Readers love D.W. MARCHWELL An Earlier Heaven “Marchwell has done yet another fantastic job with creating a story designed to draw the reader in and keep you compelled until the final sentence.” —Literary Nymphs Reviews “An Earlier Heaven is a beautiful reminder to count your blessings no matter how big or small, and it will linger in your heart and mind long after the last page is turned.” —Long and Short Reviews Sins of the Father “Mr. Marchwell has created a fascinating story about three men in a contemporary setting… Thanks go to Mr. Marchwell for an inspiring story.” —Fallen Angel Reviews “I really enjoyed this book even though it did cause me to shed a few tears. It is very well written.” —The Romance Studio “It’s a compelling story, and not the usual gay romance… It’s complicated and Marchwell weaves the story well, making it quite the page turner.” —Jeff and Will By D.W. MARCHWELL All That Heaven Will Allow Comfort Falling • When Memory Fails A Fine Mingling Mitchell’s Presence Pictures on Silence Sins of the Father A Still, Small Voice Until Wishing on a Blue Star (Dreamspinner Anthology) GOOD TO KNOW SERIES Good to Know An Earlier Heaven Roots and Wings Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com Copyright Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All That Heaven Will Allow © 2014 D.W. Marchwell. Cover Art © 2014 Bree Archer. http://www.breearcher.com Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model. All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/. ISBN: 978-1-63216-166-6 Digital ISBN: 978-1-63216-167-3 Library of Congress Control Number: 2014947599 First Edition November 2014 Printed in the United States of America This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper). For Lee, I will always be grateful. All That Heaven Will Allow 1 Chapter 1 “C’MON, JIMMY, how many times I gotta beg?” The drunken fool was breathing enough whiskey into his face to pickle his liver, but Jimmy Campbell smiled anyway and looked into Billy’s eyes. “Billy,” he cooed softly. “Now, you know that you’ve got yourself a perfectly fine man at home. Maybe you quit coming in here every night hitting on me, and he might just show you how much he still loves you.” Hopefully, Jimmy thought as he felt Billy release the death grip he had on his ass. “Now, you go on and wait outside. I’ll call you a cab as usual.” Jimmy turned to Ken, the new bartender, and drew his hand across his throat. Ken nodded that he understood; Billy is cut off. “Kenny, get Billy here a big mug of coffee, would you?” “Sure thing, Boss,” Ken said, smiling and nodding. “You drink that coffee and get yourself home so you can be with your man, Billy.” Jimmy started to move away, but Billy caught him by the wrist. “He don’t love me no more,” Billy said, plopping himself back down at the bar. “Keeps telling me that I’ve been ignoring him for too long, that I’m a drunken old fool.” “That’s ’cause you are, Billy.” Jimmy patted him on the shoulder and then felt a little guilty. “But I tell you what I’ll do for you. You don’t come in here for the rest of this week, you stay sober long enough to prove that man of yours wrong about what he thinks you feel for him, and I’ll treat the two of you to no cover charge for the new band we got coming in on Saturday night.” “How the hell I do that when he’s never home.” 2 D.W. Marchwell Jimmy leaned in close and put his lips near Billy’s ear. “You gotta give him a reason to stay home, Billy.” He leaned back a little and offered Billy a sincere smile. “Fix him his favorite dinner or take him out for a nice steak. Hell, take him out and flirt with him like you been flirting with me, and I’m sure he’ll come around.” “How come you got no man, Jimmy? A sweet thing like you? There’s plenty of men come in here thinking you’re just the sweetest thing they ever saw.” “That’s why,” Jimmy said as he pointed to Billy’s reflection in the mirror behind the bar. “What?” Billy furrowed his brow. “You mean the bar? You got no man because you spend all your time at the bar?” “Yeah, sure,” Jimmy said as he watched Ken laugh and turn away. “The bar’s the reason.” He took his cell phone and dialed the cab company, having memorized the number many, many years ago. He pushed the mug of coffee toward Billy as he listened to the rings. “Come on, now, Billy. Drink up, ’cause I’m calling your cab right now. And don’t forget our deal, okay? I don’t see you in here the rest of the week, you treat your man right, and you two get yourselves front-row seats Saturday night.” Jimmy turned away from Billy when he finally heard a voice on the other end. “A whole fuckin’ week?” Billy sipped at his coffee. “Today’s Thursday, Billy.” Ken topped up the mug and looked at Jimmy, smirking and shaking his head. “Think you can stay away for two days?” “Two days? Fuck yeah. Be sleeping until Saturday morning,” Billy said, howling with laughter as he slapped Ken on the arm. “Hey, how come you don’t go after Jimmy, there? You two’d make a fine, fine couple.” “That’s exactly what I told my wife, but she got upset for some reason.” “I hear that,” Billy said as he took another mouthful of coffee. “Wives, huh? Can’t live with ’em…. End of sentence.” Billy pushed himself away from the bar. “How long you been with your man?” “Ten years,” Ken said, taking the mug and then wiping the counter with the rag that seemed to be a permanent part of his shoulder. “And done told you plenty of times, Billy. I’m married to a woman.” All That Heaven Will Allow 3 “Twenty-seven,” Billy said, some pride evident in his voice. “Johnny and me been together for twenty-seven years.” “Congratulations,” Jimmy said, closing his phone and stuffing it into his back pocket. “If you want it to be twenty-eight, you listen to me now.” Jimmy started guiding Billy to the front door, careful to avoid letting Billy get too close to the other dozen patrons. “I don’t want to see you in here until Saturday. And I don’t want to see you already wasted. Understood?” “What’s his man’s name?” Billy said, looking back over at Ken. Jimmy wanted to slap the loveable drunk and tell him to focus. He sighed and took for granted that Billy probably wouldn’t remember any of this. “He seems like a nice guy. And the way he looks at you, I think Ken might be kind of sweet on you, Jimmy.” “I’m old enough to be his father.” “So.” Billy shrugged. “That kind of shit don’t matter no more. C’mon, Jimmy, quit being such an old fuddy-duddy. Now, you get over there and you ask him out, or he’s gonna get away on you.” “He’s already married, Billy, to a woman.” “Oh, shoot, that’s right.” Billy scratched his head and moved through the front door. “What’d you say his man’s name is?” “Mindy,” Jimmy said as he patted Billy on the shoulder. Luckily, the cab pulled up right on time, and before Jimmy could even give the cab driver directions, Billy was passed out in the back. Jimmy recited the address and handed two twenties to the driver. He shook his head as he headed back into the bar and wondered if he would see Billy the next day. Or would the loveable old fart be able to pull it together long enough to see a free concert? Jimmy still hadn’t returned the message he’d had from that guy whose band would be there on Saturday. He pulled out his phone and searched the numbers, trying to remember if it had been a local number or not. “You paid for his taxi again, didn’t you?” Jimmy heard Ken’s question, but didn’t look up; he just kept on walking and then pointed to a random section of the counter top. “You missed a spot.” 4 D.W. Marchwell “Very funny,” Ken said, his OCD forcing him to pull the towel off his shoulder and swipe it over the immaculate surface a couple more times. “You did, didn’t you?” “Yes, Kenneth. I paid for his cab again.” “You’re too nice to people, Boss.” Jimmy gave up trying to find the phone number and moved behind the bar. “Ken, you above all people should realize that that’s a blessing and that you should quit criticizing me about it.” “I work for what I get, Jimmy.” Ken took the cloth off his shoulder and moved to the opposite end of the bar, clearly upset by what Jimmy had said. “You know I appreciate what you did for me— helping me out when no one else would hire me—but I’ve never taken anything from you that I didn’t earn.” Jimmy closed his eyes and scrubbed at his forehead. He walked back and stood beside Ken as he cleaned glasses. “I’m sorry, Kenny. You know I didn’t mean it that way. And I should be the appreciative one, what with all you do around here. And I never have to ask you to do any of it. You just do it ’cause it needs doing.” Jimmy reached for the apron tie at the small of Ken’s back and undid the knot. “Okay. I’m sorry. I fucked up. So, I’m giving you some time off. Go home. Be with that gorgeous wife of yours. I don’t wanna see you in here until Monday. Unless you think Mindy might like to hear the band on Saturday night. Then, by all means, come on back, and it’ll be my treat.” Ken’s eyes shifted to the door at the creaking sound it made when it opened. “I’ll be right with you, sir,” Ken said, turning back to regard Jimmy. “Boss,” Ken said, holding up his hand. “I wasn’t looking to—” “Don’t worry, Ken. I’m giving you the weekend off, and whatever I make in tips, I’ll set aside for you. Seriously, you’ve earned it.” Jimmy extended his hand. “I’m very sorry that it took me this long to acknowledge that.” “Holy fuck,” Ken said, wrapping his arms around his boss. “Mindy’s gonna think I got fired. She’s never gonna believe we have a whole weekend together.” Ken released Jimmy and turned, then stopped suddenly. “What about crowd control on Saturday, with the new band coming in?”