Beneath the Palisade (19 page)

Spencer cracked a ball down the center of the field, allowing him to make it to first and Snotty Scotty to advance to second.

He and Allison jumped up and down, screaming like children.

“So.” When they had sat back down, he took charge of the moment. “I’ve got a little something I was hoping to test drive with you too.”
Really? You’re really going to unveil this one?

“Are you talking a four-way? We’d probably try it once.”

“Who’s impossible? We wouldn’t, so no worries. Nope, nothing like that. I’ve decided I’m not going back to McPherson, Price & Wabash. I’m not sure I’m going back to practicing law at all.”
Wow! That felt really good to say.

“Doesn’t surprise me, Harper. I think being shot would tend to give someone a slightly different perspective on life.”

The conversation was put on hold again. Ian was at bat. He and Allison watched with giddy delight. The pitcher for the Litigators, losing confidence, quickly got behind in the count. Ian connected with a pitch, sending the ball back into the left side of the stands, keeping him at bat.

“Come on, slugger,” he hollered. “Oh man, I can’t watch. I’ll jinx it if I do.”

“Come on, Ian,” Allison cheered under her breath. “You can do it! You can do it!”

Harper bit his lip, knowing how much the game meant to Ian.

After surveying the bases for a potential steal, the pitcher wound up and delivered a fastball directly across center plate. Ian connected with it at exactly the right moment, launching it like a rocket out across center field for a home run.

“Holy shit! Did you see that?” Allison hopped on top of the bleacher, jumping up and down and cheering. The crowd, made up of mostly Hornets fans, went wild. He was beside himself with pride. Like lunatics, they cheered Ian around the bases.
What a little stud.
With a grin as wide as the Grand Canyon, Ian came lumbering into home to hugs and high fives from his fellow teammates.

Bursting with pride, Harper looked over to Allison. “Ian’s playing the biggest role in my decision. Look, he’s so comfortable with himself. He has his own business. Life seems so easy for him. He’s made his own set of rules, and they seem like such a perfect fit.”
Is that it? I hope that came out right.

“Ian’s changed in the last month, Harper. He never used to be this carefree. Oh, he’s always been happy, but now, with you in his life, he’s much more relaxed. You guys are good for each other. What do you think you’ll do if you don’t practice law? Any ideas?” Allison offered another wine cooler, which he accepted.

“I don’t have a clue.”

“Well, I have to be honest. Envisioning you planting shrubs in the hot summer heat is kind of a stretch. Not that you couldn’t do it. Maybe I’m wrong on that one.”

“No, that’s Ian’s thing. I have no talent for his line of work. Something will come along.”
Oh, Allison, I don’t have a stinkin’ clue what I’m gonna do.

Chapter 7

“
C
AN
you hand me a cookie?” Ian pressed down on the pedal to pass the utility van bumbling along the freeway at half the speed limit. “Hey, a cookie please.” He glanced over and confirmed what he had suspected. Harper, with his seat reclined, was sound asleep.
Never mind, sleepyhead.
With an arm functioning at less than one hundred percent and a rib that still ached, Harper had managed to wipe clean his grandmother’s “repair list” during their brief weekend visit. But the effort had taken its toll, and Ian was happy to see him rest peacefully.

Reaching behind, he pawed the air until he made contact with a shopping bag on the backseat. Fumbling with it while still managing to keep his eye on the road, his flailing efforts were rewarded when he snagged the twist tie on a baggie he knew to contain incomparable, delectable treasures—Lollie Callahan’s chocolate-chip-raspberry cookies—a work of culinary art bar none.

Lollie was no slouch in the kitchen. The weekend visit had been one continuous food fest. When they had arrived on Friday afternoon, she had just finished making her homemade egg noodles. They were draped over the dining room chairs to dry. She used them to make a marvelous chicken soup they ate for lunch on Saturday, using leftovers from the mouthwatering fried chicken she’d served the night before. Saturday night was pot roast, Harper’s favorite childhood meal. It too was scrumptious. The beef was fork tender and the carrots and potatoes cooked to perfection. For Sunday’s brunch, Lollie stepped it up a notch with baked eggs, an incredibly rich and tasty cheesy potato dish, slabs of thick-cut bacon, and for dessert, homemade coconut cream pie. The cookies were sent along to ward off hunger on the long drive home.
Where the heck did she think we were headed, Nova Scotia?

He tried to compare Harper’s upbringing to his own but found it almost impossible to come up with similarities. When it came to feeding her kids, Bernice Burke didn’t stand a chance against the likes of Lollie Callahan. Bernice had worked steadily through his childhood and had had very little time to put a meal on the table. Having three children in the course of a five-year span didn’t make it any easier. Casseroles, simple oven dinners, which more often than not used mushroom soup as the binding ingredient, were her best friend. It wasn’t until he got to college that he realized what he’d been missing.
Really? There are spices other than salt and pepper?

If possible, he thought as he changed over to the left lane to avoid whizzing past a stalled car on the shoulder, he was even more in love with Harper after witnessing the tender, devoted way in which he interacted with Lollie. The love the two shared for each other was obvious. He was her boy; there was no doubt about that. The fact he had made good, had become a lawyer, was something she was fiercely proud of, even if the profession had stolen him away from Iowa to the big city of Minneapolis.

Managing to undo the twist tie with one hand, he took a cookie out of the bag and tossed the tie into the backseat. Looking at his watch, he estimated they would be back to Harper’s by six thirty. He’d have to spend an hour or so organizing his truck for the week ahead. He’d picked up two other jobs from the commercial.
Hands down, this is the best cookie I’ve ever had.
At Harper’s insistence, he’d find the time to see about subletting his apartment until the lease was up in October. He had no argument there. Compared to Harper’s house, his apartment was a rathole. Andy had mentioned Emmett might be interested in taking it off his hands. He’d check tomorrow to find out if Emmett wanted the place.

Finished gobbling down his cookie, he set the cruise control on the sedan they had rented for the trip and sat back. With a tiny Smart Car and a truck to choose from, it only made sense they rent a comfortable ride for the road trip to Iowa. A majority of the journey was spent on the interstate. Having cruise control was a real treat.

He was surprised at just how enjoyable the time had been, staying with Lollie Callahan. Although Harper had assured him she would be accepting of his new love, he was overwhelmed by her affection. In a quiet moment while Harper was upstairs showering, she had expressed her gratitude for being there when her boy needed him and for making him so happy. His health and happiness were her primary concern. As she waited by the window for them to arrive on Friday afternoon, you could see the worry rush out of her face when Harper got out of the car on his own and walked up to hug and hold her in his arms.

Before meeting her, he had speculated on why Harper didn’t just move Lollie to the Cities where she could be closer to him. After spending time with her, he understood why this wouldn’t work. Lollie was one busy lady with a network of close friends. They were her lifeblood now that her husband, Leonard, had passed.

“Where are we?” Rubbing his eyes, Harper stretched out his long torso as best he could in the confines of the car.

“We’re in Minnesota. We just passed the border a few minutes ago. Did you have a nice snooze?” He reached over and ruffled his partner’s hair.

“Yeah, but I had the weirdest dreams.”

“Weird like scary weird, or just plain weird?” He looked into the rearview mirror to make sure the highway patrol car he’d just passed remained where it sat. He’d set the speed for a couple points past the limit, which should keep him from being singled out, but you never knew.

“Strange weird.” Harper reached around to the backseat to retrieve his coat. “I’m cold all of a sudden.”

Ian looked down at the controls and determined the settings were fine. He was chilled because he’d just woken up.

“Already into the cookies, I see.” Harper reached over and patted Ian’s stomach.

“I’d weigh three hundred pounds if I spent two weeks living with Lollie. Did she ever make anything you didn’t like?”

“Hmmm, let me think. Yeah, she did. She occasionally made liver for Gramps. That stuff is just plain awful.”

“Tell me about your dream.” Ian relaxed into the seat.

“Well, you and I were in the woods… somewhere. It was warm. We were naked.”

“I like where this is going.”

“It might have been an ocean, or maybe a big lake, I can’t remember. There were waves. Anyway, we were frolicking like kids on the beach. Throwing Frisbee, swimming, lying in the sun. Well, until….”

“Until what?” Ian looked over for an explanation.

“You got that look in your eyes.”

“What look?”
I have a look?

“The ‘I want it really bad’ look.”

“My everyday look.”

“Pretty much, yeah.” Harper laughed. “So we ran into the woods.”

“A beach and woods? Sounds awesome.”

“It was beautiful. The sun sparkled through the trees, the birds were singing, the air was sweet, and we found this log.” Harper scooted over in his seat.

“Log?”

“Yep. And without even the teensiest, weensiest protest, you bent over it.”

“Me? Are you sure it was me?”
This is getting very interesting.

“It wasn’t me.”

“That leaves me.”

“I made passionate love to you.” Harper’s finger dragged across his chest.

“You did that, did you?” The story had Ian aroused. He had taken the lead early in their relationship, but he’d hoped Harper could be coaxed to drive more often. He’d proven himself quite skilled on several occasions in the leadership role.

“I did.”

“Then what?”

“A rabid squirrel scurried up and bit one of your nuts.”

“Whoa….” He exploded in laughter. Harper was already giggling so hard he was shaking.

When they’d stopped laughing, Harper leaned over, resting his head on Ian’s shoulder. “I tried to scare him off, but I think he knew how tasty those meaty orbs were and wouldn’t budge. That’s when I woke up.”

“I love your silliness, Mr. Callahan.”

“I love your everything, Mr. Burke.” Harper rested his hand on Ian’s thigh, giving it a small squeeze. “Gram adored you, but you know that already, right?” Harper gave his leg another squeeze.

“Try that a little higher… please. I love Lollie. She’s an amazing lady. I’d visit her anytime, say the word.”

“Here?” Harper inched his hand up slightly.

“You’re in the ballpark.” He was surprised at how horny he was.

“Hmmm, how about here?” Harper walked his fingers up Ian’s leg a few more inches.

“Close, but no cigar.” He turned and caught a devilish grin. “I know
that
look.”

“Cigar, a modest assessment if I ever heard one.” Harper found what he had been searching for through Ian’s jeans and tapped his finger on the tip.

“Bingo! Are you considering what I think you’re considering?” It was Ian’s turn to grin.

“Keep your eyes on the road, son. I’ll handle the rest.”

He relaxed back into the seat. Harper slowly brought down his zipper. With very little fuss, his cock sprang free of its plaid boxer restraint, and before it had much of a chance to take in the surrounding scenery, Harper leaned down and throated it to the root.
Woohoo!

H
ARPER
carefully tucked Ian back in.

“Oh man, you’re good at that,” Ian sighed.

“Wow, when did it cloud up?” Harper examined the sky, swiping his chin one last time to make sure he hadn’t missed any of Ian’s man goo.

Ian laughed. “About mid-blow.”

He stared out the window, enjoying the scenery. How often had he made this trip alone, dreading the monotony? Too many times. What a difference it made having Ian along. And the best part, this was just the beginning. The beginning of what he hoped would be a lifetime of trips with impromptu blow jobs when the mood felt right.

Lately any thoughts of the future, with the exception of Ian, made him uneasy. He knew what he didn’t want to do—go back to practicing law—but an alternative was nowhere in sight. The downside of having been so focused on his legal career was that it left him ill-equipped to do much else. It would take time, but he’d come up with something.

This would be a good time to let Ian know where you’re at.

“Ian, I’ve been doing some thinking lately, some soul searching, and I’ve decided to step away from my legal career. I have savings, so financially it shouldn’t impact us. But at this point, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”