Page 5 of American Love Story

I shook my head, already feeling really compelled to do this for Ari. He was such an impressive young man and had overcome so much. He’d come to the States on his own as a refugee from the Congo when he was a teen and ended up in an immigrant detention center for almost two years before they let him go without ever giving him a reason for why they detained him in the first place. I nodded at Nesto and lifted my hand toward where Ari was busy checking things off from a clipboard.

“I would be happy to. I’m not sure how useful I’ll be, but I’m willing to give it a shot.”

I noticed that Yin, who, like Ari, had been one of Nesto’s original employees, was standing a lot closer to Ari than a coworker would. Yin was petite, his delicate features serious as he worked with Ari, who towered over him. Ari was a lot taller and bulkier than Yin. His ebony skin a contrast to Yin’s milkycomplexion. Their bodies were comfortable next to each other, though.

Like lovers.

Nesto must have been able to tell what I was thinking because he just glanced at them and shook his head with a fond smile on his face. After a moment he hollered for Ari. As soon as he was within reach, Nesto slapped him on the back. Ari looked at Nesto like he was his hero.

“Ari, come and talk to Patrice. He’s down with mentoring you.”

The young man’s face lit up at that, which did not hurt my ego.

“Boss man, I asked you not to say anything.”

Nesto shook his head and laughed. “Why, man? How’s he going to know you want him to mentor you if we never say anything?”

I intervened before Nesto embarrassed the kid any more. “I’d be honored, Ari. I’m not sure how much I can actually mentor you;. You seem to have your shit more than together. But whatever you need, let me know.”

Ari smiled wide. God, he looked young. “Thank you, Patrice. That would be great. I have a lot of questions.”

I pointed at my jacket pocket, where my phone was. “Sure. I have to get going, but Nesto has my number. Send me a text and we can set up a time to talk. I’m interested in hearing your plans. Nesto said you’re taking classes at Cornell this semester. Good for you.”

He nodded enthusiastically at that. “Yes, I’m only taking two of them, but it’s going well.”

“Great.” I waved at Nesto, who had gone behind the counter again to do some work. “Catch you at home, Nes.” He muttered a “yes” with his eyes focused on the screen as he waved his handover his head. I moved in to give Ari a dap and then made my way out onto the street.

I walked to my car feeling lighter than I’d been a half hour before, Nesto’s words about giving things with Easton a chance still floating in my head.

chapter two

easton

I tried not so stare too hard as I watched Patrice walk out of Nesto’s restaurant and get into a black SUV before driving up the hill to campus. He’d been wearing gray slacks and a navy jacket with some navy and gray oxfords. He even had a dark brown bowtie on. His locs in a half-knot. He looked dapper and professorial, and it suited him. As his car disappeared from my line of sight, I thought about how there was something almost regal about the way Patrice carried himself. Like we were all supposed to bow when he walked by.

“Hecertainly has your attention.” My boss Cindy’s voice ripped me out of my musings, the amused tone in her voice promising questions about my staring. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that particular puppy face on you before. It takesa lotfor me to notice a man, but even I have to admit, he’s gorgeous. Did you hit it and quit it or was he too smart to fall for your bullshit?”

I rolled my eyes at Cindy because she thought she was hilarious. “First of all, please stop using expressions like ‘hit it and quit it.’ You’re my mom’s age and that just creeps me out. Second, I’m not talking about it.” I forced myself to make eye contact and smiled. Totally casual. “He’s a friend of Nesto’s, OuNYe’s owner.”

Cindy threw up her arms while rolling her eyes at me. “Like I don’t know who Nesto is. He and Jude are the Gay PowerCouple in town these days. I must say it’s nice to see that us old Ithaca gays will be passing the torch to such good young people. Present company excluded, of course.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not good at being part of cabals. I tend to get twitchy.”Cindy shook her head like I was hopeless, then pointed in the direction Patrice had driven off. “Don’t change the subject. What’s up with you and that beautiful man you were just staring at?”

Cindy and I weren’t new at this game. I’d known her since she came to work for my father over twenty years ago. Teasing me about my love life was one of her favorite pastimes.

I looked at her more closely and saw that she was wearing jeans and a flannel shirt, her usual “out in town” look, but she was carrying something that looked suspiciously like a laptop bag. I pointed at it with as disapproving a look as I could manage.

“A better question, Cindy Brooks, is what are you doinghere?”

Cindy was probably my closest friend in Ithaca other than Priscilla, Nesto’s cousin. She was also my boss and was supposed to be on leave recovering from major heart surgery right now. I shook my head thinking that her wife, also a dear friend, would not be happy to know I was letting Cindy sneak into the office.

“Lorraine will skin me if she finds out you’re coming here to work when you should be at home resting.”

Cindy and Lorraine had kept me sane through a lot of ups and downs with my parents over the years, including when I came out. My parents hadn’t been awful, but they hadn’t been the most supportive either, and Cindy and Lorraine became confidantes over the years. That’s why when I finished law school, instead of going with the family business, I joined Cindy in the DA’s office. That still didn’t mean that she got to pry into every inch of my sex life.

After engaging in a stare-off, Cindy shook her head and grinned as she patted her bag. “I’m just dropping this off. I’ll leave…as soon as you tell me who that was.”

I sighed as we walked into the county courthouse where our offices were located, resigned to the fact I was not going to get her to go home. “We had a thing last summer when he was out here helping Nesto with the truck. We just hooked up a few times, which was nowhere near enough for me.” I was very focused on not making eye contact with Cindy as I spoke. “He took a faculty job at Cornell. I was hoping we could pick up where we’d left off.” I lifted a shoulder, trying for a lightness I did not feel. “I ran into him last night and he didn’t seem interested.”