Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2017 09:01:32 -0600
From: Kurt King <kingkurt1339@gmail.com>
Subject: The New Life of Cal King Chapter 9

	This story may contain sexual acts between males, persons below the
age of consent, and relatives. If this offends you or is illegal for you to
read where you're at, please close this website and go elsewhere.

	This story is fictional and entirely the work of the author's
imagination. And resemblance to persons, places, or things, real or
fictional, are entirely coincidental, and any views stated do not
necessarily reflect those of any companies or organizations which do exist
in real life, nor necessarily reflect the views of the author.

	This story is the property and copyright of the author, do not
share, reproduce, repost, or any other such act which is illegal to do
without the author's permission.

	Don't forget that you can always contact me to give me feedback! I
can be found at kingkurt1339@gmail.com, and I do my best to respond to
every email if I can! Any comments, questions, or suggestions are always
welcome, especially as I'm constantly changing events that happen in the
story, and will be publishing other stories! I have created a mailing list
– if you wish to be added, let me know!

	My other story can be found at the following link:
	NLXK:
http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/the-new-life-of-xander-king/

	As always – don't forget to donate to Nifty at
http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html to keep the archive free!

	This story is not a quick jack-off story. If you are looking for
that, you would be best going to another story. If you are interested in
not just the sex, but also the lives of the characters and their romances
and dramas, then read on, and I hope you enjoy it!

	There's another timeskip here, taking us to the beginning of
November, and to right after where NLXK 15 left off (actually, starting a
few hours before). In the last chapter, Cal seated a party that included
Mr. Scott, Xander's adoptive father, and Mr. Mason, Finn and Karma's
father. This was before Xander was adopted, and Mr. Scott brought up
adoption to Cal, showing him a picture of Xander, and thus, Cal discovered
cheesecake boy's real name. The next day, when Xander showed up, Cal used
it and convinced Xander to eat in, even giving him a free smoothie, though
telling him that it was free because the kitchen made the wrong one.

	This is the final chapter for NLCK, though there's a note about the
story and the characters in it at the end.

	Anyway, on to the story, and I hope you enjoy it!

~~Chapter Nine – A Tip, and an Offer~~

[Cal]

	"So, Cal," Sean, the captain of the boys' varsity soccer team,
plops himself in the seat across from me at lunch. "Got a question for
you."

	"If I weren't dating you," Cam grins at me. "I'd totally try to get
into his pants."

	"You have better luck getting into his little brother's," I roll my
eyes, then look at Sean. "What's up, Sean?"

	"I would've asked you before," he says. "But I keep forgetting you
don't live by me anymore. Does your restaurant do parties?"

	"What do you mean?"

	"Could, say, fifteen or twenty guys come there," he says. "And
celebrate?"

	"Yeah," I answer. "It's better to make reservations in advance,
though. If you want, you can come by this afternoon and make reservations
for the tables, as long as, roughly, you know what amount you'll have, and
when it'll be."

	"Oh," he says. "I was thinking this afternoon. The season's over,
and we all wanted to get together and celebrate, and we've heard that your
restaurant's pretty good."

	"How many people?"

	"Probably about twenty of us," he answers. "Might be more, might be
less."

	"Four per table," I do some quick calculations. "We'll go with six
tables, and I'll put you in the center area, since those have tables all
right next to each other. Do you know about what time it would be?"

	"We were thinking around six-thirty," he answers. "Will that be a
problem"

	"I get in at four," I say. "I can make sure enough tables are
spared. Let me know an exact count before school lets out, if you can. A
rough guess would be good, too, if you can't give me an exact amount. We do
charge to reserve tables, so if you don't want to do that, then I can't
guarantee you'll all be seated together."

	"We'll cover the reservation cost," he says. "I'll give you a more
exact number at the end of school."

	He returns to his table, talking immediately with the other guys
sitting there. Cam just rolls his eyes and goes back to telling me about
how his brother's in a fight with Tanya right now. The rest of the day goes
by quickly, and Sean grabs me as Cam and I are heading to Cam's car.

	"Roughly fifty," he says.

	"That's two and a half what you gave me earlier," I say.

	"All of the boys' soccer," he says. "And some of our friends."

	"We can do four to six at a table," I say. "And the center area has
two corner tables, which can seat up to eight, with ten tables in that
section. Ten tables total, fifteen a table, that's a hundred and fifty to
reserve them. Otherwise, you'll be seated when and wherever possible."

	"Here you go," he hands me four fifties. "We expected it to be
higher. The extra's for the short notice. Also, I'll be paying the whole
bill, we're pooling together to pay for everyone."

	"Thanks," I say. "See you then."

	Cam takes me home, and after a quick shower and a change of
clothes, he takes me to work. I give him a quick kiss before I head in.

	"Hey, Emily, May," I greet them. "Emily, got a reservation."

	"For when?" She asks. "And how? You just walked in?"

	"Tonight," I answer. "One of my classmates has asked to use ten of
our tables for a celebration. I'll handle them, it's all one ticket. We're
giving the center ten, and they've paid extra for the short notice."

	I get clocked in and change, then add the reservation to the
system. Our practice is to set the cards on the table an hour and a half
before they arrive, or when the table opens up, if it's within an hour and
a half. I take over those ten tables immediately, since they're empty right
now, with Emily taking one side of the restaurant's outer tables, May
taking the other side of the outer tables, with a new worker, a classmate
from my Culinary Arts I class last year named Aaron, taking the back set of
tables. He gets out an hour earlier than I do for co-op, a senior work
experience class.

	At six, we've got a line of customers, and the third guy in line is
kind of angry, and has been kind of rude the entire time he's been waiting
about how long he has to wait.

	"Will you seat us already?" He demands of me while I'm messing with
the register, trying to get it to stop glitching up. "You've only got one
table, and you have all those tables open," he gestures to the center
ten. "You can seat us, you're just being lazy."

	"Sir-" I begin.

	"Don't you 'sir' me," he glares at me. "You high school kids,
thinking you can just be lazy. Why would they even hire someone like you?"

	"Those tables," I say. "Are reserved for a party. I'm going to be
the host for that party. If I seat a table now, I'll have to be going
between that party and the other table, and it'll cause everyone an
inconvenience. The party will be arriving soon, and I only have one table
left so that I can devote my full attention to the fifty or so people I'll
be serving shortly. Your estimated wait time is forty-five minutes, and you
were warned of the long seating wait when you arrived. If you have an issue
with waiting for your food, I'd recommend going to McDonald's."

	"I want to talk to a manager," he says.

	"I am a manager."

	"You!" He snaps at May as she walks by. "I need to talk to a
manager."

	"He's a manager," she gestures to me before going into the drinks
station.

	"Anything else, sir?" I ask. "At McDonald's, you won't have to wait
more than ten minutes, usually. I'd recommend going there if you're
impatient, or you can gain patience and wait the estimated forty-five
minutes before one of them can seat you. If you don't mind, I have a table
to serve."

	I go back over to the table, as they need a refill on drinks. After
I deliver their drinks, the bell rings, and I glance over to see Xander
standing there. His hair's no longer brown, but matches his eyebrows, being
super, super blond. He's been in here almost every Saturday since May,
missing a couple at the beginning of the school year, probably getting back
into the rhythm of homework. He always eats in now, too, and I wonder why
he stopped dyeing his hair this week. His outfits lately have been nothing
but Under Armour, and this time is no exception. He looks even cuter in it
than he did before, but that could also be attributed to him gaining weight
and muscle. He's become quite the handsome young man.

	"Well, well," I walk over to him as he waits by the counter,
startling him when I speak. "What do we have here? A little rascal, eh?"

	"Hi," he squeaks.

	"You're here a day early," I laugh. "Don't you normally come on
Saturdays?"

	"I'm going to a birthday party," he says. "I don't like the
boy. Can I get four slices, please? To go, please?"

	"Sure thing," I say, noting that he doesn't put any money on the
counter this time. He does watch everyone warily. Slowly but surely, he's
opening up, but at the same time, he's still a frightened little boy. I
grab four slices of the cheesecake, add strawberry slices before the
drizzle, package them up, and then return to the dining area, sticking the
boxes into a bag. "Here you go, Xander."

	"Thanks," he puts a hundred on the counter and turns to leave.

	"Are you going to get your change?" I ask, and Xander freezes up
for a moment.

	"Why are you serving him before us?" The angry man asks.

	"Because his order's to go," I explain, and Xander starts to head
out again. "And took all of two minutes to get. Seating you is a matter of
availability. Xander, you're overpaying, you going to leave without your
change?"

	"It's a tip," Xander turns around and faces me. "T-I-P. Tip. You
give them to waiters and waitresses who do a good job. Or don't. It's your
way of thanking them for their time in serving you. You give a bigger tip
to those who do better jobs. You do a good job."

	"They're also," I say. "Normally between ten and twenty
percent. Your total was twenty-one, fifty-three. Your 'tip' is three
hundred, sixty-four percent."

	"I'm making up for all the times I didn't tip you," he says. "Tip
Emily, too. She's good. Also, I won't be here tomorrow. I'll be at the
zoo."

	And then he turns around, and before I can say anything else, is
gone.

	"What were you and cheesecake boy talking about?" Emily approaches
me.

	"Apparently," I look at her. "He didn't know about tipping until
sometime between the last visit and now, and is wanting to make up for
it. He said to split the tip with you."

	"Keep it!" She laughs when I show it to her. "And then move so I
can ring up this table."

	"Careful with the register," I say. "It's still glitching up."

	"Are you a manager?" Angry man demands of Emily as I finish
Xander's transaction.

	"Yes, why?" She asks.

	"I want him fired!" He points at me.

	"What for?"

	"For being lazy!" He exclaims. Here we go again. "He's just
standing around, doing nothing while the rest of us are waiting here, and
you've got all those tables open."

	"You mean," she looks at the center ten. "The ten tables that have
'RESERVED' tags on them? That means they're reserved. He's waiting for the
party to show up, and cannot seat anyone other than them until after
they've left, as per policy. It avoids confusion, hassles, and
mistakes. Also, he's another manager, so I can't fire him, myself. I'd have
to go to the store owner to fire him, and David's not going to fire a
manager for doing his job."

	The angry man yells at her while I finish up with my last customer,
ringing them out and placing the final 'RESERVED' tag on that table.

	"You'd never know," I say to Emily while the man continues to go
off on her. "With how calm and nice you're being, that you just had a baby
two months ago and are running on no sleep at all."

	"She just had a baby?" A little old lady who's been sitting next to
the man, quiet the entire time, looks at me. "And she's working?"

	"I love my job," Emily says. "My husband takes care of little Cal
while I'm working."

	Yes, she named her baby after me. Don't ask why. And this time,
she's actually married. Today's her first day back after the wedding.

	"Boy!" The little old lady looks at the angry man. "You shut up and
give the poor girl a break. She's already up all night because of her baby,
and she's working, too! And then you have to go and harass her because
you're too impatient to wait the amount of time you were told you'd have to
wait. Why don't you take the young man's suggestion and go harass the
McDonald's employees instead? At least there, you won't be waiting an hour
and a half, and we won't have to deal with you!"

	That shuts him up. He gets up and leaves, and the little old lady
scoots into his spot.

	"He reminds me of my eldest," she says. "Always impatient and
wanting to cause problems, even though he's warned he has to wait if he
wants to eat here."

	Then she goes back to being silent and waiting.

	"Make sure," I say quietly to Emily. "That whoever serves her gives
her a discount."

	"Already planned on that," she whispers back to me.

	She gets back to work, seating the next customer, and just before
six-thirty, Sean shows up with a group of about ten people following behind
him.

	"Hey, Cal," Sean says to me as I grab the bucket of menus and
silverware I prepared. "Here's the first batch showing up, more should be
arriving shortly."

	"I'm sure,' I say. "Right this way, Sean."

	I seat him and those who showed up with him, putting down their
menus. A few more show up, and I seat them, taking everyone's drink orders,
then table the drinks and seat more of their group. Within fifteen minutes,
there are fifty-two people sitting in the center ten, and all of them have
their drinks. I take appetizer orders next, refill drinks while waiting,
and then serve the appetizers, taking their meal orders after tabling them.

	"How are you getting this all right?" One of the boys asks as I
take their orders. "You're taking so many orders at once, yet putting the
food right to whoever ordered it."

	"I don't forget anything," I answer. "Comes in handy here, means I
remember exactly to whom a dish goes."

	Serving fifty-three boys is hectic, as we teens do eat a ton, and
they're a bit noisy and loud, but they're having a good time. Right at
seven-thirty, Matt and Liam show up for a date, and they look
disappointed. They like it when I serve them. I find it weird they're here,
they usually come in on Saturdays because of Liam taking gymnastics on
weekdays.

	"Cal's got a party he's serving," Emily says to Matt after he asks
if I'm available. "Sorry."

	"Dude!" Sean grabs my arm as I'm passing by. "Did Matt King just
ask for you to be his host?"

	"Yep," I answer. "He's in here all the time, and enjoys getting hit
in the back of the head with my order pad."

	"He's in here all the time?" His eyes widen. "Dude, that's Matthew
Freaking King. He's, like, a celebrity. And he asks for you to be his
host?"

	"He'll let Emily serve him," I snort. "And yeah he's talented."

	"If I were you," he says. "I'd go and serve him."

	"I'm working ten tables," I say. "Not gonna add an eleventh. He'll
forgive me."

	"No, I won't," Matt mock-outs at me, and I smack him in the back of
the head with my order pad. "Emily! I demand you fire this brute at once!"

	"Oh, quiet, you," Emily rolls her eyes at him. "Before I ban you
again."

	"No!" Matt squeals, getting a lot of eyes drawn to him.

	"Is he always like that?" Sean asks.

	"Yeah," I laugh. "He loves our desserts."

	"I can't wait until he starts high school next year," Sean
says. "Our senior year, and he'll be a freshman. Damn is school going to
get entertaining. All the various incidents I've heard of at the middle
school, damn. That kid knows how to have a good time."

	The party finally ends at nine, two and a half hours after it
started, and for fifty-three boys, well, it was quite the sizable
bill. Sean paid it without a problem, and as I was clearing the tables, I
found a ton of tips. Sean gave a pretty decent-sized tip, too. Everyone
gave at least five dollars as their tip, and Sean gave a tip based on the
actual cost. I made six hundred dollars from that dinner alone.

	"You can go, now," Emily says to me. "Since we've slowed down a
fair bit, unless you want to close with me, but honestly, I can probably
handle what's left."

	"Thanks," I say. "What did Matt do that made you laugh?"

	"He hid the tip under the last dish I'd pick up," she says. "And
before he folded it, he put fake money on both sides, so at first, it
looked like he was giving me fake money."

	I let David know I'm heading home early, and he grabs my tips from
the evening and counts them out, then I clock out and call Cam, who picks
me up.

	"How was the party?" Cam asks on the drive to his house.

	"Pretty good," I answer. "I was let go as soon as it ended, since
it was pretty slow. Made a killing, six hundred dollars between all of
them."

	"Seriously?"

	"Three-twenty," I say. "Was the tip for the entire meal, and then
they all gave individual tips totaling two-eighty. Those are rounded, of
course," my phone rings, and I check it. "It's Brent, hold on. Hello?"

	"Hey, Cal," he says. "David said you called Cam, you going to his
place?"

	"Yeah," I answer. "Need me home?"

	"No," he says. "I just wanted to let you know something."

	"Okay," I say.

	"The adoption's been finalized," he says. "You and your brothers
are now our legal children."

	"Already?" I ask, surprised.

	"We've been fostering kids for years," Brent says. "And we can more
than provide for four as our children. The system knows us, and the judge
knows that as well. Don't forget you have to work tomorrow, I'll see you
when you get home."

	I laugh when he hangs up, that last part was rushed, and I think he
decided that we're probably on our way to Cam's house to have sex. I'm not
forbidden from sex or anything at the house, but I prefer not to do it with
Cam there. Having sex with Cam is the primary reason I go to his house. If
we go to David and Brent's, it's all about chilling and cuddling or doing
stuff with my brothers or their friends.

	"He rushed again, didn't he?" Cam asks.

	"We're still in the car," I say. "It's not like we're going to risk
getting arrested for indecent exposure by having sex in the car, yet he
always rushes as soon as he realizes we're on our way to your house."

	"I sometimes have to wonder about him," he says.

	We arrive at Cam's house and go to his room, jumping onto his bed
and turning on the T.V., and the next bit of time, well, we're naked, and
we're sweaty, and damn does it feel good. After, we cuddle together on his
bed and make out for a few minutes.

	"So," he says. "What was the purpose of that call?"

	"The adoption got finalized," I stroke his chest.

	"A year and a half ago," he rubs my stomach. "Did you think your
life would turn out this way?"

	"Turn out," I say. "This way? As in have a good job with amazing
coworkers, have people who actually care about me and my brothers, that my
life wouldn't be filled with making sure my brothers were fine and got
taken care of, and that I'd have the most amazing boyfriend ever?" I kiss
him. "Hell no. Back then, I was focused solely on taking care of my
brothers. My life is immensely different, and there's no way I'd have ever
thought it'd be this way."

	To be honest, I like the way my life turned out. I have a good job
that pays decent money, yet have no bills, and now that I've been adopted,
I can invest that money before I turn eighteen, but even if I couldn't, I'd
have the money when I turned eighteen to invest, and since I don't really
have any bills, I'll have a sizable amount when I do turn eighteen. I don't
have to worry about my brothers constantly, I don't have to worry about us
being separated, and I know they're in good hands and in a stable
environment, and it might be selfish, but I'm happy that I'm still a part
of their lives.

	And then, of course, there's my boyfriend. I look over at Cam. When
we first met, I really did not like him at all, yet in less than two hours,
he went from being strongly dislike to liked, and not just liked, but my
boyfriend. He's smart, he's funny, he's reliable, and I love him to
death. I absolutely love my new life, and wouldn't trade it for anything.

	"What?" Cam asks.

	"Nothing," I smile at him. "Just thinking about my sexy boyfriend."

	"Up for round two?"

	In the morning, we go for round three in the shower, then I head
home to get ready for work. It's a little slow, when I get there, and David
pulls me into his office.

	"If it does happen," he says. "It'll be not next summer, but the
one after. You and Emily are my best hosts, and Amy's my best chefs, so I'm
asking all three of you. I asked Emily and Amy separately after close
yesterday, but forgot to ask you when you were leaving. The Wolf's Dragon
does have its slow times, but it's also a very busy and very popular
restaurant that can't always accommodate its customers due to the lack of
tables available. On a busy day, we can have more parties wanting to eat at
any individual time than we have tables to seat them. This restaurant is
over forty years old.
	"My question to you is this," he says. "What do you think of me
opening up a new branch?"

	"A whole new location?" I ask. "Will this one still be open?"

	"Yes," he answers. "I'm waiting for your input before making a
final decision. Trey has already agreed to supply both locations, should I
choose to do this. I mentioned it to him this morning, when he was dropping
off today's produce. He's apparently found a couple of cousins he didn't
know he had who can help him with his farm, so he's kind of happy and has a
little bit more time, but will probably use one of them to do food
deliveries from now on.
 	"Back to my question," he says. "What are your thoughts on it?"

	"How would it be run?" I ask. "I'm assuming you'd remain the
owner. We'd need chefs and servers, and you've been talking about adding
two more chefs to the Wolf's Dragon for awhile now, once you can find
suitable ones. Our standards are pretty high, so it'll be hard to find the
workers. Other than that, I think it's a good idea, it'd help alleviate
some of the pressure here, and two locations would also increase the area
of coverage. As long as it sticks to the Wolf's Dragon standards, I think
it's a good idea."

	"Emily and Amy both said the same thing," he leans back in his
chair, smiling. "So it looks like I'm going to open another location. I'll
aim to have it open by summer, but it will be a w hole new building. I
already have a property picked out, Brent thinks he can speed things up in
getting the paperwork taken care of."

	"I can help, too," I say. "If he's having issues, just let me know,
I can get my resources into it. Will it be like this location, where it's a
short walk in the woods to the building from the parking lot?"

	"Of course," he smiles. "It's about a twenty-minute drive from
here, and also on an incline in the woods. I think it's the perfect
location."

	"Will it have outdoor seating?" I ask. "Or be all-indoor, like this
location?"

	"Might have outdoor seating," he answers. "Though I don't think
I'll go with it, since we serve the customers, and I'd have to devote a
full host or hostess to serving that section. It will have the same number
of tables in the main dining area, but this building is shaped like an L -
that extra space here could have been an outdoor seating area, and is paved
over because it was planned to be one, but that never came to be. The new
location will be a complete box, with that extra space being a party and
meeting room."

	"That's nice," I say. "So will you go back and forth between the
two locations?"

	"Maybe," he says. "But I've already discussed this with Amy and
Emily. Apart from me and two others, the new location will have an entirely
new staff. I've already got my eye on a few different chefs, and have
already reached out to some of them. I have an interview next week with
one. This is mostly to fill up the need at this location, since it's a year
and a half away from the new one being opened.

	"It's always been," he says. "Your dream to own a restaurant. Emily
is content running one, but doesn't want to own one, and Amy would rather
be a chef than an owner. I was thinking of asking you if you'd like to be
business partners for this new location, being a partial owner of it. We'd
open it not long after you graduate high school, and you'd become salaried,
as we'd initially planned to happen. You'd be in charge of that location."

	"Can I think about it?" I ask.

	"Take your time," he says. "I don't need you to make a final
decision until the end of this year."

	"I'll probably say yes," I smile at him. "I just want to make sure
I'm ready for it. A year and a half isn't really that much time, when you
think about it, despite how big of a portion of life that is for us."

	I really will probably say yes. It'll be just another new thing in
my life, another stage of me leaving behind the past. I'd love to run a
restaurant, but I'd rather not make a decision now, then change my mind
later.

	I do have to wonder, though, how it is that my life changed so
rapidly and became so vastly different. A year and a half ago, I never
thought I'd have a shot at owning and running a restaurant until I was at
least thirty or forty, yet here I am, being told that I can become a
partial owner of a restaurant. Of course, back then, I definitely wouldn't
have thought that I'd have two dads, a boyfriend, no need to worry about
being found out by the police, a good job that I love, and that I have a
fortune of my own, inherited from my father after his passing. Enough to
make sure my brothers will never want for anything.

	"David," I say as I think about that, and he lifts an eyebrow. "I
know we discussed me taking custody of my brothers after I graduate high
school, but if I start running a restaurant on my own, and Cam's going to
classes to be a fashion designer, then I won't have much time to actually
watch the boys, not at first. I mean, they're mature enough to take care of
themselves, but I'd feel safer knowing they had someone I trust watching
them. Do you think you'd be fine handling them still?"

	"Brent and I discussed it last night," he says. "We had a feeling
this would come up. We'll gladly continue to watch the boys, but we'll also
give you Power of Attorney over them once you turn eighteen. You're also
welcome to continue to live in our house for as long as we please, whether
or not you accept my offer. The four of you are like sons to us."

	"Thank you," I say. "You said you've already discussed this with
Brent? When did you talk to him? I thought he's out of town?"

	"We Skyped last night," David answers. "Anyway, I should let you
get back to work, looks like we're starting to pick up."

	As I leave his office, I have to consider myself lucky. I have a
home, my brothers and are I are still together, and I won't have to worry
about us being separated.

	Life is full of mysteries and surprises, and I have to say, I like
the ones my life has to offer. I can't wait to see what it throws at me,
next.

~~END OF THE NEW LIFE OF CAL KING~~

	Thanks for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed not just this
chapter, but NLCK overall! As always, any feedback, be it comments,
questions, suggestions, etc., can be sent to me at kingkurt1339@gmail.com
– I try to respond to all emails!

	Know this: while this is the last of NLCK, this is NOT the last
you'll see of Cal, Travis, Henry, and Greyson! I have 1 (one) active story,
The New Life of Xander King, out right now, and will be starting Matt's
story up in the next month, with Zack's story being released at some point
after that, probably alongside NLXK and Matt's story, with Benj's story
also being released at some point. For those who don't know who Zack, Matt,
and Benj are, they were three Kings I was asking for votes on whose story
to go next (via NLXK, before NLCK began).
	After one of those three stories ends, I will start releasing a new
series based off of NLCK. Originally, it was planned to go into Greyson a
little bit more, as I was asked constantly about him, and NLCK was meant to
focus on Cal. After being asked about Travis (and what his deal is with
Wyatt), I decided to make it about all four of the brothers. So while this
is the end of NLCk, in the future, a spinoff that fills in all the time
gaps and expands into the other three brothers as well as Cal (and not even
focused on Cal, but on Greyson) will begin!

	Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!