Lil got down on his knees to be at eye level with Luca and shook his little hand. "You make sure and let me know how Bianca is doing. Send me a postcard, okay?"
Luca nodded vigorously. "I can write, t.i.to t.i.to Lil. I will write you." Lil. I will write you."
"That sounds great, Luca." Lil gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He stood and shook Enteng"s hand. "It was nice meeting you, sir."
"Don"t mention it. Grier, will I see you at the Taste later on?"
"Not tonight but maybe tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow is closing day, so I could use your help."
"I"ll be there," Grier replied, bending down to give Luca a hug. "I"ve got to go, buddy."
Luca wrapped his slim arms around Grier"s neck and squeezed. "Thank you for my Bianca."
"You"re welcome. Be good to her. She"s your responsibility now."
"I will."
"I know," Grier smiled. G.o.d, he loved this child. "See you tomorrow, okay?"
"Yeth."
They drove away in silence, pa.s.sing a house which Grier pointed out to Lil. "That"s where I live."
"You really are close to Luca."
"Ya think?"
"Hey, don"t let it get you down. Do something about it."
Grier sighed. "I"m sorry to subject you to all this s.h.i.t. I"m sure you had no idea how much garbage you were getting into when we first hooked up."
"No, I didn"t, but it"s been the best week of my life."
"Seriously?"
"Grier, come back to San Francisco with me on Monday."
"What? I can"t!"
"Not forever, just for a few days."
"This is rather short notice, isn"t it?"
Lil shrugged. "It just occurred to me that you might want to see what"s out there. I"d give you the grand tour, and you could check out the San Francisco Art Inst.i.tute as well as meet my staff. I have some great designers who work for me."
"Yeah?"
"Come on, love. You deserve some Grier time."
"I can"t go for long. I have a lot of people depending on me."
"I know, but sometimes, stepping away from a problem will give you a better perspective."
"You"re very convincing."
"We"ve got to secure your airfare."
"Give me a second, will you?" Grier did a U-turn on Arlington Heights Road and went back to Elk Grove Village.
"Where are we going?"
"To talk to my father about taking some time off."
"Now?" Lil exclaimed, a little concerned about this impromptu meeting with a man who was supposedly beyond reason. Visions of Clark"s h.o.m.ophobic father appeared suddenly. "I suppose you"ll want me to go in the house?"
"It"s now or never."
"Okay, then. Let"s do it."
Chapter 19.
SANTINO"S surprise at Grier"s sudden appearance quickly turned guarded as he inspected his companion. Lil was fully prepared for all the visible manifestations of h.o.m.ophobia, but he remained undaunted, despite the hooded glare and the eyebrows converging in the middle of Santino"s lined forehead. Grier"s father had an expressive face that barely disguised his dismay on meeting his son"s lover. Nonetheless, Lil looked him right in the eye and was relieved when Santino grunted a semi-courteous reply after introductions were made. surprise at Grier"s sudden appearance quickly turned guarded as he inspected his companion. Lil was fully prepared for all the visible manifestations of h.o.m.ophobia, but he remained undaunted, despite the hooded glare and the eyebrows converging in the middle of Santino"s lined forehead. Grier"s father had an expressive face that barely disguised his dismay on meeting his son"s lover. Nonetheless, Lil looked him right in the eye and was relieved when Santino grunted a semi-courteous reply after introductions were made.
"What are you guys up to?" Santino addressed Grier.
"We just dropped off Luca, and we"re heading out to dinner."
"Where to?"
"Shaw"s Crab House."
"That sounds good."
"Would you care to join us?" Lil asked. He caught Grier"s surprised look but was more interested in what Santino had to say. The older man looked at him pensively, and Lil was rea.s.sured when the frown eased up. "Perhaps another time," Santino responded.
"Dad, Lil has invited me to go to San Francisco for a few days."
"When?"
"We"d leave on Monday."
"That"s the day after tomorrow," Santino"s voice rose in protest. "This is a busy time for us."
"If I can get someone to cover my shift, can I go?"
"How long will you be gone?"
"Five to seven days."
"That long?"
"I haven"t had a vacation in at least five years."
"That"s true," Santino admitted begrudgingly. "Find someone to cover you, and it"s settled. Where would you stay?"
"He"ll be staying with me, sir."
Santino grimaced. "Are you the architect?"
"Yes, sir."
"And you"re...." Santino hesitated.
"Dad!" Grier stepped forward in alarm.
"Going to show Grier... around?" Santino stumbled over the words.
Lil could tell that the man was clearly uncomfortable with the idea of them as a couple but was respectful of Grier"s feelings, which raised him in Lil"s estimation. Santino might be a h.o.m.ophobe, but he loved his son more than his preconceived notions.
"I"ll give him the grand tour, sir."
"That"s good." Santino nodded. He turned to Grier and reminded him of another responsibility, as if Grier could possibly forget. "You know you"ll have to find a sitter for Luca while you"re gone."
"I"m sure they"ll manage without me."
"Still... they"ll have to find someone. Luca"s been under your care three days a week since he was two years old. He"ll miss you."
"And I"ll miss him, but it"s only for a week."
"I"m just saying, Grier. That"s a long time for a kid."
"I"ll handle it, okay?"
"Fine. Will I see you later?"
"Probably not," Grier replied, looking straight into his father"s eyes, expecting another lecture.
"Tomorrow, then?"
"For sure," Grier let out a breath. He stepped forward and embraced Santino, surprising the old man. "Thanks, Dad."
"Get out of here," Santino said gruffly. "Go have a good time."
"THAT went much better than I expected," Lil stated as the truck pulled away from the curb. went much better than I expected," Lil stated as the truck pulled away from the curb.
"No s.h.i.t. I can"t believe he didn"t make a scene."
"He was really trying."
"I know." Grier had expected the worst-case scenario and was almost giddy with relief. He turned to Lil and shouted, "I"m going to San Francisco!"
Lil laughed joyously, infected by Grier"s excitement. "We need to get your ticket."
"I"ll do it tomorrow."
Lil held Grier"s arm. "My treat."
"h.e.l.l no."
"Please, let me. The fare will be ridiculous because it"s last minute."
"I still owe you for the money you put out last night."
"I don"t even know what it is yet."
"I have money, Lil. I"m not a deadbeat."
"I never said you were, but this trip is my idea, and I"d like to pay for your ticket, at least."
"Are you this generous with everyone?"
"Only the people I care about."
Grier took his eyes off the road for a second to look into the bright blue eyes that openly adored him. He reached for Lil"s hand and squeezed. "Thank you."
"You"re welcome."
Dinner at Shaw"s was relaxed, now that they knew they would have at least eight or nine more days in each other"s company. Lil reached for an oyster, turning the entire meal into erotic foreplay as he slurped the juice off the half sh.e.l.l, extolling the legendary effect on libidos. "Not that you need any help in that area," Lil teased.
"Neither do you," Grier countered.
They plowed through two dozen of the Wellfleet oysters flown in from Cape Cod that very morning. Lil was ecstatic when he saw them on the menu, and being a true foodie, he convinced Grier that they were well worth the price. Grier simply rolled his eyes and gave in.
They washed everything down with a bottle of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, a reasonably priced wine familiar to Lil. Grier, more used to swilling beer than savoring fine wines, was again a willing student. He could already foresee a future where Lil would be instrumental in teaching him about the finer things in life that he"d yet to experience.
The main course was parmesan-crusted haddock with capers, sauteed spinach, and lemon b.u.t.ter sauce. It was delicious, and Lil heaped praises on the chef and the restaurant in general. "I didn"t expect to have such fine seafood in the Midwest," he moaned with pleasure after each bite.