Inheritance (7/30)
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Once the Walkers clearly decided to be nice to him, Scotty had trouble keeping his resolve not to get any more involved than he already had. It was easier, however, for him to think of it like he just happened to make friends with an entire family at once. When he stopped to admit that this was, in a way, his family, it simply became too much to handle. But friends…friends, he could cope with.
Justin was shocked to discover he had lived in L.A. for so many years and never learned to surf. So most mornings they were both free, they met at the beach and Scotty proceeded to humiliate himself on his borrowed surfboard. He and Tommy bonded over mocking Kevin and Justin, while Sarah and Julia quickly became two of his favorite people. He traded recipes with Nora and happily suffered her mothering. He and Saul lent each other CDs of their favorite bands and debated the quality of L.A. restaurants. And yet, he probably - and quite unexpectedly - got along with Kevin the best. Scotty tried to think of a reasonable explanation for their sudden but definite connection. Perhaps it was because they were both gay. Perhaps it was because Kevin showed some extreme vulnerability when he confessed his DNA scheme wasn’t intended as anything personal and certainly wasn’t about the money - he was just trying to deny the truth of his dad's betrayal. Perhaps it was simply because Kevin was wickedly, sarcastically funny. Scotty wasn’t sure, but whatever it was, he found himself spending more and more time with Kevin.
That day, they were having coffee and people-watching at a small shop Kevin had introduced him to. A comfortable silence had fallen between them, and Scotty wasn’t thinking about anything in particular.
“Want to go to Wicked this weekend? I’ve got an extra ticket.”
“I thought you’ve already seen it,” Scotty replied.
“I have. A couple times.”
Scotty turned to look at Kevin, a teasing expression on his face.
“Don’t even start,” Kevin said quickly.
Scotty smirked. “What about Chad?”
Kevin sighed. “Even if he was willing to risk being seen in public with another man, at a musical no less, we…uh. We broke up.”
Scotty leaned across the table. “Why didn’t you say something? Kevin, I’m sorry.”
Kevin shrugged. “It was never going to last anyway.”
Scotty nodded sympathetically. “So…he’s single?”
Kevin threw a sugar packet at him. Scotty dodged it, laughing. Then he sobered somewhat. “Sure, why not?”
“OK, we could do dinner beforehand.”
“It’s a d - a plan.”
Kevin pretended he didn’t notice Scotty’s slip of the tongue. It hadn’t been the first time they joked about it, after all. And obviously it was a common phrase. But mostly he didn’t want to think about it too closely.
***
“Another round?” Quinn yelled over the sounds of the bar.
“Yeah,” Jordan replied. “If Scotty’s buying.”
“What? I bought the last two.”
“Come on. You’re rich.”
“I told you,” Scotty said firmly. “I didn’t take any of the money.”
“I know,” Jordan said. “What’s wrong with you?”
“You’d just take two million dollars from someone you never even met?” Scotty asked.
“Uh…yeah. That much money, and it’s all legally yours? You bet I’d take it.”
Scotty shook his head. “It doesn’t feel right. He doesn’t feel like my father, and he certainly had nothing to do with me while he was alive. And besides, all the money in the world doesn’t make up for a lifetime of feeling like I didn’t quite fit in.”
Jordan scooted closer to Scotty, lowering his voice as they began to talk more seriously. “What do your parents think about your newfound family?”
Scotty shrugged. “My dad’s fine with it. With all this out in the open, we’re actually talking more now than we have in the last couple years.”
“What about your mom?”
Scotty sighed, looking away. “She’s still not talking to me. Really, I think the only consolation she has is that she can pass off the blame for my ‘defect.’ She definitely falls on the side of homosexuality is genetic. Can’t possibly be anything she did, after all.”
Jordan rolled his eyes, shaking his head. Finally, he turned back to Scotty. “Have you met your biological mother yet?”
Scotty glanced away. “No.”
“What?! Scotty, you said weeks ago that you were going to go into that company and see her.”
“Yeah…” Scotty replied noncommittally. “I just - I don’t know if she wants to meet me.”
“Can’t hurt to try, right?”
Scotty sighed.
***
The next Monday, Scotty walked back into Ojai Foods, ostensibly to see if anyone wanted to go for lunch, but really to see if he could get a glimpse of Holly Harper. He waved at Gladys as he walked past her desk, and she greeted him cheerfully. He arrived at Sarah’s door and knocked on the frame. She looked up and smiled at Scotty.
“Hey bro,” she said.
“Hi Sarah. Came to see if you wanted to do lunch.”
“Sounds like a plan. Can you give me a few minutes?”
“Absolutely. Mind if I wander?”
“Go for it.”
Scotty nodded, taking a calming breath as he walked out of the office again. He turned down the hall, walking perhaps a little slower than he normally would due to his nerves. He glanced in one office and saw Tommy sitting at the desk, his back to the door and clearly on a phone call. A little further down the hall, he saw Saul talking with a few other people. The older man glanced at him and waved, and Scotty nodded back. And then he arrived at a currently-empty office. He looked inside, wondering if this was maybe hers. He stared, unmoving, for several moments.
“Can I help you?” a voice said behind him.
Scotty whirled around. An older, blonde woman stood in front of him, and he vaguely recognized her from the first time he was in Ojai. He had a gut level feeling that this was, indeed, Holly Harper. He gaped at her for a while, trying to find the right words.
Instead, he chickened out. “I’m looking for Sarah Walker,” he said quickly.
The woman watched him carefully for a moment. “Her office is that way, three doors down,” she finally said.
“Thanks,” Scotty said, walking away before either of them could say anything else. Head bent, he watched his feet as he hurried down the hall, fighting the urge to look back over his shoulder.
***
“What does Holly look like?” Scotty asked Kevin as they walked out of the theater after Wicked that weekend.
Kevin looked over at him. “Ah, long blonde hair. Blue eyes. Maybe 5’5” or so. You haven’t met her yet?”
Scotty shook his head quickly. “No. No.”
“Do you want to?”
“I don’t know,” Scotty said. Then he adding, laughing almost hysterically, “What would we talk about? The weather? Driving in L.A.? She gave birth to me and I don’t know a thing about her besides the fact that she slept with a married man.”
Kevin shrugged. “You didn’t know anything about us, and that turned out OK. Eventually.”
“That’s different.”
Kevin watched Scotty as he pointed out, “You won’t know unless you try.”
“What if she doesn’t want to meet me? I don’t want to just, you know, go up to her and say ‘hi mom!’ if it’s not something she wants.”
“Want me to…feel her out about it?”
“Would you?” Scotty asked, turning to Kevin with an almost-begging expression.
“Sure,” Kevin said, nodding. Scotty exhaled in relief. “But you have to do something for me,” Kevin added.
“What?” Scotty narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“Come to Game Night tomorrow at Mom’s.”
Scotty paused. “What’s the catch?”
“Well, first, our opponents, the Jones family, are hideous. And also, Kitty’s going to be there. It’s time you two met.”
“Didn’t I just say I didn’t want to spring myself on someone who wants nothing to do with me?”
“Yeah, but Kitty’s just being pissy and stubborn. Besides, she’s springing me on someone, so that will make us even.”
“What are you talking about?”
Kevin tilted his head back, groaning. “I have a blind date tomorrow.”
Scotty looked at him in surprise. “Oh,” he said softly.
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Once the Walkers clearly decided to be nice to him, Scotty had trouble keeping his resolve not to get any more involved than he already had. It was easier, however, for him to think of it like he just happened to make friends with an entire family at once. When he stopped to admit that this was, in a way, his family, it simply became too much to handle. But friends…friends, he could cope with.
Justin was shocked to discover he had lived in L.A. for so many years and never learned to surf. So most mornings they were both free, they met at the beach and Scotty proceeded to humiliate himself on his borrowed surfboard. He and Tommy bonded over mocking Kevin and Justin, while Sarah and Julia quickly became two of his favorite people. He traded recipes with Nora and happily suffered her mothering. He and Saul lent each other CDs of their favorite bands and debated the quality of L.A. restaurants. And yet, he probably - and quite unexpectedly - got along with Kevin the best. Scotty tried to think of a reasonable explanation for their sudden but definite connection. Perhaps it was because they were both gay. Perhaps it was because Kevin showed some extreme vulnerability when he confessed his DNA scheme wasn’t intended as anything personal and certainly wasn’t about the money - he was just trying to deny the truth of his dad's betrayal. Perhaps it was simply because Kevin was wickedly, sarcastically funny. Scotty wasn’t sure, but whatever it was, he found himself spending more and more time with Kevin.
That day, they were having coffee and people-watching at a small shop Kevin had introduced him to. A comfortable silence had fallen between them, and Scotty wasn’t thinking about anything in particular.
“Want to go to Wicked this weekend? I’ve got an extra ticket.”
“I thought you’ve already seen it,” Scotty replied.
“I have. A couple times.”
Scotty turned to look at Kevin, a teasing expression on his face.
“Don’t even start,” Kevin said quickly.
Scotty smirked. “What about Chad?”
Kevin sighed. “Even if he was willing to risk being seen in public with another man, at a musical no less, we…uh. We broke up.”
Scotty leaned across the table. “Why didn’t you say something? Kevin, I’m sorry.”
Kevin shrugged. “It was never going to last anyway.”
Scotty nodded sympathetically. “So…he’s single?”
Kevin threw a sugar packet at him. Scotty dodged it, laughing. Then he sobered somewhat. “Sure, why not?”
“OK, we could do dinner beforehand.”
“It’s a d - a plan.”
Kevin pretended he didn’t notice Scotty’s slip of the tongue. It hadn’t been the first time they joked about it, after all. And obviously it was a common phrase. But mostly he didn’t want to think about it too closely.
***
“Another round?” Quinn yelled over the sounds of the bar.
“Yeah,” Jordan replied. “If Scotty’s buying.”
“What? I bought the last two.”
“Come on. You’re rich.”
“I told you,” Scotty said firmly. “I didn’t take any of the money.”
“I know,” Jordan said. “What’s wrong with you?”
“You’d just take two million dollars from someone you never even met?” Scotty asked.
“Uh…yeah. That much money, and it’s all legally yours? You bet I’d take it.”
Scotty shook his head. “It doesn’t feel right. He doesn’t feel like my father, and he certainly had nothing to do with me while he was alive. And besides, all the money in the world doesn’t make up for a lifetime of feeling like I didn’t quite fit in.”
Jordan scooted closer to Scotty, lowering his voice as they began to talk more seriously. “What do your parents think about your newfound family?”
Scotty shrugged. “My dad’s fine with it. With all this out in the open, we’re actually talking more now than we have in the last couple years.”
“What about your mom?”
Scotty sighed, looking away. “She’s still not talking to me. Really, I think the only consolation she has is that she can pass off the blame for my ‘defect.’ She definitely falls on the side of homosexuality is genetic. Can’t possibly be anything she did, after all.”
Jordan rolled his eyes, shaking his head. Finally, he turned back to Scotty. “Have you met your biological mother yet?”
Scotty glanced away. “No.”
“What?! Scotty, you said weeks ago that you were going to go into that company and see her.”
“Yeah…” Scotty replied noncommittally. “I just - I don’t know if she wants to meet me.”
“Can’t hurt to try, right?”
Scotty sighed.
***
The next Monday, Scotty walked back into Ojai Foods, ostensibly to see if anyone wanted to go for lunch, but really to see if he could get a glimpse of Holly Harper. He waved at Gladys as he walked past her desk, and she greeted him cheerfully. He arrived at Sarah’s door and knocked on the frame. She looked up and smiled at Scotty.
“Hey bro,” she said.
“Hi Sarah. Came to see if you wanted to do lunch.”
“Sounds like a plan. Can you give me a few minutes?”
“Absolutely. Mind if I wander?”
“Go for it.”
Scotty nodded, taking a calming breath as he walked out of the office again. He turned down the hall, walking perhaps a little slower than he normally would due to his nerves. He glanced in one office and saw Tommy sitting at the desk, his back to the door and clearly on a phone call. A little further down the hall, he saw Saul talking with a few other people. The older man glanced at him and waved, and Scotty nodded back. And then he arrived at a currently-empty office. He looked inside, wondering if this was maybe hers. He stared, unmoving, for several moments.
“Can I help you?” a voice said behind him.
Scotty whirled around. An older, blonde woman stood in front of him, and he vaguely recognized her from the first time he was in Ojai. He had a gut level feeling that this was, indeed, Holly Harper. He gaped at her for a while, trying to find the right words.
Instead, he chickened out. “I’m looking for Sarah Walker,” he said quickly.
The woman watched him carefully for a moment. “Her office is that way, three doors down,” she finally said.
“Thanks,” Scotty said, walking away before either of them could say anything else. Head bent, he watched his feet as he hurried down the hall, fighting the urge to look back over his shoulder.
***
“What does Holly look like?” Scotty asked Kevin as they walked out of the theater after Wicked that weekend.
Kevin looked over at him. “Ah, long blonde hair. Blue eyes. Maybe 5’5” or so. You haven’t met her yet?”
Scotty shook his head quickly. “No. No.”
“Do you want to?”
“I don’t know,” Scotty said. Then he adding, laughing almost hysterically, “What would we talk about? The weather? Driving in L.A.? She gave birth to me and I don’t know a thing about her besides the fact that she slept with a married man.”
Kevin shrugged. “You didn’t know anything about us, and that turned out OK. Eventually.”
“That’s different.”
Kevin watched Scotty as he pointed out, “You won’t know unless you try.”
“What if she doesn’t want to meet me? I don’t want to just, you know, go up to her and say ‘hi mom!’ if it’s not something she wants.”
“Want me to…feel her out about it?”
“Would you?” Scotty asked, turning to Kevin with an almost-begging expression.
“Sure,” Kevin said, nodding. Scotty exhaled in relief. “But you have to do something for me,” Kevin added.
“What?” Scotty narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“Come to Game Night tomorrow at Mom’s.”
Scotty paused. “What’s the catch?”
“Well, first, our opponents, the Jones family, are hideous. And also, Kitty’s going to be there. It’s time you two met.”
“Didn’t I just say I didn’t want to spring myself on someone who wants nothing to do with me?”
“Yeah, but Kitty’s just being pissy and stubborn. Besides, she’s springing me on someone, so that will make us even.”
“What are you talking about?”
Kevin tilted his head back, groaning. “I have a blind date tomorrow.”
Scotty looked at him in surprise. “Oh,” he said softly.
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