Mystery Of You (Pub 5)

10 - Like

Ian sat at his desk and rolled his eyes as Henry recounted his work drama. He kept his mouth shut even though he thought Henry sounded ill prepared.

"You should have seen her eat the chocolate."

Ian's vision wasn't overly kind for the chocoholic. To be fair, Henry's only description was every synonym for annoying and a large bust. He imagined more large body parts, but who was he to judge? He had gone soft since his injury.

"I'm working through lunch. I have a follow up with my surgeon and physical therapy."

"Good luck with that. I'll go, but we should go out sometime since you can't climb."

"I'm taking my cousin climbing on Saturday morning. She's a beginner."

Henry smiled. "Cousin. Maybe I'll see you."

Ian didn't bother to correct him. Henry would see his mistake immediately. He chuckled and would feel guilty if he hadn't already told him Brooke was a kid.

The follow up with his surgeon went well. The pain had lessened, which was expected. He felt ready to go back to commuting by subway. His physical therapist agreed he was progressing and his reward was longer on the stationary bike.

"So, can I do an easy climb?"

"Let's not push it. I'm glad you want to get back on the horse."

Ian couldn't imagine not climbing. Being single, he never had to compromise his pastime. Although he might like to skip a climb to stay in bed. As he rode, he thought of his mother. She went from her arse of a husband to her boss without being alone for a year. It was easy to feel envious of the companionship between Anita and Kurt. Meanwhile, his father was dating after years of being single. Ian suspected he saw women, but it was the first time he had canceled plans because of a woman and he had canceled two brunches. The coming weekend was because they were going to Nantucket to see friends. Andrew Gillespie wasn't the houseguest for a weekend type. His mother thought nothing of visiting her sister-in-law or the Sumners in Newport. She had other friends who invited them to The Hamptons.

Ian's life was content on his own, but the idea of having someone special in a crowd had a certain appeal. Instead, he had plans with Brooke on Saturday.

Feeling restless, he ubered from his appointment to the condo he thought of at home.

With his father away for the weekend, he went to play the piano. It amazed him how much he loved to play when he wasn't forced to practice every day. As he walked up the steps, he felt the nostalgia for home. If he ever shared his feeling with his mother, she would feel hurt. Using his key, he let himself in, but was surprised not to hear the beeping of the alarm system. Once he breached the door, he should have had thirty seconds to enter the code.

Ian stopped short as a woman walked into the kitchen without seeing him. He stood in the entryway, suddenly feeling like an intruder.

"Dad!"

His father rounded the corner in shorts with wet hair. "Ian? This is a surprise."

"I thought you were away. I wanted to play."

"We're not leaving yet, since we plan to avoid the traffic and stay in Hyannis overnight. We have a ferry reservation for the morning."

"I didn't mean to intrude. I can go."

He smiled. "Come meet Margot."

He followed his dad into the kitchen. A woman closer to his dad's age than his own stood dunking from a cup with a tea bag. When did Andrew stock tea in his pantry? She looked up and smiled.