The Cupcake Conundrum, page 9
part #2 of Williamsville Inn Series
“What did you find?” Seth slid underneath Erik’s arm and stared down at what Erik held.
“Here. Look.” Erik handed them to Seth, who looked them over, a frown marring his forehead as he scrutinized them intently.
Adrian looked over at Erik. “When you said you owned the hotel near Buffalo, I guess I didn’t realize you had inherited it. And what is this mystery you’re talking about?”
Erik sighed. “So, the short version of it all is that my father was one of the owners and founders of the property management company I run. He was a bastard. Blatantly cheated on my mom, tried to screw her out of alimony once she finally had enough of his shit ... Just generally, the last person I wanted to emulate. Well, Bertram, my business partner”—he looked pointedly at Seth—“discovered last year that my father had purchased The Williamsville Inn decades ago. It was all done very oddly. Through several shell corporations and clearly meant to be kept hidden. I could never figure out why. I always assumed it was something he’d bought for a mistress or to hide assets from my mother, but what I just found puts a very different spin on it.”
“Take a look,” Seth said. “This is really interesting.” Adrian peered over Seth’s shoulder at a sun-bleached black and white photo. A small boy stood beside a little girl with blonde curls. They held hands in a courtyard.
“That’s my father,” Erik explained, pointing to the small boy. “According to the caption on the back, this particular photo was taken in 1953, and that little girl is the daughter of the original owner of the inn. There are several photos that indicate he used to spend time there as a kid. Over a number of summers.”
“Hmm. He’s more sentimental than I would have expected,” Seth said. “I mean, if he held onto these photos all this time ...”
“Yes. Far more sentimental than I realized,” Erik admitted. “He certainly never showed that side to my mother or me.”
Seth set the photos on the counter, then held up other papers. “Look, there are all these postcards and letters too. Did you read all of them?”
Erik nodded. “Yes. They all seem to be between this girl, Grace Howard, and my father. They wrote to each other for years. It trailed off once they were teenagers and stopped completely when they reached adulthood, but it started up again later in their lives. Apparently, Grace contacted him to let him know her parents had died, and she was selling the inn. She thought he might be interested in owning it.”
“Huh,” Jay said.
Adrian glanced over, realizing that Jay was next to him, their arms pressed together as they both tried to see the papers Seth was still reading.
“Listen to this,” Seth said. “‘I’m glad you contacted me, Grace. I have such happy memories of the place. I’d hate to see it sold and torn down. Give me a week or so and I’ll make a trip to Buffalo to take a look at the inn. If it seems like a viable financial asset, I’ll consider purchasing it.” Seth shuffled some papers. “And this. ‘I’ve decided to purchase the inn. While it may not be the smartest financial decision I’ve ever made, walking through the place brought back so many memories. I can’t allow it to be sold to a developer. Your asking price is reasonable. I’ve included the contract. Please review it and get back to me.’”
“The man was cutthroat in business,” Erik said. “The fact that he was willing to pay full price was entirely out of character for him. Anyone else he would have bargained into the ground, and if they wouldn’t go as low as he wanted, he would have walked away from the deal.”
“This is all fascinating,” Jay said.
“It is,” Seth agreed. “Let me keep reading, though. This is from Grace to Erik’s father. ‘Dear Karl, I so enjoyed your visit. I was sorry to hear about your marriage. The pictures of your son that you showed me were wonderful. He’s grown to be quite a handsome young man. Although, I’m sad to let the place go, I can’t tell you how relieved I am to know that the inn will be in your hands. My husband’s health doesn’t allow us to remain in Buffalo. The weather in Arizona will be far more beneficial to him. His health is the most important thing to me, but it puts my mind at ease to know the inn will continue to be run under your watchful eye. I trust you to find a caretaker who can be relied on to look after the place on a daily basis. Thank you again. As soon as we have a permanent address in Arizona, I’ll share it with you. I wish you the best and can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done. Fondly, Grace.”
“But why keep it a secret?” Adrian asked, frowning as he tried to put all the pieces together. “I mean, were the shell corporations really necessary? The purchase seems straightforward enough otherwise.”
Erik shrugged. “The man hated the thought of anyone perceiving him as weak. Maybe he didn’t like the idea of people knowing he’d acquired it for sentimental reasons?”
“I suppose that’s possible,” Seth said, sounding skeptical. Privately, Adrian agreed. “It sounds like he genuinely cared about this woman too. You don’t think they were romantically involved, do you?”
“No. Surprisingly, I think they actually had a platonic friendship. She mentions her husband in later letters. How much better he was doing in Arizona and that the money they’d gotten from the sale of the inn had helped pay for his medical care, and my father seems genuinely happy to hear that. There’s no hint of anything untoward between them at all.”
“Well, that must be a relief,” Adrian said. “To know he was a little less of a bastard than you thought, I mean.”
“I’m not sure.” Erik frowned. “I mean, yes, it is good to know. But it doesn’t change the terrible things he did. It doesn’t erase the fact that he hurt my mother deeply.”
“I guess it goes to show that people are far more complex than we want to acknowledge,” Jay said quietly. “Bad people do good things, and good people do bad things. It’s not always so easy to fit that all in a neat little box.”
Adrian glanced over at Jay. He wasn’t looking at Adrian at all as he said it, but his gaze flickered over to Adrian’s for a brief moment. I’m sorry I hurt you, Adrian thought, wishing Jay could hear him. I’d undo it if I could.
“You’re right, of course,” Erik said. “And it isn’t as though I have no good memories of him. He wasn’t a monster with no redeeming qualities. Just a very flawed, selfish man who put his needs above that of his wife and son.”
“I’m sorry.” Seth rubbed his arm. “Dredging all this up can’t be easy.”
Erik pulled him closer. “It isn’t but I’m glad I found this information. At least, the mystery has been solved, and I can feel better about the situation. It makes me very glad I decided not to sell the inn myself, though. I’d be rather surprised to find Grace is still alive, but I want to see if I can hunt down her or any of her relatives. They might find the family history interesting.”
“Oh, that’s a nice thought,” Seth said. “I like that.”
“I’m surprised your father didn’t take you to the inn when you were a kid,” Jay said. “If he’d had such a good time there ...”
“You know, I’m not sure he didn’t,” Erik said thoughtfully. “There are some pictures of my parents and me on vacation when I was quite small, and I’m standing in a courtyard of some sort. They weren’t labeled so I had no idea where they were taken, and I never thought twice about them, but once I pull them out, I might be able to tell. The lamps at the inn are rather distinctive, and they’re certainly old enough to have been the originals.”
Seth’s eyes gleamed. “Oh, please do. I would love to see more pictures of you as a kid.”
Erik huffed out a little laugh. “I’ll see if I can dig them up soon.”
“If you want pictures of Seth, our parents have a boatload,” Adrian offered.
Seth stuck his tongue out. “No one needs to see that. I was an awkward-looking kid.”
“He really was,” Adrian agreed.
But rather than give him shit back, a startled expression crossed Seth’s face. “Oh shit, Erik, we need to get ready and head out soon.”
Erik grimaced as he glanced at the clock. “You’re right. We do.”
“Where are you going?” Adrian asked. Seth hadn’t mentioned anything to him about plans.
“Wedding planning,” Seth said with a grin. “You’re not invited.”
“I’m heartbroken,” Adrian said, clutching his chest in mock agony. “How could you do this to me, brother?”
“Oh, you’ll be brokenhearted when you learn where we’re going,” Erik said with a little grin as he left the den.
“Where are you going?” Jay said. He sounded as curious as Adrian felt.
“We’re meeting Rex Garland and his boyfriend for dinner tonight.” Seth waggled his eyebrows. “Wouldn’t you like to tag along?”
“Damn, I am a little jealous,” Adrian admitted. “You’re meeting with them to discuss Rex performing at your wedding, I take it?”
“Yup. It all kinda came together last minute. We were originally going to do a Skype meeting, but he realized he had a show scheduled here, and once I figured out I’d be in Philly at the same time ...” Seth shrugged. “He offered to meet in person, and I was not going to turn that down.”
“Some people have all the luck,” Jay said. Adrian glanced at him, wondering if he was upset—since his own luck hadn’t exactly been stellar lately—but he had a wry little grin on his face.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Adrian said. “Go!”
“Sorry to leave you guys,” Seth said. “I meant to say something earlier, but it slipped my mind. You’re welcome to anything in the kitchen, of course. Help yourselves. Or there’re a ton of nearby restaurants if you don’t feel like cooking.”
“I can entertain myself for an evening,” Adrian said with a laugh. “You don’t have to look after me. Have fun on your double-date with Rex.”
Seth shot him a huge grin before he disappeared out the door, presumably to get cleaned up.
“Should we break down the rest of these boxes, clean up the trash, then figure out what we want to do tonight?” Adrian asked, turning to Jay, who had been standing there with his hands in his pockets as he surveyed the disaster of a room.
He nodded. “Sounds good.”
They worked quickly and quietly for the most part, but it didn’t feel particularly tense. They had it nearly cleaned up by the time Erik and Seth called out their goodbyes and left.
“Well”—Adrian sat back on his heels—“what do you say we shower, then figure out our own dinners.”
“Sure. You want the first shower or the second?”
No offer to share one, unfortunately, Adrian thought. But he didn’t want to push his luck. “Second is fine. I’ll probably give the kids a quick call first.”
“You’re close,” Jay said. It sounded more like an observation than a question.
“We are.” Adrian smiled. “I miss them a lot when they’re at their mom’s.”
He nodded once, then left the room.
Well, okay then.
“And you were good for your mom today?” Adrian asked his kids. Jay was still in the shower, and Adrian had been chatting with them for about fifteen minutes.
“’Course!” Josh grinned at him, showing off the new gap in his teeth that had appeared since Adrian last saw him.
“Better get that tooth under the pillow, kiddo,” Adrian reminded him. “Or the Tooth Fairy won’t visit.”
“I can’t! I swallowed it! I woke up and it was gone!”
“Oh, boy,” Adrian muttered under his breath.
“Right?” Michelle peeked over Josh’s shoulder. “I told him to leave a note for the Tooth Fairy explaining the situation and that she might make an exception.”
“Well, let’s hope so,” Adrian said. “But I should get going. I need to figure out dinner. Love you guys! Bye, Michelle!”
His kids echoed his love, and his ex-wife gave him a small wave. “Bye, Adrian! See you in a few days.”
After he hung up, he looked around the empty loft. He and Jay had the place to themselves this evening. That was promising. Maybe he could make something for dinner for them both. He was a better baker than cook, but he could certainly throw something together that would hopefully impress Jay. He’d seemed to enjoy breakfast this morning.
Maybe after dinner, they could have a drink, talk a little ... and hopefully, the night would end with them sharing a bed again.
After his shower, Adrian walked into the main living area in search of Jay but stopped in his tracks when he heard voices. One was Jay and another was a woman. Adrian looked around, confused, before he spotted Jay at the dining room table, looking down at his phone. Presumably, he had someone on speakerphone.
“But how can you leave, Ajay? Your father and I aren’t getting any younger,” the woman continued. Ahh, probably his mom. Adrian remembered Jay telling him his parents had moved from India for college, and Adrian could hear the lilt of it in her voice.
“I know, Mom.” Jay sounded like he was trying to be patient but struggling.
Adrian knew he should leave. This was clearly a private conversation, but his feet felt glued in place. “But I need to do this for my career. I’m just not having any luck finding a place that wants me in New York.”
“You should have become a dentist like your father instead of a pastry chef. You wouldn’t have these problems, and there would be plenty of work for you.”
“There’s plenty of work for me. It’s just —”
“Yes, yes, the scandal. There’s no scandal in dentists’ offices. Your father hasn’t had one in his whole career!”
“There—” Jay sighed. “Look, that isn’t the point. I’m not a dentist, and I don’t want to be one. I love what I do. I just need to do it somewhere else for a while.”
“But who will take care of us?”
“Manjeera and Paavvai? You do have three children, you know.”
“They have families of their own. You should be looking after us.”
“Are you talking back to your mother, Ajay?” A deeper man’s voice chimed in, and Adrian assumed it was Jay’s father. Adrian really should stop listening. He should turn around and hide in the bedroom until Jay hung up. But he couldn’t seem to make himself do it.
“I’m not talking back.” There was an edge to Jay’s voice. “I just don’t see why I’m expected to stay in New York.”
“Your sisters are in New York,” his father said.
“I’m not my sisters! I’m me, and however hard it’s been recently, I still love my career, and if I have to do it somewhere other than New York for a while, that’s what I’m going to do.” He took a deep breath. “I love you and Dad, but I’m not budging.”
“You’re breaking your mother’s heart, Ajay,” his father said.
“I’m sorry,” Jay choked out. “Love you. Bye.” He jabbed at the phone before he dropped his head and dug his palms into his eyes.
Unable to see Jay suffer without trying to do something, Adrian walked over to him. There was a chance he’d be pissed that Adrian had been eavesdropping on his conversation, but it seemed worth the risk.
“Hey, you okay?” Adrian asked softly. He laid a hand on Jay’s upper back, just resting it there. He jerked in surprise, but he didn’t throw off Adrian’s hand.
“Not really.” Jay lifted his head, his shoulders still slumped. “How much of that did you hear?”
“Quite a bit,” Adrian admitted. He rubbed his thumb in gentle circles, feeling a knot in Jay’s shoulders. He pressed a little harder, and when Jay leaned into his touch, Adrian brought his other hand up, using both his thumbs to dig into the tense muscles. “I didn’t mean to snoop. I just came out to find you and ...”
“They’re not bad people. They’re just so ... Indian. And I’m not.” Jay sighed heavily. “We’re never going to see eye-to-eye on a lot of things.”
“Family’s complicated,” Adrian said. It felt like a platitude but he didn’t know what else to say.
“Oh, sure.” Jay let out a little snort. “Come on, I’ve heard more than enough from both you and Seth about how perfect the Cobb family is.”
Adrian winced but he kept rubbing. “Well, my siblings and I do have a great relationship with our parents. I’ll admit that. But I’m divorced, and I think I know what family conflict is like.”
Jay shrugged off his hands as he stood. “You don’t know what this is like.”
“No, I don’t,” Adrian admitted. “But I’m willing to listen if you’ll tell me. Come on, I’ll make us dinner, we can sit down and have a drink, and you can talk as much or as little as you want.”
Jay’s expression hardened as he swiped his phone from the table, then stuffed it in his pocket. “I don’t want to talk at all. Do whatever you want to do for dinner, but I’m going out.”
Adrian opened his mouth, then closed it. He stood silently as Jay stalked toward the exit, only stopping long enough to put on shoes and a coat. When he closed the door behind him, the apartment was suddenly very quiet.
“Well, that didn’t go the way I hoped,” Adrian muttered. “Guess I might as well go figure out dinner for myself, then.”
He stared at the contents of the refrigerator for a while before he admitted he’d lost all motivation to cook. A restaurant it was. He took a few minutes to turn out all the lights, gather his own coat, and then lock up behind himself.
So much for my plan, he thought as he trudged down the sidewalk in search of a restaurant.
Every step forward with Jay was countered by two back, and at this rate, they were going to end up miles apart.
Then again, that was hardly new.
Eight
February 2019 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Adrian had lost most of his appetite, and he had little motivation to hunt for a restaurant that appealed, so he stopped at the first one he ran across. Unfortunately, it was packed. People spilled into the vestibule, and Adrian had to squeeze between them to even reach the hostess’ podium. “Table for one?” he shouted over the noise.
