Page 24 of In the Name of the Father

“Oh! Of course. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

He wriggled on his chair. He’d never taken into consideration the obvious. His father and the counselors had kept his focus on all the so-called evil to the point where being gay seemed like some otherworldly existence that had nothing to do with reality.

“That’s all right, Seth. I know you’re coming from a background that didn’t allow a lot of room for any truth other than the one you were told.”

He sighed. “Exactly.” Seth pushed his cup away, too. The coffee had gone cold and he wanted to concentrate a hundred percent on what Malcolm was saying. “Were you already making wine then too?”

“Not at all. The winery was Everett’s.”

Malcolm had made his jaw drop yet again. “And he gave it to you?”

“Well, in essence. But you have to understand, Seth. Our relationship was no different than that of any married couple, despite us being denied that privilege at the time. When we began to build a life together, I was still in college. I was in the process of getting my Master’s in business and he was terrible with running a company. The vineyard had been in his family for two generations and since he’d been the only child, he’d inherited it.” Malcolm smiled at what seemed to be a fond remembrance. “He was on the verge of losing the property, so I stepped in, took over and eventually everything turned around.”

“That’s incredible.” Seth was honestly surprised.Just everyday people in love and living their lives, running a business…“He didn’t mind someone so young telling him what to do?” Seth had always been told to respect his elders.

Malcolm had covered his mouth with one hand, but his eyes were crinkling in the corners.

What’s so funny?

Malcolm finally cleared his throat then took a deep breath. “Actually, not only didn’t he mind, he preferred it that way.”

“Oh, I see.” Even though he didn’t really. “So, in reality, even though he owned the vineyard at first, you were the one who made it popular.”

“Me? No, not at all. I put together a strong administration and marketing team, made other business decisions, put short-term loans into place—anything to whip the company back into shape. But none of that would’ve meant anything without Everett’s knowledge of wine production. He taught me everything about grapes, about nurturing them and all the essentials needed to create a worthy wine. He was the artist behind the winery.”

“Do you like making wine?”

“That’s a great question, actually. It had crossed my mind after he died that I should sell the vineyard. I assumed that the only reason I was still running the company was because it was what we’d done together, that the wine business meant nothing to me now that he was gone.” Malcolm sniffed. “But somewhere along the way, wine had gotten into my soul as well. I became much more attuned to the subtleties of how the soil informs the taste of the grapes, and how that year’s either abundance of or lack of moisture or sun could change everything whether a new hybrid vine worked—all of those nuances to producing a great wine had sucked me in.” Malcolm smiled. “And I think he would’ve wanted me to keep it going, not to sell it to strangers.”

“I bet you’re right. I’m glad you kept it.”

Seth’s face heated. It wasn’t any of his business whether Malcolm kept it or not, but judging from Malcolm’s smile, he didn’t appear offended by Seth’s unsolicited opinion.

“That’s a sweet thing to say. Was there anything else you wanted to know?”

Everything. I want to know everything. “No, that’s all. It sounds as though you were very happy together. I wish you could’ve had the chance to marry him.”

Malcolm swallowed hard and his eyes shone. “Me too, Seth. Me too.”

Chapter Six

Malcolm flipped through the contacts in his phone and noted to himself that he couldn’t remember who half the people were anymore. They’d been automatically transferred the last time he’d upgraded his cell, but that had been a while ago.

Who’s Roger? I couldn’t even put an initial for the last name?

The ones he recognized were those he’d gone to the extra effort of giving a brief description. Like ‘mom’. He rolled his eyes at himself. But there had been a specific intent behind his actions. Clearly, whoever Roger was, he wasn’t an important part of Malcolm’s life. And clarifying who is mother was would be essential if his phone were lost.

Or if I ended up unconscious in the hospital.

Malcolm forced his thoughts away from the last time he’d been around hospitals then switched to his limited Facebook contacts. He rarely bothered to go on there. But then he mused on the conversation from the night before at the restaurant. When Seth had asked about Everett, Malcolm had realized how nice it was to remember the good times and share them with someone else. It had somehow taken the edge off a portion of the lingering pain he’d been carrying for years.

He rubbed his forehead. Maybe it was time to let that part of Everett’s memory go. Maybe he needed to instead focus on what a blessing it had been to have Everett in his life.

After going through several names, Malcolm couldn’t find who he was looking for. He needed to hit up his buddy again. Nate was like a repository of information when it came to people. If he’d met someone—even once—he could tell you where, why and what had happened when he did. Malcolm had spent so many years in social isolation that he’d blocked out a lot of his interactions with acquaintances.

“Is this going to be a habit, Malcolm? Not that I mind. But other than planning the occasional hike or lunch and asking if your lost pup could stay in my guesthouse, we haven’t been in touch very often.”

Malcolm decided to withhold comment on the lost pup remark. “Good morning, Nate. And fair enough.”

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