Tean didn’t answer.
The first time, it was only once.
Then three times the next day.
Then six calls in a row, until Jem finally took Tean’s phone and turned it off.
He showed up on the porch, and Tean went into the office.He could hear Jem and Ammon shouting for almost fifteen minutes—not the words, thank goodness.
Tean went back to work, and Ammon started calling him there.
Finally, Tean picked up the phone and said, “Stop calling me.I don’t want to talk to you.”
“Tean, please—”
After that, the calls came from different numbers.
And a week later, security had to walk Ammon out of the DWR lobby because he wouldn’t stop shouting Tean’s name.
“I can’t do this,” Tean told Jem one night.
And Jem, face grim, held his hand and said, “I’m going to handle it.”
“No.Don’t.I don’t want you going anywhere near him.”
And that turned into its own argument.
Which was why, two weeks later, they drove together to the therapist’s office.It was located near The Avenues, in a stately old home that had been carved up into office space.Inside, though, it still had traces of the craftsmanship that had gone into the original structure: polished wood floors, a cavernous fireplace, even a stained-glass window in the foyer.
The waiting room had comfortable sofas in gray upholstery, and instead of the overhead fluorescents, a few lamps filled the room with a warm glow.The air smelled faintly like lavender.Jem bounced his knee until Tean put a hand on it, and Jem offered a slanted—and surprisingly tight—smile.
An inner door opened, and a man said, “Mr.Leon?”
The man who stood there was average height—maybe a little taller than Tean—and stockily built, with wavy hair and a very un-Mormon beard.White, probably in his late thirties, he had blue eyes that made Tean think of a Husky.“I’m Hudson Miller,” he said.“Good morning.”
Jem spoke first.“It’sDr.Leon.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Hudson said.
“No,” Tean said with a look for Jem.“It’s fine.Nice to meet you.Just Tean, please.This is my boyfriend, Jem.”
“Nice to meet you, Jem.Tean, if you’re ready, we can move into my office.Jem, are you going to be joining us?”
“No,” Tean said.
Jem settled back onto the sofa with a half-smile, and Tean followed Hudson deeper into the office.When he glanced back, before he passed through the doorway, Jem was staring down at his clasped hands, and the smile was gone.
“Have a seat,” Hudson said as he settled into an armchair.
The office was done in the same neutral tones as the waiting room.There was a loveseat instead of a sofa, with a small coffee table in front of it.On the coffee table, a decorative tray held what appeared to be a ball of moss, a small ficus, and a box of tissues.Windows looked out on the mountains.
“Did you find the office okay?”Hudson asked.
“Yes.”
“Good.Before we start, I want to go over a few basic items.This is what’s often called an intake session, so our goal for today is to get to know each other and talk about what brings you here.What we talk about is always confidential, unless there’s a risk of harm to you or someone else.You didn’t indicate a preference for how frequently you want to meet, so that’s something I’d like to discuss after we talk more about our goals and the work we’re going to do together.Typically, I take notes throughout the conversation.If that bothers you, I don’t have to do it, but these notes are also confidential, and I’m the only one who will ever see them.”
Tean nodded.