Page 29 of Havoc
“I’m making it. We haven’t spoken in a while, and I wanted to check in on you. See what was new.”
Lawrence furrowed his brow. Usually, his conversations with his father were filled with the usual pleasantries, but they seldom got too far into each other’s lives. It’d been that way since Lawrence was a teenager. So, his father wanting to know what was happening outside of himmakingsure he was okay, was out of the ordinary.
“Nothing much. I’m still working in my new position, hoping to move up some more in the future.”
Lawrence didn’t see the need to throw in that he was dating someone. His dating life was a sore spot for his father and had been since he’d come out. Lawrence was sure that a part of Dennis hoped he’d been going through a phase when he came out as ateenager. Now, he liked to ignore it, which was always a note of contention between them.
“What about you? What’s new with you, Dad?”
“Same old, same old. Work, home, and repeat.” His father paused for a moment. “I have a vacation scheduled and thought I’d come your way. You could show me how things have changed around Denver.”
Lawrence was quiet for a moment. If Dennis came, it would be the first time he’d visited Lawrence since his parents separated and his father moved back to his hometown.
“I can do that. I’ll plan some things for us to do. Let me know what time your flight lands. I’ll pick you up from the airport and take you to your hotel.”
Lawrence wanted to clarify that his father would not be staying with him. While their conversations were pleasant the past several months, he suspected it was because neither of them brought up his sexual orientation. His father overlooked it to pretend it wasn’t real, and Lawrence had grown so tired of arguing about it when he did that he didn’t say anything. It didn’t matter whether Dennis acknowledged it or not to him. It didn’t change who he was or who he was attracted to.
“Great. It’s next month, but I haven’t purchased my plane ticket yet. I’ll let you know when I do.”
“Sounds good, Dad. I hate to rush off, but I have to get back to work.”
“Of course. I’ll talk to you later, son.”
They hung up, and Lawrence returned to his computer screen. He had an hour of work and three sales contracts to read. He knew their legal department did a great job translating agreed-upon items from the forms he submitted. However, he’d taken to reading them and comparing them to the things he and the potential client agreed on. He didn’t want any hiccups that could cause there to be a delay.
He would send the contracts over first thing in the morning. The sooner he sent them over, the faster he could get them back, and they could place their orders. Lawrence was excited to be closing with multiple clients that week, especially since the last two had been slow for him. Not to mention that one of the companieswould be placing one of the most significant orders his company had seen since Lawrence became employed there four years ago.
It was worth celebrating, and he planned on doing just that over the weekend. He didn’t have anything planned outside of getting his favorite foods and watching his favorite movies. Lawrence knew Remy would be heading out of town tomorrow for work, and he wasn’t sure how long the other man would be gone. He would extend the invitation if Remy were back in town by then.
When Lawrence’s workday ended, he locked up his office, said goodbye to a few of his co-workers staying late, and got in his car. On his drive, he decided to go for a swim when he made it home.
Once Lawrence arrived home, he removed his clothes and pulled on a pair of swim trunks. He slipped his feet into a pair of slides, grabbed a towel, and headed to the pool.
There were a few people down there. Most just sat with their legs in the water, talking or on their phones. Lawrence placed his towel on one of the lounge chairs closest to the pool's deep end, slipped off his slides, and dove in.
He swam the length of the pool, coming up from under the water on the shallow end. He wiped the water from his face, opened his eyes, and found a young woman smiling at him. It read of flirtation, and Lawrence thought about telling her she was barking up the wrong tree. He decided against it since it wasn’t necessary before nodding at her in acknowledgment, turning, and swimming back to the other end.
He stayed at the pool for about an hour before his stomach demanded food. He dried himself off and slipped his feet back into his slides.
When he returned to his apartment, Lawrence headed straight to the bathroom and started the shower. He tossed the towel into the corner and placed his swim trunks on top before stepping into the steaming shower.
He dressed in basketball shorts after showering and washing his hair and went to the kitchen. He warmed up the leftover lasagna he had made the night before, settled on his couch, and decided to spend the rest of the evening watching crime dramas.
12
“Remy, it’s good to see you again.”
“You as well, Trent. How are things? How’s your daughter?”
“Good, she’s good. Getting bossier by the day. What brings you by?” Trent asked.
“I was in the area conducting some other business and wanted to stop by and see if you needed anything from me.”
Remy watched Trent think. He was sure it was about whether or not Remy was in town on business or if he’d only come to check up on him and not on anything he may have needed. He couldn’t say that he blamed him. Remy would probably think the same if he were in the other man’s position.
However, he didn’t believe that anyone should have to constantly check up on those they hired. Yes, check in and see if they need anything, but never hover constantly. Remy was doing the former.
Trent must have decided that he believed him because he shook his head after a short pause. Remy didn’t think he did. Since Trent was hired, if there was anything he was uncertain about or had a suggestion about, he wasn’t afraid to reach out.
