Page 71 of Smoky Mountain Dreams

Christopher heard the slip of gravel behind his voice, acatch of remembered pain. He bent low and kissed Jesse’s forehead, breathing inthe scent of his skin and the sweet, earthy field odors that clung to his hairand drifted on the evening breeze.

“I did quite well there, but didn’t graduate. I decided Iwas too good for that place, which, looking back, was insanely arrogant and I’membarrassed for myself. I used my dad’s connections and money to set up a tourof internships with renowned jewelers all over the world. I never made it toChina or Australia, but otherwise I hit most of the countries I wanted to see.”

“That’s amazing. I’ve never been anywhere. I saw the beachexactly once when I was thirteen.”

“That needs to be remedied.”

Christopher shrugged and turned his gaze to the mountains,unwilling to meet Jesse’s eyes in hopes that he seemed more nonchalant aboutit. “Money. It’s never been there. But my Gran had this kind of upsettingconversation with me the other day…”

“Yeah?”

“She said when she goes she wants me to have the house andthat there would be some money for me too. She said to do somethingirresponsible with it—travel or something.”

“Will you?”

“I don’t go against Gran.”

Aw, that’s my sweet boy.

“She sounds like a wonderful woman.”

“She is. She saved me more than once.”

“You know, I remember you said once that it was your faultthat Books and Fudge closed. What happened?”

Christopher sighed. “Gran would never agree that it was myfault, of course. She’d say that ‘fault’ had nothing to do with it. But when Iwas a freshman in public school, my best invisibility act stopped working. Atleast when it came to a certain set of assholes who had figured out that I’mgay. They never actually hurt me, but they made my life hell with threats andtaunts. I felt like a complete outcast.”

“Fuckers.”

“At the same time, Mom married Bob and the constantharassment about my sexuality started at home too. I was near a breakdown,honestly. I had no resources or coping skills to deal with the constantnegative attention. The more I tried to make myself invisible, the more theseguys would bully me. Gran came to visit and saw what was happening. She talkedto Mom about it, saying I needed to go to a private school where I would be safe.Mom, of course, said there was no money for that and I needed to just acceptJesus and the problem would go away.”

“Why do religious people pervert so much stuff?”

“I don’t know. But they aren’t all like that. Gran isn’t.”

“I know. It’s just…” Jesse sighed.

Christopher smiled softly and continued his story. He knewwhat Jesse meant. “Gran was furious. She actually went to my father, the onlytime I know of after the divorce. She knew he had the money to send mesomewhere. But his new wife—the first of three more—was the jealous type andwanted his money going toherbabies, not hischildren from his first marriage.”

“Wow.”

“She was a bitch. I feel okay saying she was the worst ofthem all because she was the only one I ever met. Jackie keeps up with him, butafter I found out about how he refused to help me, I haven’t been good aboutstaying in touch. Every once in a while we’ll talk on the phone, or he’ll showup at SMD with his kids and want me to give them perks.”

“What a dick.”

“Gran sold Books and Fudge to put me in a private highschool. She owned the building outright. She made a ton from the sale, morethan enough to send me to school, and it’s what pays for her nursing home now,and Jackie’s college and her two weddings. Gran floated me in Nashville for twoyears before my pride just couldn’t take it anymore.”

“Did the bullying stop at the new school?”

“For the most part. I mean sometimes it would come up, butit was never sheer hell like it had been.”

“Then she did the right thing. And it sounds like it workedout for everyone, including her.”

“But she loved Books and Fudge. Everyone did.”

“Sure, but now people can love Black Doughnuts & BearClaws instead. And you got out of a bad situation.”

“You sound like Gran.”