Chapter 13
THAT SAME day, in the kitchen of Rainbow Space, Zachary cranked the burner under the oversized stockpot to make chili. Jamayqua rapidly chopped onions on a cutting board beside him as he poured vegetable oil into the pot.
The smooth tap-tap-tap of the knife and the acrid scent of onions in his nose, even the slight burn in his eyes, helped Zachary leave behind a tough day at work. As the oil heated in his stockpot, Zachary worked to get his head away from the office and into the kitchen. He was also brooding a bit over the last few chorus rehearsals where Howard had been cold to him. Zachary had few enough friends in DC, and the way Howard glowered at him across the rehearsal space when Zachary happened to catch his eye was distressing. He tried to push his concerns into a corner of his mind while he watched Jamayqua work.
After a few minutes, he commented to her, “You’ve got mad knife skills. Where’d you pick those up?”
The shy girl wouldn’t look up at him but answered quietly, “My dad ran a little diner over in Anacostia. I used to help him.” She passed him the cutting board full of neatly chopped onions, and he added them to the pot.
“Would you keep an eye on these while I get the beans and tomatoes?” Zachary asked, and Jamayqua took the long wooden spoon from him without another word. She was almost as tall as Zachary and had trouble finding women’s clothes in the donated-goods storeroom that would cover her long legs. She wasn’t wearing a hair net, which was a problem, but Zachary suddenly guessed that she kept her bright-red hair long and hanging forward to disguise her Adam’s apple.
As he retrieved two industrial-sized cans of crushed tomatoes and a vat of beans Vic had left to soak for him, he also snagged a net and a long kitchen towel. He brought his ingredients to the counter and said, “Hey, Jamayqua, look at me a minute.” She tilted her head up but kept stirring the onions. “C’mon, face me. It’s just us.”
She rested the wooden spoon in the pot and stood up straight, though her warm-brown eyes stayed on the ground. Zachary tossed the end of the kitchen towel around her shoulders, tied it like a scarf, and turned the knot so it rested fashionably on her shoulder. Then he handed her the hair net. “I know you hate it, J, but you gotta wear this. You never know when we’ll get inspected.” Jamayqua grimaced but took the net, put it on, and tucked her apple-red hair into place.
She fingered the scarf Zachary had made her, flashed him the barest smile, and whispered, “Thanks.” It looked to Zachary like a million-watt grin, though, and it lightened his heart as he prepared the chili.
Terry popped his head into the kitchen. “Hey, Zachary. Hi, Jamayqua. Joe’s sending me to the hardware store. Do you need anything?”
“Actually yes,” Zachary said. “Could you pick up some plastic sheeting? The bathroom window on the second floor is broken, so I thought we could tack some plastic down until we can get it replaced.” Terry gave him a salute and left, only to be replaced by his husband.
“Jamayqua, that’s a fetching scarf,” Joe said. He eyed the chili ingredients Zachary had assembled. “I’d say we’ll have enough chili for, oh, thirty tonight. Dear hearts, would you mind making some trays of cornbread as well? We’re short on fresh greens, but we need something to keep these bellies full.”
Jamayqua surprised them both by saying, “I’ll make the cornbread, Zachary. These onions are ready for you to take over.”
“Thanks, honey,” Zachary said as he added beans and tomatoes to the pot. “How are you, Joe? I feel I haven’t gotten to spend much time with you lately.”
“And I miss you, darling boy. Not just here at the shelter. I haven’t seen you out and about in a few weeks now.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t been by as much lately,” Zachary said. “I was at a work conference for several days, and then I had a lot of catching up to do when I got back.”
“Please, no apologies. We’re grateful for the time you can spare, but your life has to come first.” Joe patted him on the arm as he said, “Though Terry and I do miss running into you at Mata Hari.”
Zachary focused on the chili. “Well, you know, I’ve been trying to get around to some of the other places in town too,” he said, unwilling to meet Joe’s eyes. “I’ve been here over two months already, and there’s so much of DC still to explore. I haven’t even made it up the Washington Monument yet.”
Joe laughed. “Heavens, that’s no crime. I’ve lived here twenty years, and I’ve never done that either.”
Zachary grinned at him as he looked up. “We should go sometime. Maybe a double date?”
Joe’s eyes went wide as he asked, “Oh, are you seeing someone now, dear heart?”
“Just recently. We actually met at that work conference I went to in New Orleans. Sam’s an IT consultant, and he was there for the trade show part, but he lives here in Washington.”
Joe regarded him for a moment, clearly thinking of Thomas. Then he almost visibly pushed that thought aside. “How wonderful, Zachary. The more love we make, the more love there is to share around.” Jamayqua giggled behind them. Zachary had forgotten she was there.
“Well, we’re not there yet, so you and Terry are going to have to make up my share.”
Joe murmured, “Well, Terry is certainly sharing.” Zachary shot him a surprised look, and Joe shook his head and said in a brighter voice, “Dear boy, I must have all the details. Tell us about your new beau.”
Zachary did, happily. Sam had caught his eye as they both circulated at the cocktail party that kicked off the first day of the convention. He was good-looking, but in a normal way, not the Thomas way that was too much to bear. Zachary spotted him at the bar, and Sam looked back with a friendly grin. Zachary thought about what Joe would do, and he started to go over. But a former colleague from Utah approached him, so he stayed to catch up. When Zachary looked again, he was gone.
Fifteen minutes later he appeared at Zachary’s side and introduced himself as Sam Ryder. He was several inches shorter, but Zachary looked into his brown eyes and liked the frank interest he saw there. They started talking, and when Sam made a comment about The Walking Dead, that sent them off on a long discussion of a mutual love for the television show and the original comic books. Sam invited him to dinner after the cocktail party ended, and Zachary was delighted to keep the conversation going.
Sam had traveled quite a bit and his stories were fascinating. Zachary found himself confessing how boring he felt he was and how much he wanted to push to be more. They flirted, but it was light and easy—a touch on the wrist by Sam, a little nudge with a foot by Zachary. He wasn’t sure how far he wanted to take it at a work conference. Aside from his intention not to have sex again with someone he didn’t know, he worried how it would look if someone saw him slip out of a stranger’s room.
Sam got it, though, and was a complete gentleman. He walked Zachary to his hotel room, and once he made sure no one was around, he gave Zachary a lovely good night kiss. It might not have made his heart race the way Thomas’s kisses did, but it was sweet and held promise. Sam said in a low, warm voice that he’d really like the chance for them to get to know each other better once they were back in Washington, and he gave Zachary his phone number. Then he left, and Zachary went into his own room alone.
“Since I got back last Wednesday, we’ve been out three times already, Joe,” he explained. “Sam just gets me. We like the same books, the same TV shows. He’s a nerd like me, but he does interesting things for work and travel.”
“Darling, I’m hearing you sell yourself short,” Joe protested. “You are endlessly fascinating and kind.”
“Aw, thanks. I’m not knocking myself. I’m just realistic. I’m still basically a kid from Utah who’s never been anywhere or done anything interesting, but I’m really trying to break out of that shell. I think Sam’s going to be fun to do that with.”
“Well, if he makes you happy, then I’d love to meet him, dear heart,” Joe enthused. “Why not bring him by Mata Hari tonight?”
“Umm… I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’d like to get to know him better before, well….”
“Before he meets the whole gaggle of us clucking queens. Of course,” Joe said with a laugh. “Well, then, let’s think about a night you can come for dinner—just the four of us. I’ll talk to Terry, and you check with your new beau.”
“Thanks, Joe,” Zachary said, more for not mentioning Thomas specifically than for the invitation. Joe patted his arm and went back to his office while Zachary and Jamayqua finished dinner prep.