recipe for a perfect song part 1
“Jared, I really think you should think this through.”
Breathing harshly, Jared turns and looks at his father. He can't believe what his father is saying. He had expected his father to support him after what happened.
“Look Jared, every man makes mistakes,” his father says leaning back in his big desk chair.
Jared frowns, “I found him fucking the mailroom guy in our shower.”
His father shrugs, “Really Jared, you should think about what you are doing.”
Here he was, with almost everything he owned packed in suitcases telling his father he was leaving his ex-boyfriend and this was all his father had to say? Jared always knew his father never showed emotion and always went about things like a true businessman, but he never expected this.
His father picks up a couple of papers and hands them to Jared.
“You know what? Maybe you need a couple of weeks away from this. Get your head on straight,” his father says as Jared looks at the papers.
They are about the new hotel his father recently purchased, Canyon Creek Lodge. Currently it was unsuccessful, but Jared knew his father had seen possibilities. Otherwise he wouldn’t have purchased it. Jared doesn't know what it has to do with what Chad did.
“You can go there and manage the hotel for me. It could help you put all this in perspective,” his father says and his tone tells Jared that it is final.
Jared takes his suitcases and begins planning his trip to Canyon Creek.
***
Jensen follows the man around the hotel one more time. It looks like any other lodge Jensen has ever seen and nothing like the places he used to stay in when he was still on the road with the band. Still, it has its own charm; it had to do with the staff. Like the man who was showing him around now, Misha; he practically grew up in the hotel. The building was a part of the town. Jensen hadn’t realized it while he was growing up there; he’d been too young and too selfish.
“So here is the bar, where you will be performing,” Misha says grinning at Jensen.
Jensen nods as he looks around. It isn't what he is used to, but he can work with it.
“So what is the plan?” Jensen asks sitting down at the bar and ordering a beer.
“Well we wanted to begin with one hour every Friday,” Misha says sitting next to Jensen.
Jensen knew that already, it was just the beginning. He heard that they were waiting on concrete plans until the new manager had arrived.
“Okay and you’ll get the set up I need?” Jensen says looking at the little stage at the other end of the bar.
Right now the bar has nothing. Jensen could bring a bit with him from home though he knows it is better to have something built instead of hauling it here and back again. If the rumors are true that Padalecki bought this hotel, it would mean they should be able to afford this.
“I’ll ask the new owner,” Misha says nodding.
Jensen grins, “So tell me Mish, man to man. Who is the new owner?”
Misha frowns but then his business-like mask slips away and the man gives him an honest grin.
“Now Jensen, you know I can’t tell you that,” he says, but then leans in closer, “If the rumors are right, Padalecki Industries strikes again. If you ask me, it could only mean good things.”
Jensen nods, not that he really cared one way or the other. He just likes the thought that he will be able to perform again. He agreed to arrive a month early to help set things up and then to perform for the first time in a long time.
“So tell me, why did you accept the offer now?” Misha asks ordering two beers.
Jensen frowns. Yes, there had been more offers. Ever since he moved here the previous owner of this hotel had tried to get him to perform and he always refused. He just didn’t know that there were others who were aware of this.
“My sister,” Jensen says deciding to go with the truth.
“Ahh,” Misha says nodding like he understands. And maybe he does; hell if Jensen knows. He finds the man a bit weird.
“You have siblings?” he asks
Misha shakes his head, “No, but we had a family dog; it was really protective of me, too.”
Jensen lets out a startled laugh but stops when he sees Misha glare at him. Yeah, that man was definitely one of the strangest men Jensen had ever met.
***
Jared can't believe he is doing this on his first day in this town. He never thought he would have to go to a doctor just because of a stupid rash. Because he's new in town, he has to find a new doctor. He is going to have to show this person he didn’t really know this ugly rash he has. He knows he should be thankful the doctor is willing to see him on such a short notice. At first Jared thought the rash had just been stress related and would fade after a couple of weeks, but the stress just seemed to rise. Since he is starting his new job after this weekend, he figured it would be better to get some help sooner rather than later. He doesn't want to face his new employees feeling itchy all the time.
‘Time to face the truth’ he thinks as he walks up to the doctor’s office. He knocks on the door before walking in.
He stops for a moment to look at the guy leaning on the table on the other end of the room. The man looks up with bright green eyes and Jared swallows thickly. The man is gorgeous in a rugged kind of way with five o’clock shadow covering his jaw. He wasn’t really Jared’s type. Jared usually liked a smooth man dressed in a sharp business suit. Still, he couldn’t deny the man was handsome. The tight jeans and black shirt he is wearing do nothing to hide the how muscular the man is. He looks way too casual to be a doctor with an actual cowboy hat on his head. Then again, he was wearing a stethoscope around his neck so maybe appearances could be deceiving.
Jared already knew that, considering Chad always looked like a perfect gentleman. Jared knows that isn’t true especially after he found him in the shower of their home with that guy sucking his cock. Shivers run through him as he thinks back to the moment. How he just stood there before turning around to pack his bags.
“Can I help you?” the man asks, drawing Jared’s attention from the painful memory.
Jared swallows before asking, “Are you Doctor Ackles?”
The man gives Jared a charming smile before pushing away from the desk; walking towards Jared slowly. God, with the swagger he has in his step, he is sex on legs. He stops right before Jared, holding out his hand.
“I prefer Jensen,” he says when Jared shakes his hand.
Jared nods, “I’m Jared Padalecki.”
“Oh you’re the new manager for the Canyon Creek Lodge right?”
Jared sighs; apparently even in a small town there is a lot of gossip. He is just thankful that no one here knows Chad. It's the reason he took the job when his father offered. He wanted to get as far away from the city as he could. Also, his father made it seem like he really didn’t have any other choice.
“You know it?” He asks wondering if this would be a good time to find out what locals thought about the place.
Doctor Ackles nods, “Yeah I do, but back to my first question: How can I help you?”
Jared feels his face heat up. He had been taught not to share personal business. Hell if his father even knew he was here because of a stupid little rash he would probably disown Jared. No one talked about Padalecki business outside the Padalecki family. Especially when it was about things that could almost make them look human.
“I…uh…I hope you can. I….um”
Doctor Ackles nods, looking very serious. He is standing very close to Jared and it is making him even more uncomfortable than he already is. Jared scratches at his back, feeling the itch getting much worse.
“I think I know,” Jensen says smiling softly.
He swallows hard; he can’t deny Jensen is hot in a casual, laid back kind of way. It was always difficult for Jared to show a hot guy an unattractive side of himself. Even if there is no change, he doubts that he will ever see the doctor again after today. There is no way he is ever coming back here.
Jensen leans in closer to Jared before whispering, “You need to have a little fun, darlin’.”
Jared closes his eyes as Jensen caresses his cheek. When he opens them again he can’t see. For one moment he panics before he hears Jensen chuckle and pull the glasses from his nose, fogged up from their combined breath. Jared looks into the other man’s eyes; amazed for one moment at how green they are.
They jump apart when the door behind the desk opens and a woman walks in wearing a white coat.
“Jensen!” she says looking annoyed, “What are you doing with my patient?”
Jared looks from the man in front of him to the woman behind the desk, who is obviously the real doctor.
“Who are you?” he asks with venom in his voice.
“He is my brother Jensen. I’m Mackenzie Ackles, your doctor,” the woman says walking toward Jared and holding out her hand.
Jared takes it without thinking; looking from one to the other. The woman is looking pissed off and the man is looking vaguely amused.
“You pretended to be a doctor!” Jared says angrily.
Jensen chuckles as he walks back to the desk, leaning on it. Taking the same position he was in when Jared had entered the room.
“I never said I was a doctor. When you asked me if I was Doctor Ackles I said I preferred to be called Jensen. And I do,” he says with a smirk on his lips, “Well most of the time that is,” he adds winking at Jared.
“What?” Jared asks confused.
Jensen opens his mouth to say more but his sister interrupts before he can. “I’m so sorry Mr. Padalecki. My brother sometimes doesn’t know how to behave.”
Jared frowns at her, “How can you leave him in your office when you know that?” he asks knowing his tone of voice is making him sound like his father.
“Well, I thought that maybe he knew how to be mature for a change.” She says glaring at her brother once more. “But please stay and let me help you.”
“No thank you. I like my doctor to be professional and you obviously aren’t,” Jared says before storming out of the office.
When he gets outside he begins walking towards the hotel; thinking it might be a good idea to introduce himself before he starts to actually order people around. He can’t believe how unprofessional the doctor had been, leaving her brother alone in her office. Jared is just happy that she came in before Jensen had a chance to fool him any further. He can't believe he had almost shown a stranger his ugly rash. He is boiling on the inside at how easily he had trusted the man just because he thought he was a doctor. His hand automatically goes to his nose to straighten his glasses, before he realizes he isn’t wearing them. He doesn’t really need them. He only started wearing them because people never took him seriously. They believed he was too young and too pretty. The glasses helped obscure his looks. He thinks about going back to the doctor’s office to get them. They were expensive, but then he decides the hell with it. Jensen can choke on them for all he cares.
Maybe his father is right. He needs to keep family business in the family. He scratches at his lower back; maybe the rash will clear up on its own.
***
Jensen turns around the moment Jared storms out of the office. His sister stands there glaring at him.
“Did you have to do that?” she asks as she flips through the files, probably looking for the guy’s phone number.
Jensen shrugs. The guy was so timid when he walked into the room. His whole air suggested that he was buried underneath stress and that he took everything too seriously. Of course Jensen had also seen how attractive he was, how stunning he could be if he were to frown less and stand tall instead of slouching over to make himself look smaller. Looking at the guy Jensen couldn’t believe he was the thorough businessman his reputation lead people to believe.
He hadn't actually expected Jared to think he was the doctor. Jensen had actually been bored out of his mind before Jared had walked into the office. The moment he saw Jared walk in, Jensen had forgotten he had been playing with his sister’s stethoscope. When Jensen realized Jared had drawn the wrong conclusion, he decided it wouldn’t hurt to have a little fun with him.
He wouldn’t have taken it too far. He had to admit, he should have known better. Jared didn’t look like the kind of guy who could take a joke. Jensen should have known this would come back to bite him in the ass.
“Well I wasn’t wrong. He does need more fun in his life,” Jensen states.
He knows his sister won't agree. She thinks Jensen himself needs to be more serious about things.
Mackenzie looks at him with disbelief, “You actually said that?”
Jensen nods, smiling softly at his sister. He’s hoping he can charm his way out of the reprimand he was about to receive. His sister hadn’t seen the bags underneath Jared’s eyes nor the way the guy looked when he entered the room.
“Oh no, don’t you give me that rock star smile Jensen Ross Ackles!” Ouch the middle name; that never did bode well. “You scared away a potential patient! Now he is probably never coming back and won't get the help he needs!”
Jensen shakes his head, “All he needs to do is take life less seriously.”
“That’s your answer to everything,” Mackenzie says sighing.
“Because it is,” Jensen says smirking.
“Just get out.”
Walking out of his sister’s office, Jensen realizes he got away with that without too many problems. Jensen figures it won’t be for long. He has a meeting with the manager of Canyon Creek Lodge after this weekend about his weekly performances at the hotel. Jensen suspects Jared will be at the bar this Friday even though he doesn’t officially begin until Monday.
***
It is quiet when Jared arrives at the hotel. He didn't expect anything else; Canyon’s Creek really wasn’t a tourist attraction. It's one of the reasons Jared is here, and why his father thought that weekly entertainment on Friday nights was a good idea. Jared still hadn’t decided if he thought it was a good thing or not. Considering last Friday night had been a success, he figures he should meet the performer. The guy apparently had been a townie before he had made it big.
The desk clerk is waiting for him when he gets in. Jared called ahead and told him he was coming in to discuss some things.
“Hello Mr. Padalecki, my name is Misha. I know everything there is to know about this hotel,” the man says as he is shaking Jared’s hand.
Jared grins, “Please call me Jared. Mr. Padalecki is my dad.” He says looking around the lobby.
It is big and has a rustic feel to it. Thick beams support the roof, painted a dark shade of brown to stand out against the white of the ceiling and walls. Mounted on the walls were various animal heads and a painting of hunters on horses. It was something you expected in a lodge. Jared smiles, despite it being cliché, the lodge has a real homey feeling to it. It could really become something. All it needs is a little TLC.
“Okay Jared, I’m happy you’re here to help us become a little more successful. This lodge has been a part of town ever since I can remember. My mom works here in housekeeping.”
Jared looks at the man, Misha, again. The man indeed looks like he is really invested in this place. That's good; Jared could use someone like that.
He gives Misha his biggest smile, “Well maybe we should begin the tour. Do you know anything of this place and its history?”
Misha nods and begins telling Jared that Canyon Creek Lodge had been part of the town almost from the beginning. It is one of the oldest standing buildings and Jared thinks he can really do something with that. Misha continues to show Jared the restaurant, one room saying he doesn’t need to see more because they are all the same, the staff room, the kitchen and finally the bar.
“If you’re free tomorrow night, you should come and watch our new singer perform. He is kind of a hometown hero. He made it big you know, but even though he could live anywhere he wanted, he decided to come back here,“ Misha says with pride in his voice.
Jared can understand. Towns like these are always full of people with pride for their town. He is already planning on stopping by tomorrow just to see how things work around here on the busiest night of the week. He nods hoping Misha doesn’t see him scratching his side.
“This town doesn’t have much for entertainment. We’re the only bar, right?” Jared asks as both of them take a seat at the bar.
Misha nods, “Yeah, if the kids want to see a new movie they either buy the DVD or go two towns over.” Then his eyes glaze over, “Or they could to go to the drag bar three towns over. I’ll tell you which one I find more entertaining.”
Confused, Jared nods and he decides to just ignore the weird statement, “Maybe we could change one of our conference rooms into a mini theater,” He muses. He will need to get the right papers for that, but it shouldn’t be too hard. He is already planning to call his father tonight to let him know he arrived safely; he might as well inform the man of his new plans.
“We could, yes.” Misha says smiling, “Now if you don’t mind Jared. If there is nothing else I can do for you I would like to go home to my wife.”
Jared nods understandingly, “You could check me into one of the rooms,” he says before excusing the man.
***
“Jared hasn’t called to make a new appointment yet.” Mackenzie says to Jensen as she clears the table.
She is always concerned that he doesn't eat enough, thus she insists on cooking for him at least once a week. No matter how much Jensen protests, Mackenzie says she also does it to keep up the family bond. With both their parents gone he is all she has.
Today she hasn't stopped ranting to Jensen about how unfair what he had done had been and how selfish he was. Sometimes Jensen feels like she's his conscience.
“I’ll apologize to him okay? When I see him again, I’ll say sorry.”
Mackenzie nods, “Okay, and see if you can get him to come see me again.”
Jensen raises his eyebrow, “You really want me to do that?”
Mackenzie thinks about that and then shakes her head. Grabbing her bag, she gives Jensen one last look.
“Well, I have to go. Have fun tonight Jensen,” Mackenzie says before walking out the door.
Jensen smiles as he starts getting ready for tonight. The only reason he was doing this in the first place is because Mackenzie wouldn’t stop nagging until he had ‘at least tried’. Although Jensen likes Misha and some of the other staff at the hotel, he isn’t sure he wants to perform alone on the stage.
He loves getting on stage though. Hell, he would still be touring if he wasn’t so damn afraid to get into a plane. The gig at the lodge is a good opportunity for him. Even if he is afraid that people won’t be interested in seeing him perform alone, he didn’t let it stop him. Hell, his former band members would give him hell for thinking he isn't good enough alone.
The smile slips from Jensen’s face at the thought of Chris, Steve and Justin. He hasn’t thought about his friends since he moved back to this town and it still hurts to think about them.
After seeing most of the world, Jensen thought he had grown too big for this small town. Living in New York for so long, he thought he would miss the noise, but his sister had convinced him to move back here. He did feel at home. It turned out Jensen actually likes the quiet. It helps him settle down. It also helps that his sister is happy to have him near after everything that had happened.
Jensen smiles at Misha when he arrives; silently asking the man if it is okay to set things up for tonight’s gig. It’s only the second time Jensen is performing here but he is already thinking about the changes he could make to get better acoustics. Misha made sure Jensen had everything he needs for his performance. It isn't perfect, but it is the best they could manage for right now.
He likes playing here. It's big but still small enough that he can see everyone who is listening to him. It is better than the big concert halls he was used to; he always missed the intimacy he is now able to share with the public in this kind of environment.
He sighs as he sets up his guitar. If only he hadn’t pissed off the Padalecki kid; he might have been able to negotiate the changes he wanted.
“Are you almost done Jensen?” Misha asks and Jensen nods, “Good, cause there is someone special in the audience tonight.”
“Oh really?” Jensen asks already having a good idea to who might be it.
“Yeah Jared Padalecki, he seems like a good kid though. I was expecting this stuck up a-hole in a suit, but he was very nice.”
Jensen smiles; setting the microphone on the stand, “But he did wear a suit right?”
Misha smiles at Jensen, “That he did. Stood out like a sore thumb; kept scratching himself like the suit was giving him a rash though.”
Jensen nods as the other man walks back to the bar. Jensen’s eyes follow him as he greets Jared. Jensen watches as Misha points in his direction and Jared's eyes grow big as he recognizes Jensen. Jensen gives him a small wave as he begins to play the first few notes of his song. As the night goes on, Jensen forgets where he is and just lets the music speak for itself. Later that night when Jensen goes to bed he sighs contently. Tonight was a good night.
***
Jared sighs as he listens to his father on the phone.
“Yes dad, I did see him tonight,” He silently waits for his father to respond.
Apparently Jensen Ackles is the new performer. Jared hadn’t known that Jensen was famous. He has never really been interested in country music. Apparently Jensen’s band used to be one of his father’s favorites so his father is really excited he was able to hire him.
“I know dad. I’m just not really sure that is the direction I want to go with the place,” Jared responds.
It is a lie. The Friday night entertainment fits in with exactly what he wants to do. Together with the small movie theater add on, it would draw locals to the Canyon Creek Lodge. It means they don't have to rely on tourism as much.
Okay, he has to admit that Jensen looks like he belongs on that stage and the music he plays wasn’t that bad. If Jensen were any other man, Jared might have swooned a little when Jensen threw a wink his way. The man just rubs Jared the wrong way. Jared hasn’t forgotten what happened in the doctor’s office. Honestly, he still blames the man for the horrible rash that is still tormenting him right now.
Jared cradles the phone between his head and his shoulders as he uses two hands to scratch at his back. It is only getting worse. Maybe Jared should go find another doctor in another town.
“Jared, are you listening?” his father asks sounding annoyed.
“Yes, Dad I am. You were saying how great Jensen is.”
“Yes, did you know your mom and I met during a concert given by Jensen’s mom? Your mom was a big fan of hers. She played classic violin. A different kind of music, but the same passion you know?” As his father continues, Jared swears his father wanted Jared to call so he would have someone to talk to.
Apparently his father has a lot to say tonight so Jared prepares to sit down and listen. There’ll be hell to pay if he God forbid zones out for a moment.
“So did you hear from Chad yet?” his father asks randomly.
Jared sits up straight. His father liked Chad. He had told Jared that every man made one or two mistakes and Jared should forgive Chad for what he had done. Not that Jared was going to; it is one of the few things Jared refuses to do for his father.
“No Dad.”
“Maybe you should call him,” his father begins but Jared interrupts him.
“You know what dad? I still need to go over some papers. I’ll call you later okay?” he says hanging up the phone before his father can protest too much.
He scratches his back, feeling it burn long after he stops touching it. God he could use a long bath; hopefully it will do something about the itching.
***
Jensen looks at Misha as he sits down on the barstool. The other man asked him to hang around after the show was done. Jensen suspects he wants them to be friends and he doesn’t know how he feels about that yet. Misha seems like an okay guy. Kind of strange and Jensen isn’t really sure he should take everything he says seriously; however, after knowing the guy for more than a week, he is intrigued.
“So there I was with this guy, right?” Misha says in the middle of a story about how he met his wife, “And he was about to go down on me. Then she walks in.”
“Wait,” Jensen says stopping Misha, “I thought you were in the men’s room.”
Misha looks at him like he is crazy, “Yeah, a men’s room at a drag club. There is no telling what walks in. Man, woman, vampire bat. Anyways, she walks in and asks if she could join in. Right then and there, I knew I was going to marry her.”
Jensen gapes at him. He is pretty sure Misha has had more crazy experiences than he has; and that includes the year he had a following. No seriously, there had been a whole cult dedicated to his band. Jensen still isn’t sure how that happened.
He is just about to comment on Misha’s story when he spots Padalecki walk in. Of course the man is wearing a dark blue suit. He looks all business like when he stops in front of Jensen.
“Mr. Ackles,” he says when he is within hearing range.
Jensen frowns; taking a big gulp from his beer before turning towards the other man.
“It’s Jensen actually,” Jensen says, winking at Jared.
He knows he is probably pissing Jared off. He knows he is going to pay for it someday, but the other guy just looks so cute when he huffs in indignation.
“Alright Jensen,” Jared says through clenched teeth.
Jensen just smiles and nods.
“I wanted to ask you something about your performance,” Jared pauses looking at Misha who holds up his hands and walks away.
Jared sighs; sitting down on the barstool next to Jensen and orders a glass of coke.
“Maybe you should order a beer,” Jensen says smirking and Jared glares at him.
“No thank you,” Jared says sitting up straight.
Jensen frowns, understanding this might be a bit more serious than he first expected.
“Maybe another time? At my next show maybe?” When Jared just glares Jensen sighs, “Okay so I guess I should apologize since we’re going to be working together.”
Jared looks at him for a long time before shaking his head. Jensen smiles at him sweetly before losing his patience.
“Okay, so what do you want to talk about?”
Jared reaches down and takes out a file, “I’m planning a meeting to discuss the future of the hotel and I would like for you to be there,” he says.
***
“So what is a hot guy like you doing in a town like this?”
Jared looks up at the source of the question. Next to him is a petite blonde girl with a sweet smile looking at him questionably. She raises her eyebrows and Jared looks down at the notes he was making. He decides they aren’t going anywhere and he could spend some time getting to know people in this town.
“I needed some time away from home, so I came here.” It was more like he was sent here but it isn’t like he was going to admit to that.
The girl scrunches up her nose, “You came here voluntarily? I figured you were someone’s cousin or something. I’m Katy by the way,” she says holding out her hand.
“Jared,” he says shaking her hand.
Apparently she takes it as an invite and plops down beside him at his table.
“So you’re here looking for some peace and quiet? Let me guess, you watched too many rom-com’s and decided that was the way to deal with a bad break up,” she says.
Jared looks at her in surprise. He has to give it to her; she has more spunk than any other person in this town. Well not counting Jensen of course. She smiles at him for a moment before her face falls.
“No really? You came here. I’m so sorry for the mocking,” she says and Jared can’t help but laugh.
“Yeah okay bad break up. But I’m actually here to manage this hotel. So not really rom-com right?”
She smiles back at him shaking her head. Jared already likes this girl and can imagine the two of them becoming friends.
“No, throw in ‘finding the man of your dreams despite never expecting it’ and this is exactly like a rom-com!” she says before letting out a loud cackle.
***
Jensen sighs as he gets into his car for his meeting with the staff of the Canyon Creek Lodge. He doesn't even know why he needs to be there. When he asked Misha, the other man replied that Jared wanted everyone there; something about a new plan to help make the hotel more popular.
Jensen doesn't even want to know why he feels the need to do this at 7am.
Jared is just lucky that Jensen doesn't have anything better to do and that his house isn't that far from the hotel. Jensen rubs his eyes after he parks the car. He is so tired.
Last night had been a bad night for him. He really doesn't have the nightmares anymore, but some nights are worse than others. Last night had been a pretty bad night for him.
“Hi Jensen,” Misha says greeting him with a smile, “You look like crap.”
Jensen nods before moving into the conference room. He just hopes that whatever Jared has to say is short and interesting, even if he doesn't think he’ll be able to sit through it.
Jared walks in wearing a grey suit carrying two briefcases and a serious expression.
“Good morning everyone. We’re here to discuss some of the ideas I have for the hotel and I would like to know what you think about them. I want you all to think hard about where you see the hotel in a couple of years and after my presentation we’ll have a discussion about it.”
Jensen groans and wonders if he can walk out right now. It isn’t like he needs the job. He is doing it because he likes performing and loves the music. He made enough money when he was still touring with the band to never have to work again.
“Misha, could you get the lights please? “Jared asks as he starts a power point presentation.
Jensen takes his time to look at the other man. He hasn’t changed his opinion about him; Jared is gorgeous. He wears the suit well, but Jensen never really liked slick looking men. No, Jensen liked a man in jeans and a soft looking worn t-shirt. Jared is wound too tight to have any real fun with. Besides, that’s all Jensen does, have fun. He doesn’t do relationships.
Jared is talking about a movie theater when Jensen fells his eyes getting heavy. Why do these meetings always have to be this boring? God, Jared is talking in this monotone voice that was lulling him to sleep. Jensen had taken the seat in the back. He just hopes Jared won't notice if he closes his eyes for a few moment.
***
Jared is concentrating on selling his idea to the people that worked for the hotel. He knows that if he wanted to make it work, it needs the support of the people who live and breathe in this hotel. He won’t get anywhere without their support.
He is in the middle of explaining how a movie theater will mean giving up a conference room, and despite that it would triple their popularity when he hears a couple of employees snicker softly. Jared turns around, raising his eyebrow curiously. Two men, who he hasn’t officially met yet, are trying to hide their laughter. Jared turns a questioning gaze to Misha, who in turn nods toward the chair where Jensen is sitting.
Jared shakes his head assuming the other man had made a joke of some kind and decides to let it go when he hears a soft snore. Jared's eyes snap back to Jensen. The other man is leaning back in his chair, eyes closed, when he lets out another, much louder snore.
Jared feels his blood boil at the sight of the other man. Jensen undermines his authority and if Jared doesn’t do anything right now, the rest of the staff will never take him seriously.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s obvious Mr. Ackles needs his beauty sleep. Let’s give him some peace okay? This meeting will be rescheduled for later,” he says walking to the back of the room to hold the door open.
When the room is empty, apart from him and Jensen he stands in front of the other man. Jared takes a long look at him. He looks kind of innocent like this, eyes closed and face soft. Jared almost feels badly for what he is about to do.
He walks back to his laptop and types in the biggest font size type he can: YOU’RE FIRED! He then sets it to project on the big screen. When he is done, he stands back to admire his work. Yes, that should get the message across.
Then he turns around and leaves the room, closing the door quietly. When he spots Misha in the lobby he calls the man over.
“Make sure Mr. Ackles isn’t disturbed in his rest.”
Misha nods and Jared walks to his office. He wants to study all the possibilities he has. He also needs to call his father and tell him that he fired the great Jensen Ackles.
***
Jensen shifts uncomfortably in his chair before opening his eyes. He scrunches up his face as his back hurts when he moves. He shouldn’t have fallen asleep on a chair. No matter how comfortable it felt.
That thought made him shoot up from his chair. He had fallen asleep during Jared’s presentation!
God the other man must be pissed.
Just as Jensen thinks this, his eyes fall on the text projected on the wall. When he reads it a big smile spreads across his face. Maybe Jared isn’t as dull as he suspected in the first place.
Jensen tries to sneak out of the room without being noticed, but Misha rushes towards him before he can even close the door.
“Mr. Padalecki requested you call as soon as you were done,” Misha says sounding nervous.
“Why? Jared regrets not shouting at me before? He wants another shot?” Jensen asks smirking.
Misha’s mouth twitches in a brief smile before turning down again, “No, the other Mr. Padalecki.”
Jensen frowns. What does the old man want with him? Want to tell him off for messing with his baby boy?
Misha shrugs, “If you ask me, he’s the scary one,” he says handing Jensen the phone, “The number is on the desk behind you.”
Jensen frowns; he might as well call him. Hell he already got fired, what’s the worst that could happen?
***
“I can’t believe my father! Going behind my back to re-hire Jensen,” Jared says over the phone to Katy.
He has gotten to know the girl pretty well over the last few days and he was right, she made a perfect friend.
“Jay you really shouldn’t let the man get to you. Why do you listen to him anyway?”
Jared frowns. Yeah, why did he listen to him anyway? The man had done nothing more than make his life miserable. Well if his father thinks that he is just going to lay back and take this, the old man is clearly mistaken. He had asked Jared to manage the hotel; he should trust Jared to make these decisions wisely.
“Yeah, well maybe I did in on a whim.” He tells Katy.
It's true, he fired Jensen mostly because he was pissed off. The other man is bad for the teams’ morale and his father can't disagree with that. Falling asleep during a fucking meeting, it was so disrespectful.
His father had allowed that. Hell, he humiliated Jared even more by calling Jensen and telling him; fucking telling him not to listen to Jared.
“Yeah okay maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but you could have undone it yourself. This way your father under minded you! “
“Exactly!” Jared yells grabbing another mini bottle of wine, “Hey listen I gotta go. Call you in the morning,” he says ending the call before opening the bottle and drinking it in one gulp.
He will show his father. The hotel can go up in flames as far as he is concerned, he was leaving! He no longer needs his father’s approval; all he needs is another bottle of wine.
When he had almost finished the contents of his mini bar, Jared packs his bag, gets a big boy bottle from the bar and leaves. He doesn’t want to have anything to do with this awful hotel, or that fucking Jensen Ackles asshole. He giggles at his own word play.
Jared gets in a cab and tells him to drive. He drinks from his bottle looking outside the window. Despite his growing hate for the town; it looks very peaceful out there.
“Driver can you please stop, I want to go for a walk?” Jared decides.
“Are you sure?” the driver asks, “It is pretty deserted out there and you could get lost.”
Jared frowns at the man, “Of course I’m sure! How dare you ques- uh question me!”
The man shrugs stopping the car, muttering something about summer and that Jared is lucky it doesn’t get cold outside.
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