Finding Armando (Found At Last Book 2) Read online

  “Have you asked Asher what’s wrong?”

  “Sure, but he’s been pretty tight-lipped.”

  “Which means Asher is dealing with it on his own.” Jamison led us out of the office. “So we won’t press him about it.” He glared at me. “Will we, Theo?”

  “Of course not.”

  I could tell Jamison wasn’t buying it.

  Luckily Asher’s administrative assistant peeked out from her cubicle. “Asher is waiting for you in his office.”

  After we thanked her, Phoenix led us into the corner office. Asher rose from his vast cherry desk. His lean, cut body filled out his suit well. “Welcome back to Nolan Giorgio’s!” After we shook hands, Asher directed us all to sit on a burgundy sofa next to the stone fireplace.

  Jamison said, “We took a tour of the place, and everything looks great.”

  Asher’s dimples appeared. “No nasty bugs anywhere?”

  “Thankfully no,” Jamison replied.

  I said, “I looked over the financial records. The expenditures for the recent renovations and increased employee salaries and benefits were covered by the added revenue—with a small profit margin.”

  “The accountant approves?”

  I smiled at Asher. “The accountant definitely approves.”

  “The schedules and organizational charts for the future look terrific too,” Jamison added.

  Asher ran a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. “That’s what you get from an old Navy man and an ex-Marine.”

  “Takes one to know one,” Jamison, the Navy veteran, replied.

  Feeling incredibly civilian, I said, “Breakfast was delicious.”

  Stealing a furtive glance at my stomach, Phoenix said, “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

  I crossed my arms over my midsection.

  Asher asked us, “Are you still getting harassed by sales calls?”

  Jamison groaned. “We received sales pitches to put in a water ride, zoo, Christian theme park—”

  I added, “Movie studio, hot-air balloon launching, and converting to solar and wind power, which isn’t a bad idea, by the way, if we continue our financial stability.”

  Jamison announced, “We’ve turned off our phones.”

  “Good for you!” Asher said.

  “Though I’m sure we’ll check messages from time to time,” I replied, glancing at my pocket.

  Jamison asked, “Is the new activities director working out?”

  Asher nodded. “He’s already led a dance marathon, hiking expedition, boat race, and tennis tournament.”

  Phoenix added, “I’m proud to work in a resort that is so welcoming to people like us.”

  “Hear! Hear!” Asher added.

  “We’re proud to own it,” Jamison said.

  I added, “And to honor Nolan and Giorgio’s memory.”

  Asher nodded his support. “You did a wonderful thing by reuniting them.”

  Jamison and I shared a satisfied smile.

  “I’m proud to call you my friends,” Asher said.

  After Jamison and I bought the resort, we met with Asher and Phoenix on a number of occasions. They educated us on all aspects of our new business. At each of our visits, I noticed they seemed more relaxed, having apparently moved from skepticism to trusting us. After we took them out to dinner on our last visit, we had clearly jumped the hurdle from new bosses to new friends.

  “We really enjoy our time with you both,” Jamison said.

  I added coyly, “I hope we aren’t taking either of you away from a partner.”

  Jamison translated. “He wants to know if you’re single.”

  “Asks the happily married newlywed.” Asher adjusted the jacket of his royal blue suit. “I’m afraid I’m terminally single.”

  “As am I.” The assistant manager explained, “Most guys can’t deal with our work schedules and organizational skills.”

  Asher added, “Or as some people have called it, our obsessive-compulsive natures.”

  Jamison chuckled. “Their loss is our gain here at Nolan Giorgio’s.”

  I asked, “Have you ever thought about dating each other?”

  Jamison cringed.

  “Did I insert foot in mouth?”

  Jamison explained, “Phoenix reports to Asher.”

  “And Phoenix is young enough to be my son,” Asher replied.

  Phoenix added, “Besides, Asher and I would destroy each other with our constant systemizing.”

  I tented my fingers. “This is totally none of my business.”

  “Which has never stopped him before,” Jamison interjected.

  “But you two guys have so much to offer: great looks, intelligence, good jobs—”

  “Fantastic bosses,” Asher added.

  Phoenix groaned. “You sound like my mother.”

  “Haven’t you heard mothers are always right?”

  He smiled at me. “I appreciate your and my mom’s concern, but I don’t think there’s a man out there for me.”

  I took Jamison’s hand. “Married life works for us.”

  Asher sighed. “I can understand that, since I had something like that once.” Again he seemed miles away.

  Jamison shot me a warning glance not to probe.

  To my surprise, Asher’s jade eyes softened and he said, “It was back in the Navy.”

  Jamison spoke up. “Asher, you don’t need to—”

  Phoenix interjected, “Asher loves telling this story. Just ask any of the administrative assistants.” He rose. “I’ve heard it more times than I’ve listened to my mother ask me, ‘Don’t you want to spoon something besides ice cream?’ So I will leave you to it. Please let me know if you need anything while you’re here.” He winked at us. “Besides rescuing. And let’s get together for dinner again soon!”

  After he was gone, Jamison turned to Asher. “We didn’t mean to pry.”

  “You weren’t prying. I brought it up.”

  I slid to the edge of my seat. “And we’d like to hear your story.”

  Asher appeared to be transported back in time. “I always knew I was gay. Coming from a small farming town in Pennsylvania, I never acted on it. After attending community college, I joined the Navy and remained there for eight years. It was the best time of my life until….” Sitting back, he said, “Let me start at the beginning. During boot camp, I noticed another recruit from Pennsylvania. He had piercing, tortured gray eyes like a wounded animal. The guy was always alone, never speaking to anyone. I learned his name was Armando Caro.”

  The name seemed familiar to me, but I couldn’t place it.

  “Armando had jet-black wavy hair and a wide, strong build. Though we never spoke, he and I stole furtive glances at each other during drills, meals, and before bed. I wondered who he was, what he was thinking, and if he liked me.” He took in a shaky breath. “A bunch of the other guys in boot camp weren’t thrilled about me being Jewish.”

  I asked, “How did you know?”

  “They called me Christ-killer, Jew-boy, kike.”

  “That would do it.”

  “One night after lights out, they dragged me from my bed into the latrine.” A look of terror filled his face. “One guy held my hands behind my back. Another pressed down on my feet. Three others pummeled my face and stomach. I’d never been so afraid in my life. I screamed, thinking my life was over and wondering what my parents would do when the Navy shipped home my dead body. Like an angel of mercy, Armando appeared and threw them off me. I had never seen anyone fight like that. As if a windmill in motion, he landed punch after punch until they fled back to their beds. When Armando and I were alone, he rested my head on his shoulder, and he asked me if I was all right. I told him, ‘I’m all right for the first time in my life.’ Then he took a clean cloth, washed the blood off my face, and ran his fingers through my hair. Finally, he held me in his strong arms and rocked me back and forth. After that night, the others left me alone.”

  “Armando was a true hero,” I said.

>   Asher nodded. “After boot camp, I couldn’t believe my good fortune when Armando and I were stationed on the same ship in the Middle East. One night after chow, he slid a piece of paper into my pocket. It read, ‘Meet me in the storage room near the forecastle at 0200.’ When I arrived, without saying a word, Armando took off his uniform and skivvies. Then he removed my clothes, and he gently rested me on top of some old blankets. Covering me with his powerful mass, he kissed me softly and tenderly. And I started to cry.”

  “Why?”

  “I had never felt anything so wonderful.”

  “What happened next?”

  “Armando taught me how to make love. I’m not talking only about the mechanics. I mean love itself.” He rubbed his forehead. “My parents proved their love to me by working hard—my father as a salesman and my mother as a bookkeeper and homemaker. As a kid, I heard a lot about the importance of making ends meet, owning a presentable home, wearing clean clothing, and having good manners. But my folks were never affectionate to each other… or to me.”

  “And Armando was different?”

  “That’s an understatement. He hugged and kissed me continuously throughout our lovemaking. Afterward, he pressed my back against his strong chest, wrapped his arms around me, and whispered of his love in my ear. Armando opened a whole new world for me, but it existed solely in that storage room. I never wanted to leave it.”

  “But you had to.”

  Asher made eye contact with us again. “Armando and I met in our secret place whenever we could get away, going mad when we were apart and living for those precious hours together. We not only made love, we shared our hopes and dreams for the future, and our fears too. I told him about my family life and my goal to enter the business world. Armando was from a poor neighborhood, and his family was very Catholic. His father was a car mechanic. Armando was a champion boxer in high school, and he wanted to have his own gymnasium someday. I told him I’d like to manage it. We both studied and worked hard in the Navy. Like the other gay couples onboard ship, we kept that side of our lives hidden, and nobody bothered us. Eventually Armando and I were each promoted to chief petty officer.” His face hardened. “That’s when the trouble started.”

  “The trouble?” I asked.

  Jamison was a step ahead of me. “You were in the military during the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.”

  Asher nodded gravely. “Its name did not accurately represent that bigoted law, which destroyed so many lives. Believe me, if a rumor surfaced about someone onboard ship, the powers that be asked him if he was gay. As at the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthy Hearings, they also asked the sailor to name names of other ‘guilty’ parties in exchange for protection.”

  “Is that what happened to you and Armando?”

  Jamison cleared his throat. “You don’t need to—”

  I rested a hand on Jamison’s wrist. It was evident Asher needed to share this story, which clearly still haunted him all these years later.

  Asher took a deep breath, and his eyes filled with moisture. “A petty officer second class had been spying on Armando and me. Coveting our ranks, he reported us to the captain. I was immediately summoned and placed in the brig. The investigators must have interviewed Armando first. By the time they had gotten to me, they told me Armando had named names, including mine.” A tear dropped onto his cheek. “I was separated from service, taken off the boat I knew as home, and dishonorably discharged. Armando had sold me out in an effort to save himself. In a matter of a few hours, I lost my love, job, health insurance, pension, and dignity.”

  I asked, “Did you ever hear from Armando?”

  “No.”

  Jamison asked, “What happened after you left the military?”

  “I returned home and shared the bad news with my parents—needing their comfort. My father called me a disappointment. Then he wept in my mother’s arms. It was the first time I had ever seen them embrace. Soon after that, he suffered a heart attack and was gone. My mother blamed me for his death. So I left home. Nobody would hire me, so I went back to school, working as a student aide in the Business Department. After graduation, I got a job as a salesman, where I worked my way up to manager. I eventually found this position.”

  “And we’re glad you did,” Jamison said.

  Resting a hand on Asher’s shoulder, I said, “Thank you for sharing that with us.”

  “I’m so sorry that happened to you. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was a dark period in our country’s history.” Jamison grinned. “But you’ve come a long way, baby.”

  “Yeah.” Asher seemed to buck up, but I didn’t buy it. “This is a great position at a terrific resort owned by an amazing couple.”

  “No arguments there.”

  I couldn’t help saying, “Asher, I know you work for us, but we really do consider you a friend.”

  “I feel the same way,” he replied with an appreciative smile.

  “I think we’ve pried into Asher’s personal life enough for today.” Jamison asked Asher, “Is there anything else we can do for you?”

  “No, thanks for listening.” Asher smiled. “And don’t worry about keeping what I said confidential. Everybody around the office already knows.”

  Jamison asked, “Is there anything you need from us?”

  He shook his head. “As you said, everything is running smoothly.”

  “Thanks to you and Phoenix.” Jamison rose. “Which reminds me. Grace, one of the sous-chefs in the restaurant, may be asking you or Phoenix about us.”

  “Was there a problem in the restaurant?”

  I explained, “We offered to take Grace’s daughter, Selah, to the lake.”

  “And we gave you and Phoenix as our character references.” Jamison rested a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll give Phoenix a heads-up.” He added to Asher, “Don’t let him pry anything else out of you about your personal life. See you soon.”

  Asher stood at my side. “Thank you again for listening to my old tale.”

  “We’re honored you confided in us.” I spoke softly. “Asher, Jamison and I saw you at the lake earlier.”

  “You caught me.” He grinned. “Will I get in trouble with the boss men for shirking my duties?”

  “Of course you have the right to take a break like anyone else.”

  “I didn’t notice you there.”

  “You seemed lost in your thoughts, which is unlike you.”

  He sighed. “A lot of things I’ve done lately have been unlike me.”

  “Is that what you were thinking about at the lake?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “Were you thinking about Armando?”

  His jaw tightened. “Yes.”

  “Why were you thinking about him all these years later?”

  “Theo, we haven’t known each other for very long, and you’re my boss, but I feel like I can trust you.”

  “You can.”

  He rubbed his neck. “I know this sounds crazy, but I still think about him… more lately than ever. He’s in my mind constantly. I hear his voice. Gaze into his eyes. Remember his touch. And despite what Armando did to me back then, I can’t help wondering….”

  “Where he is?”

  “Yes. If he’s okay. What he’s doing.” He swallowed hard. “And if he still remembers me.”

  Jamison appeared at the doorway with a smirk. “It took some arm twisting, but Phoenix agreed to give us a good reference. Ready to go?”

  As Jamison and I left Asher’s office, I couldn’t stop thinking about Asher Hillel and Armando Caro.

  Chapter Two

  AFTER LEAVING the administrative building, Jamison and I enjoyed a buffet lunch at the resort’s restaurant. Sitting at a table near a glass wall, we gazed out at our property, feeling like kings of our castle.

  Then we headed back to our log cabin. After making our way through the living room and into the bedroom’s large walk-in closet, we grabbed our gym bags and went to the gym for some weight training, cardio, steam, and
sauna.

  Back at our cabin again, we cleaned up—together—in the large walk-in shower, enjoying the water spray of all twelve nozzles. Moving to the bedroom, we got into our bathing suits. Though we had been together for nearly a year, I still gasped at the sight of Jamison in his lime Speedo. His broad shoulders led down to full pectoral muscles, rounded biceps, washboard abs, and an incredible bulge. When I checked myself out in the bedroom’s floor-length mirror, I noticed my wide shoulders, firm pecs glittered with black hair, and a bulge—over the waistline of my baggy navy trunks. “Have I put on some weight?”

  He patted my stomach. “Just a tad. I think it’s sexy.”

  We enjoyed covering each other’s bodies in sunscreen. Then I removed a blanket and two towels from the linen closet. Since it was nearly 3:00 p.m., we left the cabin.

  Back at the restaurant, Jamison and I ordered three plum smoothies to go. Then we met up with Grace and Selah in front of the employees’ housing unit. Selah looked adorable in a zoo-themed bathing suit with matching towel. Grace seemed distracted. “Thank you again for watching Selah. It’s perfect timing. I have an appointment.”

  “Mom has a lot of appointments,” Selah explained.

  Grace glanced at her watch. “I’ll be back in two hours.”

  “No problem.” Jamison whispered to Grace, “Did you do a reference check on us?”

  Her cheeks pinkened. “Phoenix gave you a rave review.”

  “One of the benefits of being his boss.” Jamison winked at her.

  Selah tugged at the edge of my bathing suit. “What did you eat at the buffet lunch?”

  I moved the spotlight to my husband. “Jamison ate a turkey, asparagus, and avocado sandwich on eight-grain bread.”

  “What did you eat?” Selah asked me.

  I mumbled, “The red snapper, lobster salad, paella, chicken marsala, caprese salad, beet salad, and cheese plate.” I nodded toward Grace. “Everything was delicious.”

  Grace offered a polite smile. “I enjoy cutting and prepping the salads.”

  Still by my side, Selah stared up at me.

  I turned the tables on her. “What did you eat for lunch?”

  She replied, “One salad.”

  Squirming, I said, “It’s a beautiful day. Let’s go to the lake.”