until it’s not.’ Now, if I try to date Bartley, Matthew’s going to think I’m a dick.”
“So?”
“So I’m not a dick. I’m Ian. I can’t stab myself in the back.”
“But he doesn’t know that.”
Ian shook his head. “You’re being absolutely no help.”
“If you’re so enamored with this Bartley character, then why have you been hooking up with guys on Grindr and giving your number to the pizza boy?”
“Oh, give me a break. That happened on the first night. You, of all people, will not slut-shame me for going a little crazy, especially considering what my life’s been like the past few years.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Besides, it was one guy on Grindr.”
“Admit it. You liked the attention.”
“That’s irrelevant. I’m talking about me and Bartley now. What if we were supposed to meet ten years ago? What if something happened and we got blown off course? He went to grad school, and I went to Hawaii and let that guy fuck me without a condom. Maybe Manick Butter is the universe’s way of hitting the reset button and fixing my mistakes.”
Mark took a sip from his glass of wine. “Okay, here’s what you do. Tell Matthew you talked to Ian. You asked if he liked Bartley, and Ian said no.”
“But Matthew knows that’s not true.”
“And he’s right. Look, go back to being Ian for a minute and let’s play this out.”
“What do you mean?”
“Before all this happened, you were a forty-year-old man with a ten-year-old nephew named Ryan. I’ve seen you with that kid. You love him to death, and you’d do anything for him. Am I right?”
Ian hunched forward. “You’re right.”
“So imagine it’s ten years from now, and the real Ryan grows up to be a fine young man who also happens to be gay. He comes to visit and hits it off with someone you have a crush on. You’ve never been on a date with this guy. You have no claim on him whatsoever. All you have is your fantasy. What would you do?”
“That’s easy. I’d put Ryan first, step aside, and encourage him to ask the guy out on a date.”
“Exactly. And when you tell Matthew that….”
“He’s going to figure out why Ian said he doesn’t like Bartley.”
“Bingo. It’s a perfect setup. There’s no way he can judge you if you’ve told Ian everything and have his blessing. In the meantime, stick to your story that it’s not a date and find a way to diffuse Matthew’s sixth sense. The best way to throw a dog off the scent is to give him another scent.”
“Distract him from me and Bartley?”
“Preferably with someone else.”
“Hmm. That could work.”
“How did the rest of your day go?” Mark asked.
“Fine. Something was off with Quentin Walsh.”
“Is he any relation to Ben Walsh?”
“They’re brothers. How do you know who Ben Walsh is?”
Mark laughed. “Every lawyer in Texas knows who Ben Walsh is. Have you met him?”
Ian nodded. “I knew their father. He started coming into La Tazza the week it opened. Brought the whole family. Except for Ben, of course. He’s only been back in Austin for about three years. He and his boyfriend, Travis, and his brothers come in for Jeopardy Pursuit Night every month. They’ve won the last three in a row.”
“Why am I only hearing about this now?”
“I didn’t think it was important. Besides, you hate Jeopardy Pursuit Night.”
“It never occurred to you that I might want to meet Ben Walsh?” Mark asked. “He’s like a frigging rock star among lawyers.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that.”
“So what does his brother have to do with this?”
“Quentin’s part of a freshman study group that comes in every Friday evening. I reserve a table for them. When Quentin met Ryan tonight, he gave him this strange look at the end of the conversation. I have no idea what it was about.”
“When is Jeopardy Pursuit Night again?”
“The second Thursday of every month,” Ian said. “You’re not going to show up just
“So?”
“So I’m not a dick. I’m Ian. I can’t stab myself in the back.”
“But he doesn’t know that.”
Ian shook his head. “You’re being absolutely no help.”
“If you’re so enamored with this Bartley character, then why have you been hooking up with guys on Grindr and giving your number to the pizza boy?”
“Oh, give me a break. That happened on the first night. You, of all people, will not slut-shame me for going a little crazy, especially considering what my life’s been like the past few years.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Besides, it was one guy on Grindr.”
“Admit it. You liked the attention.”
“That’s irrelevant. I’m talking about me and Bartley now. What if we were supposed to meet ten years ago? What if something happened and we got blown off course? He went to grad school, and I went to Hawaii and let that guy fuck me without a condom. Maybe Manick Butter is the universe’s way of hitting the reset button and fixing my mistakes.”
Mark took a sip from his glass of wine. “Okay, here’s what you do. Tell Matthew you talked to Ian. You asked if he liked Bartley, and Ian said no.”
“But Matthew knows that’s not true.”
“And he’s right. Look, go back to being Ian for a minute and let’s play this out.”
“What do you mean?”
“Before all this happened, you were a forty-year-old man with a ten-year-old nephew named Ryan. I’ve seen you with that kid. You love him to death, and you’d do anything for him. Am I right?”
Ian hunched forward. “You’re right.”
“So imagine it’s ten years from now, and the real Ryan grows up to be a fine young man who also happens to be gay. He comes to visit and hits it off with someone you have a crush on. You’ve never been on a date with this guy. You have no claim on him whatsoever. All you have is your fantasy. What would you do?”
“That’s easy. I’d put Ryan first, step aside, and encourage him to ask the guy out on a date.”
“Exactly. And when you tell Matthew that….”
“He’s going to figure out why Ian said he doesn’t like Bartley.”
“Bingo. It’s a perfect setup. There’s no way he can judge you if you’ve told Ian everything and have his blessing. In the meantime, stick to your story that it’s not a date and find a way to diffuse Matthew’s sixth sense. The best way to throw a dog off the scent is to give him another scent.”
“Distract him from me and Bartley?”
“Preferably with someone else.”
“Hmm. That could work.”
“How did the rest of your day go?” Mark asked.
“Fine. Something was off with Quentin Walsh.”
“Is he any relation to Ben Walsh?”
“They’re brothers. How do you know who Ben Walsh is?”
Mark laughed. “Every lawyer in Texas knows who Ben Walsh is. Have you met him?”
Ian nodded. “I knew their father. He started coming into La Tazza the week it opened. Brought the whole family. Except for Ben, of course. He’s only been back in Austin for about three years. He and his boyfriend, Travis, and his brothers come in for Jeopardy Pursuit Night every month. They’ve won the last three in a row.”
“Why am I only hearing about this now?”
“I didn’t think it was important. Besides, you hate Jeopardy Pursuit Night.”
“It never occurred to you that I might want to meet Ben Walsh?” Mark asked. “He’s like a frigging rock star among lawyers.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that.”
“So what does his brother have to do with this?”
“Quentin’s part of a freshman study group that comes in every Friday evening. I reserve a table for them. When Quentin met Ryan tonight, he gave him this strange look at the end of the conversation. I have no idea what it was about.”
“When is Jeopardy Pursuit Night again?”
“The second Thursday of every month,” Ian said. “You’re not going to show up just
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