Preying Eyes Chapter 10
May. 1st, 2017 11:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
asphaltcowgrrlTitle: Preying Eyes Chapter 10
Fandom: …
Pairing: Adrien Lupei/Elliot Deacon
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Adrien makes a business trip to Nashville, leaving Elliot to his own devices.
Author’s Note: Not much happens in this chapter, sorry. But they’re words, right? Besides, we get to meet Dante and I kinda like this guy.
Continued from here.
It was only a two day trip into Nashville, Adrien reminded himself. Come Thursday, he’d be back in home and sleeping in his own bed. Hopefully not alone, but that was up to Elliot more than anything. He pulled out of the drive and pointed his car towards Music City, wishing he could stay in Tucker forever.
Adrien didn’t understand why he couldn’t discuss his contract negotiations over the phone, or even Skype, especially since he was in Nashville only a few weeks ago. They should have had this meeting then. But when the company producing your records and organizing your tours wants a face to face, sometimes you had to give in. Tuning the radio to his favorite satellite radio station, Adrien relaxed and tried to enjoy the two-hour drive he had ahead of him.
Elliot hadn’t wanted him to make the trip alone. Honestly, Adrien didn’t want to make the drive by himself either. Usually, Kelley would ride shotgun, but he had other things going on that kept him from tagging along this time. He’d almost asked Bella, but Adrien knew her parents needed her at Mickey’s. He could have always asked his mother, but that would have been a disaster. Two hours trapped in a car with his mother and all of her questions about Elliot. Yeah, making the drive alone had been much more appealing.
He adored his mother, however, questions and all. She’d done everything in her power to give him a good life after his father split when Adrien was an infant. With a little help from her two brothers, Dante and Emilio, he’d had a good enough childhood, one he could look back on fondly. Adrien made a mental note to call his Uncle Dante while he was in Nashville. It had been too long since their last visit and his mother would never forgive him for not reaching out while he had the chance.
An hour into his trip, he spotted a gas station and decided it was a good time for a fill up and a snack break. Checking his phone, he found a text from Elliot.
I know you’re on the road right now, but wanted to say good morning and have a safe drive. Let me know when you arrive.
Elliot’s concern brought a smile to Adrien’s face.
I’m at the halfway point, stopping for gas, coffee, and munchies. Will let you know when I hit Nashville. Should only be about forty-five minutes or so. Mom wants a meet and greet when I get home, so prepare yourself.
Elliot’s reply was long in coming, but it made Adrien laugh out loud when it arrived.
Tell her okay, but she’d better have the proper credentials or I’m calling security.
God, his mother was going to love Elliot. Handsome, witty, and protective, what was there to not like?
I’ll make sure she’s properly vetted, detective.
Wishing Adrien another safe trip, Elliot excused himself to get back to work. Saddened by the loss of connection, he parked the car and ran inside for the biggest cup of coffee he could find and the sweetest, most unhealthy bit of breakfast he could procure. Dumping everything into the car, Adrien topped off his tank and hit the road again. As much as he’d always loved Nashville, he couldn’t wait to be on the road heading in the other direction. Back towards home and Elliot.
**
Elliot looked at his watch and sighed. It had barely been a full twenty-four hours since he’d last seen Adrian but it felt like years since their last kiss. Every time he looked at his watch or phone, Damon chuckled. It was beginning to annoy Elliot, but he kind of brought it on himself.
“He’ll be back tomorrow night, Deac,” Damon said, eyes never moving from the paper on his desk. “You’ll survive until he returns.”
He wasn’t certain of that at the moment. “Right,” Elliot said, knowing he’d been caught daydreaming again. “If you say so.”
“Sucks being in love,” Damon teased. “Where are we now?”
He was confused for a moment. “What do you mean ‘where are we’? Are we talking my relationship or what?” Because if they were talking about Adrien, he wasn’t going to confess to anything.
Damon snorted. “Sorry, I meant with the case.”
“That Jackson kid has a screw loose, but I see why Adrien doesn’t think he’s a threat. There’s always that chance he’s the stalker, but I’m thinking it’s not as probable as I once did. His mom seemed unconcerned with his behavior, too. She said he hadn’t made any unapproved late night trips lately either.”
“Wrong case,” Garces grinned. “I was talking about the double homicide we’ve been beating our heads against the wall over.”
Oh, that. “Uh, that I’m not so sure about,” he admitted. “I’ve been so worried about Adrien that it’s been hard to think about anything else. I’ve been a shitty partner, haven’t I?”
“Yup,” Damon deadpanned. “But it’s understandable in this case. If it was Karen or Chelsea, I’d be distracted, too. Now that we have that out of the way, focus, Deacon. We have dead bodies. Two of them.”
Rubbing a hand across his face, Elliot thought about the case file he’d read earlier that morning. “I think we should stop by and talk to the coroner again. There was something bugging me about the photos of the second victim, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I think if we go over them with her, it’ll shake loose.”
“Good enough place to start for me,” Garces said, rising to his feet. “C’mon, Romeo, let’s go see the coroner. It’ll keep your mind off your honey boo for a hot minute at least.”
As much as he wanted to tell his partner to fuck off and die, Elliot held his tongue because, in the end, Damon was right. Elliot needed anything he could get to distract him from the fact he had a hell of a long time before he got to see Adrien again. “Fine,” he said, drawing the word out like it hurt to say. “Let’s like work or something. Sheesh.”
The sound of Damon’s laughter filled the room.
**
Adrien dropped onto the couch and took the cup of coffee his uncle offered him. He’d had a long day of interviews and discussions with his record label, none of which had resolved a damn thing. A trip to his favorite uncle’s house was exactly what he needed. “Thank you,” Adrien said, taking a long drink of the whisky-laced drink. “I’ve had a rough few days and this really hits the spot.”
“You’ve had a rough few years,” Dante said, taking a seat in the recliner across from Adrien. “I’m shocked you didn’t hold your hand out and demand the bottle.”
That startled a laugh out of Adrien. “I’ve been tempted, believe me,” he confessed. “It’s not worth it in the end, though. Leaves me too vulnerable.” What it left him vulnerable to was left unsaid. They both knew.
“Good point,” Dante said, sipping his drink. “Your mother tells me you might have a boyfriend.
Of course she’d told her brother about Elliot, he hadn’t expected anything less. Adrien looked at his uncle and saw an older version of himself reflected back at him, the same dark hair, the same blue eyes. His mother’s genes were strong, it seemed. Very little of his father was evident in Adrien’s appearance – or so he believed. Truthfully, his father had taken off when he was a baby and Adrien had no idea what the man even looked like. But it was clear as day that Adrien held a strong resemblance to both of his uncles. “Please tell me she didn’t put you up to pumping me for information.”
Dante held his hands up, palms outward. “Not exactly,” he said, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. “She said that she was pushing for a family dinner when you got home. But she also said that any information I could get would be welcome.”
His family was awful, but predictable. “You’re not getting nothing out of me, buster,” Adrien teased. “But seriously, he’s great.” Elliot was actually more than great, he was wonderful and amazing. He told his uncle as much, unable to keep his enthusiasm to a minimum.
“You’ll have to promise to invite him to dinner the next time I’m in Tucker,” Dante said. “And speaking of Tucker, I have something I need to talk to you about.”
Adrien didn’t like the look on his uncle’s face. All his life, Dante had been the lively one, the first to crack a joke during a serious moment or to laugh when things got tense. To see him looking so grim worried Adrien. “You’re not dying from some terminal disease, are you?”
“What?” Dante spluttered out a laugh. “No, god no. Where’d you get that idea?”
He took another long draw off his Irish coffee and swallowed, allowing the whisky to hit his stomach and calm his nerves. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look quite so serious. You and mama usually leave that to Uncle Emilio.”
A half smile turned up one corner of Dante’s lips. “Ah, I didn’t mean to worry you, but this is a serious situation. Your father called me.”
Adrien felt his heart stop in his chest. His mother hadn’t heard from his father in over twenty-two years. “Why did he call you and not mama?”
“That’s a damn good question,” Dante said, rising from his seat. He held a hand out. “You need a refill?”
Adrien looked into his mug and saw the porcelain bottom staring back at him. “I don’t think I can drive if I have another.”
“Like I would make you,” Dante said, prying the mug out of Adrien’s fingers. “I have a spare room and you’re welcome to crash. Besides, you might need some reinforcements when I tell you why that asshole called.”
“Then fill ‘er up,” Adrien joked, worried at what news his uncle would have to impart. Was his father the one suffering from a fatal illness? He hadn’t ever thought to hear from his father for any reason. Why did he decide to pry his way into Adrien’s life now, precisely when everything seemed to be moving in the right direction for once?
“Sip carefully,” Dante said, handing Adrien the refilled mug of coffee and whisky. “I think I might have been a little heavy handed with the Jameson this time.”
Like he hadn’t been the first time, Adrien thought affectionately. Dante was always a bit generous with the alcohol, which is why his mother never let him pour drinks. Although he’d never admit to it in front of his mother, secretly, Adrien loved the way his uncle was so carefree in everything he did. Even if it landed Adrien with the mother of all headaches the morning after, it was always worth the risk.
“Thanks for the warning,” Adrien said, taking a careful sip of the drink. Dante hadn’t been kidding, either. He felt the slow burn of the whisky all the way into his belly. “You really outdid yourself with this round. Wow.”
“Sorry about that,” Dante said, not sounding the least bit remorseful. “But you need to steel your nerves for this shit.”
Adrien turned the mug around in his hands, wondering what could possibly be so imperative that his father would reach out after all this time. Even more curious is why the man would contact Adrien’s uncle instead of the woman he’d been involved with – Aleja. “What was so important that he called you of all people?”
Dante took a long, slow drink of his coffee. Adrien suspected that it might be more whisky than anything if the wince that followed the swallow was to be believed. “He – he said he wanted to see you, Adrien. See his damn son.” His uncle shook his head and set his mug onto the coffee table. Adrien could see the frustration and anger move through his uncle’s face. “He has some fucking nerve, if you ask me, wanting to see you when he ran out on your mother. Snuck out in the middle of the night and couldn’t even be bothered to leave a note.”
The news struck him like a sledgehammer to the chest. Adrien slumped back into the couch cushions, mind reeling and not just from the alcohol. “Wh-what did you tell him,” he finally spit out.
“I said what I figured you and your mother would expect me to. I told him he could shove his sorrys up his ass and crawl back under whatever rock he called home. We’ve done a damn good job of raising you without him, we sure as hell don’t need him now.” Dante shot a quick glance at Adrien before continuing. “You don’t want to see him, do you?”
He shook his head, unsure of what he wanted, but knowing that he’d made it this far in his life without his father present. “I don’t know, but I’m leaning towards the hell no side of this equation. Why couldn’t he stay gone?”
“Because he’s a drama queen,” Dante said, leaning forward. “And this is coming from the biggest damn queen on the planet, but the man loves attention. He must be desperate if he’s looking for you now. Give it some thought, but not too much, because he isn’t worth more than a minute or two of your time.”
“Thanks for letting me know,” Adrien said, downing the last of his coffee in a series of fast swallows. “I think I need a bed now.”
“You know where it is,” Dante said. “It’s even turned down, waiting for you.”
“You set me up,” Adrien laughed, grateful that his uncle loved him enough to sabotage his drink so he’d stay the night. “But I love you anyway.”
“I love you too, pup,” Dante said, giving Adrien a tight hug. “And to prove it, I’ll have donuts and actual coffee waiting for you when you wake up.”
As promised, a large box of donuts sat on the kitchen island when Adrien dragged his aching head out of bed the next morning. Sighing in relief, Adrien opened the box and removed his favorite – a plain old glazed.
Dante slid a mug of coffee onto the counter in front of him. “This one’s not loaded,” he joked. “Straight up caffeine, no alcohol.”
“Probably a good thing,” Adrien agreed, downing a large gulp of the steaming liquid. He shoved a bite of donut into his mouth.
“Did you do any thinking about what we talked about last night or is it too soon to ask?”
Adrien shook his head. “No, I stand with what I said before. If he calls back, tell him I’m not interested. I was lucky enough to have you and Uncle Emilio as role models. I didn’t need him then and I certainly don’t need him now.”
“Happy to hear it,” Dante said, ruffling Adrien’s sleep tousled hair. “I didn’t want to make that choice for you, but I think this is the right one.”
“I agree,” Adrien said, reaching for another donut. “Thanks for both the bed and the breakfast.”
“It’s the least I can do for my favorite nephew,” Dante said, snagging the Boston cream for himself.
“I’m your only nephew,” Adrien laughed. “You jerk.”
“What’s on your agenda for today?” Dante refilled his mug and set it on the island. “Your mother said that you were heading home this afternoon.”
“I am,” Adrien said. “Although I am officially without anything to do for a few months, there are things at home that need to be attended to before I can relax. Like my overgrown back yard. It needs mowing like crazy. But first, I have an interview with one of the local radio stations. I had planned on hitting the road shortly after. Why? You need help with something?”
“Nope,” Dante said, shaking his head. “Meet me for lunch? I promise, no more knock you on your ass coffees.”
“I can do that,” Adrien chuckled. “Noon sound good to you?”
“Perfect,” Dante said, grinning at his nephew. “Might give me just enough time to recover from last night to function properly.”
Adrien had to admit, he felt the same way.
Continues here.
Fandom: …
Pairing: Adrien Lupei/Elliot Deacon
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Adrien makes a business trip to Nashville, leaving Elliot to his own devices.
Author’s Note: Not much happens in this chapter, sorry. But they’re words, right? Besides, we get to meet Dante and I kinda like this guy.
Continued from here.
It was only a two day trip into Nashville, Adrien reminded himself. Come Thursday, he’d be back in home and sleeping in his own bed. Hopefully not alone, but that was up to Elliot more than anything. He pulled out of the drive and pointed his car towards Music City, wishing he could stay in Tucker forever.
Adrien didn’t understand why he couldn’t discuss his contract negotiations over the phone, or even Skype, especially since he was in Nashville only a few weeks ago. They should have had this meeting then. But when the company producing your records and organizing your tours wants a face to face, sometimes you had to give in. Tuning the radio to his favorite satellite radio station, Adrien relaxed and tried to enjoy the two-hour drive he had ahead of him.
Elliot hadn’t wanted him to make the trip alone. Honestly, Adrien didn’t want to make the drive by himself either. Usually, Kelley would ride shotgun, but he had other things going on that kept him from tagging along this time. He’d almost asked Bella, but Adrien knew her parents needed her at Mickey’s. He could have always asked his mother, but that would have been a disaster. Two hours trapped in a car with his mother and all of her questions about Elliot. Yeah, making the drive alone had been much more appealing.
He adored his mother, however, questions and all. She’d done everything in her power to give him a good life after his father split when Adrien was an infant. With a little help from her two brothers, Dante and Emilio, he’d had a good enough childhood, one he could look back on fondly. Adrien made a mental note to call his Uncle Dante while he was in Nashville. It had been too long since their last visit and his mother would never forgive him for not reaching out while he had the chance.
An hour into his trip, he spotted a gas station and decided it was a good time for a fill up and a snack break. Checking his phone, he found a text from Elliot.
I know you’re on the road right now, but wanted to say good morning and have a safe drive. Let me know when you arrive.
Elliot’s concern brought a smile to Adrien’s face.
I’m at the halfway point, stopping for gas, coffee, and munchies. Will let you know when I hit Nashville. Should only be about forty-five minutes or so. Mom wants a meet and greet when I get home, so prepare yourself.
Elliot’s reply was long in coming, but it made Adrien laugh out loud when it arrived.
Tell her okay, but she’d better have the proper credentials or I’m calling security.
God, his mother was going to love Elliot. Handsome, witty, and protective, what was there to not like?
I’ll make sure she’s properly vetted, detective.
Wishing Adrien another safe trip, Elliot excused himself to get back to work. Saddened by the loss of connection, he parked the car and ran inside for the biggest cup of coffee he could find and the sweetest, most unhealthy bit of breakfast he could procure. Dumping everything into the car, Adrien topped off his tank and hit the road again. As much as he’d always loved Nashville, he couldn’t wait to be on the road heading in the other direction. Back towards home and Elliot.
**
Elliot looked at his watch and sighed. It had barely been a full twenty-four hours since he’d last seen Adrian but it felt like years since their last kiss. Every time he looked at his watch or phone, Damon chuckled. It was beginning to annoy Elliot, but he kind of brought it on himself.
“He’ll be back tomorrow night, Deac,” Damon said, eyes never moving from the paper on his desk. “You’ll survive until he returns.”
He wasn’t certain of that at the moment. “Right,” Elliot said, knowing he’d been caught daydreaming again. “If you say so.”
“Sucks being in love,” Damon teased. “Where are we now?”
He was confused for a moment. “What do you mean ‘where are we’? Are we talking my relationship or what?” Because if they were talking about Adrien, he wasn’t going to confess to anything.
Damon snorted. “Sorry, I meant with the case.”
“That Jackson kid has a screw loose, but I see why Adrien doesn’t think he’s a threat. There’s always that chance he’s the stalker, but I’m thinking it’s not as probable as I once did. His mom seemed unconcerned with his behavior, too. She said he hadn’t made any unapproved late night trips lately either.”
“Wrong case,” Garces grinned. “I was talking about the double homicide we’ve been beating our heads against the wall over.”
Oh, that. “Uh, that I’m not so sure about,” he admitted. “I’ve been so worried about Adrien that it’s been hard to think about anything else. I’ve been a shitty partner, haven’t I?”
“Yup,” Damon deadpanned. “But it’s understandable in this case. If it was Karen or Chelsea, I’d be distracted, too. Now that we have that out of the way, focus, Deacon. We have dead bodies. Two of them.”
Rubbing a hand across his face, Elliot thought about the case file he’d read earlier that morning. “I think we should stop by and talk to the coroner again. There was something bugging me about the photos of the second victim, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I think if we go over them with her, it’ll shake loose.”
“Good enough place to start for me,” Garces said, rising to his feet. “C’mon, Romeo, let’s go see the coroner. It’ll keep your mind off your honey boo for a hot minute at least.”
As much as he wanted to tell his partner to fuck off and die, Elliot held his tongue because, in the end, Damon was right. Elliot needed anything he could get to distract him from the fact he had a hell of a long time before he got to see Adrien again. “Fine,” he said, drawing the word out like it hurt to say. “Let’s like work or something. Sheesh.”
The sound of Damon’s laughter filled the room.
**
Adrien dropped onto the couch and took the cup of coffee his uncle offered him. He’d had a long day of interviews and discussions with his record label, none of which had resolved a damn thing. A trip to his favorite uncle’s house was exactly what he needed. “Thank you,” Adrien said, taking a long drink of the whisky-laced drink. “I’ve had a rough few days and this really hits the spot.”
“You’ve had a rough few years,” Dante said, taking a seat in the recliner across from Adrien. “I’m shocked you didn’t hold your hand out and demand the bottle.”
That startled a laugh out of Adrien. “I’ve been tempted, believe me,” he confessed. “It’s not worth it in the end, though. Leaves me too vulnerable.” What it left him vulnerable to was left unsaid. They both knew.
“Good point,” Dante said, sipping his drink. “Your mother tells me you might have a boyfriend.
Of course she’d told her brother about Elliot, he hadn’t expected anything less. Adrien looked at his uncle and saw an older version of himself reflected back at him, the same dark hair, the same blue eyes. His mother’s genes were strong, it seemed. Very little of his father was evident in Adrien’s appearance – or so he believed. Truthfully, his father had taken off when he was a baby and Adrien had no idea what the man even looked like. But it was clear as day that Adrien held a strong resemblance to both of his uncles. “Please tell me she didn’t put you up to pumping me for information.”
Dante held his hands up, palms outward. “Not exactly,” he said, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. “She said that she was pushing for a family dinner when you got home. But she also said that any information I could get would be welcome.”
His family was awful, but predictable. “You’re not getting nothing out of me, buster,” Adrien teased. “But seriously, he’s great.” Elliot was actually more than great, he was wonderful and amazing. He told his uncle as much, unable to keep his enthusiasm to a minimum.
“You’ll have to promise to invite him to dinner the next time I’m in Tucker,” Dante said. “And speaking of Tucker, I have something I need to talk to you about.”
Adrien didn’t like the look on his uncle’s face. All his life, Dante had been the lively one, the first to crack a joke during a serious moment or to laugh when things got tense. To see him looking so grim worried Adrien. “You’re not dying from some terminal disease, are you?”
“What?” Dante spluttered out a laugh. “No, god no. Where’d you get that idea?”
He took another long draw off his Irish coffee and swallowed, allowing the whisky to hit his stomach and calm his nerves. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look quite so serious. You and mama usually leave that to Uncle Emilio.”
A half smile turned up one corner of Dante’s lips. “Ah, I didn’t mean to worry you, but this is a serious situation. Your father called me.”
Adrien felt his heart stop in his chest. His mother hadn’t heard from his father in over twenty-two years. “Why did he call you and not mama?”
“That’s a damn good question,” Dante said, rising from his seat. He held a hand out. “You need a refill?”
Adrien looked into his mug and saw the porcelain bottom staring back at him. “I don’t think I can drive if I have another.”
“Like I would make you,” Dante said, prying the mug out of Adrien’s fingers. “I have a spare room and you’re welcome to crash. Besides, you might need some reinforcements when I tell you why that asshole called.”
“Then fill ‘er up,” Adrien joked, worried at what news his uncle would have to impart. Was his father the one suffering from a fatal illness? He hadn’t ever thought to hear from his father for any reason. Why did he decide to pry his way into Adrien’s life now, precisely when everything seemed to be moving in the right direction for once?
“Sip carefully,” Dante said, handing Adrien the refilled mug of coffee and whisky. “I think I might have been a little heavy handed with the Jameson this time.”
Like he hadn’t been the first time, Adrien thought affectionately. Dante was always a bit generous with the alcohol, which is why his mother never let him pour drinks. Although he’d never admit to it in front of his mother, secretly, Adrien loved the way his uncle was so carefree in everything he did. Even if it landed Adrien with the mother of all headaches the morning after, it was always worth the risk.
“Thanks for the warning,” Adrien said, taking a careful sip of the drink. Dante hadn’t been kidding, either. He felt the slow burn of the whisky all the way into his belly. “You really outdid yourself with this round. Wow.”
“Sorry about that,” Dante said, not sounding the least bit remorseful. “But you need to steel your nerves for this shit.”
Adrien turned the mug around in his hands, wondering what could possibly be so imperative that his father would reach out after all this time. Even more curious is why the man would contact Adrien’s uncle instead of the woman he’d been involved with – Aleja. “What was so important that he called you of all people?”
Dante took a long, slow drink of his coffee. Adrien suspected that it might be more whisky than anything if the wince that followed the swallow was to be believed. “He – he said he wanted to see you, Adrien. See his damn son.” His uncle shook his head and set his mug onto the coffee table. Adrien could see the frustration and anger move through his uncle’s face. “He has some fucking nerve, if you ask me, wanting to see you when he ran out on your mother. Snuck out in the middle of the night and couldn’t even be bothered to leave a note.”
The news struck him like a sledgehammer to the chest. Adrien slumped back into the couch cushions, mind reeling and not just from the alcohol. “Wh-what did you tell him,” he finally spit out.
“I said what I figured you and your mother would expect me to. I told him he could shove his sorrys up his ass and crawl back under whatever rock he called home. We’ve done a damn good job of raising you without him, we sure as hell don’t need him now.” Dante shot a quick glance at Adrien before continuing. “You don’t want to see him, do you?”
He shook his head, unsure of what he wanted, but knowing that he’d made it this far in his life without his father present. “I don’t know, but I’m leaning towards the hell no side of this equation. Why couldn’t he stay gone?”
“Because he’s a drama queen,” Dante said, leaning forward. “And this is coming from the biggest damn queen on the planet, but the man loves attention. He must be desperate if he’s looking for you now. Give it some thought, but not too much, because he isn’t worth more than a minute or two of your time.”
“Thanks for letting me know,” Adrien said, downing the last of his coffee in a series of fast swallows. “I think I need a bed now.”
“You know where it is,” Dante said. “It’s even turned down, waiting for you.”
“You set me up,” Adrien laughed, grateful that his uncle loved him enough to sabotage his drink so he’d stay the night. “But I love you anyway.”
“I love you too, pup,” Dante said, giving Adrien a tight hug. “And to prove it, I’ll have donuts and actual coffee waiting for you when you wake up.”
As promised, a large box of donuts sat on the kitchen island when Adrien dragged his aching head out of bed the next morning. Sighing in relief, Adrien opened the box and removed his favorite – a plain old glazed.
Dante slid a mug of coffee onto the counter in front of him. “This one’s not loaded,” he joked. “Straight up caffeine, no alcohol.”
“Probably a good thing,” Adrien agreed, downing a large gulp of the steaming liquid. He shoved a bite of donut into his mouth.
“Did you do any thinking about what we talked about last night or is it too soon to ask?”
Adrien shook his head. “No, I stand with what I said before. If he calls back, tell him I’m not interested. I was lucky enough to have you and Uncle Emilio as role models. I didn’t need him then and I certainly don’t need him now.”
“Happy to hear it,” Dante said, ruffling Adrien’s sleep tousled hair. “I didn’t want to make that choice for you, but I think this is the right one.”
“I agree,” Adrien said, reaching for another donut. “Thanks for both the bed and the breakfast.”
“It’s the least I can do for my favorite nephew,” Dante said, snagging the Boston cream for himself.
“I’m your only nephew,” Adrien laughed. “You jerk.”
“What’s on your agenda for today?” Dante refilled his mug and set it on the island. “Your mother said that you were heading home this afternoon.”
“I am,” Adrien said. “Although I am officially without anything to do for a few months, there are things at home that need to be attended to before I can relax. Like my overgrown back yard. It needs mowing like crazy. But first, I have an interview with one of the local radio stations. I had planned on hitting the road shortly after. Why? You need help with something?”
“Nope,” Dante said, shaking his head. “Meet me for lunch? I promise, no more knock you on your ass coffees.”
“I can do that,” Adrien chuckled. “Noon sound good to you?”
“Perfect,” Dante said, grinning at his nephew. “Might give me just enough time to recover from last night to function properly.”
Adrien had to admit, he felt the same way.
Continues here.
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