Take the Cake (28 page)

“You know,” Kate said slowly, “sometimes that can hurt most of all.”

“What can?” Michael was confused now, thinking he may have done far more damage than he’d been led to believe.

“Hurting someone by omission can be just as bad,” Kate replied, her eyes distant.

Michael’s chest felt hollow with anxiety. “Kate, you know I never consciously set out to hurt you.”

“I know.” Kate shook their joined hands for emphasis. “It’s okay, Michael. The look on your face when I raised the subject was enough to tell me that.” Kate rolled her shoulders, trying to shake off the mood. “I guess some of this conversation has reminded me of something else.”

“Anything you want to talk about?”

“Not here,” Kate replied, pulling a face. “Maybe later, but I’m going to need some fresh air after this.”

“Sounds good,” Michael said, signaling for the check. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“A little bit fragile maybe,” Kate answered. “But I’ll be okay.”

They settled the check and stepped outside into the sunlight, Michael keeping Kate close to his side as they walked along the pavement. Kate tilted her face toward the sun, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath, hoping Michael wouldn’t let her stumble.

~~~

Paul cursed as he tripped over the piping that was stacked in his hallway, and limped a couple of paces before shaking his head and searching for his cell phone. Flipping it open, he scrolled through his stored numbers and dialed.

“Babycake,” he said by way of greeting, grinning as he heard the delight in his sister’s voice that was almost enough to make him forget the pain in his big toe. “Listen, I’ve still got that copper piping here. Is today a good day for me to install those magazine racks we talked about?” He paused, waiting for Kate to consider the spontaneous offer. “Cool. I’ve still got keys to the store, so I’ll go in this afternoon and get it done. If I need any help, I’ll give Tom a call.”

They spoke a little longer before Paul got off the phone and limped into his bedroom to sit down on the bed and examine his foot. His toe still hurt, but it didn’t look serious. If nothing else, the injury had given him the motivation to get the job finished. He yawned and stretched, feeling the tendons in his shoulders stretch and pop, then fell back onto the mattress as he took a moment to relax before galvanizing into action.

Still lying on his back, he lifted his leg and pulled his foot toward his chest to inspect his toe again. Thinking about the pipes in the corridor, he wondered how he was going to get them to the store without too much fuss. He considered his options, and then reached for his phone again, hoping he had enough charm for a Sunday morning favor. If all else failed, he was sure he could negotiate payment by way of man’s international beer economy.

~~~

“Paul,” Kate explained with a smile as she snapped her phone shut and slipped it back into her bag.

“What’s he doing?” Michael said, happy for whatever reason had put a smile on her face.

Kate put her arm through his again once her phone was safely stowed and kept walking. “He got some old copper piping off a retired plumber, and he’s going to use them to make some magazine racks on the wall in the shop. The bookcase we’ve got in there is filled to capacity, so Paul came up with the idea of the racks,” Kate explained and she stopped as she inspected some shoes in a window display before walking on.

“Does he need help?” Michael asked before he could think about what he was saying.

“You know how to do that stuff?” Kate said, looking at him in surprise.

“Some,” Michael said. “I don’t think I’d be at Paul’s standard, but I could help with the heavy lifting. Is he going to be doing it by himself?”

“He said if he needed a hand he’d give Tom a call,” Kate said carelessly.

“There’s that name again,” Michael pounced, his curiosity growing now.

“Huh?” Kate was distracted from the shop windows. “What name?”

“Tom, you know, Boob Guy,” Michael explained, cupping a hand toward his chest for emphasis, which made her laugh. “Where does he fit in?”

Kate gave him a sidelong look and saw nothing but open curiosity on his face. She should have known that sooner or later it would come to this. It seemed to be a morning for confrontations and revelations, and to think that she had been so excited when Paul suggested she start giving herself weekends off work.

“Tom’s …” She waved a hand in a vague motion. “He’s complicated,” she sighed.

“You said that,” Michael prompted. “Have you two got a lot of history?”

“I guess you could call it that,” Kate conceded, thinking that the word “baggage” would fit just as well. She gave him an uncertain look. “How much do you want to know?”

“Whatever you want to tell me,” Michael said. “Does it impact on us?”

Kate thought about this for a few more paces before shaking her head. “I don’t think so. That is, I mean … I guess I don’t think it will.” She stumbled over her words, shaking her head in frustration as she searched for the right thing to say.

Michael gave her a soft smile. “Is that a definitely maybe?”

“That’s a good way of putting it,” she agreed.

Michael mulled over her explanation, wondering what kind of history could be a possible hindrance between himself and Kate. He arranged his expression into one of calm curiosity, hoping it would encourage her to keep talking. His ability to be a quiet listener had worked well for him in the past, and he hoped it wouldn’t let him down now. Kate sighed and pushed her hair away from her face, a gesture he noticed she did when she was thinking about something difficult. He uncoupled his arm from Kate’s and slid it around her waist, pulling her warm against his side, providing as much silent encouragement as he could.

“Tom is from my hometown,” Kate began, keeping her gaze on the pavement ahead of them. “We went to different schools, but Jack and I were like extended family to his.” Kate gave him a wry grin. “So I guess that’s where the history started. Tom and I met on the playground, and we grew up together. He dated, I dated, and then we ended up together after graduation.”

“Childhood sweethearts, huh?” Michael commented.

“Kind of,” Kate nodded. “We both ended up at the same college and we hooked up,” Kate said. “I don’t know if it was two homesick and lonely hearts finding each other, or if we were just acting on something that had always been there. Being with Tom was just—” she waved her hand as she searched for the right word, “—easy, I guess.”

“And perhaps convenient?” Michael suggested with caution.

Kate shot him a measured look. “That too,” she allowed. “But there was a lot of feeling there.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Michael said. “You’re not someone a guy takes for granted.”

Kate wrinkled her nose at him in amusement. “You’d be surprised.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Michael argued. “So go on. What happened with you two?”

“Well, here’s the thing,” Kate said, and she was silent for a few more paces while she gathered her thoughts. She pushed her hair off her face and puffed out a sigh before continuing. “Tom and I were pretty serious for those couple of years in college, and then …” She pushed at her hair again before giving a nervous laugh. “This is ridiculous. I don’t know why I’m nervous about this.”

“Don’t be,” Michael urged in a gentle voice. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“It’s okay.” Kate ran her fingers through her hair and then grimaced when she realized she was giving into a nervous habit and stuffed her hand into her pocket. “So Tom and I were together, and then one day he told me that we, uh, weren’t compatible anymore.”

“That sounds pretty harsh,” Michael commented.

“Oh, it gets better,” Kate agreed. “It turns out we were incompatible because I wasn’t a gay man.”

“You weren’t—” Michael began and stopped as he processed what she had said. “Oh.”

“Exactly,” Kate sighed. They reached an intersection and stopped at the curb, waiting for the light to change. “So there you have it: the history of Tom and Kate.”

“Hang on, back up a minute,” Michael said. “Had Tom always known he was gay?”

“He says with the benefit of hindsight that he had his suspicions. Getting away from home gave him an opportunity to reinvent himself, but being with me for the first couple of years was like a security blanket,” Kate replied. The light changed, and they crossed the street. There was a cool breeze blowing into their faces, and Kate closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, consciously releasing the tension in her shoulders. She could feel the comforting weight of Michael’s arm around her waist and their denim-clad thighs rubbing against each other as they walked.

“Right.” Michael considered this. “And how were things once he came out?”

“Well, I guess I was in shock at first. It was about a year after Jack …” She checked herself and then continued, “after the accident. When I finally told Paul, he wanted to find Tom and beat six types of shit out of him.”

“Paul was …” Michael raised an eyebrow.

“Protective of me, not homophobic,” Kate confirmed as Michael nodded. “He didn’t like seeing me hurt, but once things calmed down we were okay. I got through college and Paul and the three of us ended up in New York.”

“Who came here first?”

“Paul did. He finished college two years before me. So by the time I got to town, I had somewhere to stay for a year before I found my feet, and things went from there. About two years after I got here, Tom hit town and he’s been in my life ever since.”

“It must have been hard, going it alone like that,” Michael mused, and was surprised when Kate gave him a surprised look.

“It never occurred to me,” Kate commented. “I guess I was so used to being in a small family in a small town, and doing things for myself, that it just felt like I was doing the same thing, just with a few more people around me.” She squinted down the street. “Not to change the subject, but where are we going?”

“The park,” Michael said simply. “After that conversation, I think you need some unconditional love from the dogs, as well as me.”

Kate looked up at Michael. “Thank you.”

“You’re worth it,” Michael said in reply, pulling her close to kiss her forehead.

Chapter 17

The Evil Twin and the Angry Jogger

By the time they left the park an hour later, Kate’s eyes were peaceful. Michael had watched the way her face had lit up as various dogs had bounded over to investigate them where they stood by the fence at the dog run and the way she had laughed at the smaller dogs whose enthusiastic tail wagging threatened to knock their little bodies off balance.

“I didn’t realize how much I needed that until we got there,” Kate commented, snuggling into Michael’s chest as they stood at the light.

“I remembered you saying that you went there when you wanted to feel better,” Michael explained, rubbing his hand over her lower back. “Is there anything else you feel like doing today?”

“Why do I feel like I’m getting spoiled?” Kate said, smiling up at him as they crossed the street.

“You’re the one with the harder work schedule; I’m just trying to make your free time really count,” Michael said.

“Would you mind awfully if we call in at the store? I’d really like to see what sort of progress Paul’s making in there.”

“You’re the boss,” Michael replied as they set off toward the village.

“That’s what people keep telling me,” Kate said, and then in response to Michael’s look added, “Private joke. I’ll explain later.”

As they neared the store, they could hear the steady thumping of rhythmic base through cheap speakers that were clearly being pushed beyond their limits.

“That has to be Paul. He likes his music loud,” Kate explained with a grin. She hadn’t seen Paul for three weeks now and was looking forward to catching up.

She opened the door and stopped in surprise. Paul was there, with Thomas in tow, and they were in the midst of lifting a row of piping up to the wall, singing along to Paul’s Rolling Stones CD with lusty voices. Both men were shirtless and made for an impressive display of muscle in motion. Paul looked over Thomas’s shoulder and gave a loud whoop when he saw his sister standing in the doorway. He dropped the pipe and headed toward her, ignoring Thomas’s shout of protest as he tried to stop the copper length from hitting the floor.

“Babycake,” he greeted her, gathering Kate into a sweaty hug despite her attempt to cringe out of the way. He looked past her to see Michael hesitating at the threshold and extended a calloused hand. “And you must be the Michael I keep hearing about. I’m—”

“Paul,” Michael supplied, shaking the proffered hand with a broad grin. “Otherwise known as Brother Bear, right?”

Paul’s eyebrows went up at that, and he looked down at the still squirming Kate. “You’ve brought him up to speed on the basics, I see.” He released Kate, giving her a gentle shove back toward Michael, a grin nearly splitting his face in two as she wiped her face with both hands.

“Oh, God,” she declared in a disgusted voice. “Bear, that was too gross for a Sunday morning.” She plucked at her T-shirt and fluffed at her hair, feeling as if she had been doused in sweat. Paul chuckled in response.

“Ah, c’mon, just having fun,” he said, reaching out to ruffle her hair as she ducked out of the way.

“Hey, Kate,” Tom called, having put down the pipe and wiped himself down with a towel. “C’mere and give me some sugar.” He held out his arms and frowned when Kate hesitated before stepping forward for a quick hug. He stared at Michael and made a move to hold on to Kate for longer, but she wriggled out of his arms and stepped back toward the door where Michael was standing.

“Tom,” she said, “I’d like you to meet Michael.” She met Michael’s eyes, silently pleading for understanding. Cursing inwardly, she realized that although she had told Michael about Tom, she hadn’t told him that Tom was still very much a fixture in her life.

After a brief pause, Michael stepped forward to shake Tom’s hand. “Tom, Kate’s told me about you. It’s a pleasure.”

“I’m sure,” Tom murmured, blatantly assessing and then dropping Michael’s hand and turning back toward the pipes as if he had lost all interest in the exchange. “Come on, Paul. I don’t have all day to get this done.”

“It’s looking really good,” Kate said after an awkward pause, stepping forward to have a closer look. The wall Paul had chosen had a wooden lintel that ran the length of the space about three feet off the floor. It would make a perfect ‘rest’ for the magazines, once the pipes were bolted in to hold them flat against the wall. “You’re doing a great job, guys.”

“You know what would really help us get this done quicker though, right?” Paul shot his sister a pleading look. Kate sighed and looked at her watch, and then at Michael.

“Is that all you ever think with, your stomach?”

“I’m sure he makes the occasional exception,” Tom replied in a dry tone, earning a snort from Paul.

“If I’m going to do any baking, it’s going to have to be something quick,” Kate warned, and then turned to Michael with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. I—”

“No need for that,” Michael broke in smoothly. “Look at the work these guys are doing; they’re going to need rewarding.” He took her by the hands to gently tug her toward him and gave her a soft kiss. “I can see that you’ve got some catching up to do. How about I leave you guys to it, and I’ll see you later.”

“Are you sure?” Kate shot a sidelong look at Tom who was making a show of ignoring them.

“I’m sure,” Michael repeated, kissing her again. “Call me, okay?” He smiled at her, and then waved to Paul. “Great to meet you guys. We’ll catch up again soon.”

“You know it,” Paul called. “Tom? Michael’s leaving.”

Tom turned his head slightly and grunted, making Paul sigh loudly as Michael looked taken aback. “Ignore the bitch, Michael,” Paul said. “It was nice meeting you.”

“Likewise,” Michael said, looking uncertain as he glanced at Tom’s back. He turned to Kate and offered her a genuine smile. “I’ll see you later.”

“Will do.” She smiled. Following him to the door, she stopped him for another kiss before watching him walk away. Turning back into the store, she pointed a stern finger at Tom. “Mind telling me what all that was about?”

“What?” Tom didn’t meet her eyes, choosing instead to focus his unnecessary attention on the work Paul was going.

“Don’t give me that,” Kate replied. She could hear the waspish tone in her voice but was unable to stop it.

“I’ll second that,” Paul commented, picking up his hammer drill. “You were a complete prick.”

“What is this, ‘pick on me’ day?” Tom said, shrugging off Paul’s criticism.

“Only when you deserve it,” Paul replied, lining up the drill carefully with the mark he’d made on the wall and getting back to work.

Tom muttered to himself as he angrily snatched up a gym towel from Paul’s bag and wiped himself down before pulling on his shirt. Paul stopped drilling and turned around with a resigned look on his face.

“Listen, if you’re going to be like that, why don’t you take your attitude elsewhere,” he suggested. He pointed at Kate. “And you should go with him. You guys need to have a talk.” Kate and Tom looked at each other and then back at Paul. “Go on,” Paul said, shooing them despite the fact he was still holding the drill. “Get out of here and be nice.”

“But what about—” Kate began.

“It’s cool. I can finish up here myself,” Paul said. “You guys have got some talking to do.”

“Paul, man, listen,” Tom began awkwardly, stopping when Paul waved him off.

“Tell your story walkin’,” Paul said in an even tone as he turned back to the job at hand.

Tom looked at Kate who shrugged. “Guess we’ve been told.” She offered him a wry smile. “So how about it, Tom? Shall we go get a coffee?”

He looked at his watch. “Screw that, it’s after noon. I’m up for something stronger.”

Paul watched them go. “About time,” he muttered. He didn’t envy the conversation they had ahead of them, but these things had to be done. He turned back to the wall and began to drill.

~~~

Michael closed the door behind him and tossed his keys onto the kitchen counter. He was home sooner than he’d planned, and quite alone. After only just discovering the history between Tom and Kate, he hadn’t expected to meet the man in question on the same day. Even more of a surprise had been the naked hostility Tom had shown when he had realized who Michael was.

Kate had looked uncomfortable, and Paul seemed decidedly unimpressed by Tom’s behavior, going so far as to call him out on it when Michael was leaving. Michael hadn’t liked the look of concern on Kate’s face when he had decided to leave them to it, but he could tell from Tom’s behavior that there was a whole subtext to that relationship which needed to be addressed. He had spoken to Kate with as much reassurance as he could muster, and he had caught an eye flicker from Paul that indicated the big man understood his actions. He hoped so. It was good to know he had Paul in his corner. He stopped by his desk, frowning as the thought occurred to him. Was there going to be a battle for Kate’s affections? He hoped not.

~~~

Kate was aware of the war between her head and her heart as she walked along the street with Tom, who was now trying to make light of the situation. He whispered outrageous fashion police comments in her ear as they passed people who met with his disapproval, and he draped his arm around her shoulders with the ease of long familiarity. She shrugged it off, and then sighed when he gave her a hurt look and let him take her hand instead. She knew this conversation with Tom had been brewing for some time now, but all she wanted to do was run in the other direction. The direction that she knew Michael had taken.

Tom led her across town to one of his favorite bars. It was very hip and stylish, and at this time of day the music was kept to a tolerable level. Kate nodded and made the right responses as Tom beamed and saw that they were ushered to a secluded table. Kate took a seat and looked at some of the more fashionably dressed clientele. She felt frumpy and underdressed in her old jeans and comfortable fitted tee. She didn’t realize how refreshing she looked: her cheeks flushed from the outdoor air, and her hair held back from her face with her sunglasses, which she had rammed up onto the top of her head. Compared to some of the more conscientious consumers in the bar, she looked completely and unselfconsciously natural.

Kate may not have noticed the attention she was getting, but Tom did. He slid his chair closer to hers to denote a subtle ownership, but not so close that any welcome male attention toward himself would be deterred. Once their drink orders had been taken and delivered, Tom leaned back in his chair and gave Kate a long stare.

“So, what’s the problem, Kate?”

“I was hoping you could tell me,” Kate answered. “What was all that back there?”

“What was what?”

“You know what I’m talking about. That was the first time you met Michael and you totally froze him out.”

Tom took a long sip of his wine, and made a show of setting his glass back on the table, taking his time before answering. “I don’t like him.”

“You just met him,” Kate protested.

Tom shrugged. “It was enough to get a general impression.”

“Well, tough. You’re going to have to get used to him because he’s going to be around for a while,” Kate said, taking too big a mouthful of her own wine and choking slightly. She wasn’t used to trying to be forceful, but the false courage provided by the wine seemed to be working. It also gave her something to do with her hands.

Kate put her glass down and put her head in her hands. “Tom, what the hell are we doing?”

“About what?”

Kate gave him a hard look, unable to tell if he was being deliberately obtuse, or had no idea what sort of an impact he was having.

“We started out as one thing, and now we’re something completely different.”

“Not so different,” Tom pointed out. “We’ve always been friends, after all.”

“True,” Kate agreed, “but sex wasn’t always part of the equation.”

“It isn’t now either,” he argued.

“This is also true,” Kate said, “and look where it’s gotten us.” She took a sip of wine and tried to think. “I bet our families never saw this coming.” She remembered Jack and Gwen laughing with Tom’s father over pictures of the two of them throughout childhood.

“Are we really in that much of a mess?” Tom rested his folded arms on the table and leaned across to Kate. “Be honest.”

“Sometimes I think no,” Kate said slowly, “but today, I’d have to say a definite yes.” She gave him a wry smile to try to soften the blow. “It’s hard enough staying friends with someone you’ve got a sexual past with, let alone having the goalposts moved so comprehensively.”

“I guess,” Tom said, staring at the tabletop as he mulled over Kate’s words.

“C’mon, Tom,” Kate said in a coaxing tone, “you’ve got to admit that coming out was a bombshell for everyone involved.”

“I know it was a bombshell.” Thomas reached out to take one of her hands. “But what could I do? I had to follow my heart.”

“I know.” Kate scrubbed her face with her free hand. “It was a bombshell, all right. I think I’m still carrying some of the shrapnel.” Thomas’s worried expression deepened, and Kate sighed. “God, none of this is coming out right.”

“Coming out seems to be a recurring issue with us,” Thomas deadpanned, getting a weak laugh from Kate.

“I just …” Kate tried to speak again and stopped. “Tom, you know I love you, but things are different now.
We’re
different now.”

He stared unhappily into his glass. “I know.”

Kate reached over and covered his hand with hers. “And Michael’s different. Surely you can see that.”

“I guess,” he replied, then looked up with a challenging stare. “Do you love him?

“I, ah …” Kate was taken aback by his interrogatory tone. “I think I do.”

“And have you told him?”

“Not yet,” Kate replied, sipping at her wine. Maybe they needed to get something to eat; she could feel the wine going straight to her head.

“So you can say it to me, but not to him,” Tom said with just a hint of satisfaction.

“I wasn’t aware that it was a competition between the two of you,” Kate chided.

“Well, I was here first,” Thomas added.