The Geek and His Artist (31 page)

“Uh… I’ve, uh, never worn a tie. Not since I was, like… six. And back then, it was a clip-on thing my mom put on me.”

Jimmy grinned. “I’ll tie it for you. I think this one.” He held up one that had a bunch of music symbols on it. It was a dark blue and the symbols were in green and gold, as well as a burgundy that matched his shirt. He reached out for it, but Jimmy pulled it back. “I’ve got it, sit still.”

Simon did his best to keep from moving while Jimmy lifted his collar, then tugged the tie around his neck. He flipped it around a couple of times and did something else, before pulling it up and through. He leaned back to consider it, then spent a moment fussing with it and straightening it. Finally, he stepped back, helped Simon to his feet, and guided him to the mirror over their dresser.

Simon’s eyes widened when he looked at his reflection. He barely recognized himself in a dress shirt and tie. But what Simon really loved was the image in front of him: Jimmy standing behind him, hands on his shoulders, leaning in a little. He could admit they looked good together. Jimmy’s dark hair contrasted with his blond, the brown eyes with his green, Jimmy’s natural tan with his pale skin.

It brought to mind one of the more embarrassing things—for Jimmy, anyway—Amy had said while they were having dinner on Saturday. After dodging their mom’s pointed comments about kids, she’d grinned and said Jimmy could give her grandkids too.

“Uh, did you forget I’m gay?” he asked her, eyebrows up.

She laughed. “Please! That doesn’t mean you can’t have kids.”

Jimmy rolled his eyes. “I don’t think Mom was talking about adoption.”

Their mom laughed. “Well, no, but I wouldn’t mind that either.”

“See?” Jimmy said, proving his maturity by sticking his tongue out.

Amy laughed again, making Jimmy scowl.

“What?”

“Well, I could always donate some eggs. You could get Simon to jerk off in a cup. Voilà! A kid from both of you!”

Simon thought Jimmy was going to die, with the way he choked on his couscous.

But it made him wonder what a child
would
look like from the two of them—well, Jimmy’s family and him. He shook his head at himself. He was being ridiculous. He wasn’t even eighteen yet, much less in the right place to be a father—another thing that had always made him glad to be gay. He didn’t
want
the temptation that might have lead him to get some girl pregnant.

Jimmy really could admit, though, he liked what he saw. He smiled. “You are so gorgeous,” he whispered.

Jimmy’s smile lightened his face. “You’re the gorgeous one. And hot. Especially like that.” He leaned in and nipped at Simon’s right ear. “I can’t
wait
to see you in a tux.”

Simon felt the blood drain from his face—and pool below the belt. Because, of course, he imagined Jimmy in one too. “I can’t wait to see you in one. God, you’ll be amazing.” He shook his head, cleared his throat, and turned back to the bed. “You have to finish getting ready.”

Jimmy kissed him once more, and Simon sat back on the side of the bed to watch Jimmy work the other tie. This one had stars and planets on a navy base scattered over it. Simon completely lost track of what Jimmy was doing, but Jimmy seemed to manage it without too much trouble. He stepped back a moment later and turned to Simon. “Can I carry you down?”

Simon considered Jimmy and realized, despite the calmness he put forth, Simon could still see a bit of tenseness around his eyes and mouth. Jimmy was worried for him. Simon nodded and smiled. “Okay.” He looked around, trying to remember if he needed anything, then saw his hearing aid on the table on his side of the bed. “Can’t believe I forgot that,” he mumbled, reaching out for it. Jimmy beat him to it and handed it to him. After securing it in place and making sure it worked, he smiled up at Jimmy.

B
REAKFAST
WAS
subdued, though Mom tried her best to keep it light. Dad had taken the day off work for the hearing and did what he could to keep the conversation going. Simon tried not to look at him, wondering what his reaction would be when he’d heard the things Simon was going to say.

But if Jimmy didn’t care, then maybe his dad wouldn’t either.

“You know, Joe,” Mom said, sipping the last of her coffee. “I think it’s about time we start looking at another car.”

Dad nodded. “Yeah, probably. With the boys out of school soon, they’ll need to get around this summer.”

Simon frowned. “I’ve got my board. And I’m used to the bus.”

“That’s true,” Dad agreed. “But Jimmy will probably have different work times than you do. If, that is, you want to get a job.”

“I’d really like that,” Simon murmured. “I’ve, uh, never had one, though.”

“Well, we’d prefer you wait until school’s out. Senior year’s hard enough without it. If you need money, I’ve got stuff you can do.” Mom smiled and Simon looked up. She nodded. “Oh yeah. I have work I can’t always do, simple things I’m sure you can handle. Then there’s yard work and house stuff.” She reached out and patted his hand.

“I guess… with trig and chem, it will be kind of….” He made a face, and the other three laughed.

“Physics is kicking my butt,” Jimmy said, shaking his head. “Calc, not so much, but physics… I don’t know, maybe it’s Mr. Richards, but….” He frowned.

“He’s not a great teacher, no doubt,” Simon agreed. He shrugged. “You’ll do great, though.”

Jimmy chuckled. “You’re biased.”

Simon shook his head. “No, I know you’re brilliant.” He grinned when Jimmy blushed.

“He’s right, you know,” Mom said, making Jimmy’s face turn redder.

“Right, so, uh….”

“We’ll look at one for the summer, definitely,” Dad said. “For now, we have a very unpleasant task ahead. But—” he added, drawing Simon’s attention. “But, if you’re up for it when it’s over, we’ll celebrate you becoming our son with a nice lunch.”

Simon’s eyebrows went up. He liked the sound of that,
our son
. “I… I’d like that.”

Dad grinned and reached out, ruffling Simon’s hair.

“Joe! He’s going to have to brush it again!” Mom complained. “I’ll get the brush.
You
can clean up from breakfast for that.”

“Yes, dear,” Dad sighed.

S
IMON
HAD
a feeling another car wasn’t just a maybe when the four of them piled in. The little Kia sedan felt
very
crowded when two six-and-a-half-foot-tall men and one six-foot-tall man squeezed into it. Even if the fourth person was a mostly petite woman, there was very little space. Simon insisted on sitting in the back next to Jimmy. Once he was settled, belted in the middle, he could put his foot up a little and still give Dad space to put the seat back.

“Yeah, uh, so… I’m thinking hybrid SUV,” Dad muttered as he started the car.

Mom snorted. “Yet another thing to thank you for, Simon.”

Simon blinked. “Uh… you’re… welcome?”

Jimmy laughed. “With you, we
need
more space now. Mom’s been trying to get one for ages.”

“Oh. Well, uh, you
are
welcome.” Simon blushed but grinned.

“So, dear….”

Dad grumbled. “Saturday, okay?”

She laughed. “We’ve been saving up to get a new car for a while, but we had originally wanted to do it without a payment
and
keep this car. But it looks like we’re just going to have to have a payment.”

Dad muttered something Simon didn’t catch as he drove. Simon frowned. With him there, they didn’t need to add onto their financial burdens. He swallowed, but before he could think about much, Jimmy hugged him.

“Stop. They can afford it, just like they could your computer and clothes and phone. Dad’s pretty frugal when it comes down to it. They save first. He has a thing about interest, but it’s not going to hurt them to do this.”

Simon looked up and swallowed, then nodded. “I’m sorry, I’m just… I’m used to—”

“Not having money. I know. She said we aren’t rich and we’re not, but Dad’s a college professor at Pitt. Mom’s a network administrator. We do okay, really.”

Simon nodded again. “Okay.”

“So, Simon,” Mom said, turning in her seat. “Do you have a favorite color?”

“Chestnut brown,” Simon said without thinking.

It wasn’t until the grin on Jimmy’s and Mom’s faces got through that he realized what he’d said. It didn’t
use
to be his favorite—it used to be black—until Jimmy. He hadn’t even thought about it, but yeah, he had said the exact color of Jimmy’s hair.

Jimmy’s grin widened. “Mine’s green,” he said, looking up. “Can we get a green SUV?”

“Well, that’s my favorite too,” Mom said, nodding. “If they’ve got one, I don’t see why not.”

“Can I take it to prom?” Jimmy asked.

Mom rolled her eyes and Dad chuckled “We’ll see.”

T
HE
RIDE
went
way
too fast. The trip to the courthouse should have taken longer. Well, Simon knew they weren’t that far away. Downtown was just on the other side of Mt. Washington, but before Simon was ready for it, they were pulling up in front of the court building. Mom got out and opened Simon’s door before pulling the crutches out of the trunk.

Simon climbed out of the car and took them, looking up at the court building. Formerly housing the Allegheny County Jail, it’d been converted to the family section of the Common Pleas Court. Sandstone walls rose only two floors right in front of him, but Simon could see several small towers along that street, and the roof of a taller portion farther back. To his right an enclosed pedestrian bridge of the same sandstone crossed the street, connecting the second floor to the courthouse behind him.

“I’ll park in the garage and meet you inside,” Dad called.

Mom waved and the three of them started into the building.

Security was a pain, as it seemed to be everywhere. Simon gave over his new phone and mostly empty wallet for them to scan, but since his crutches set off the metal detector, they had him go around. Jimmy ended up having to take his belt off, and Mom’s purse gave them some issues because of her keys, but finally they got everything back and found a single chair off to the side to wait for Dad.

After he got through security, they found the elevators and the proper floor. When they stepped off the elevator and through the lobby to the hall, Simon saw Mrs. Andrews—dressed in a navy suit and heels—down the hall, sitting next to two men he didn’t know. He tensed until Mom waved and grinned and one of the men held a hand up in return.

Even with the welcome, he dragged his feet—beyond what was necessary for the crutches.

“Hello, Beth!” Mom grinned, holding out her hand. Mrs. Andrews shook it, then turned to the man at her left. He wore a gray suit that Simon thought looked expensive, along with a dark blue tie. His blond hair was trimmed short, and he held a leather portfolio of some kind.

“This is Attorney Jack Cochran. Jack, this is Wendy and Joe Bennet, their son, Jimmy, and this”—she turned to Simon and smiled—“is Simon.”

“Hello, Simon,” the attorney said, holding out a hand. His dark eyes seemed kind, and Simon let go of a crutch to shake. He was taken aback when it was firm but not too hard.

“Hello, uh, sir,” Simon muttered.

He laughed. “No ‘sir.’ It’s okay, call me Jack. I’m your attorney.”

Simon blinked. “I have an attorney?”

Jack grinned. “Yes. I’m from a program called KidsVoice that provides attorneys for kids like you. Well, you’re not really a
kid
anymore, but….” He shrugged a shoulder, and Simon decided he liked Jack.

“Um… why do I need an attorney?” He glanced at the other guy, who held up a hand in a wave. He wore khaki pants, a dark blue button-down shirt, and a tie with Mickey Mouse on it.

“I’m Adrian Zimmerman.” He stepped forward, throwing a wink at Mom, and held his hand out. “I’m a friend of Wendy and Joe’s.”

“And our attorney,” Mom added.

“Oh,” Simon said, shaking the hand, though he knew he sounded as confused as he felt.

“I know it’s overwhelming, Simon. Here, sit down first,” Mrs. Andrews said, holding a hand out at the chair she’d been sitting in. Simon hesitated, remembered the lessons his mom had tried to teach him all those years ago. Broken leg or not, he didn’t like to take a seat from an adult, especially a woman. Her smile widened. “Really, it’s okay. Jimmy, why don’t you pull those two over here?” She pointed to two more chairs in a row nearby.

Jimmy didn’t hesitate, and a moment later, they sat in a small circle, Jimmy obviously making sure to sit next to Simon.

Mrs. Andrews checked her watch. “Okay, we have about fifteen minutes. First, Jack is just here to make sure things go the way you’d like them to. He’s here to do what’s best for you, Simon. He and Adrian have worked out the paperwork and all the rest of the stuff to make sure the Bennets can take care of you.”

“I’m not exactly needed, but it’s best to make sure your father doesn’t try to do anything to the Bennets.” Adrian smiled. “We’re just making sure everything is taken care of.”

Simon nodded. “Okay.” He glanced at Jimmy, who put a hand on his back.

“For this one time—and only until we’re out of the courtroom—I’m going to ask you two not to hold hands or kiss or anything,” Adrian said and held up a hand when Simon frowned. “The judge probably won’t care, but we don’t want to give him any reason not to place you with the Bennets. They’re still in the process of being approved as foster parents, and if he suspects it’s for anything other than your well-being, then he might hesitate.”

Simon swallowed, glancing over at them. “Is… I mean, it’s because we’re….” He couldn’t quite bring himself to say “boyfriends
.
”

Jack smiled. “No, no. The judge you have is definitely
not
homophobic. But we have to be very careful. The last thing we want is for your father to show up somewhere and try to argue anything. He’s not here, I don’t expect him to show, and that makes it easier on us. But really, we’re just trying to make it go as smoothly as possible.”