"Ready?" Rick asked Joe the next morning as he exited his bedroom and met up with Joe in the hallway.
Joe nodded. "As I will ever be," he replied after taking a breath. He was nervous about going to work because of his and Rick's new living arrangements. While no one had said anything since Rick had promised he would take care of the gossip mill, Joe couldn't help but feel that his moving in with Rick was only stoking a fire that would one day become unmanageable.
The two breakfasted and then rode to work together. Their arrival did not go unnoticed. "Good morning," Lani greeted the two as they joined him on the elevator inside.
"Hello, Lani," Rick replied with a contagious smile. He had been on cloud nine since Joe had agreed to move in with him and he couldn't help but show it.
"Hi," Joe said, smiling at the man who had been hired to assist him in the photography department.
"I finished the layout as you requested," Lani said, looking at Joe. "And you were right. The golf course did look better where you wanted the shots put. The flow of the brochure runs a lot smoother this way."
"Good," Joe said, pleased.
"Can I see it?" inquired Rick.
"After I do," Joe promised. "I'll bring it to your office in a bit."
The elevator stopped and Joe and Lani got off while Rick continued up the next two floors. "So, anything I should know about?" Lani asked curiously.
"No," answered Joe, ignoring the speculative look in Lani's eyes.
The two reviewed the layout then Joe went upstairs to see Rick. "Very good," Rick congratulated Joe. "Well done."
"Lani did really well," Joe agreed.
"So did you," Rick congratulated him. "Your first project is a huge success."
Joe smiled. "Thanks," he said. "For everything."
"Shh," Rick said. "You don't have to keep thanking me. Just do your best and that will be all the thanks I need."
"But my best isn't always so good," Joe replied before he could stop himself.
"What do you mean by that?" demanded Rick, narrowing his eyes.
Joe shook his head. "Sorry. I didn't mean to say that."
"But you did," Rick countered. "And I want to know what you meant by it."
"It's nothing," Joe said. "Not anymore."
"Your family," Rick stated grimly. He would never have thought it possible but he was growing to hate Joe's family even more than he already did. Joe shrugged his shoulders. "Forget about them," Rick continued softly, moving close to Joe and putting a hand on his shoulder. "They don't sound all that bright to me."
Joe laughed. "Frank is a borderline genius," he said.
"And your folks thought that you should be one too," Rick guessed. Joe looked down at his shoes without answering and Rick knew he had guessed right. "Geniuses are generally self-centered bores," Rick said. "And those that aren't still think they know more than anyone else about everything."
"Frank wasn't like that," denied Joe.
Rick chose his words carefully, aware Joe still had feelings for the family who had emotionally abused and deserted him. "Maybe not," he said. "But you try hard and you are no slacker. You're smart and hard working and honest. You give your all to whatever you do and, in my opinion, that makes you better than someone who can understand Pythagorean's Theory without even trying."
Joe leaned over and startled Rick by giving him a quick kiss on his lips. "Thanks," he said. "You really are good for my ego."
"Just stating the facts," Rick returned with a pleased look on his face.
"I had better get back," Joe said. "Lani is already curious about why we arrived together." Rick shot Joe a look that told him exactly what he could tell Lani. Joe grinned. "I'll see you later."
"Lunch," Rick said. "We'll check out the new cafe around the corner."
"Can't," Joe declined with a note of regret in his voice. "Lani, Sally and I are going to the resort for more pictures. Doug thought we should have some shots for a televised ad."
Rick scrunched up his nose at the plan but sighed and gave Joe a smile. "We'll go there for dinner then."
"Sounds good," agreed Joe. "See you later," he added as he left the room with the layout tucked firmly under his arm.
"Joe, someone is here to see you," Pat said when Joe got back downstairs. "He's waiting in your office."
Joe gave the layout to Lani and went into his office. He opened the door and went inside, not closing the door behind him. "Hello," he said to the back of a head.
The lone occupant stood up and turned around to face Joe. "What are you doing here?" Joe asked, trying to keep his tone formal.
"We have to talk," Frank said.
"I think everything has been said," Joe stated. "Please leave."
"No," refused Frank. "You have to let me explain."
"What is there to explain?" asked Joe. "You wanted to be an only child. You are one. Go away."
"I don't want to be an only child," Frank retorted in an exasperated tone. "I never did. What I said didn't come out right. I only wanted to not have to get you out of trouble all of the time. That is, I wanted you not to get into trouble. I love you and I don't want anything happening to you."
"And that's why you got everyone to ignore me," Joe said with a sick smile. "I see. By locking me out of my own home I was being the non-troublesome brother you wanted."
"NO!" Frank practically screamed in frustration. "Joe, please, can we just sit down and talk?"
"I think you have said all that needs to be said," came a deep voice from the doorway behind Joe.
Joe gave an inaudible sigh of relief. Rick entered and walked up to Joe who stepped closer to him. He felt safe with Rick. Joe looked up into Rick's face questioningly.
"Lani let me know that there was someone here whom you had asked to leave but refused," Rick explained, smiling down into Joe's troubled blue eyes briefly before turning a hard glare on Frank. "Are you going to leave willingly?"
"Not without my brother," Frank declared, refusing to be intimidated.
"You gave up that right when you changed the locks on the door so he could not get in," Rick snarled, unaware two security guards and Lani had entered the office behind him. "You will leave the premises and if you are caught on any property owned by myself you will be arrested for trespassing."
"I'm not leaving without Joe and you can't make me," Frank stated.
"Watch me," Rick hissed, gently pushing Joe aside and taking a step forward.
Joe nodded. "As I will ever be," he replied after taking a breath. He was nervous about going to work because of his and Rick's new living arrangements. While no one had said anything since Rick had promised he would take care of the gossip mill, Joe couldn't help but feel that his moving in with Rick was only stoking a fire that would one day become unmanageable.
The two breakfasted and then rode to work together. Their arrival did not go unnoticed. "Good morning," Lani greeted the two as they joined him on the elevator inside.
"Hello, Lani," Rick replied with a contagious smile. He had been on cloud nine since Joe had agreed to move in with him and he couldn't help but show it.
"Hi," Joe said, smiling at the man who had been hired to assist him in the photography department.
"I finished the layout as you requested," Lani said, looking at Joe. "And you were right. The golf course did look better where you wanted the shots put. The flow of the brochure runs a lot smoother this way."
"Good," Joe said, pleased.
"Can I see it?" inquired Rick.
"After I do," Joe promised. "I'll bring it to your office in a bit."
The elevator stopped and Joe and Lani got off while Rick continued up the next two floors. "So, anything I should know about?" Lani asked curiously.
"No," answered Joe, ignoring the speculative look in Lani's eyes.
The two reviewed the layout then Joe went upstairs to see Rick. "Very good," Rick congratulated Joe. "Well done."
"Lani did really well," Joe agreed.
"So did you," Rick congratulated him. "Your first project is a huge success."
Joe smiled. "Thanks," he said. "For everything."
"Shh," Rick said. "You don't have to keep thanking me. Just do your best and that will be all the thanks I need."
"But my best isn't always so good," Joe replied before he could stop himself.
"What do you mean by that?" demanded Rick, narrowing his eyes.
Joe shook his head. "Sorry. I didn't mean to say that."
"But you did," Rick countered. "And I want to know what you meant by it."
"It's nothing," Joe said. "Not anymore."
"Your family," Rick stated grimly. He would never have thought it possible but he was growing to hate Joe's family even more than he already did. Joe shrugged his shoulders. "Forget about them," Rick continued softly, moving close to Joe and putting a hand on his shoulder. "They don't sound all that bright to me."
Joe laughed. "Frank is a borderline genius," he said.
"And your folks thought that you should be one too," Rick guessed. Joe looked down at his shoes without answering and Rick knew he had guessed right. "Geniuses are generally self-centered bores," Rick said. "And those that aren't still think they know more than anyone else about everything."
"Frank wasn't like that," denied Joe.
Rick chose his words carefully, aware Joe still had feelings for the family who had emotionally abused and deserted him. "Maybe not," he said. "But you try hard and you are no slacker. You're smart and hard working and honest. You give your all to whatever you do and, in my opinion, that makes you better than someone who can understand Pythagorean's Theory without even trying."
Joe leaned over and startled Rick by giving him a quick kiss on his lips. "Thanks," he said. "You really are good for my ego."
"Just stating the facts," Rick returned with a pleased look on his face.
"I had better get back," Joe said. "Lani is already curious about why we arrived together." Rick shot Joe a look that told him exactly what he could tell Lani. Joe grinned. "I'll see you later."
"Lunch," Rick said. "We'll check out the new cafe around the corner."
"Can't," Joe declined with a note of regret in his voice. "Lani, Sally and I are going to the resort for more pictures. Doug thought we should have some shots for a televised ad."
Rick scrunched up his nose at the plan but sighed and gave Joe a smile. "We'll go there for dinner then."
"Sounds good," agreed Joe. "See you later," he added as he left the room with the layout tucked firmly under his arm.
"Joe, someone is here to see you," Pat said when Joe got back downstairs. "He's waiting in your office."
Joe gave the layout to Lani and went into his office. He opened the door and went inside, not closing the door behind him. "Hello," he said to the back of a head.
The lone occupant stood up and turned around to face Joe. "What are you doing here?" Joe asked, trying to keep his tone formal.
"We have to talk," Frank said.
"I think everything has been said," Joe stated. "Please leave."
"No," refused Frank. "You have to let me explain."
"What is there to explain?" asked Joe. "You wanted to be an only child. You are one. Go away."
"I don't want to be an only child," Frank retorted in an exasperated tone. "I never did. What I said didn't come out right. I only wanted to not have to get you out of trouble all of the time. That is, I wanted you not to get into trouble. I love you and I don't want anything happening to you."
"And that's why you got everyone to ignore me," Joe said with a sick smile. "I see. By locking me out of my own home I was being the non-troublesome brother you wanted."
"NO!" Frank practically screamed in frustration. "Joe, please, can we just sit down and talk?"
"I think you have said all that needs to be said," came a deep voice from the doorway behind Joe.
Joe gave an inaudible sigh of relief. Rick entered and walked up to Joe who stepped closer to him. He felt safe with Rick. Joe looked up into Rick's face questioningly.
"Lani let me know that there was someone here whom you had asked to leave but refused," Rick explained, smiling down into Joe's troubled blue eyes briefly before turning a hard glare on Frank. "Are you going to leave willingly?"
"Not without my brother," Frank declared, refusing to be intimidated.
"You gave up that right when you changed the locks on the door so he could not get in," Rick snarled, unaware two security guards and Lani had entered the office behind him. "You will leave the premises and if you are caught on any property owned by myself you will be arrested for trespassing."
"I'm not leaving without Joe and you can't make me," Frank stated.
"Watch me," Rick hissed, gently pushing Joe aside and taking a step forward.