“Good old Preston, always prim and proper. So, what’s Mother got you doing now? Are you checking up on me?”
“You know she asked me to.”
“Otherwise, you wouldn’t be calling, right?” I flinched at the pain that crept into my voice, but I could tell by Preston’s sigh that he’d heard it, too.
“I know this is hard, Shelton.”
I scoffed, then let myself chuckle. “You can’t turn off the therapist in you, can you?”
“Guilty as charged,” he laughed.
“What did Ma tell you this time? I’m doing fine, if that’s why you’re calling.”
“It is, but I’m not going to let you off the hook that easily. She says she’s worried about your finances. Seems you’ve been spending quite a bit of money and hardly bringing anything in. She wanted me to see what was going on.”
“What’s going on,” I began, frustrated that my own mother and brother had been talking about me like a child behind my back, “is that it takes a while to build a client base, and while I’m getting my business up and running well, I’ve had to use more of my savings than I’d like to.”
“Mother said it sounded like your business is falling apart and on the verge of failure.”
I shook my head even though he couldn’t see me. I had no idea my mother had read so far between the lines like that. It was frustrating, but I was also shocked. “Either Mother has learned a trick or two, or I’ve lost my touch.”
“I’m sure it’s a little bit of both. So, talk to me. She’s afraid you’re going to end up destitute and homeless before you swallow your pride and take a corporate job.”
“She’s right about that, but no, it’s not that bad.”
“I can tell when you’re lying,” Preston warned.
“I have some money coming in,” I said, which wasn’t a lie. When I’d accepted Alex’s offer to become a consort, I was given a choice of welcome gifts. I’d chosen the money, which was arriving via cashier’s check later in the afternoon. It was only an advance of ten thousand dollars, but it was enough to pull my feet from the fire for a few months while I awaited a match with a patron. Of course, I already had one in mind.
“Soon, I hope. When I got off the phone with Mother, she was getting ready to make a big transfer.”
“I hope you talked her out of it.”
“I stalled her. That’s why I’m calling. I’m concerned, too, and if something’s going on with you, you can talk to me, Shelton. I know we don’t have a lot in common as far apart as we are, but you’re a man now. Age doesn’t matter the way it did when you were a teenager. You can talk to me, Shelton.”
“And this stays between us?”
“Yes, of course.”
I had doubts, but I needed to talk this out, and Preston was my brother. If I couldn’t be honest with him… “Okay, all right. So the truth is that business is up and down, but I’m handling it.”
“That’s good to hear. I told her that, but she was still worried. Maybe when she sees that you’ve brought in some money she’ll worry less.”
“Hopefully. But there’s another thing.”
“I’m listening.”
“I met somebody. I mean, we’re not like dating or anything. But I met this man and we talked and had a good time, and he’s someone I’ve looked up to for a long time so I’m really excited.”
“That’s great, Shelton. Where did you meet?”
“At a club,” I said, leaving out the important tidbit about which club we’d met in. There were some things family didn’t need to know. “He’s got a successful business, he’s a little older than me but fun and nice and really everything I’ve ever wanted in a man.”
I recapped some of our night, leaving off the details that could make Preston suspicious about The Club.
“That sounds really promising,” he said after listening to me go on for almost thirty minutes. “It seems like the two of you could be compatible. Have you had a second date?”
“Nothing definitive yet.” Because he hasn’t called me. “But I don’t want to rush things, you know?”
“That’s smart. A lot of people get too close too fast, and it causes friction. Take your time. You’re young and you have the rest of your life ahead of you. Enjoy the chase.”
If I don’t go crazy waiting for him to call, I thought with a wry grin. It was only Friday, but I just wasn’t a patient man at all. If Caine had called me the same night, it still would’ve felt like forever.
“Shelton?” Preston laughed. “Earth to Shelton.”
“I’m sorry, I was thinking.”
“I could hear the gears turning through the phone,” he teased. “I guess you didn’t hear the question. I just wanted to know what does he do for a living? You seem to have started making money after meeting him; are your businesses similar?”
“Yes and no,” I said, ignoring the reference to the money. Preston was digging for details and I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. “He’s a motivational speaker and I help people live their dreams now instead of waiting for some mystical future date we’re not guaranteed to live long enough to see.”
“Wow. How did you manage to make something so morbid sound hopeful?”
I grinned. “It’s a talent. His business model complements mine, but they’re completely different.”
“A motivational speaker, huh? Have I heard of him?”
Oh, boy. “Yes, you have.”
“Is it Jacob Granger? Langston Wright? Barlow Thomas?” He started listing off names, but I stopped him by the third one.
“Jacob Granger is a talk show host.”
“He got his start in motivational speaking.”
“It’s not him, or any of those other guys.”
“Oh? Is he just starting out then? There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Not exactly.”
There was silence on the other end of the line, then a heavy sigh. “Shelton, please tell me you’re not talking about who I think you’re talking about.”
“Don’t sound so glum. He’s a good guy.”
“He’s a little old for you, don’t you think?”
“He’s your age.”
“Exactly.”
“No, I don’t think he’s too old. And I enjoy his company.”
“What could you possibly have in common?”
“A few things, and I’m sure we’ll find more. But you’ve said yourself that varied interests keep relationships fresh, so I’m not seeing a problem.”
“Caine is pretty good at fresh relationships.” His tone was heavy with sarcasm.
Here we go. “I’m not even going to ask, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me what you mean by that.”
“I sure am. Shelton, Caine and I go way back, but I don’t think he’s the kind of man you want to date.”
“Why not? He’s handsome, successful, funny, kind, and-”
“Shelton, he’s a player,” Preston interrupted. “He went through more boyfriends in college than most people do in a lifetime.”