I shrugged. “I think it cuts off a large group of people who are on our side. Allyship is important, so long as it’s respectful. Not everyone out there is a homophobe, even if they seem to be the loudest of all. Jerks like that tend to scream because it’s the only way to override everyone else.”
“So what would you do to change that way of thinking?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you asking me as my boss?”
He didn’t look at me, but he smiled. “We’re after hours. I’m asking as someone who’s just curious. No ulterior motives.”
Dammit. Ulterior motives were my favorite kind of motives. Jesus Christ. “I want to show them that it’s not always going to be Them versus The World. That closing ranks might not be the best way forward. Just because someone isn’t queer doesn’t mean they can’t understand. Maybe not completely, but there’s all kinds of prejudice out there.”
“And if they refuse to listen?”
Yeah, this was feeling more and more like another interview. “Then I would hope to give them guidance that means keeping them safe. I think there’s a difference between being on point with your message and steamrolling everyone else. Having a space where they can just be who they are is great, but it’s a bubble. It’s not always going to be that way.”
“Such a moderate,” he teased.
I rolled my eyes. “Hardly. I’ve just… huh.”
“What?”
I tapped my fingers on my knee. “I was just thinking about my friends.”
“What about them?”
“None of them are straight. Like, I literally have no friends that aren’t queer.” I frowned. “Well, Paul’s parents are, I guess. And his nana, though I really don’t want to ask her about that because of what she might tell me.”
He laughed. “Dad told me about her. Said she was, and I quote, a hoot and a half.”
“That’s… one way to put it. They were dancing at the wedding. Charlie tried to save him, but Nana growled at him and he backed off.”
“Intimidating?”
“You have no idea,” I told him honestly. “You should be thankful she hasn’t met you yet. She’s going to tear you to pieces. I guess it sort of makes sense why the kids said what they did. I can’t act like I know better than them when I do the same things they do. It’s hypocritical.”
“Yet,” Jeremy said.
I glanced at him. “What?”
“You said I should be thankful I haven’t met her yet. As if it’s a foregone conclusion that I will.”
Uh-oh. Instant flop sweat on top of regular sitting-in-a-Jeep-in-June sweat. “Right. Um. Well, I mean, you probably will, right? If Charlie and your dad continue to do… whatever.”
Jeremy grimaced. “And I’ll remind you to keep this whatever as vague as possible.”
It was hitting me then. This proximity. What it could potentially mean. I didn’t know if it was the best thing in the world or the absolute worst. “It’s most likely inevitable,” I said, mostly to myself in a dawning horror. “Like, you’re going to get sucked in and you’ll never be able to leave.”
“You make it sound terrible.”
That’s because it was. “You should know that Paul’s nana has a parrot that says mean things, and Paul has a two-legged dog named Wheels. And also, Nana might have been some sort of hit man or assassin or something. We’re not quite sure. All we know is that she’s not allowed back in certain states, and I think she might have stolen the limo she currently drives.”
“I don’t know what to do with any of that,” he said faintly.
“Most people don’t. You just need to prepare yourself. Or you can drop me off right here and drive away as quickly as possible. I haven’t even told you about the Seafare people.”
“The who now?”
I shook my head. “It’s best if we put that off as long as possible. If they find you, you’ll be wrapped up in so much drama and angst, your head will spin. It’s like… I don’t even know, man. Evil moms and unknown sisters. It’s just this whole thing. How did we even get here? What were we talking about again?”
“The kids at Phoenix House,” he said, sounding amused.