Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 10

worry, Dad, I've got it covered. You go ahead and go."
    "You sure?"
    "Of course I'm sure," Jason said.
    "Well, I can bring the van over to you tonight if you want. You'll need it."
    "Nah, I'll just drive to your place in the morning and pick it up. I'll park my car in your garage."
    "Yeah, that was what I was thinking, but I really don't want to inconvenience you. Son, I don't want you to feel I'm dumping all this on you."
    "Dad, it'll take me ten minutes to tear down the display, and besides, the last day of these shows is always really dead. Trust me, your trip to Texas is a lot more important than this show…" He waited a few seconds when his dad didn't immediately respond. He could hear a female voice in the background.
    "Sorry, Jason. Still there?"
    "Yeah, still here," Jason said, suppressing a laugh. "Are you still there?"
    "Oh … yeah. Well, I guess I better get going. You have your own set of keys, right?"
    "I'm all set dad. Get a good night's sleep before you head out."
    "Sure enough," his father said. "And Jason…?"
    "Yeah?"
    "Thanks. Thanks for everything, son. I really appreciate…"
    "Don't mention it. I love you, Dad."
    "Love you, too … Oh wait! How long will you be gone?"
    "I'll be back Monday or Tuesday. Laura's gonna give me the grand tour of Dallas over the weekend."
    "Enjoy. Night, Dad."
    "Good night."
    Now wasn't that an interesting turn of events? At least Jason wouldn't have to worry about his dad accidentally bumping into Glenn at the show tomorrow. Or ever. Maybe this would give Jason one more chance to spend a little bit of time with the man. He knew it couldn't go anywhere, but he enjoyed Glenn's company.
    He scrolled through Glenn's Facebook profile and found his email address.
    Glenn,
    Thanks for a great time at dinner. It was really great to see you again. Listen, my dad is going out of town for the weekend—leaving first thing in the morning tomorrow. Thought maybe we could get together again tomorrow night.
    Hope I'm not being too forward or overstepping my bounds.
    Thanks
    Jase
    ****
    When Jason got up the following morning, he was disappointed to discover that there was no reply from Glenn in his inbox. Perhaps Glenn hadn't checked email, or worst case scenario, he'd read the email and deleted it. Jason knew he was getting ahead of himself. He'd already told Glenn that nothing could happen between them, so why would he expect the man to be willing to even waste his time?
    He wanted to kick himself. Sending the email had been a really bad idea, and it just made him look pathetic. What he really needed to do was focus on his job. This was a time in his life when he had a chance to really succeed. Eventually, after his father completely came out of his slump and moved on with his life, Jason would consider pursuing some romantic interests.
    When he got to his father's house, his dad was already gone. He found a note on the table informing Jason that he'd left around 6am, again thanking him for covering the trade show. He decided to use the restroom real quick before he took the van and headed over to the hotel. Jason was zipping himself up when he looked down at the counter and noticed a hairbrush. It definitely didn't belong to his father, and by the color—bright pink—Jason assumed it was the property of a woman.
    So Dad, you had yourself a houseguest last night. Of course this was not a really big surprise. He'd heard her voice over the phone when he was talking to his dad, but his father had told him that Laura would be leaving that evening. He probably didn't want to admit to his son that he and Laura had spent the night together. Jason smiled as he stared at the brush. It was okay. He'd allow his dad this secret.
    As he'd expected, Jason found the trade show to be rather uneventful. Attendance was sparse all morning. For the most part, he spent the first few hours chatting with other vendors. Around noon, Jason was surprised when he looked up and saw a floral deliveryman walking down the aisle carrying what appeared to be a huge arrangement of roses. Jason grinned, realizing someone was about to get a nice surprise.
    When the deliveryman stopped in front of his booth and said, "New Horizons Software?" his jaw about hit the floor.
    "Uh, yeah."
    "Jason Mathers?"
    "That's me," he squeaked.
    "These are for you," the man said, handing him the bouquet.
    Flabbergasted, Jason just stood there. "Oh… well, thank you. Thank you very much. Oh wait!" He reached in his pocket and