s asscheeks with his thumb and went to work. He loved burying his face in Blair’s ass and feasting. He didn’t care how clean it was.
He was good at it, too – the ultra-sensitive parts of his tongue finding the nerves that responded with the most enthusiasm.
“Jesus Christ,” Blair said. He slapped his hand against the ground. “Christ. Fuck me!”
It was the command Jim had been waiting for.
He straightened, licking his lips. Blair was trying to raise his hips higher, but Jim didn’t have the patience to work out the physical logistics.
He mounted Blair, cock in hand. His other hand was braced on the ground next to Blair’s shoulder. He moved his cock until if found the saliva-soaked recess.
He thrust, loving the feeling of his big cock forcing the tight ring of muscle to open.
Blair gasped, and then braced against the ground with both hands.
Jim rode him. Rode him hard. He had to swing his hips downward to get the best angle on each stroke, and then thrust upward, burying into Blair as deep as he could.
Damn, it was good. Blair had found a rhythm and started to push back to meet his upward slams.
The next thrust would end it.
Jim grabbed Blair’s shoulders and tried to restrain his cry as semen spurted from his body.
Then he collapsed onto Blair’s back.
They lay gasping for over a minute.
With great tenderness, Jim reached out to Blair’s face and brushed the dirt away from it.
He hoisted himself to his knees, knowing he was going to be sore from this. He’s knees had been skinned, even through his clothing, and he knew Blair’s were probably in worse shape.
He shifted away from Blair, tucked himself away, and closed his pants. Then he helped Blair roll into a sitting position, both of them still breathing hard.
After Blair had obtained some semblance of decency, they rested back against the boulder they’d sat upon earlier, leaning against each other.
It was a long moment before their breaths steadied.
Blair murmured, “Making love is always so life-affirming.”
Yes. Such a dichotomy, the way the body felt so sated, while the mind seemed so sharp.
And how it made the little things seem not so important. “We have to accept the positions at Ellison Enterprises,” Jim said. “It wouldn’t be fair to you to let this opportunity pass.”
Blair squeezed his arm. “We won’t keep at it if you’re unhappy. But I tend to agree with Steven – you might be better at something like that than you think. And like it more than you think you would. But I want to keep working the internet angle too. Incacha led us there for reason.”
How weird it seemed, to be relying on spirits to guide them. Yet, such reliance had always served them well.
Jim shook his head as he gazed at the trees surrounding them. He recalled the little exercise Blair had guided them through a short time ago. He wondered how to put his thoughts into words. “It’s odd, you know,” he said softly. “I didn’t see the afterlife when I was on that operating table. There was only myself and the river. Yet, I know there’s no heaven and no hell – at least, not the way religion has always tried to say. There’s only the next dimension, the next path along the journey.”
Blair straightened and regarded him curiously.
“We live so much of our lives in fear,” Jim said. “So afraid that if we don’t do good on this earth, there will be repercussions in the afterlife.” His voice lowered even more. “But so much of what we worry about doesn’t really matter.”
Blair said, “I think man is basically good at his core. It’s the fear – the lack of faith in the bigger picture – that prompts people to do awful things.”
“Fear runs everything,” Jim said. “But there isn’t any need for it. We can’t really lose in this life, can we?”
Blair slowly shook his head. “I don’t think so. But it still doesn’t make the awful stuff okay.” He shifted to his knees. “I don’t know what the purpose of it all is.” A tender smile. “But what I do know is that I’m real proud of how you’ve handled what happened to you. You made peace with it right away.” Blair nodded once. “I’ve liked the changes it’s brought in you.”
Jim put his arm around Blair and hugged him closer. “It meant a lot that I could share it with you; that I didn’t have to keep it to myself.” He picked up a few strands of Blair’s hair and studied them a moment. Then he kissed Blair’s scalp, enjoying the smell there. “You’ve always accepted everything about me.”
“I think that’s called love.”
“Smart ass,” Jim whispered lovingly. He nuzzled Blair’s hair.
Blair’s arm went around Jim’s waist. “How do you think your Dad’s going to feel about us?”
“Maybe we shouldn’t tell him. Maybe we should let him find out in his own way, so he doesn’t have it forced on him.”
“I guess there’s some merit to that. Or maybe Steven will tell him, if it comes up.”
Jim was silent.
With amusement, Blair said, “If he doesn’t like it, then he’d have to fire his own son. Somehow, I doubt he’d do that, so he’d have to learn to live with it.”
“Mm-hm.”
Blair grinned. “I guess I do need to get the internet thing going, just in case.”
Jim could sense Blair’s eagerness for that project, just as he could concerning the positions Ellison Enterprises was offering. It was no wonder. Blair was used to being involved in a lot of mentally stimulating challenges, and for many months now, he’d been shacked with Jim, making Jim’s health and happiness a priority.
“Chief?”
“Mm?”
“I want you to pursue anything you wish. Understand? I don’t want you to hold back, because of me. I don’t want you to feel that you need my permission or approval for anything. Pleasing your desires is a good enough reason for its own sake.”
Blair wetly kissed his cheek, and then whispered in his ear, “You please my desires regularly.”
Jim grinned, though he knew Blair had understood what he meant.
After a thoughtful moment, Blair said, “I guess I could just work at Ellison Enterprises and you could do something else, but then we’d be apart all day.”
“We’ll give this a try,” Jim said.
He cocked his head and heard voices on the other side of the hill, where the road was. “Somebody’s coming.”
They rose and started back to the truck.
**
EPILOGUE – One Year Later
Blair was at the kitchen table and clicking on his laptop when Jim arrived home from a meeting with county officials in Oregon. Blair had bowed out of the meeting regarding a proposed city park, as he’d needed to put time into updating his website.
Blair looked up. “How did it go?”
Jim loosened his tie, and then flung it aside. “I think some of the members are resistant to having a corporation from another state do the funding. They’re all local boys. Everything we pitched to them, they counteracted with excuses that didn’t have any basis in reality.” Jim tossed his suit jacket onto the back of a kitchen chair. “Their loss,” he muttered, moving to the refrigerator.
Blair remained silent. Sometimes proposed projects didn’t work out, and they were finding that small jurisdictions tended to be highly suspicious of the true motives of a large corporation. He really couldn’t blame them for being doubtful that Ellison Enterprises had mere philanthropy at heart, when it offered to fund community projects.
He also knew that Jim had saved Ellison Enterprises a lot of wasted time and travel expense by being able to know early on when others weren’t committed to trying to work with the corporation. His senses had become finely tuned at detecting lies, including lies of omission.
Jim approached the table with a beer in hand. “How’s it going?”
Blair knew a big grin was on his face. “We broke the five thousand dollar mark in net income this month. Word is getting out how convenient it is to go to the internet for help. There’s going to be a whole generation of students coming up who are already savvy about going online for all their information.” The site not only offered tutoring and educational consulting services, which Blair paid others to provide, but it also sold books and other materials that could assist students who were having trouble keeping up in their classes.
Jim moved to Blair and squeezed his shoulder. “Five thousand. That’s great.”
“Yeah.” Blair sighed. “The only drawback is that more people are getting into this kind of thing, so the competition will be more fierce.”
Jim sat in the chair beside him. “I was thinking about something today, Chief.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re good at this stuff, but I know you miss the face-to-face interaction sometimes.”
Blair nodded. He’d occasionally complained about it, but it had been exciting to know they were doing positive work for others, both with the website and with their jobs at Ellison Enterprises.
Jim continued, “I still don’t like working in the corporate environment, even though we have more freedom than most of the department heads at the firm. And it’s frustrating to be looked upon with suspicion because of that corporate umbrella.”
Blair waited.
“I was thinking that maybe we could combine your website knowledge with what we’ve learned the past year about community services, and maybe we could start our own consulting firm.”
“What do you mean?” Blair asked eagerly.
“We could work with communities – especially small communities – that need corporate funding. We’d be the ones who could find the corporations or charities that would be the best fit for funding whatever project is needed. The local governments would be building a trust relationship with us, and going through us to see what firms are out there that could help. So, we aren’t tied just to Ellison Enterprises and just the projects that the Board approves. We could expand to anywhere in the world, if we want.”
Blair blinked. “Wow. That would be incredible.” It felt so freeing.
“We could charge a percentage of the overall project cost for our fee. We could still keep the student website, though it might reach a point where we’d need to hire someone to run it.” Jim stood and moved to the kitchen. “I’m ready for a change.”
“Yeah,” Blair said, “so am I.” He grinned. “Let’s do it.”
Jim opened the refrigerator. “Let’s do some background research first, to make sure we know what we’re getting into, before we turn in our resignations.”
Blair stood and went over to Jim. “Sure, that makes sense.” He slid his arm around his love. “You just dream this all up today?”
Jim closed the refrigerator and returned the embrace. “Today was the first day I was able to put my thoughts into words.” He laid his cheek against Blair’s head. “Working at my father’s firm has been a valuable education, but it still bothers me that somebody else owns my time.”
Blair straightened and took both Jim’s hands in his. “It seems like this has all turned out like it was supposed to, right? That we were doing the website and being employed at Ellison Enterprises, so we’d have the knowledge base to pursue our own thing.”
“It seems a logical progression,” Jim said levelly.
Blair rested back against the kitchen island. “You’re still helping the tribe. Only, now it can be tribes anywhere in the world. And you’re able to do it without drawing your gun or harming anyone else.”
Jim still owned a weapon. But he hadn’t used it since the shooting that had changed everything.
“I don’t miss that part,” Jim admitted.
“I’m so proud of you. I love you so much.” Blair put his arms back around Jim. “I never thought I’d say this, but when you were shot, it’s like it was a good thing, because it put so many good things into motion.”
Jim squeezed Blair’s shoulder and then turned away. “Funny how that works, huh?”
They ended up on the sofa, Blair lying on top of Jim. They lay quietly for a while, Jim slowly rubbing his hand up and down Blair’s back.
Blair languished in the feelings for a long time. “Jim?”
“Hmm?
“I want to turn in our resignations tomorrow. I don’t want to wait first to see if pursuing our own consulting company makes sense. Whatever happens, it’ll work out okay. That’s the one thing I know with absolute certainty.”
Jim was silent, though his hand continued to stroke up and down Blair’s back.
“What are you thinking?” Blair finally asked.
“We’re in the middle of a few projects. I just don’t want to up and abandon them. That’s being disloyal.”
“Just because we turn in our resignations tomorrow doesn’t mean we’re quitting tomorrow. We can make them effective a month or two from now, so our replacements can be trained in our positions.”
“Okay.”
“I love it when I get my way,” Blair said with amusement.
“You always get your way,” Jim muttered.
Blair chuckled. “Maybe you’re right.” He shifted so that his weight was on his elbows. “I want my way right now.” He lowered his face for a kiss.
Jim obliged.
END
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