Worth, however, was mine. I didn’t need to share him with anyone and most of all, not Mother. I didn’t doubt that his own family would pull at him from time to time, but as far as I could see up to this point, he didn’t allow much of that to happen.
We chose a canister set, white with multi-color flowers circling them. The woman was kind enough to pack them up in a box and Worth stored them in the car. He said we would rent a storage locker near our new home and begin to accumulate things we loved there. With that purpose in mind, we bought a padlock with two keys, one for us each. It was these simple things that really made me happy.
There were some saddle bred farms in the area and we drove by and even stopped alongside the road to watch the horses running in their pasture. We talked about the horses I would buy and the Steeplechase I wanted to build. I planned to study all the well-known courses in the meantime so that I would have a world-class field. I dreamed of hosting my own events in the future, and Worth said we should take the time to sketch out our farm on paper so we could make the plans to better scale.
To this end, we found a café in town armed with a sketchpad we bought at the art store next to it. We spread our sketching materials across a four-person table and prepared to set to work. I loved the idea of planning my future with Worth. He was brilliant, although he sometimes hid it well.
Worth got up to get us drinks and sandwiches. I’d spied the chicken salad on croissant when we walked in and that’s what I ordered with a serving of fresh fruit. I ordered a raspberry iced tea to which Worth rolled his eyes and I had to laugh.
I was using the ruler to proportionately measure out the lay of our land when a voice came up from my side.
“Well, look who’s here,” said Brandon, grinning widely.
“Brandon!” I was so surprised my voice was louder than I meant it to be.
“Auggie, imagine finding you here in this little café. Don’t you generally head toward the big city when you’re getting out?”
I just smiled. Internally, I was grasping for something redeemable to say.
“Mind if I join you?” Brandon slid off his light leather jacket and hung it over the back of one of the chairs. It set off his eyes which were now sparkling with innuendo and hope.
My eyes flared in alarm. “Brandon, nice to see you. Actually, I’m waiting for someone.” I knew I didn’t want to alienate him since he held the key to everything I wanted to accomplish at Sunset Village. Even so, I couldn’t very well explain all the drawings and of course, Worth, without some indication of what was going on.
A shadow crept up behind me and I turned my head enough to see Worth had returned and was holding a large tray with our food. I leapt to my feet. “Oh, here, let me help you,” I said, removing the drinks first to lessen the danger of them spilling. We sorted the food and Worth looked to Brandon.
“Worth, this is my friend, Brandon. You remember, we went to school together and he generously offered to help with the project at Sunset Village.”
Worth stuck out his hand in acknowledgment, “Brandon.”
Brandon’s face fell as he realized that he not only was imposing, but that he was face to face with the man I was interested in — the reason I hadn’t accepted his flirting. Brandon slowly reached out to take Worth’s hand and gave it a weak and brief shake. “Well, I can see I’m interrupting,” he began and I felt the pressure of my rejection pressing upon him.
“Of course you can join us,” I said quickly and gave Worth a look that begged him to play along. “As a matter of fact, it’s perfect timing. We were just sketching out the lay of the land with Sunset Village so I could pencil in where and what I wanted to build.”
“Oh… well, in that case, perhaps it is good timing because I planned to call you on Monday about that anyway.” He looked to Worth and I could see the veins in Worth’s neck pulsing as he forced a smile and offered Brandon a seat with a brief sweep of his hand.
“Can I get you something to eat?” Worth went so far to offer.
“A coffee would be great,” Brandon answered and I knew Worth was cringing inside and that Brandon had just moved a chess piece to endanger Worth’s queen.
Worth nodded, stood and moved off to get the coffee, but as he stood at the counter, he never took his eyes off us.
I hurriedly completed the squares I was drawing, trying to imitate the land of Sunset Village. Then I drew a rectangle in the center to represent the building itself.
“Let’s wait for Worth to come back,” I said.
“Who is he to you?” Brandon asked.
I had put myself in a trap and was squirming at that moment, trying to figure out how to free myself. I chose subterfuge.
“Worth’s family is friendly with my family; they go way back.”
I felt Worth standing next to me and looked up to see a completely bewildered look upon his face. I knew I was going to hear about this later. For now, I mustered on as best as I could.
“So,” I went on, “did you have news, Brandon?”
Brandon looked from Worth to me and hesitated. I nodded to him to go on and he finally began to talk. “I checked in with the facility administrator and it seems that they aren’t part of a chain, which is the good news. That means you don’t need to get approval any higher than the owner of that particular home, and you won’t need to ‘spread around the wealth,’ so to speak. What’s not as good news is that the facility is barely breaking even right now. They have grave concerns about the construction noises disturbing the residents and the maintenance of all that you’re planning to add on. So, they need some sort of guarantee that this won’t interrupt their day-to-day routine and environment, as well as a provision for the upkeep and maintenance for the additions. They barely have staff to keep what they have going.”
“Yes, I noticed that when I was there,” I said. “So, they’re not saying ‘no.’ They just need better planning and follow-through. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Pretty much,” Brandon answered and I looked to Worth whose face was dark, the muscle in his jaw still twitching. At the same time, Brandon was clearly enjoying himself. He loved the role of hero. “Don’t worry, Auggie,” he continued. “I’ve got you covered. I’m drawing up the papers to form the charity foundation and then will apply for tax-exempt status. We’ll make sure it’s well-funded before we turn over the first shovel of sod and will figure out something to keep the residents from being disturbed. Anyway, winter is coming soon, so there’s nothing that can be done for at least the next five months or so with regard to construction. I suggest you use that time to begin your fundraising. After all, people are looking for tax deductions this time of year. I think you said your dad was going to help get you started?”
I nodded and smiled. “Dad’s a good egg.”