the table, give them a show, and get it it over with. He couldn't believe how at ease he felt with these two men. Normally, he would have crawled under the rug in a situation like this—and he'd only just met them!
When they'd laughed themselves out, Cameron said, "I'm not just from around here; I'm from here. I grew up in Macon." He grasped Jay's hand and shook it firmly. "I'm Cameron, Ed's husband." Then in a steady voice, totally deadpan, he added, "And don't worry about the lack of formality. We take it as a compliment, not a come-on," sending Ed into another fit of hysterics.
"Why don't I shower and get into some real clothes before we go any further?" Jay said. "I can show you your room at the same time, and Baron can give you a run-down of where we stand. Or would you like to unpack and rest up a bit first?"
Cameron held up his hands. "No. Please stay. No more joking, I promise. Before we do anything else I want to hear about the woman who donated the house, and I want to hear from both of you."
"There's not all that much to tell," Baron said, "but as long as we're going to talk, can I get you something to drink? A beer?"
"Sweet tea would be nice. That's what they call iced tea down here, Ed. Probably too sweet for you. Ed drinks it without sugar," he explained to Baron.
"Weird."
Ed said that if it was already sweetened, he'd have a beer.
While Baron was getting their drinks, Cameron asked Jay, "Did you know her well?"
"Mrs. Enslik? No, not really. We were just neighbors and helped her out when we could. She was a sweet, lonely old lady, and not very strong."
"Please, tell me what she looked like."
"We have a photo of her. Over there, on the end table."
Cameron went over and gazed at it. "With a cat in her lap," he murmured to himself.
Jay overheard him. "She had a lot of cats."
"Really?" He sounded surprised.
"Practically a houseful. That one was her favorite—Ronnie. She lives with us now."
"Ronnie!" Cameron repeated.
Baron, returning with the beer and sweet tea, answered the surprise in his voice. "You think it strange that we have a photograph of a woman we said we hardly knew? It was kind of by coincidence. We took it for her a year or so ago. We'd ordered duplicates of the whole roll, so we kept one for ourselves. Then, when we learned what she'd done—there's no way she could've known Jay here was in a safe home once—we had it enlarged and got a frame for it. And now this ugliness. I think it would've broken her heart. This isn't going to be easy, I tell you. We have our work cut out for us."
"Do we ever!" Jay exclaimed. "That woman! She's so rude!"
"Who?" Cameron asked.
"Next door. Livia Redding—Mrs. Enslik's daughter."
"She's living there?" He sounded stunned, and turned pale.
"No, she's not allowed to," Baron said, "unless a judge decides it's hers…"
"Not gonna happen," Jay muttered.
"…but she's over there all day, every day, cleaning the place and packing it up."
"And they let her do that?" Ed asked.
"Someone has to. Might as well be her."
Cameron, who'd been so full of jokes, seemed suddenly to have lost all his composure. He turned to his husband and said, his voice shaking, "We can't stay here, Ed. Let's get a hotel."
"But why?" Baron asked him. "You're more than welcome to stay with us."
Cameron took a deep breath. "Let's sit down," he said, and he told them his story.
* * * *
"Wow," Jay said after they'd heard him out.
Baron echoed his sentiments. "Incredible. Absolutely incredible. This'll make a ton of difference. It changes everything. I'd better call Magda and make an appointment for before we go to Marker's office."
"Magda?" Ed asked.
"Our lawyer—she's driving down from Atlanta. And Marker, Cameron, he's your mother's attorney. Evan Marker, the one who drew up the will. I've set something up for late morning the day after tomorrow."
"Now you understand why I don't want to be next door to her," Cameron said. "If she has a change of heart, we'll come
When they'd laughed themselves out, Cameron said, "I'm not just from around here; I'm from here. I grew up in Macon." He grasped Jay's hand and shook it firmly. "I'm Cameron, Ed's husband." Then in a steady voice, totally deadpan, he added, "And don't worry about the lack of formality. We take it as a compliment, not a come-on," sending Ed into another fit of hysterics.
"Why don't I shower and get into some real clothes before we go any further?" Jay said. "I can show you your room at the same time, and Baron can give you a run-down of where we stand. Or would you like to unpack and rest up a bit first?"
Cameron held up his hands. "No. Please stay. No more joking, I promise. Before we do anything else I want to hear about the woman who donated the house, and I want to hear from both of you."
"There's not all that much to tell," Baron said, "but as long as we're going to talk, can I get you something to drink? A beer?"
"Sweet tea would be nice. That's what they call iced tea down here, Ed. Probably too sweet for you. Ed drinks it without sugar," he explained to Baron.
"Weird."
Ed said that if it was already sweetened, he'd have a beer.
While Baron was getting their drinks, Cameron asked Jay, "Did you know her well?"
"Mrs. Enslik? No, not really. We were just neighbors and helped her out when we could. She was a sweet, lonely old lady, and not very strong."
"Please, tell me what she looked like."
"We have a photo of her. Over there, on the end table."
Cameron went over and gazed at it. "With a cat in her lap," he murmured to himself.
Jay overheard him. "She had a lot of cats."
"Really?" He sounded surprised.
"Practically a houseful. That one was her favorite—Ronnie. She lives with us now."
"Ronnie!" Cameron repeated.
Baron, returning with the beer and sweet tea, answered the surprise in his voice. "You think it strange that we have a photograph of a woman we said we hardly knew? It was kind of by coincidence. We took it for her a year or so ago. We'd ordered duplicates of the whole roll, so we kept one for ourselves. Then, when we learned what she'd done—there's no way she could've known Jay here was in a safe home once—we had it enlarged and got a frame for it. And now this ugliness. I think it would've broken her heart. This isn't going to be easy, I tell you. We have our work cut out for us."
"Do we ever!" Jay exclaimed. "That woman! She's so rude!"
"Who?" Cameron asked.
"Next door. Livia Redding—Mrs. Enslik's daughter."
"She's living there?" He sounded stunned, and turned pale.
"No, she's not allowed to," Baron said, "unless a judge decides it's hers…"
"Not gonna happen," Jay muttered.
"…but she's over there all day, every day, cleaning the place and packing it up."
"And they let her do that?" Ed asked.
"Someone has to. Might as well be her."
Cameron, who'd been so full of jokes, seemed suddenly to have lost all his composure. He turned to his husband and said, his voice shaking, "We can't stay here, Ed. Let's get a hotel."
"But why?" Baron asked him. "You're more than welcome to stay with us."
Cameron took a deep breath. "Let's sit down," he said, and he told them his story.
* * * *
"Wow," Jay said after they'd heard him out.
Baron echoed his sentiments. "Incredible. Absolutely incredible. This'll make a ton of difference. It changes everything. I'd better call Magda and make an appointment for before we go to Marker's office."
"Magda?" Ed asked.
"Our lawyer—she's driving down from Atlanta. And Marker, Cameron, he's your mother's attorney. Evan Marker, the one who drew up the will. I've set something up for late morning the day after tomorrow."
"Now you understand why I don't want to be next door to her," Cameron said. "If she has a change of heart, we'll come
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