The Merry, Merry Month of May: Part VII

Both Nick and Jeff's ears perked up at that one. They looked at each other, then turned their attention back to Grace. There was silence, eventually broken when Nick spoke up. "He had a problem in the city, though? That was what you said…"

"Oh, yes. He found himself up against quite a formidable issue here, trust me. On paper, the deal that he did was quite a good one, back in the days before the credit crunch, when money was flowing freely like water. It was a time when the mantra of knock it down and rebuild higher seemed to dominate on this small island. The plan was to clear the site, build a 20 storey block of condominiums, and from a small plot of land get a huge return. It would have completely changed the character of the neighbourhood in the process, but that was not his concern. As for the city councillors, well, they could have been bought…"

"So he has left me a large block of condos?" asked Jeff, in slight shock at the prospect.

"No. He might have had the permissions; he might have had the finance; but what he hadn't reckoned on was being at the mercy of a small, feisty group of, to be blunt, little old ladies…"

"He was at the mercy of what?" said Nick and Jeff together - and then they burst out laughing at the fact that they had just spoken in total unison.

Grace smiled, and then continued. "The West Village Ladies of the Arts to be precise. Now had this been just another community group opposed to his plans, he would have found it quite easy to destroy them in court. They were not. They were a small footnote that he, or his lawyer, had overlooked in the paperwork in their haste to snap up what seemed to be the steal of the decade. Five period townhouses in the West Village with gardens to the rear - the fact that they could acquire them for so little money would have set alarm bells ringing for anyone with a bit of common sense. The five properties were on sale, but on the condition that they were restored to a high standard to their original condition, and that the ladies that owned them were allowed to continue living there for the remainder of their lives. No part of that row of houses could be altered or demolished as long as one of those sweet old ladies, all of whom had been, as you might have guessed, artists or in an associated field, was still alive. The last of them only passed away two days before your mother received the will. Gordon had obviously thought he would outlive them; instead, he lost, and died still feeling devastated that he had lost out and been beaten by what he referred to as a group of old broads…"

"Do you know, that fact makes me so very happy" said Jeff, smiling broadly for the first time since they subject had been broached. "I wouldn't have put it past him though not to have tried to speed them on their way…"

"He probably would have done, had it not been for the fact that the ladies had good contacts with the press. One of them had been the much loved and revered secretary to the editor of the Arts section of the Times, and so the journalists at that institution always were willing to lend an ear to anything that she told them. So he couldn't use any of the usual tricks, like cutting off the gas or the water. He was legally obligated to pay for all and any repairs, so he couldn't just let the buildings rot and fall down. It was a millstone round his neck for so long, and I guess that he celebrated a little when it got down to just one of them being left… It was a pity that the lady in question was a highly celebrated artist; an alumnus of your school, I believe, Jeff…"

"Oh, my, I think I know who you are talking about," he responded. "There was a display of her work in the lobby in January, after she had passed away. I have to say that I was impressed, and if I could ever reach her standards…"

"You already have, Mr Top of the School," said Nick, putting an arm around his husband's shoulders. "So, what you are saying is that Jeff has been left five townhouses, in excellent order, in the West Village. That's right, isn't it?"

"Exactly. Five in a row, a stone's throw from Christopher Street, an easy walk to Union Square, and the local subway station is on the 1, 2, 3 and L trains." Grace paused and saw the look on her brother's face. That last little part about the subway had been the clincher for him she thought to herself; telling him that the subway would take them straight up to Columbia had been the push he needed to see that this would be their dream chance, the opportunity to get the home of their dreams in an idyllic neighbourhood. Convincing Jeff of that would be another story; his face had lost his smile again, and was impassive. He still detested the idea of accepting anything form his natural father, and she couldn't blame him for that. She would be the same in his shoes. For Jeff though she still had one final ace up her sleeve, and hopefully, when she produced it, her brother would help her convince Jeff to take the chance.

"There are a few other little bits of property; an apartment in Harvard, where he had hopes of one day sending Hunter, I guess; a house in the Georgetown area of Washington DC; a couple of vineyards in California… That is essentially it, and thanks to a combination of my very convincing arguments and a highly sympathetic judge, we won. Everything can now come to the eldest son that any other father would have rightly been more than proud of."

"Which is all well and good," said Jeff. "I am grateful to you for all of your efforts, Grace, but apart from the land for my aunts, I don't want any of it."

Grace nodded, but couldn't help but notice how crestfallen Nick looked at that moment. He had promised to support his husband's choice, and he would, but he looked like a kid that had just had their ice cream snatched away. "Fair enough, but before you put that in writing, I would ask that you do one thing for me, and that is take a taxi with me to the West Village." She stopped, and produced a bunch of keys from her purse. "At least come and take a look at the property deal that backfired and drove him mad. Humour me on this, brother-in-law, and then we will sort out the paperwork in whatever way you wish. After all, you having nothing to lose by doing so but time…"

Jeff sighed, knowing that he had no choice but to go along with what she had just suggested; she had asked them after all on their arrival whether they had any plans for the rest of the day, and he had blithely answered for both of them and told her that they had a free day. He knew now that he had been played.

"It couldn't do us any harm, Jeffie," said Nick. "We can go and keep Grace happy, and then we can take a stroll down to Greenwich Village before we head home. It's a nice day for a walk, and this way, we get a free ride over to the west side. On the plus side, I heard that there is a new cookie place just opened…"

Grace laughed, and Jeff joined in, although he didn't resent the implication from his husband that he could be persuaded to do something that he wasn't keen on simply by offering him cookies, even if it was true… "Very well, we will go with you - but my opinion has not altered in the slightest. I still want nothing to do with my father's money, except for the land for my aunts. Now, if you two plotters will excuse me, I would like to go and freshen up before we leave." Jeff got up and left the table, heading to the bathroom to wash his hands, and wipe his face.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Nick turned and spoke to his sister in hushed tones. "I can't believe this Grace! Gordon Clarington was such a stereotypical dictator; rich and evil. I can't believe he didn't realise the slip up he had made with the wording. If Jeff did accept this, he would be richer than anyone else that I know, and I think that would scare him; wealth has always sat quite badly with Jeff. The thing is, he can't really pick and choose what he accepts, can he?"

"No, not really, worse luck," Grace admitted in a whisper. "He wants the land for his aunts, but to get that, he will have to accept the entire estate. If he does that, and then decides to sell it, he would find himself liable for tax, unless he donates the property to a charity first and then allows them to sell it. The whole thing with probate law is so complicated! What makes it worse here is that I have actually visited the beach house and the townhouses. Nick, you once told me that your dream, and Jeff's, was to one day be able to afford a nice period place in the city. The way that property prices are going, this might be your best and only chance of realising that dream, trust me. The only reason that I am taking you to see them is in the hope that he falls in love with something that I discovered; I know already that you will love the place…" Grace stopped abruptly as she heard Jeff's footsteps approach, and Nick quickly changed the subject to Cooper and his new role, the perfect topic to remove suspicion that they had been discussing the will and his husband.

Grace kept the topic of Cooper open as they headed across town in the taxi she had called. She was grateful that she had finally been able to come clean about the subject of her boyfriend's new part, having had to keep quiet about for so long after the night that Cooper had finally said yes to his new director. "He had such doubts about his ability to carry off the part, and Blaine had to come and sit him down and give him a long pep talk on the subject. It took a while, but finally, we got Cooper in the headspace to say he'd do it. He had been asked to go and shadow the current cast in the West End for a week, although they are paying for two weeks' hotel accommodation and flights for the two of us. We will be jetting off in a couple of weeks; I'm just sorry I couldn't mention it sooner."

"You'll love London!" exclaimed Jeff, and he began to recount all the things that he and Nick had done there two years ago when they were still just an engaged couple.

It was only as they finally neared their destination that Grace changed the subject once again. "So how are Luke and Duncan getting on in their search for a new place? And Seth obviously? I know that Elliott is searching for somewhere new too…"

"They're not having an easy time, any of them," said Nick. "The same goes for the three guys from the Warblers that are moving here from Ohio this year. Everyone is talking about Jersey City, which is ok I guess, but if you're moving to New York you actually want to live in New York, not in New Jersey. It just isn't the same on the other side of the Hudson. We will probably be moving ourselves soon so we can avoid the worst of the 'L' Train debacle. We've been looking at places in the Bronx…"

"The Bronx! You and I know that it isn't that bad these days, but even saying that name will cause mom to have a fit!"

"It's the only place that we can realistically afford," sighed Nick. "Gentrification is all very well and good, but it does have a lot to answer for!"

At that point the taxi came to a halt. They got out, and as Grace sorted out payment with the driver, Nick and Jeff stood on the sidewalk and looked around. The street was fairly quiet, and at least on the stretch they were on, was made up of fine old brick built houses, with the occasional tree planted for shade alongside the roadway. They could also see that they were only minutes away from shops and what seemed to be a refreshingly large grocery store. "It is a nice neighbourhood," Nick remarked. "I'm so glad that those ladies managed to thwart your father in his plans to plant a block of condos here. It would have been totally out of place!"

"Yes, it would have destroyed the entire area in one go," said Jeff as he took in all he could see. "I think that you could bring someone that lived here a century ago back right now and they would recognise it. It is definitely the sort of place you could settle down and raise kids in…"

"It's almost our dream, isn't it?" said Nick, knowing he was taking a chance.

Jeff looked at him, then sighed. "It is, Nicky, I have to concede that. I know what you are thinking, and well… All I am going to say is that it would have to be pretty special to make me forget who bought it, and be able to live in it comfortably. It would have to be special…"

Grace overheard the final words of the exchange as she approached and smiled, but only for a moment; by the time she came to stand beside them, she was offering a neutral expression. It played to her advantage to keep a poker face right now. "Ok, shall we start with the house that was lived in last? It was the one that belonged to the artist, and is the second one in from the left." Nick and Jeff turned their eyes to look at the property, and to the secret delight of Grace, she heard a quiet sigh of satisfaction from her brother. The house had not been altered much since it had been built, at least externally. Grace climbed up the steps as the two men followed her; she opened the front door into a porch, and then unlocked the inner glazed door before ushering them into the hallway. Once again she heard a gasp of delight at the sight that confronted them, and this time she could not be sure if the noise had come from Nick or Jeff. She turned round to stand at the foot of the staircase that swept up from the hall to see that Nick's face was glowing with pleasure, and Jeff's was not that far behind either. 'He's fighting hard internally,' Grace thought. 'He wants what he sees so badly, but he is also determined not to take advantage of his father's death to get this for himself and Nick. So, time to play a little dirty. My brother is already in love with the place, so I need to concentrate my efforts on Jeff. So, I take him straight to the deal clincher…'

"Ok, so whilst my brother has a nose around down here, maybe downstairs in the basement at the kitchen, I think you and I should head upstairs, Jeff; there is something that I want to show you. You don't mind, do you Nick?"

"No I guess not," he replied. "As long as that is alright with you, Jeffie?"

"I suppose so - just don't fall too much in love with this place. Remember what you promised me."

"I won't. What you think is all that matters to me. If you hate it, then we leave and the subject is closed."

Jeff nodded, and then followed Grace up the stairs, whilst Nick took the hint and headed in the direction of the kitchen. After what seemed like an interminable climb, Jeff finally found himself at the top of the last flight of stairs, his sister-in-law at his side, in front of a closed door. "Ok," said Grace, "do me a favour Jeff; humour me, and close your eyes."

"Right, you have to be kidding me! How old are you? I've a good mind to head back down the stairs, get Nick, and go in search of that cookie shop!"

"Now don't be like that! Just humour your favourite sister-in-law…"

"Only sister-in-law…"

"Now that is just semantics. Please Jeff…."

With a sigh, Jeff closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Ok, go on! Make it quick!"

Grace laughed, and opened the door; then putting an arm around him, she walked Jeff forward into the centre of the single room at the very top of the house. "Ok, you can open them now…"

"You do realise you are acting like a three year old right now?" said Jeff, as he opened his eyes, and then gasped.

"This was her studio," explained Grace to her wide-eyed brother-in-law, before she left the young man in front of her to just drink it in. She made her way back to the door as she saw Jeff start to wander around the space in a daze. It was lit by picture windows on two sides, and roof lights on the other two, washing the whole room with a golden glow that day. There was a small roof terrace at the back, accessible by a French window. The floor was well polished wood, and the walls were a muted cream colour. An open door showed him a large cupboard with a sink, and walls lined with shelves and drawers for storage. The ceiling was high, easily able to allow him to produce another drawing on the scale of The Judging Angel.

"This place is perfect…the light, the space…it is just perfect! " gasped Jeff, tears starting to form in his eyes. "You do realise that this is completely screwing with my mind? If this was in any other house, then I would feel like I had died and gone to heaven - but it was bought by that man…."

"Which in my opinion is all the more reason why you should take it. If your father could see you now, the son that he rejected taking control of everything that he built up with his ill-gotten cash, he would be livid. It was bad enough that he was beaten by a resourceful group of older ladies, but if he could see you, living and working here successfully in a career that he despised…"

"I know! He would detest the idea! If I don't agree to take this, what is likely to happen to it?"

"Honestly? Another property mogul will come along and acquire it. At best, this will be divide up into a boxy apartment, along with the rest of the house. At worst, the condos will be built, and all of this will be reduced to rubble. This house, this whole row becomes another piece of lost heritage, only seen in old photos."

Jeff nodded, his heart sore at the thought that this space could be lost. "Well, this is very nice, but the rest of the house could be a disaster…"

"Shall we go and see? We could start with the master suite…"

"Master suite…?"

"Yes, big bedroom, separate dressing area, bathroom with one of those old, freestanding roll top baths…" Jeff's eyes widened again as in his mind he pictured that room. 'I've got him,' Grace thought, as she saw his expression. "I tell you what. I will go and fetch Nick, and leave you here to have a good look round on your own, whilst you have a little think about things." Jeff nodded, and Grace left him to dream alone for a while…

Once she had left, Jeff wandered over to the window overlooking the street and took a seat on the wide windowsill. He smiled as he took in the view properly for the first time, and realised that from this spot he could see all of the well known skyscrapers of midtown in the distance, those iconic buildings that told everyone in the world instantly where they were. 'I could sit here with my pad and draw to my heart's content,' he thought. 'Why did this place have to be so absolutely perfect!? I want to hate it; I should hate it, but…'

"You've fallen head over heels in love with it?"

That familiar voice made Jeff smile. "Exactly, Wes! There is a voice in my head screaming that this is the perfect home; Nick and mine's forever home, but there is another one yelling at the same volume that this is his, it is tainted by him, and you have to decline it!"

"It is a tricky one, I grant you. Every single on of your principles is being tested here. If I was you though, I would be remembering this; the money that he used to buy this house and its neighbours came from your mother's family, not from anything that he did. This investment actually ended up costing him money, as he had to make so many repairs. The result is that here we have a group of beautifully restored houses. Now, I might have had a quick scan of the stuff in Grace's documents whilst she wasn't looking one night, so let me tell you what she didn't; what the other houses are like. To the right from where we are standing, the house next door is actually divided into two equal size places; to the immediate left is another full townhouse. As for the final two, they are configured differently, with two, two storey places on the upper levels, and two, single level places across the lower levels. The one at the lowest level is designed so that it is fully accessible to someone that is confined to a wheelchair, as one of the ladies was…"

"Gosh! That would really suit someone like Artie. His school only has a few accessible places, and he has been hinting that he needs to look for somewhere longer term, but he has always said…" Then it dawned on Jeff, and he groaned. "It isn't just about me and Nick, is it? Grace was talking about all of the other people we know that are having problems finding somewhere to live when we came her in the cab! If I say yes to this…"

"Then everyone has their accommodation problems solved with a few strokes of a pen. Which just makes the pressure on you right now all the greater, doesn't it? Just to add to that, can I just say that this spot is a suntrap, and I can just picture a very contented cat curled up in that sunbeam over there…"

Jeff burst out laughing, shaking his head at Wes. "Yeah, Caleb would love this place too. He'd need to explore a lot, but he would be very happy here."

"None of that matters, however, if you cannot reconcile yourself to living here; if everyone else is happy, but you are miserable, then it isn't a win for you or Nick for that matter. Only you can make the final decision on this one, my Starling, and everyone else needs to be pushed to the back of your mind."

"I know… Wes, have you looked round the house? Is the rest of it…"

"Stunning. Homes and Gardens magazine worthy. Isabelle would love to do photo shoots for Vogue here. Or at the beach house, which I haven't seen; but Kurt and Blaine did pop down for a look once I'd found out about it, and they said to say that Jay Gatsby would fit right in with the style it is decorated in." Jeff nodded, and Wes smiled. "Ok, I am going to go and leave you to think, with just one final thought. Would seeing you and Nick living here, happy and contented, make him annoyed? And that is my last word on the subject…" With that, Wes was gone, and Jeff was left alone with a massive choice to make…

How long he had been sitting there, deep in thought, he did not know, when he was brought back to reality when he heard a massive gasp, and he knew that Nick had walked into the room. He opened his eyes to look at his husband, who was strolling around the room, a massive smile on his face which seemed to be getting bigger with every thing he saw. "Jeffie, you can see the World Trade Center from here!" he gasped as he looked out the windows opposite where Jeff sat.

"I know; you can see the Empire State and the Chrysler Buildings from here," he replied, prompting Nick to run over, and after looking in delight, to sit beside him and place an arm around his shoulders.

"This room is so special. A dream studio for you! As you know, I headed down to the basement, and there is a kitchen…."

"That my brother was sitting in silently, mouth open, practically drooling at everything he saw," came Grace's voice from the doorway. "You have a dream room up here, Jeff, but I think that someone's dream kitchen might be in the basement…"

"It is nice, Grace, and it is the kind of space that I would like to have one day," said Nick, "but the decision here isn't up to me. The decision can only be my husband's, and it is unfair of you to try and blackmail him. I will always abide by his choice, which ever way he decides. There are other kitchens; there is only one love of my life."

On hearing those words, Jeff leant over and kissed Nick on the cheek. He had known that he would say that, and that he meant every word. He knew that he would never throw it back at him when they were having an argument, or when they were sitting in a tiny apartment in Pelham, or if they were having to take a lengthy detour to Manhattan from the loft whilst the 'L' Train was shut down. No, his Nicky would stand by him. He always had, and he always would, because all that mattered to Nick was his happiness. That was why he had loved him. It was that love that had helped him make his choice…

"So, a kitchen that is perfect for you to bake cookies in?"

"It is, yeah - and there is a double oven, so that means I could bake twice as many at once."

"Well, the first batch you bake had better be my favourites. I wonder if I will be able to smell them baking up here…?"

It took Nick less than a second to realise what Jeff meant by that statement; he leapt forward, and pulled him into a hug, which was immediately reciprocated. On the sidelines, Grace allowed herself to smile, pleased that all of her hard work and Elspeth's had been worth it. She would have to call her discreetly when she got a moment, to let her know that her son had accepted his rightful inheritance from his mother's family.

Eventually, the two young men pulled apart, and Jeff came across the room to stand in front of Grace, his arms folded across his chest. "Now, let me just make one thing plain here and now. I am still not happy about the fact that all of this was done behind my back. I should have been told what was going on from the moment that Elspeth saw the will and realised the implication. I shall be calling her later to tell her as much. It's not that I'm not grateful, but it would have been nice to have been informed beforehand. Now, here is the deal. The land in Vermont - keep, rent out for cents to my aunts. The houses here - keep, and rent out for the same kind of level to my friends. The beach house in Port Jeff - keep, as long as Nick and I both like it when we pay it a visit, as it will solve our holiday problems, as well as those of our friends. All of the rest, except for maybe the house in Washington, sell, for the best possible price; but I want all the potential purchasers vetted. No mad military people like my father. If it can be arranged, let Trent and Rory see the Washington place, and if they like it, then let them have it for a peppercorn rent."

"I can ensure you that I will do my best for you, and I will see that your wishes are respected. Now as for the proceeds from the sales, I would suggest a trust fund for your future child, or indeed children, to pay for those little extras they will require in early adulthood; and some to an account set aside for upkeep," Grace responded.

"That sounds sensible, but all the rest I want to go to the scholarship funds at Dalton; at Columbia, for both art and law; and at NYADA. I want to ensure that every cent that he left is spent on things that he would hate and object to strongly," continued Jeff.

Nick laughed at that, and said, "In that case, what about using the income from his stocks and shares to set up an art scholarship and prize at Dalton - I like the sound of the Sterling Cup."

"I think the Sterling-Duval cup sounds better, Nicky," said Jeff with a smile.

"I can certainly look into having that done for you, if you are sure?" replied Grace.

"We are, aren't we Nicky? Oh, and I would also like to state here and now that all of this is our money, not mine. What's mine is yours, etc, etc, as per the rules of marriage."

"Jeffie, this is a heck of a lot of money. It isn't fair or right that I take any of it."

"It's ours, and that is that! If you don't agree, then I'll revert to Plan A, and all of it will go to the government - which might mean Clinton in the end, but then again, it might mean…"

"I accept!" Nick shouted, his face a picture, as Grace chuckled. She had to agree with her brother; there was no way that she wanted that man to get his hands on any of it either.

"Right, now that is all settled, we had better go and inspect our new home properly, Mr Sterling-Duval," said Jeff, linking arms with Nick. "And I think we should get Mike down here too. He was seeing Tina off on her train back to Brown about now, so he'll be at Penn Station, so he won't have far to come. After all, this will be his home too, at least until he and Tina need a place of their own together, and then we can let him have one of the other houses."

"Of course, we are assuming that Mike would still want to live with us. He might want a place of his own now if the option was there," cautioned Nick.

"Oh, I think he might want to stay," said Grace. "There is a good selling point of this place to him…" Nick and Jeff looked at each other, wondering what she meant. How many more secrets did this house contain…