Color Blind: An MM Romance, page 1
Color Blind
Andrew Grey
Color Blind
By Andrew Grey
Setting out on your own is tough, but for Mason Fullerton, who was born blind, it’s even more of a challenge. Mase decides that the key to independence and a life of his own is getting a job. His mother, who has always been there for support, isn’t so sure, but Mase is determined. He manages to secure an interview, and one of the men conducting it has a voice that wraps around him like a blanket.
Tyrone Phillips feels he’s a disappointment to his accomplished academic parents. They don’t understand that Ty would rather spend time with his computers and programs than people. Until he meets Mason at an interview and finds a kindred spirit. Too bad his parents aren’t going to see past the fact that Mason’s white.
When Mason is hired, Ty is assigned to help him get oriented. The two of them dance around each other, but mutual attraction tugs at both of them. A work friendship builds to more, with Ty and Mase trying to find their way… and if they have courage and allow their hearts to guide them, they could be going the same direction.
To all my friends at IRAE.
You inspired me.
Table of CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Epilogue
Chapter One
“Honey, it’s time to get up,” his mom said in the same voice she’d used every morning for as long as he could remember. Mase’s phone alarm chimed, and he sat up.
“I’m already awake,” he answered, and the door clicked closed. Not that Mase could tell the difference between day or night, at least not the way most other people did. He had never seen the sun and didn’t know what the world looked like at all. Well, at least not through the big, beautiful eyes his mother had told him he had. The nerves that connected his eyes to his brain hadn’t formed properly, so he spent his life in perpetual darkness. But he wasn’t really missing anything. It was hard to lament the loss of something he had never known.
Mase put his feet on the floor, the old carpet smooth against his feet. He took the single step to the dresser and felt for the drawer pulls. He opened the top drawer and found neatly folded underwear. He knew they were white because that was all his mother bought for him. Mace put them on and went to his meticulously organized closet, where he found a pair of jeans and a pull-on shirt. He knew they went together because his mother only bought basic colors that he could mix and match. He had learned early on that people would snicker and laugh at the way he dressed if it didn’t look right, so he’d become picky about his clothes and insisted his mother help him with whatever he wore.
Once he was dressed and cleaned up, he pulled on socks and shoes before leaving his room, feeling his way down the very familiar hall of his and his mom’s ranch-style home. All he had to do was follow the sounds of her making breakfast to reach the kitchen, where he found the chair he used in the exact spot he expected.
“What do you have planned for today?” his mother asked as she set down a plate in front of him. “Eggs at twelve, bacon at four, and toast at eight,” she said as she moved away, leaving him to eat.
“I was going to see about a job,” Mase answered. “I was online last night, and I heard about a company two miles from here that’s looking for an application programmer. I know I can do that kind of work. I sent them a message last night, and I was going to see about some other places.” He flashed a smile because he knew she would see it and then began to eat.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she asked. “How are you going to get there if they ask you to come in? What will you tell them? How will you go to work every day?” It wasn’t like he hadn’t heard those questions before. She asked a version of the same thing every time he spoke about working.
“I have to work. I can’t sit here in the house all the time.” He finished the eggs and then started on his bacon and toast. He tried to be careful, but he knew he’d knocked eggs onto the table. He could feel the mess around his plate. “I have to do something to earn a living. I did well in college, and I want to use my skills.” He took another bite of crispy, smoky bacon.
“Then find a job where you can work from home.” Her words were always soft and gentle, but there was an undertone that hurt, like she thought he wasn’t capable or something.
“I’m not going to find anything unless I get out there and look.” His phone chimed with a message. “Milly works there, and she was the one who told me to look for the listing,” he explained. He told his phone to verbalize, and the phone’s computer voice read out the message.
“They got your resume. Expect a call.”
“Thank you,” Mase responded before finishing his breakfast.
“I’m going to call the service and get a ride over to the office. I’ll call Milly, and she will help me navigate the new environment. As for getting to work, I’ll have to figure things out. Maybe Milly can help me.” He knew his mother’s concerns, and he was a little concerned too. It was always difficult when he stepped out of his comfort areas, but he had to.
Things used to be easier when he had Comet. When he was fourteen, he had been paired with the two-year-old yellow lab. Not only was Comet his guide dog, but he was a constant companion and the most giving friend Mase had ever had. When he was with Comet, Mase had felt a lot safer and more comfortable out in the world. Since losing him, he had held back… and he could feel his mother retrenching in how she stood between him and the outside world. Losing Comet, his best friend, had been tough. Mase had requested another dog, and he was hopeful of being paired with one sooner rather than later. But he couldn’t wait. Mase had let things he couldn’t control take hold of his life for long enough, and he was determined to move forward.
He could almost feel his mother’s hesitation. “I just want you to be careful and safe.” She played the mama card better than anyone he had ever met.
“I know that. But I have to get out and do things. I can’t just sit in this house all the time.” Mase reached for his glass, his fingers touching the rim, and he felt it go over just as he tried to stop it. Damn it all, just when he was making his argument for independence, he blew it with a spilled glass. He knew his mother had already grabbed a cloth. He heard the tink on the table as the glass was righted, felt her swift movement around him, and then the cloth splurped into the sink when she was done. “I’m going out back.” At least she didn’t argue about that, and Mase left the kitchen.
The warmth of the Milwaukee summer hit him as soon as he slid the doors open and stepped outside. The sun instantly warmed his skin. Mase knew where the chairs were because nothing ever moved at their house. He sat down on the shady side of the veranda, listening to the call of the birds in the feeders hung in the tree off to the side. The yard was a safe place for him. He knew every patch of grass and when each of the flowers bloomed by their scent. When he and his mom went to the garden center, Mase picked out the various plants by how they smelled, rather than color. He had been told they had an unusual garden, but he didn’t care. It smelled good most of the summer, and that was what mattered to him.
“You left your phone on the table,” his mom told him, pressing it into his hand. Mase had missed a message and a call, so he listened to both of them. Then he answered Milly’s message and returned the call from Marsten Electronics, smiling as he committed the information to memory.
“They want me to come in for an interview.” Mase knew his mother was hovering now, and he did his best to ignore her, but it was impossible.
“When?”
“I set it up for tomorrow.” He was already messaging Milly back, grinning from ear to ear. She said she could take him to the interview and take him home. He showed the message to his mother.
“I can try to do that for you.” There was a clear hesitation in her voice, like she was either trying to find a way to discourage him or figuring out how to rework her schedule.
“It’s okay. You have to work, and Milly already said she would.” The last thing he wanted was to show up at a job interview with his mommy. “But maybe you could help me with what I should wear.” He was already nervously excited.
“Okay,” she breathed. “But isn’t this awfully fast? You just sent in your resume last night, and here they are calling you first thing in the morning. What sort of place is that that they need people so badly?”
“Everyone needs people right now, and Milly said she had already set things up, so all I had to do was wait for the posting. Then she took it from there.”
The chair next to him creaked as his mother sat down. “Do you really think this is a good idea?”
“It’s something that I need to try. I may not get the job, but I have to see what’s possible.” He sometimes felt like the walls of the house were closing in around him. Mase knew every board, every inch of this house, but his world didn’t extend very far from outside those doors. Comet had made it possible for him to venture farther. “I have to try. Can you understand that?”
“But….” He could feel her wanting to say more, and Mase braced for whatever was coming next. “What if something happens and you get stranded in a strange place? How will you find your way around on your own? Milly is going to get you there and back, but how are you going to get around while you’re there? I really don’t think you’ve thought this through completely.”
Mase sighed. “Then I’ll have to figure it out.” The idea of being caught in a strange place with no one to guide him was a little frightening, but taking that chance was all part of him making his own way, and he was going to have to deal with it if the situation arose.
“How?” she asked, concern clear in her voice. He could almost feel her nervousness, and it started to seem contagious. Maybe this was too much and he was reaching for more than he was capable of. The doubts crept in, and in a few minutes, he was second guessing himself and considering returning their call to tell them that he had changed his mind. Maybe that was the prudent thing to do. He bit his lower lip, and his mother went back inside the house when he didn’t answer what he took as a rhetorical question to sow doubt, the door sliding closed with the slight squeak from one of the rollers.
His phone rang, telling him that Milly was calling. “Hey,” he said somewhat dejectedly.
“Your appointment is all set up, and I’m going to be there at eleven thirty to pick you up.” She worked in the personnel office and had made sure that his information hit the top of the pile once he submitted it. Whether he got the job or not wasn’t up to her, but she did have the ability to make sure his credentials got noticed.
“I’m not sure,” he confessed. “I know you’ll be there, but what if I mess things up and make you look bad? I know you went to bat for me and all… and….” God, he hated the way he sounded.
“Mason Wiley Fullerton….” He knew he was in trouble now. Milly already had her mama voice down pat, and she didn’t even have any kids—or a husband, for that matter, but she was working on it. “You will not let your mother or anyone else get in your head. I love Suzanne, but I can just hear her filling your head with doubts. Now, I will be there to pick you up, and you’ll be ready to go. This is a job that you are exceedingly qualified for. If you weren’t, I wouldn’t be busting my hump to help you get it. Okay? You know I wouldn’t blow smoke up anyone’s ass.” And she wouldn’t. Milly was someone who always told things like they were. It was one of the things he loved about her. She was straight with him and spoke the truth, even when it hurt. Mase always knew she wasn’t going to keep things from him the way so many others tried to. A lot of people thought that because he couldn’t see that meant there was something wrong with his mind as well. She had never been one of those people.
“But what if…?” He could already feel the doubt taking root.
“Your mom isn’t right, not this time. I’m going to be here, and when people are interviewing, we always have someone escort them. So relax and just be yourself. The rest is going to be easy.” Damn, she made Mase feel confident that he really could do this. “Don’t doubt yourself, because I sure as hell don’t doubt you.”
He was still unsure, but Milly had never let him down yet. “I’ll call you to let you know I’m ready.”
“Then I’ll be watching for you,” she said excitedly. “And don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine.”
From her lips to god’s ears. Provided he didn’t fall on his face as he was getting into the building, all he needed to do was convince them that he could do the job. More than once, Mase had met with various levels of prejudice. He knew he could do the job they had advertised for, so now his main task was to demonstrate his skills. If he was going to be able to have any sort of independence, then he needed to be self-sufficient, and that meant getting a job, period… and not appearing as nervous as he felt.
The following morning, Mase was dressed in what his mother had helped him pick out and the sunglasses he usually wore in public. He’d had breakfast and sat near the door, rubbing his leg from where he’d bumped it coming out of the kitchen. It happened sometimes, but he could have sworn he knew where the chair was supposed to be. They kept the furniture in specific places, they always had, and yet in his mind, the chair was in the wrong place. But Mom said it matched the markers on the floor.
Mase sat back and put it out of his mind. He had more important things to think of at the moment. Milly was on the way, and he held his phone, exiting the house when she told him she was out front.
The hum of the engine led him to the car, and he felt his way to the passenger door, got inside, and closed the door before folding up his white cane. “Thank you for doing this.”
“Of course.” She put the car in gear and backed out of the drive. “I really want you to get this job. It’s perfect for you.” Mase thought so too. “You’ll be interviewing with Collin Peterson. He’s the supervisor as well as one of the other developers you’ll be working with.”
“Okay. So lots of different people.” He hadn’t been expecting that.
“Yes. Don’t be nervous. We’ve arranged for one of the other guys you’d be working with to show you around. They all know that you’re blind, and it’s no big deal, so get that worry out of your head.” She knew him well. “Collin is a great guy, and he just wants someone who can do the job, so just let your personality and skill shine through.” She patted his leg lightly. “I know you’ll be great.”
“Thanks for the pep talk,” Mase told her as she pulled to a stop.
“Any time. Just be yourself. Though not the one from last New Year’s Eve.” She chuckled, and Mase groaned. “They don’t need to see the you after a couple of margaritas.”
“You promised you wouldn’t bring that up again,” he mock whined, giving her his best pout. Milly laughed outright and made another turn. “And it was your fault. You promised to watch out for how much I was drinking.”
“You’re blind, not stupid. You know how much booze you were pouring down your throat. And besides, you’re funny when you’re kind of drunk.” They turned once more and pulled to a stop. “We’re here, and you’re smiling, so that’s a win-win.” She stopped the engine, and Mase slowly opened the car door. He had learned plenty of times not to push too hard in case there was another car nearby. He got out, and Milly was there, taking his arm.
“The door is fifty feet straight ahead. That’s it. You’re doing great. There’s a single step ahead, so be careful. That’s it. The step is right in front of your cane.” Mase felt it and took the step without issue.
“I have the door,” a deep, rich voice rumbled, sending a zing right through him. Damn, Mase loved a deep voice, and this one was sexy as hell. He tried not to let those types of thoughts enter his mind just now. He had to keep his attention where it needed to be.
“Thanks, Ty,” Millie said, and Mase felt the air-conditioning around him as they passed through the door. It closed behind him with a click.
“Collin said that he’s ready,” Ty said, his tone gentle and as warm as the air outside. “I can take him down. Stella was asking for you.” Milly’s hand slipped away and a strong one slid over his bicep. “We’re going down the hall to the conference room. It’s about thirty feet.” He gently guided Mase forward, and Mase knew he’d follow that voice just about anywhere.
Chapter Two
Tyrone Phillips made sure the cute guy found a seat and then left the conference room, closing the door so Mase and his boss could talk. He’d been told that Collin was interviewing someone for the developer position, and Ty was grateful, because he’d been trying to do the job of two people in order to keep some of their projects on track, and he really needed some help. Collin had already interviewed four people, but no one had the skills they needed. He hoped the cute guy worked out.
He returned to his desk, and after about twenty minutes, Collin called to ask him into the conference room. He saved his work, then went down and knocked on the conference room door before entering.
“Ty, this is Mase,” Collin said. Mase held out his hand, and Ty took it, shaking it gently. He smiled before remembering that Mase couldn’t see it. “Ty is going to talk to you more about what the work entails and get a feel for how you’ll fit with the team.” Collin left the room, and Ty sat down, pulling out the notes of the questions he wanted to ask. There were the usual ones he had devised to determine Mase’s level of education and experience, which were probably similar to what Collin had asked.
