Read Online Coming Home- Rock Bay 1 by M. J. O’Shea - Free Book Online
Authors: M. J. O’Shea
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I’ll see you Sunday morning.”
Tally untied his apron and gave Lex another one of those killer shy smiles. “Night, Lex. I’ll see you Sunday.”
T
ALLY couldn’t keep from smiling. The entire morning as he did his laundry, straightened up his grandma’s kitchen, and started a pot of soup for dinner, he’d break into these silly smiles when he was least expecting them. He understood. He finally got why Lex had been acting so squirrelly all week, holding Tally at arm’s length and being what could only be called a jerk.
He’s attracted to me. There it was again. That grin Tally couldn’t control. The only problem was that it was pretty obvious Lex didn’t want to be attracted to him. Maybe because of what he’d heard, maybe because Tally worked for him… maybe because he thought Tally was straight. Tally stopped still in his chopping and tried to remember any single moment where he may have told Lex that he was gay too. There wasn’t one. Tally knew he couldn’t rule that out as Lex’s reason for not wanting to like him unless it was eliminated.
Hmmmm… now to come up with the perfect way to tell him. Tally went back to chopping potatoes for the soup, trying to decide how he was going to let it slip to Lex that he’d been dreaming of sex with boys since the day he figured out he wanted sex at all… and how more than anything he wanted it with Lex. His boss. And from what he could tell, Lex wanted him too. Tally made a face into the pile of potatoes on the cutting board. Only problem was going to be getting him to admit it.
Tally had a pleasant and peaceful dinner with his grandmother, potato soup and rolls with butter. Dessert was some store-bought cheesecake served with tea. She’d been surprised that he could cook, but he’d been taking care of himself since he was eighteen and hadn’t been able to afford daily takeout for nearly that long. Cooking had come to him slowly but was a necessary skill.
After dinner, things got a bit hairy—in only the way they can when one is living with an opinionated and nosey grandmother.
“Tallis, have you spoken with your mother lately?”
He sighed and stood, preferring to wash the dinner dishes rather than be grilled about the woman who deserted him.
“No, Grandma. You know she’d rather pretend that I don’t exist.”
“Because you’re gay?”
Tally shrugged. He’d been avoiding this conversation for nearly fifteen years. “Yes. I guess it was just one too many scandals for her… not that my sexuality was one, but the potential was there. Plus, I think she sees too much of dad in me. She calls him the ‘nineteen year long mistake’ that she wants to forget.”
His grandmother looked annoyed. “If I hadn’t pushed her out myself, I’d wonder if that woman was really my child. To turn on her own son—”
“I wasn’t the greatest kid back then, Grandma. And Troy didn’t want a sullen, gay eighteen-year-old around to interfere with his new relationship.”
Troy was his mother’s second husband. He was money with a capital “M” and had joined Tally’s mother in the ardent wish that Tally wouldn’t stay and ruin their perfect Pottery-Barn-catalog life. Grandma rolled her eyes at the mention of his name. Tally had the feeling that she didn’t have anything positive to say about him. He couldn’t agree more. Probably best not to say anything at all.
“And your father? Are we going to talk about him?”
Tally groaned. “Do we have to?”
“I think so. He hurt you.”
“Grandma, he’s dead. The man made some huge mistakes, but he’s gone. Can’t we leave it alone?”
Tally’s grandma took a long drink from her tea, then nodded. “Yes, for now. But I think you need to talk about it. Have you ever?”
Tally shook his head. “I never knew anyone well enough to lay the whole sordid tale on them.”
His grandmother gave him a rare gentle look and reached over to cup his chin in her palm. “I’m sorry for that, boy.”
“It’s okay,
Tally untied his apron and gave Lex another one of those killer shy smiles. “Night, Lex. I’ll see you Sunday.”
T
ALLY couldn’t keep from smiling. The entire morning as he did his laundry, straightened up his grandma’s kitchen, and started a pot of soup for dinner, he’d break into these silly smiles when he was least expecting them. He understood. He finally got why Lex had been acting so squirrelly all week, holding Tally at arm’s length and being what could only be called a jerk.
He’s attracted to me. There it was again. That grin Tally couldn’t control. The only problem was that it was pretty obvious Lex didn’t want to be attracted to him. Maybe because of what he’d heard, maybe because Tally worked for him… maybe because he thought Tally was straight. Tally stopped still in his chopping and tried to remember any single moment where he may have told Lex that he was gay too. There wasn’t one. Tally knew he couldn’t rule that out as Lex’s reason for not wanting to like him unless it was eliminated.
Hmmmm… now to come up with the perfect way to tell him. Tally went back to chopping potatoes for the soup, trying to decide how he was going to let it slip to Lex that he’d been dreaming of sex with boys since the day he figured out he wanted sex at all… and how more than anything he wanted it with Lex. His boss. And from what he could tell, Lex wanted him too. Tally made a face into the pile of potatoes on the cutting board. Only problem was going to be getting him to admit it.
Tally had a pleasant and peaceful dinner with his grandmother, potato soup and rolls with butter. Dessert was some store-bought cheesecake served with tea. She’d been surprised that he could cook, but he’d been taking care of himself since he was eighteen and hadn’t been able to afford daily takeout for nearly that long. Cooking had come to him slowly but was a necessary skill.
After dinner, things got a bit hairy—in only the way they can when one is living with an opinionated and nosey grandmother.
“Tallis, have you spoken with your mother lately?”
He sighed and stood, preferring to wash the dinner dishes rather than be grilled about the woman who deserted him.
“No, Grandma. You know she’d rather pretend that I don’t exist.”
“Because you’re gay?”
Tally shrugged. He’d been avoiding this conversation for nearly fifteen years. “Yes. I guess it was just one too many scandals for her… not that my sexuality was one, but the potential was there. Plus, I think she sees too much of dad in me. She calls him the ‘nineteen year long mistake’ that she wants to forget.”
His grandmother looked annoyed. “If I hadn’t pushed her out myself, I’d wonder if that woman was really my child. To turn on her own son—”
“I wasn’t the greatest kid back then, Grandma. And Troy didn’t want a sullen, gay eighteen-year-old around to interfere with his new relationship.”
Troy was his mother’s second husband. He was money with a capital “M” and had joined Tally’s mother in the ardent wish that Tally wouldn’t stay and ruin their perfect Pottery-Barn-catalog life. Grandma rolled her eyes at the mention of his name. Tally had the feeling that she didn’t have anything positive to say about him. He couldn’t agree more. Probably best not to say anything at all.
“And your father? Are we going to talk about him?”
Tally groaned. “Do we have to?”
“I think so. He hurt you.”
“Grandma, he’s dead. The man made some huge mistakes, but he’s gone. Can’t we leave it alone?”
Tally’s grandma took a long drink from her tea, then nodded. “Yes, for now. But I think you need to talk about it. Have you ever?”
Tally shook his head. “I never knew anyone well enough to lay the whole sordid tale on them.”
His grandmother gave him a rare gentle look and reached over to cup his chin in her palm. “I’m sorry for that, boy.”
“It’s okay,
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