Horizons (7 page)

I stood there with my mouth agape until Jody appeared.

“What’s the matter?” he asked with a slight grin on his face. “Did Lil scare you?”

“I just wasn’t expecting him.” More like blown away by his presence.

“He’s on vacation and has decided to spend a few days with me. Come on in. I promise that if you cross the threshold you won’t turn into a raging queen.”

“Whatever,” I said, a little apprehensive.

“Come on, Clark. Lil’s just putting on a show for you. He loves to shock the straight world.”

“Well, he’s pretty shocking, all right.”

We made our way into the kitchen, which now resembled a war zone. Gone was the methodical neatness of the other night. Lil was cooking and every pot and pan in the house knew it!

“We’re going to need to study somewhere else,” I said, looking at Jody with such a pitiful look he laughed.

“Don’t worry. I hadn’t planned on doing it in here. Lil, do you think you could find it in your heart to whip up something frosty for us?”

“Sure, honey, what would you like? Clark?”

“A Corona would be just fine, if you have it.”

“I’m sure I can manage that,” he said, pulling a beer out of the fridge. “Jody, honey, your frozen margarita will be up in two shakes of a twink’s tight ass.”

“Lighten up, Lil,” Jody said, swatting him on the rump with the book he held in his hand. “Clark’s freaking out.”

“Oh, don’t worry, hon,” Lil said, batting his eyelashes at me and blowing me a kiss. “You’re safe with me.”

“Jesus.” I shook my head and headed out the sliding door to the patio. There were several recliners and a hot tub on the redwood deck and a table that sat four. I put my book bag on a chair and stared out at the view in front of me and whistled. “You have a two-bridge view, man. This is fucking awesome.”

“I know. It’s the only reason I bought this house.”

“It was worth whatever you paid,” I said, staring out at the sight of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Oakland Bay Bridge. It was a perfectly clear night, and you could see the city without its usual shroud of fog. “How long have you lived here?”

“Not too long. I lucked out last year when one of the doctors put a ‘For Sale’ sign up. I decided it was time to settle down and become an official Californian, be respectable, own property. No more apartment dwelling for me.”

“So you’re going to stay and never move back to Chicago?”

“Hell, yes! I love this place and wouldn’t trade it for anything. The thought of a Midwestern winter makes me shudder.”

“What about your family?”

“I visit at least twice a year. That’s enough.”

“I suppose so.” I took a sip of my beer and looked around. The garden was beautifully maintained, abounding with red and pink flowers that were still blooming despite the fact that we were already into early November. “Are you a gardener as well as a healer?”

“I’d love to say yes, but sadly, that’s not the case,” Jody replied, running a hand through his hair. It looked like wet silk tonight, a deep mahogany that glistened in the light of the tiki lamps that surrounded the deck. I was fatally attracted to him, like the bugs that were flying around, running into the insect zapper and falling down dead. I was as powerless to resist as they were.

“I love my garden,” Jody said, breaking through my thoughts. “But, I have no time, and more importantly, no inclination. So I hire someone to take care of it for me.”

“He does a great job,” I answered, responding on cue, but really only noticing what Jody looked like under this lighting. I’d forgotten the flowers and the question. All I could think of was the man in front of me.

“Shall we get started?” he asked, moving me toward the table and pulling out a chair.

T
HEY
’
D
been taking turns reading, which seemed to help Clark from wandering off mentally. He read well, only stumbling over a few words, looking up at Jody each time, to see how he’d react. Clark’s voice seemed subdued, and Jody wondered if this was because of nerves or if it was his normal reading voice.

He reassured him each time he stumbled, reaching across the table and giving his arm a squeeze, nodding his head and urging him on.

“You have an accent,” Clark said, looking up from the book. His eyes had an upward tilt to them, almost almond-shaped, which was unusual in an obviously Caucasian face. They weren’t blue or green, but more like a combination of both, aquamarine, with a touch of purple underneath all the layers. They reminded Jody of the playing marbles he had as a young boy, except Clark’s eyes were much more fascinating.

“It’s ’cause I’m from Chicago. Everyone from the Midwest talks like this,” Jody replied, caught in Clark’s gaze. He leaned forward and said huskily, “Has anyone ever told you that your eyes are incredible?”

“I’ve heard it a few times.” Clark grinned like a kid, completely unaffected, which made him even more beautiful. Jody couldn’t stop staring at him.

Clark ran his tongue around his mouth and sucked in his lower lip, chewing on it a little, obviously a nervous habit.

“Does it bother you when I say things like that?”

“What things?”

“That you’re beautiful?”

Clark’s cheeks turned bright pink and he opened his mouth to say something, but must have had second thoughts, because all he did was shake his head and say, “No.”

“Good… because you are… beyond beautiful.”

“Jody.”

“You don’t have to say anything, Clark.”

He nodded and looked down, the bright spots on his cheeks a testament to his inner thoughts.

Jody lowered the book and waited. “Would you give me a summary of what you’ve just read?” He thought it best to get back on topic before he did something really stupid, like reach across the table and draw Clark in for a long and torrid kiss.

“I’ll try.” Clark must have felt like he was being called upon to recite something in front of a class, because he fidgeted and looked even more nervous. Jody touched his arm gently and said, “It’s okay, Clark. It’s just me.”

“’Kay,” he replied, an embarrassed laugh escaping. “The group of travelers are fed and made comfortable. They’re pretty impressed with the accommodations and everyone seems okay with things, except for the jerk, Mallinson.”

“The vice-consul.”

“Right. He keeps badgering for more info, but Chang, the guy who was sitting on the chair, refuses to say any more. So Mallinson freaks and passes out.”

“Yes.” Jody nodded. “He’s upset because Chang won’t give him a date for when they can leave, and after he passes out, Chang blames it on the altitude.”

“But the others seem fine with the place, right?”

“Uh-huh.”
God, you are so fucking beautiful….

“Jody?”

“What?” Jody had drifted off to fantasyland, imagining what it would be like to kiss the lips that Clark continued to gnaw at. He’d been with good-looking men before, but Clark was in a category all by himself.

“Now who’s not paying attention?” Clark teased.

“Sorry. I was just thinking of something else.”

“What were you thinking of?”

“Nothing important. Please continue.”

“Conway convinces Chang to be less evasive and give Mallinson some straight answers, so Chang then tells him that in two months they may be able to leave. Mallinson is pissed, but no one else seems to mind. The others have fallen in love with Shangri-La.”

“So far, so good,” Jody said, smiling at Clark’s version of the story. “Next?”

“Conway overhears talk. He discovers that their landing was no accident. He also meets this young Chinese girl named Lo-Tsen, who plays some sort of musical instrument, and he’s fascinated by her. I guess that means he’s got the hots for her, right?”

“I guess you could call it that, although I’m sure James Hilton wouldn’t use those words,” Jody smiled softly. “What else?”

“Everyone seems cool with the place. Chang tells Conway that the head honcho, llama, dude, wants to meet with him, which is a big deal. How’s that?”

“Very good, Clark. I’m surprised that you’re having a problem on your own. You obviously understand every word you read and your analysis, although modernized, is pretty accurate. Why are you having such issues with this class?”

“It’s different when I’m reading with you. I don’t fall asleep, and you sort of nudge me when I start to zone out. My teacher couldn’t care less.”

“I care,” Jody said.
More than I should….

“I know you do, and I’m grateful.”

“I’m more than happy to continue with this, if you are getting some benefit from it.”

“I am,” Clark answered, looking like he’d just won a winning Lotto ticket.

Lil wandered outside, waving a long spoon and flitting around like a mosquito. “Are you gentlemen hungry yet?”

“Starving,” Clark answered.

“I could eat,” Jody said. “I’d love a refill on this, please?” He passed the empty margarita glass to Lil with a grateful smile. His dimple appeared like magic, and Clark couldn’t stop staring. When he looked away finally and turned toward Lil, he realized Jody’s best friend had been watching him the whole time.

“Like the view?” Lil asked with a smirk that Clark could only describe as wicked.
I am so busted.

“Yeah. Could I have another beer?”

“Sure thing, sweet lips. One Coronita coming up.”

“God, is he always like that?” Clark queried Jody as soon as Lil left.

“Like I said earlier, he loves to shock straight guys. Believe it or not, he’s a brilliant architect and the best friend a guy could ever have. I trust him with my life.”

“Who woulda thunk?”

“I know. Looks are really deceiving, especially in his case. So, how was your weekend?” he asked, changing the subject.

“It was all right. I went home for my oldest brother’s thirtieth birthday party.”

“Was it fun?”

“The usual.”

“Did your girlfriend go with you?”

“What girlfriend?”

“I just assumed you had one,” Jody said, raising an eyebrow.

“No, too much trouble.”

“How so?”

“I just don’t have one. Let’s drop it, okay?”

“Okay,” Jody said, backing off. By then Lil was back from the kitchen with the drinks and a tray overflowing with chips, salsa, and guacamole.

He placed the tray on the table, and then returned to the house for more food. He brought out steaks, and vegetables on skewers, for grilling on the Weber. There was also a mixed green salad and a bowl of tiny red potatoes tossed with parsley and olive oil.

“Everything looks really good,” Clark said, scooping up some salsa with a corn chip.

“I am a fabulous cook, and I plan on making some lucky man very happy one day.”

“Well, I’m happy right now,” Clark replied. “Thank you for feeding me. I didn’t expect this at all.”

“Welcome, sweetie! I love a man with good manners. Don’t you, Jodes?”

“Lil!” Jody shot a warning look his way.

“Going….” He fired up the grill.

Clark and Jody fell into a comfortable silence, alternately stuffing their faces with the appetizers and finishing their drinks. After a short time, Lil joined them with the charred steaks and veggies.

“Dig in, men. It’s feeding time at the zoo.”

So they did, enjoying every bit of the food that he’d prepared. Finally, Clark pushed away from the table and groaned. “I need to walk off this food or I’ll burst. I ate way too much.”

“Why don’t you go with him, Jody? I’ll clean up,” Lil said easily.

“Thanks, Lil,” Jody glanced at Lil, who nodded and waved his hand in Clark’s direction.

“Go!”

W
E
WERE
walking on Alvarado Road, watching out for the cars that careened up and down the hill.

Jody lived high in the Oakland hills, almost at the Berkeley border, close to the vintage Claremont Resort Hotel. Most of the houses in his neighborhood had withstood the firestorm that swept through the hills that Sunday morning in October of 1991. No one could explain how some houses were spared and others were razed to the ground, but the combination of the Diablo winds and the dry, brittle vegetation had created the perfect environment to turn the hills into a roaring inferno. The few residents whose homes were spared felt like they’d survived an atomic bomb, the devastation was so complete.

“Were you in the Bay Area at the time of the fires?” I asked, as we continued our brisk walk through the neighborhood. I had slowed down to let Jody catch up and we walked side by side, turning onto a side street that had sidewalks rather than trying to navigate the main road.

“I’d just started medical school. I remember seeing the smoke all the way from Palo Alto, far across the bay. It went on for days.”

“Yeah, it was awful. Many months later my dad piled the entire family into our minivan, and we drove out here from Folsom to see the damage. I kept thinking of all the animals that died that day, and the people of course; I was ten at the time and really into wildlife.”

“Do you have a pet?”

“No. My life is a little too hectic right now.”

“What’s your schedule like now that your season is technically over?”