The Gideon Affair

“Sounds cool.”

“Right? Well, I think that offering people a more personalized experience than what you’d find at a Best Western, especially if the needs of the whole family were in play—not just the parents—would be tapping into an underserved niche of vacation and day trip travelers.”

“I’m listening.”

She smiled. If she knew him at all, he was doing more than listening; he was taking mental notes.

“I’d like to fix up an old house and make it family friendly. Game room, stuff like that. Create guest suites instead of single rooms that would accommodate mom, dad, and kids. A B&B concept but more modern.”

“And the tea? Would that be a part of it?”

He really was listening.

“Y’know, I like that whole afternoon tea, late day siesta thing. Everyone needs a chance to relax. Like naptime for adults without the eyes closed thing. So yeah, maybe not a traditional tea but some sort of … thing.”

“Sounds awesome. Day trip with the kids? Stop at a B&B for a late day refresher. That way the parents are less likely to want to snap when they get home.”

“Exactly!”

The swaying continued. “You know, we could totally start checking out some properties. Maybe do a test run?”

As drily as she could, Paige pithily replied, “ I think we have enough on our plate right now.”

“Oh shit,” Edward hooted gleefully. “I forgot to tell you. Talked to M. In another week, this whole thing will have run its course. Long story short, you were right.”

"Ah, ha-ha, ha-ha. Told you.”

“By the time we get back to L.A., all this nonsense will have blown over and we can focus on other things. Like coming up with a business plan for your B&B idea and looking for a real house, not a bachelor beach-pad. Preferably something with a shit-ton of bedrooms we can work on filling with a new generation of Ba

Uhhhhh … babies? Were they talking about babies? Good grief. They really were on some surreal fast track.

She snickered. “Yes, well, we’ll negotiate on that whole gestate a human being thing. Before that, you might want to review my bonus check a few more times if you think keeping me barefoot and pregnant is a plan.”

“Fucking golddigger.”

“Asshole sex god.”

They were going to make a great team.

Breakfast at the Ba

Thrilled to see Marsh again, Edward had him in a brotherly headlock in the first five minutes they were all in the same room. To say he loved his little bro was an understatement. Marsh had been his lieutenant, sidekick, and provoker from his earliest memory. They were alike but different. Probably as it should be.

The pancakes had flown; a slab of bacon the size a two-year-old got sliced and cooked. Two dozen eggs were prepared, and throughout it all, his mom and Paige had smiled and shook their heads. Good times.

They were gathered around the table. Paige, of course, was on his lap, and his folks were doing that tag team thing parents did so well as they tried to pry information from Marsh who, as usual, was a font of nothing.

“So, what does that mean, hon? Are you staying? Passing through? Heading where?”

Moms. They knew how to get right to the heart of things.

“Actually, Mom, I’ve got something to keep me busy. I’m calling it Project-Get-a-Life.”

Paige snorted. Marsh had been traipsing around the globe for years following fuck knows what whims. He didn’t share much, and she knew Edward was slightly mystified about what he did with his time. And money.

“Does this life involve getting a job?”

“Oh, that’s rich coming from you, big brother. A job? You mean like what you do? Calling that a job now, are we?”

“Hey, don’t be hating just ‘cause I found a way to make money and have fun.”

They tossed off a few arm punches for good measure.

“What? So you think flashing your pecs for all the soccer moms is better than being an astronaut? Or a writer? Isn’t that what you pla

“An astronaut?” Paige asked. “For real?”

He nodded. “Yep. I wanted to be the Jack Kerouac of outer space.”

“Don’t you mean Jules Verne?”

Marsh cut in. “Oh, hell no! Jules wrote about fantasy. Old Ed wanted actually to ride the rockets then send dispatches that he’d authored from real experiences back to Planet Earth. It was all so futuristic when we were kids. Never too late, hmm?”

“Well, in any case, does this new plan of yours involve settling down in one place?”

It occurred to him as he watched his mother lazily stir her tea with a small, satisfied smile on her face that he’d taken over from them with the third degree of his brother. Damn, they were clever.

Marshall cleared his throat and paused to collect some thoughts. Edward would know that contemplative expression anywhere. Paige sat straighter, aware of the change in the room. His dad stopped tapping his fingers on the table and narrowed his eyes. He wondered if having two sons had been the crazy ride Edward thought it was.

“The thing is,” Marshall began, “I’ve got all these properties. Mostly rentals. Some still in fix-up mode and …”

“Say again?” his mother chimed in. “You have what?”

“Uh, did you say properties?” Paige asked.

Edward went slack-jawed. Was this a joke? What the hell was Marsh talking about?

“Yeah … it’s kind of like this, guys. I know y'all figured I blew Gran’s inheritance.”

Edward went perfectly still. Gran’s inheritance. Holy shit. They’d each received a hefty chunk of cha-ching when she passed on. That was what Edward had been living on when he moved to Los Angeles. All these years they’d all assumed that when Marsh took off to Europe and basically didn’t come home for three years that he was churning and burning his share.

“Almost right away I started building a real estate portfolio …”

He kept talking, but Edward heard nothing after the words real estate and portfolio. Paige had always said that one day Marsh would surprise them all. Looked like that day just arrived.

“So now, I’ve got to make some decisions about what to do next.”

A mini-explosion went off in Edward’s head. “Hey, any of these properties be good for something like, oh, I don’t know … maybe a B&B?”

Paige’s head was whipping back and forth between him and his brother so fast it was a wonder she didn’t get whiplash.

"A B&B?” his mother interjected. “I like the way that sounds. What brought that up, dear?”

Ru

“Paige has an idea about a chain of family-oriented guest suites,” he told his mother. Turning to Marsh, he added, “You should talk to her, bro. She’s really on to something.”

“If it means we get to see more of you two, and now Paige, as well, I’m all for it.” His father looked like a man who just hit the jackpot with his last quarter.

“Speaking of which,” Marsh drawled. “I’m invoking the Ba

“You’re joking, I hope.” Paige chuckled.

His mother got the last word in this conversation. “No joke, dear. Marsh is right. All the Ba

Over his dead body, Edward fumed.

“Your parents arrive tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Bright and early. Steven’s going to pick them up.”

They were bouncing down a dirt road that skirted along the river in an old work truck that had seen better days.