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The Schuyler Fortune VI: A Throuple of Bums-8
They went to the airport the next day early in the morning in a limousine summoned by the Plaza's concierge. The bell captain and bellboys managed the luggage. Liam managed his backpack. They arrived at JFK a couple of hours before their flight to PDX-Portland, Oregon. The men had three seats near each other in business class. Mason stayed awake during the flight.
The others napped. They rented an SUV at Avis, drove to I-84, then west to Portland, then Highway 26 past the zoo into Washington County. In Hillsboro, they met the realtor at her office.
Disaster always comes in threes, they decided. She was sullen and had an attitude about helping 'homos'. Then the final blow: "There's a 5-acre limit on how much property you can own and develop." They just walked out.
They sat in the SUV, stunned. Then John spoke up. "I don't think she likes us very much." Mason chuckled. Liam, thinking hard about ways around what had just happened, wondered if the information was correct.
"Let's contact the local LGBTQ community and find a realtor who thinks like we do, someone sympathetic." John and Mason agreed. After a few phone calls, they struck pay dirt.
Rick Bennett, local realtor in Beaverton, was family apparently. He agreed to see them the next morning. He offered them coffee and blueberry muffins and cheerfully asked them how he could help.
They told him what they wanted; he thought a few minutes, then made a call.
"I'm going to refer you to Wilks Ranch Brokers and work on your behalf with them. Yes, I'll get a 1% fee for the referral and the work I do on your behalf. That doesn't sound like a high percentage, but at going ranch rates, it's a chunk of money, so you'll want to think it over carefully."
"I'm not cheap and Oregon ranches, in general, aren't going cheap either. They have very large ranches for sale at just under $800 per acre, some much less, a few more."
"I see you would like a combination of river frontage, trees, space, access, some flat ground for hay or crops, room for animals, a spot to build a home and another building for staff. I assume you will want a barn or barns to store equipment and/or crops like hay away from the elements."
"If you decide, we can draw up a simple 1% contract and I can begin the search."
"No," said Liam. "You have already earned the 1%. We'll make it 2% and sign that."
"How about 1.5%? I'll shake your hand and include a hug for 1.5%."
Mason and John raised their hands. "We're a gay throuple from New York. Liam's the moneybags but we're the keepers of his butt. If he gets a hug, so do we."
The realtor looked at Liam for guidance and/or approval and Liam put on his questioning face, cocked his head, squinted his eyes with a small smile.
"Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do." His face relaxed and he grinned. "Give me a hug and them too. Geeze, the things I have to put up with."
The realtor's hug threatened to turn into more, but he told them that his male secretary 'out front' frowned on office play. He called his secretary in and told him to draw up the simple agreement for these nice men to sign.
The secretary frowned at him.
"Oh, excuse me, Liam and Mason and John. Where are my manners? This wonderful man is my secretary and life partner, Richard."
"I couldn't live without him and have some trouble living with him."
"He's a jealous bitch, (Richard grinned) so this hug for all of you for 1.5% (he raised his voice on the percentage number for Richard's benefit) will still get me supper and a fuck tonight. Maybe. My guess is he'll want to watch...the hugs, I mean. Break out the champagne, dear."
Richard brought in the contract a few minutes later with five cold beers from the office fridge wearing nothing but a smile. "Oregon champagne, gentlemen. Cheers and bottoms up, so to speak."
Shady Acres was for sale. Oregon's finest ranch had ten thousand acres and was priced at about eight million dollars. A working cattle ranch until about ten years previous, it now featured a river flowing through with seemingly endless riverfront, fine fishing, many acres of forest and paved access to I-5, perhaps a half hour away from the Interstate.
The property backed up to a state forest on one side and foothills of the Cascades on another side. An apple orchard had been planted some ten years ago and the trees produced well.
About a thousand acres was planted in alfalfa and Liam thought the bees would like that before it was harvested for hay or even seed but might have to be irrigated.
The realtor and another realtor representing Wilks led the tour, taking a picnic lunch of cold fried chicken, potato salad, fruit salad and hard cider, all in a cooler topped with ice. Frozen Snickers bars completed the lunch.
There was room for a home on a knoll overlooking a grand view of much of the acreage. They saw possibilities for a staff building and barns not far away. One surprise was a steaming lake just off the river, fed by underground hot springs, apparently draining a little into the river.
"Will that harm the fish or the fishing?" The realtor produced pictures of the fish caught during the last year, dated and signed, that seemed to indicate that the fish were well enough to bite on hooks.
"There's a population of fish, Coho salmon, that spawn here, traveling from the ocean up several rivers to get here."
The realtor from Wilks was transparent about the costs of getting started on this ranch. He told them that electric power could be solar or wind-powered or brought in (the latter at a huge cost).
If they built a home and/or staff building there would be issues of sewage disposal, probably an enormous septic system which would need permits and approval.
His recommendation was a combination of solar and wind for power and that they consider a hydroponic/aquaponic system since they had natural warm water close by.
"It's a natural for this property to grow some of your own fresh food," he told them.
Mason asked about the taxes. The realtor told him that the County assessor took the market value, defined in Oregon as the sum of the land value and any improvements value, then compared that to a maximum assessed value and took the lower of the two amounts. That dollar amount became the total assessed value which was the baseline for the property taxes. That dollar amount times the millage rate determined the yearly property taxes.
A bunch of factors including rebates and possible solar credits affected the total. He advised them to call or visit or go online to contact the county assessor's office for more information on this specific property.
"Let's call Leo and Greg to fly out tomorrow if they can to look this over." Liam observed that it wasn't their decision to make, but he would appreciate their input."
The two dads flew out the next day and were thrilled at the prospect of living with their son's property part time with good fishing and space to live naked in the summer at least and maybe a separate hot pool in the winter as well. Both thought they might like to learn about hydroponics and/or aquaponics and were handy with the plumbing problems that sometimes were encountered.
Neither wanted to give up Greg's home and property just yet.
Liam called Pablo and Miguel who sounded excited about the job of supervising staff and having a place to live. He emailed them pictures of the ranch. Their return email was short. "You call or email. We'll come."
Liam told the brokers he wanted the ranch. He would pay in cash for a 1% discount. They jumped at that.
He gave them a check marked down payment. The check written on Schuyler bank was for five million dollars. "I'll hand you a check for the balance when we close. I'd like the keys to the ranch on closing date." They shook hands and scheduled closing for one week.
Liam, John and Mason decided to return to Portland and shop with Leo and Greg. They checked into two suites at the Benson Hotel downtown and met in Liam's suite that evening for a meal ordered from room service.
"Guys, there are a lot of things to do and I'd feel more comfortable with a list."
"Second the motion, whatever it is," said Mason.
"All in flavor, eat supper!" announced John.
Leo and Greg just looked at each other and rolled their eyes.
"I promised you to go shopping for regular clothes at Macy's and we'll go online to LL Bean to buy rural clothes, you know, boots and raincoats, rain stuff and to get a good eye exam. We'll add in a trip to the ear doc if ya want." Groans from the table. "Then a trip to REI, the store that carries everything to do with camping. That's a place to dream about possibilities. Fucking in a double sleeping bag. Woof-woof!"
"One thing about that," said John, "the cool-down afterward is quick."
"Leo, Greg?" You guys going to go with us or sleep here all day?"
"Greg and I might stay here. We don't guarantee much sleeping going on though. Your two hot dads are like a couple of hot sparks on gunpowder. Parts of us explode after rubbing just like two sticks rubbing together do after a time."
"Ooooooh," said Liam, "perhaps I should stay home and supervise you two."
"We supervise ourselves, son. We learned how to ride the bike with no training wheels now. Sometimes we ride hands-free."
"Oh my gosh that's hot," said Mason, "and maybe I should be the one to stay and watch."
Greg grinned. "Watch, my foot. You stay and you'll be pressed into service faster than...what's that, Leo? Oh, I don't think 'dibs' is a nice word before an agreement is sealed. Although I'm sure you'll get a turn."
Liam groaned. "Mason, stop. Once they get going on you, they might want to start on John or, gulp, me. That's called incest. Spare me the jokes about incest. I've heard them all."
"But Liam, I think they want me to stay and play."
Liam growled, "Mason, get your ass ready to go right now or I'll fuck your ass right here in front of the assembled crowd."
He was slightly worried that Mason would go for that and slightly worried that he wouldn't. Liam was so turned on for some weird reason he was dizzy. His nether regions were tingling and hard and his heart was racing. "Well, Mason, I'm going to count to ten and on ten..."
Mason was paralyzed by choice and just couldn't respond, again by choice. 'Ten' count reached, Liam threw Mason on the loveseat nearby, flung his coat and shirt off, stripped his shoes and socks off and removed his pants and underwear in one fell swoop.
Leo, Greg and John, fascinated by this turn of events, watched as Liam removed Mason's clothes from the waist down, turned him over, and spanked his ass hard.
Burying his cock deep right down to his balls in front of his dads and partner, Liam made it abundantly clear that Mason was his. Liam withdrew after the fireworks. John grinned and threw him a towel.
Leo and Greg stared at Liam's cock. They realized that their son had grown up in a bunch of ways, including dick size and ball size. He sure knew how to throw a mean fuck, that was for sure.
Leo's ass itched. Greg noted that his own pants were tented out. They headed for their suite next door.
As Liam and Mason and John left the suite, they were laughing. "I wonder what those guys are doing right now? Wonder if we gave them any ideas?"
That week they shopped a lot. REI for cold weather gear. LL Bean for more cold weather gear. Macy's for everyday indoor clothes and some elegant wear too. Al's Garden and Home in Sherwood for plants and a truckload of landscaping items delivered to the ranch. A large greenhouse with a full hydroponic system easily convertible to an aquaponic system later trucked to the ranch and assembled there by technicians who also diverted some of the hot water from the lake to the greenhouse system.
They spent time with an architectural firm in Portland which had experience in design work for ranch homes and buildings. The principal architect on their project suggested that they use the construction company the architect had used previously and showed them examples of their work.
Liam and Mason and John were impressed with the quality of the construction so agreed to use the company.
The architect said he would have plans for the construction company in three months or so. John was chosen to rent two very large RVs for temporary housing until their home could be built.
Leo and Greg moved into one and Liam, Mason, and John moved into the second large RV.
The needed septic tank for those and water systems were ordered and placed into service until the river water could be tested for giardia and other organisms and a filtration system put in place. Two smaller RVs for staff were placed near the site of the new staff building.
They all trooped to the Portland Airport to greet Pablo and Miguel. Their luggage barely fit into the SUV and so a second SUV was rented. Mason made a note to buy two SUVs.
The new supervisors were warmly welcomed and moved happily into a staff RV.
Liam contacted a ranch construction company in western Oregon that built barns and out buildings for animals and equipment. In addition, the company built storage buildings for agricultural uses like hay, feed, seed, fertilizers and agricultural implements for the tractors and combines.
A local farmer inspected their alfalfa irrigation equipment and pointed out some needed improvements for a better yield and started to tell them how and when to water. Liam stopped him and asked him if he would be willing to supervise all of that for a couple of years for a fee. The farmer said he would need a microsecond to take a breath before saying 'yes'.
The three bums met with a Ford dealer and Leo provided the savvy to get a good deal on a new F-550 for ranch use. The two SUV's Mason had listed were purchased at another dealer. An alfalfa combine was purchased, a big expense. The last major problem to solve was an immediate need. Food.
Not a single person on the ranch at this point was a good cook. All could pour Cheerios and add milk. All could make sandwiches. The closest restaurant was forty minutes away and that didn't set well with anyone.
The obvious solution was to get a third large RV as a bunkhouse/cookhouse and hire a cook. The last piece was finding a cook. John had contacted the Portland LGBTQ organization and informed them that there would be jobs and housing with good pay and benefits for homeless gay men when the ranch got going next year, starting in the spring.
That got a buzz going in the community that one day reached the ears of Ethan Johnson, a homeless culinary school graduate kicked out of his last place by a bored ex-partner who had found a new lover. A series of jobs had been offered and taken, but they were temporary or part-time and because he slept on the streets, his appearance suffered, and the better jobs gave up on him. Another guy told him he had heard of ranch jobs in the spring. Ethan gave it some thought and obtained the telephone number of the owner from the LGBTQ Association office.
The phone rang one morning about nine a.m., just after Cheerios and coffee.
Liam answered the telephone, "Good morning, Liam Markham."
"Uh, good morning. My name is Ethan Johnson and I'm a graduate of the Portland Culinary school."
"You're hired. When can you start?"
"Uh, what? Don't you want to know the details?"
"Can you cook meals?"
"Sure, I mean yes."
"Do you mind cooking for gay guys?"
"I'm gay, dude."
"Do you need transportation or housing?"
"I'm, uh, living on the street right now. I've had all kinds of temporary jobs but..."
"OK. You need money, a vehicle, and gas. Is your driver's license still good?"
"Yes."
"Go to Western Union today. I'm sending money to your name, Ethan Johnson in Oregon. I need you to call me in an hour before you pick up the money to get the confirmation number for the money."
"If you show any Western Union agent your driver's license and give them the confirmation number that I give you, they'll give you the money."
"Then, I need you to do two things. Go to a Verizon store and buy an iPhone 8, repeat an iPhone 8, with that money. Tell them 'no contract' and set up a monthly payment option for minutes with unlimited text and voice. You'll be able to afford it, believe me."
"Number two, I need you to go to the Apple store downtown Portland and buy an iPad with both wireless and cell built-in, repeat both wireless and cell built-in, 64 gig memory. You'll be able to afford that too."
"So, to repeat, call me in an hour, then pick up money at Western Union, go to Verizon, get iPhone 8, go to Apple Store, get iPad."
"Can you repeat that back to me to make sure we're on the same page?"
Ethan did.
Liam sent four thousand to Western Union for Ethan Johnson and got a confirmation number from his computer. An hour later on the dot, Ethan called for the confirmation number and wrote it down. Three hours later, Ethan called. Verizon. Check. Apple iPad. Check.
Liam asked Ethan to take his gear, jump on the Max train, red line to the airport, then take a taxi to the Budget Car Rental booth and rent any pickup. The company billing information would be there already and all he would have to do was to present his driver's license as ID.
Ethan did and drove to the ranch address given, using a GPS unit that came with the pickup rental. He wondered what supplies they had out there and what utensils they had to cook with and was still wondering when his phone rang. He pulled over to the side of the road and answered it.
"Ethan, Liam Markham here. We're starving here. It just dawned on me that we haven't got much of anything in the way of supplies. How much money do you have left of the four thousand?"
"About $2500," replied Ethan. "Want me to stop and shop?"
"Sure, thank you."
"While you're on the line, what utensils do you have?"
"Minimal so buy what you need."
"We have a separate nice RV for a bunkhouse/cookhouse. There's a microwave and a stove and a decent-sized household fridge. The freezer is pretty small. We're building a house in the spring, a huge thing with a huge gourmet kitchen that will thrill you. Until then, we're kind of camping. Feel free to buy any pots and pans and silverware and grills you might need. If you get low on cash, call me and we'll make Western Union lines hum once more today."
Ethan, excited to be doing what he loved to do, headed for the nearest large town and filled his pickup with supplies and equipment, arranging for more larger pieces to be delivered to the ranch C.O.D.
He was mobbed by everyone when he arrived and a whole lot of people helped bring in groceries and supplies and equipment. He served a late supper of coq au vin made in the Instant Pot 8 quart size and then a large iron skillet. Sides of Walla Walla onion rings and a salad of julienned carrots with pineapple chunks and raisins in a light mayo sauce, tangy, sweet, crunchy were served...all of which got wolfed down.
Ethan worked late into the night cleaning up with help from Leo and Greg while making a breakfast casserole with baked layers of peaches and french toast and cinnamon and brown sugar and ricotta cheese; then, cinnamon rolls with raisins and lots of icing.
Ethan got to bed at midnight or so after planning the meals for the next few days, going online to list supplies he needed and planning his next trip to town.
Liam handed him ten hundred-dollar bills the next morning after breakfast. "That's your signing bonus. You'll get paid every Friday by direct deposit, this same amount as the gross. You'll need to set up a bank account today, open it with a deposit of say, $100 and email the routing and account number to the company accountant at Schuyler bank."
"With luck the first deposit will be this Friday if you get the info in. Find a W-2 information form on-line, fill it in and sign it, then take a picture of it and email that to the accountant as well."
"If the accountant needs more information, he'll ask for it. Set up a Gmail or Yahoo account so he'll have your email address. Be sure to give him your telephone number too. Tell him I said to reimburse cell phone charges to you in addition and get you a debit card to cover gasoline and other pickup expenses."
"Tomorrow, remind me and we'll go over to Salem and buy you a pickup of your own. We'll reimburse any out of pocket expenses that appear on the receipts you will give us and that will be included in your Friday bank deposit."
Ethan was stunned and tears came to his eyes. He had a hard time with the sudden changes in his life. He knew he would work hard for these people and realized that he'd be able to save up some money for a rainy day since his living expenses would be pretty low.
Liam went on, "Look everybody needs some time off to stay on top of things. Pick a day each week or a weekend day on occasion and on the meal schedule, put 'Ethan's day off' for that day."
"If you want, you can cook ahead and leave instructions for reheating or let us just do Cheerios to increase our appreciation of your good cooking...either way is fine. When you need cash for food or supplies, let me know. I'll need a receipt for purchases though."
Liam told Ethan a little about their history, why they came to Oregon, their throuple arrangement, Leo and Greg, his dads and their arrangement and Pablo and Miguel and their arrangement.
"You're welcome, if it happens, to bring a partner to share your bed, your job, your life...just talk to me about it first. If you hire another cook, I'll expect your standards and training from the new guy."
"I don't want to wake up some morning and look out the window and see a stranger walking around the yard. We're planning a big ranch operation and will need a cookhouse/dining room for staff manned by competent cooks and staff."
"In addition, we'll need a top-notch guy in our gourmet kitchen when it's built. No reason why you can't supervise all that if you hire good people. Just keep me in the loop."
"For pretty obvious reasons, we'll hire gay males preferentially at first. Guys that need jobs, not just guys who want one. I think there's a difference on several levels. This will be a clothing optional ranch in the summer and wintertime for the brave among us since there's a naturally heated lake close by, a thermal wonder."
"I envision a gay resort/gay dude ranch here someday, but not in the next five years."
Ethan's first vacation day was a Sunday morning in Portland. He had risen early to make the drive, carrying enough money for the day and a debit card giving access to more.
He went down to 1st Avenue under the Burnside Bridge and began to scout out his former surroundings for a guy he knew, a couple of years younger, a prep cook of considerable talent who was in his class at the culinary school, single, neighbor next door kind of guy who he had fooled around wherever they could find privacy.
He didn't find him but an acquaintance said he heard he was cooking up on 23rd at Katie's. Taking the Portland streetcar, he arrived at that destination and ordered an all-day breakfast. The waitstaff was friendly enough. He asked them if his friend was in the back and they called him out front. Ethan stood and hugged his friend, Ryan Emory. Ryan was glad to see him and said he'd missed Ethan.
"I know you're busy. I need to talk to you about something good that's come up. Can you talk to me during your next break?"
Ethan told him, during the break, about his new job and housing. Liam, he told Ryan, had given him a green light to recruit a cook. Ethan described the situation, the great RV, the potential for growth, the salary and benefits which included paid healthcare, a 401-K matched dollar for dollar, vacation and sick time, free food and lodging and a vehicle to drive. Ryan was skeptical at first, then said he'd like to check it out. He gave his cell number to Ethan and asked him if he could pick him up the next week to check it out.
"I'll come visit you and look it over. I just can't miss too much work in the meantime. I've got bills to pay."
Later, Ethan told Liam about his day's activities and Liam was excited. "Tell him that we'll pay his bills up to a point, his wages for the time he takes off from his job and give him the same sign-on bonus we gave you."
"If it is OK with you, I'll pick up Ryan on Monday morning and bring him over to inspect us," said Ethan. "He's a good cook, pays real attention to detail, has a reputation for showing up on time and besides, he's sexy and I like him."
"I'm starting to think you have a double motive for bringing him out here."
"A guy can live for only so long among other happy and fucking guys to want some of his own."
"I get your drift," said Liam. "Are you going to have him cook for us or are you going to audition his ass while he's here."
"A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell," said Ethan, looking down at Liam's crotch, "but I can tell you what I hope will happen. It's probably what you're thinking. I think he's hot and he likes me, so if the moment arrives, it arrives."
"I'd give money to watch that movie," replied Liam.
"Why pay if the show is free?"
"I need to stop this somewhere short of employee harrassment, Ethan. We can joke, but real-time, it's a no-no."
"Your call, boss, but if I ask you to come over and inspect the menus for next week, say 'yes'.
On Monday morning Ethan picked up Ryan near 1st Avenue and they drove to the ranch after eating breakfast together. "My boss is gay, as I told you and a playful guy. He's got two partners and they are a throuple, like a couple, only three people love each other. It's an open relationship with rules. They don't have to ask the other two if they see someone they like and want to play."
Ryan didn't comment, but Ethan thought he heard a little intake of breath on the seat beside him. "Liam told me to tell you that he's offering to pay some of your bills if you come to work at the ranch besides a sign-on bonus of $1000 plus the wages from Katies that you are missing out on while checking the place out." Then Ethan did hear an intake of breath and a sigh.
"Don't tease me, man. How can that be?" I've been struggling my ass of for three years trying to pay those off and living on the street. You've been my go-to guy to keep warm and get some sex some days. That kept me going. If I take this, this job, will I live with you or..."
"I'm not recruiting for a sex ring and yes this is a real job. It involves work, the kind we do, and rewards consistent with the quality we can provide."
"There's opportunity to move up the ladder to supervise other cooks and manage the food service for a gay resort someday. It should buff up our resumes at the very least!"
"You don't have to sleep in the same bedroom with me because you'll have your own room, but if you come into my bedroom saying you can't sleep without me, I'm not the hell likely to kick you out of the room. I'll open the covers and demand you get naked with me and warm the hell out of you all night long... probably even kiss your ass too."
Ryan grinned at that. It sounded a good deal better than his present circumstances. Shelter, food, pay for work he was good at and torrid sex on demand. Sounded like a plan to him.
The large, expensive RV astounded him. He looked at the kitchen in the cookhouse with its new equipment and supplies, added some he didn't see to a mental list and met everyone on the ranch. Everyone was more than cordial and hoped he would join their crew.
Back in the RV, he looked at what would be his bedroom. A brand-new MacBook Pro was sitting on the desk wrapped in big red ribbon bows with a note: 'I belong to our next cook. My brother is sitting on Ethan's desk'.
Ethan squealed and ran to his room. Ryan didn't need any more convincing. He stood and went to Ethan's room. He entered, shut the door and reached for Ethan. They both had happy tears in their eyes.
Their hug turned into a prolonged session without clothes beneath Ethan's covers, Ryan warming Ethan's buns before entering them. They clung to each other as they fucked, telling each other the sweet things that lovers tell as they mate.
"When can I start? When do you want me here? I have to give some notice to Katie's. A week should do it."
Ryan filled out his W-2 form and gave his bank routing number and account number to Ethan to pass on to the accountant. Ethan gave him an envelope with ten one-hundred-dollar bills in it, kissed him and said he'd pick him up Monday morning at the Comfort Inn by the Airport."
"Use that money to get a room there and take the free shuttle to the airport each day, then catch the red line Max train to downtown and take the Portland streetcar to Katie's. It goes right past the restaurant."
"We'll go get your wheels on Monday when I pick you up at 7:30 a.m. Be ready to check out right around 7:30 a.m. and I'll treat you to breakfast."
Ethan also explained about payday and direct deposit and work uniforms and mentioned that they would go shopping for supplies and clothes and boots and kitchen tools (on Ryan's list) Monday afternoon on the way back to the ranch.
The manager at Katie's was used to cooks coming and going. She wasn't used to getting notice of transfer of employment. She was surprised enough to hear that Ryan, a favorite of hers, had found a splendid job south of Portland, then astonished that he gave her a week to hire a replacement.
"Wonders never cease," she muttered, "I'll check out the school where he trained. Maybe they're teaching that now."
On Sunday she gave him his final check to include his last day's work that day and told him he had a great recommendation if he ever needed it and a pretty good chance at a job if he needed it back 'in case you dump that good-looking Ethan guy'.
She kept track of her workers and their personal lives.
Meals from the cookhouse got eaten there for the time being. Ethan and Ryan kept the place spotless. There was a dining room table of sorts and people kind of ate in shifts or took a plate back to their own place to eat or sat on the couch to eat or on the floor sometimes.
Liam put a little pressure on the architect and found, after more pressure and digging, that the firm hadn't begun the project. These 'guys' at the ranch weren't following cultural norms and the company didn't want any part of that to rub off on their reputation.
That was a low point for Liam, who hadn't even suspected that a business would take on a project and dump it without notification. Mason and John were livid.
They discussed it with Leo and Greg and it was Greg who got the solution started. "When you couldn't find a real estate person, you called the LGBTQ group to get the name of a friendly real estate guy. Why can't we see if there is a gay architect in town? or in San Francisco or Eugene or somewhere closer?"
Liam picked up the phone.
"You're kidding. Next door! Do you happen to have her number?"
"Hey guys, they said there is a ranch next door owned by a female architect who is family!"