Second Nature (His Chance 2)

“But that’s exactly where I’d come in,” Sawyer said. “I know it’s been a rough couple of days, so I don’t want to push. But can we sit down together on Monday and talk about this? It’s something I’m really interested in, and if you think you might still want to move forward with it, I have all the resources you need to make it happen.”

“Are you sure? I’d feel awful if the business failed and you lost money because of me.”

Sawyer shrugged and told him, “That doesn’t worry me in the slightest.”

“Okay. I guess we’ll talk Monday, then.” Gabriel seemed a bit dazed.

“You know, my family owns several manufacturing facilities in the UK, including some that make apparel,” Alastair said. “We should team up.”

“Speaking of which.” Roger picked up the large, padded envelope and told Gabriel, “I almost chucked this in the bin after the shop fiasco, but then I thought there was no harm in showing you. I spoke to a pal of mine who works at one of those facilities last week, and he got back to me with some samples to give you an idea of the quality of their work. This just arrived today.” To Alastair he said, “I gave old Dobbie up in Manchester a jingle, and he expedited these for me as a personal favor.”

Gabriel took the mailer from him and tore open one end. He glanced inside, then dumped several items into his lap. In addition to four silk camisoles in a rainbow of colors, there was also a price list and a bunch of fabric swatches gathered on a large metal ring. He picked up a red top with lace trim at the neckline and ran it between his fingers as he murmured, “This is beautiful.”

I was worried all of this was a little too much on the heels of the night he’d had, so I got up and said, “I’m going to heat up Vincent’s casserole. Gabriel, maybe you could give me a hand.” Then I asked Sawyer and Alastair, “Have you guys eaten?”

They said they hadn’t, and Roger got up and murmured, “I should get out of your way. Enjoy your weekend, all.”

He started to head for the door, but Gabriel called, “Why don’t you join us for dinner?”

I could tell that meant a lot to Roger, but he tried to act casual as he said, “Sure, I could do that, as long as it isn’t any trouble.”

“No trouble at all.” Roger returned to the armchair, and Gabriel told him, “Thanks for requesting those samples. You’re a good friend.”

Roger looked surprised as he muttered, “My pleasure.”

When we reached the kitchen, I pulled a huge pan out of the fridge, and Gabriel peeled back the foil and asked, “What do you suppose is under those twenty pounds of mozzarella, a lasagna?”

“I took a core sample with a spoon after Vincent left, and I’m pretty sure it’s stuffed manicotti.” I turned on the oven, and then I pulled Gabriel into my arms and whispered. “It seemed like the whole business thing was starting to snowball, so I asked you to join me in case you were starting to feel overwhelmed.”

“That really was a lot at once. I’m glad Sawyer realized that and suggested meeting on Monday.”

“Is that actually something you want to do?”

“Yeah, it is. He really reassured me that I wouldn’t be taking advantage of him, and I want to get better about asking for help when I need it.”

“That’s great. I was afraid you wouldn’t want to do anything with the company after the shop fiasco.”

“It means too much to me to let it go that easily,” he said. “I know I have a lot to learn, but that’s not as intimidating if Sawyer’s willing to team up with me.” After a moment, he asked, “You don’t think he was just being nice though, do you?”

“Nope,” Sawyer said with a grin as he came into the kitchen. “I really want to invest in your company, and not just for your sake. It’s something that means a lot to me. Remember when you and I met? It was at a party, and I was wearing a corset under street clothes while you were openly being your true, authentic self. I somehow found the courage to lift up the hem of my shirt and show you we were the same, and that was huge for me.”

Gabriel smiled at his friend and said, “I do remember. The night we met was the same night you met Alastair.”

“Yeah, it was, and our conversation gave me the courage to show him the real me later that night.” Sawyer’s smile lit up his whole face as he said, “The rest is history.”

Gabriel said, “You don’t know how happy I am that it worked out for you.”