around Aggie. “Come on inside, old friend. I want to hear all about you and yours.”
Aggie followed him inside, taking in as much as she could of the details of a library off to the left, the living room opposite it, and the powder room just beyond the living room before stepping into the beautiful, professional-looking kitchen and open family room that spread across the back of the house.
“Everything’s beautiful,” gushed Blythe. “I love all the touches you’ve given the space to make it so open, light, and airy.”
“Yes,” Aggie quickly agreed. The contemporary feel they’d given to the house worked beautifully with the space.
Mack smiled at Simon. “We had fun making it ours. Not your ordinary colonial.”
“How long have you been together?” Blythe asked him.
“Thirty years, married for three,” said Mack, beaming.
“I’m happy for you, Mack,” said Aggie, realizing how right it was to see Simon and him together. Now, a lot of things clicked into place. Mack had dated many women but never got serious about any of them. He’d never provided any marriage information in the annual news posts, and he’d always been single at weddings or gatherings in the group following their college years.
He grinned at her. “Took me a while to come out, but I’m glad I did.”
“Me, too,” said Simon, and the four of them laughed together.
Seeing Mack this happy brought a sting of tears to Aggie’s eyes. To Blythe, it might seem normal to see this happy couple, but back in the sixties when they were in college, being gay was something that many kept hidden.
###
After the men brought in their luggage and Aggie and Blythe had settled in their rooms, they met downstairs in the kitchen.
“If it’s agreeable to you, I’ve chosen a nice pinot noir for us to drink while sampling appetizers,” said Mack. “Simon is a terrific cook, but I know my wine.”
“Wonderful.” Aggie grinned. “I remember everyone in college thought you were so sophisticated when we went out to eat because you’d order wine instead of cheap beer.”
“Is that so?” Simon said, winking at Mack. “He’s always enjoyed good wine. That’s one of the reasons we clicked from the beginning. Good food, too.”
Mack poured wine and handed each of them a glass.
“Everyone can relax in the family room while I prep a few things for dinner,” said Simon, lifting his glass of wine in a salute.
“If you don’t mind, Simon, I’d like to watch,” said Blythe.
“No problem.” He winked at her. “I’ll even let you make any suggestions.”
Blythe laughed. “You don’t want any from me. I’m just starting to get serious about cooking.”
“Simon’s a wonderful cook,” said Mack. “C’mon, Aggie, let’s sit in the family room. I want to hear all about your new place.”
Aggie took a seat on the couch. Mack settled in at the other end of it and faced her.
“Here’s to us,” he said, lifting his glass.
“Yes, to us,” Aggie said. “I’m pleased to be here. How did you and Simon meet?”
Mack’s features softened into a smile. “I needed some legal advice for the course I was teaching, and there he was. As he said, we hit it off from the beginning. I’d recently come out and was still nervous about it. You may remember my parents were very conservative people.” As he shook his head, he let out a snort of disgust. “I even got engaged to marry a woman once, just to please them. But I couldn’t go through with it. I didn’t want to hurt her.”
“You’ve always been a very kind person,” Aggie said. “I’ve loved that about you.”
“Thanks. Tell me more about Blythe. She’s Brad’s daughter, right?”
Aggie filled with pride and nodded. “She’s a treasure. Brad married her mother after she discovered she was pregnant. It was an honorable thing to do, but we all knew it was never going to last. She had many mental health issues. It wasn’t long before she wanted out of the marriage. Blythe was five when her mother finally left for good.”
“Such a shame,” commented Mack.
“After being a single dad for six years, Brad remarried. They seem happy, but Constance, his wife, hasn’t been very kind to Blythe. A bit of a jealousy issue, if you ask me. But Blythe is a strong woman and smart as a whip. I’m praying she’ll find someone who adores her for the wonderful person she is.”
Mack grinned. “Spoken like a true, doting grandmother.”