Sing for Their Supper - 27

"You're sure this is the right place?" Mace asked Sam. "Where are Tuck and Brent?"

"Right behind you," Tuck replied, coming into the rental car office. "We were checking out the van to be certain it was what Brent ordered. It is, so let's put all your gear in the back and get going."

Their gear consisted of one backpack and a rolled up sleeping bag per person, except for Roma. She had two backpacks, a blanket and a sleeping bag. "The wages of having lived on the street for ten years," she explained when Dena asked.

At first, the kids chattered excitedly about what the theater and the cabins would be like. But as they got closer to the edge of the city, they went quiet, watching the houses thin out until there were larger and larger patches of greenery between them.

Soon, Brent pulled the van onto a paved secondary road off the highway. They drove for a mile before it curved to the left. Then, ahead of them, they saw the theater.

"It's beautiful," Jolie exclaimed. "Like a huge log cabin, sort of."

"Naw," Mace said. "It's rustic, but log cabins were made of logs."

Jolie swatted him. "You know what I mean. Like we're off in the wilderness. I wonder if there're bears or… Oh, wow." That was apparently her response to seeing the lake, a quarter mile behind the theater.

"Can we swim in it?" Ricky asked.

"I believe so," Tuck told him. "I haven't heard otherwise. I know you can fish. I've seen a couple of fishermen along the shore."

"Eww." Evie wrinkled her nose. "Who wants to swim in fish water?"

"Jeez, Evie," Sam replied. "Every lake has fish. So does the ocean. Were your folks so rich you had a swimming pool and that's it."

She nodded. "Not rich rich, but… Yeah, sort of. And we did have a pool. That made me sound kind of snobby and stupid, didn't it?"

"Not really," DJ replied, giving her a hug. "It's not your fault you grew up with the finer things in life."

"Fine things. Asshole father."

"Is that why you ran?" DJ asked.

Evie's mouth tightened, and she didn't answer. Thankfully, Brent was parking the van in front of the cabins by then. That took everyone's attention off Evie.

They piled out of the van then got their things while Tuck unlocked the door to one of the cabins. "This one's for the girls," he said, before going over to open the door to the second cabin. "And this one belongs to the guys."

"The furniture arrived," a man said, coming over to join them. "But it's all sitting in the middle of the living rooms. I couldn't convince the delivery people to put the beds where they belong."

"Guys, this is Norm. He's going to be designing and making the sets for the show," Tuck told them. "I'm sure you'll all get to know him when you're helping him with some of the building."

"We are?" Mace looked excited by that idea.

"If you want to, and I need you. Those of you who know the difference between nailing and screwing," Norm replied. "Okay. Let me rephrase that," he said, after everyone had started laughing.

"I think they get the picture, despite their dirty minds," Brent told him.

Meet all the 'Ghostie boys' in one place in the 'Ghostly Investigations - Box Set'

Ghostly Investigations - Box Set

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GENRE: Gay Mystery Paranormal Romance Box Set
LENGTH: 139,751 words
RATING:

Five gay paranormal mysteries by best-selling author Edward Kendrick. Contains the stories:

Ghostly Investigations: Jon Watts had heard stories about ghosts but never believed in them -- until he became one. Now, if he wanted to move on, he had to solve his own murder with the help of Brody, another murdered ghost; Sage, a man who can communicate with ghosts; and Mike, the detective investigating Jon's murder. Can the four of them solve both murders or will Jon and Brody be doomed to remain ghosts forever?

Searching for My Killer: My name is Tonio. I'm a ghost. To move on, I need to find out who killed me. Except, I have no idea how to do so. Or I didn't, until Brody and Jon showed up. They're ghosts, too, who know Mike, a cop, and Sage, a medium. With our help, can Mike find out who murdered me at the theater where I worked? And, can I come to grips with the fact that, in death, I've lost David, the one man I ever loved?

Dead and Hating It: Kurt is a ghost, unable to move on until he can prove his lover murdered him. Mike and Sage don’t believe Kurt killed himself. With the help of ghosts Brody, Jon, and Tonio, can they find the evidence to back Kurt’s claim? And can Tonio, with Kurt’s help, forget the man he loved and move on?

A Haunting of Ghosts: When Van and Gene are murdered, it's up to Mike, Sage, and their ghostly team to learn who the killer was. Van and Gene had been researching two cold cases for a book. One was old, with three potential suspects. The other was recent, involving Jon, one of the ghosts. Can Mike and company find Van and Gene's killer so they can move on? More to the point, can Van and Gene help solve Jon's murder?

A Long Way Down: Daw lives on the streets until he's murdered and becomes a ghost. Brody finds him, taking him home to meet the other 'Ghostie Boys'. As the ghosts work to find Daw's killer, they meet Russ, another of the killer's victims. Can the ghosts stop the killer before he strikes again? If so, with the growing attraction between Daw and Russ, will they want to move on, separating them for eternity?

EXCERPT FROM "Ghostly Investigations"

"What floor do you live on?" Brody asked.

"The fourth." Jon started down the hallway leading to the lobby.

"Let's ... No, let's not. Not yet."

"What?"

"I was going to say we could go straight up." Brody pointed to the ceiling. "But you better get used to lateral travel first before trying vertical. We'll work on that when we get to your place."

Jon nodded as they entered the lobby.

"Well aren't we the lucky ones," Brody said a moment later. He and Jon arrived at the elevator at the same time as the detective and one of the police officers Jon had seen by his body at the crime scene. The officer pushed the UP button.

As soon as the door opened, everyone stepped into the elevator. Obviously the detective and his companion weren't aware they had company on the ride up.

When they got off, the detective said, "Number four-o-four should be this way," as he started down the hallway toward Jon's apartment. He was holding a set of keys that Jon recognized as his. The detective unlocked the door then switched on the lights in the living room. "Not bad, for a waiter," he told the officer.

The officer nodded. "Even waiters can have good taste, Detective Harris."

"I told you, call me Mike. Okay?"

Jon frowned as the detective began going through the drawers of the desk in one corner of the living room. "He's prying."

Brody shook his head. "He's looking for anything that might tell him why someone wanted you dead."

"He won't find anything, since I don't know why I was killed."

Brody studied Jon. "What happened before the guy bashed your head in?"

"Huh?"

"Okay. Rephrase. Where were you before you got to the parking lot?"

Jon was thrown off by the question. "At work? I mean, yeah, I must have been."

"You don't remember?"

Jon squeeze his eyes shut, trying to picture it. "I drove into the lot, parked, got out, then walked toward the building. Something hit me --" He touched the back of his head. "-- and that's it."

"Nothing before then?"

Taking a deep breath, Jon slowly shook his head. "Nothing. Well, I know I was a waiter, and how old I am. Stuff like that. But no details. Can ghosts get amnesia?"

"Got me. But if a blow to the head can cause it while you're alive, maybe it carries over?"

"Do you remember your life, before you died?" Jon asked.

"In living color," Brody said tightly. "I was twenty nine and they finally let me go undercover to bring down a drug dealer we were after. A feather in my cap, as far as I was concerned, since I'd been trying to get them to let me do undercover work. Anyway, I was walking down the street, about a week after I made it into the dealer's gang. It was around two in the morning and I was heading to a meet. Some bastard shot me -- once in the back, once in the shoulder. I'd bled out by the time someone found me."

"Damn," Jon whispered. "You were a cop?"

"Yeah." Brody almost smiled. "A good one, until that happened. It made all the papers. They never found out who did it, even though it almost had to be someone in the gang who figured out I was a cop and decided to eliminate me. I guess I wasn't as good at undercover work as I thought I was," he added dryly.

"That sucks."

"It did."

Jon turned his attention to Detective Harris and the officer, who were now in the bedroom off the living room. "What do they think they'll find in there, other than my clothes?" he asked Brody. Then something occurred to him. "They can't hear us, can they?"

"Nope. We're on a different plane of existence. At least that's how I figure it. Here, but not here. Make sense?"

"I guess."

Brody chuckled. "Go with it. Some people can see or hear us, but they're few and far between."

"I wish the detective would find something, even if it meant I was a crook. At least it would explain who wanted me dead."

"There's one thing you should consider, other than that," Brody replied. "It could have been a mugging, pure and simple."

"And they left a wad of cash in my wallet?"

"How much?"

"Five hundred bucks. I'm ... I was a waiter, damn it. That much I do remember. Waiters don't make that kind of tips."

"Depends where they work," Brody replied.

"Do I look like a guy who had a job at a high-class place?" Since he was wearing jeans and a T-shirt under a plain blue work shirt, Jon knew he didn't.

Brody shook his head. "Not at the moment. But you could have changed clothes before you left."

"I guess."

Sing for Their Supper - 26

"Here's what I have so far," Tuck said, showing Brent the cast list. "Oliver, Nancy, Bet, Fagin, Dodger, Sikes, Bumble, and Mrs. Corney, the three Sowerberry's plus Noah Claypole, Brownlow, and Dr Grimwig, Mrs. Bedwin, and Old Sally, plus Fagin's kids."

"Which ones have to be done by adults?" Brent asked.

"Bumble, maybe, and Corney. Mr. and Mrs. Sowerberry. Brownlow and his housekeeper, the doctor, and old Sally."

"That's a pretty heavy load for just Andy and Fran." Brent looked at Tuck. "You're planning on being Fagin?"

"Nope. Not if I can help it. I decided I'd rather direct instead of act."

"Just when were you planning on telling me this?" Brent asked with some asperity.

"Tonight?" Tuck smiled contritely at his husband.

"You are something else." Brent rolled his eyes before giving Tuck a hug. "Okay, so that leaves you out. Who are you thinking of for Fagin and Sikes? Those are pretty heavy roles for teens."

"Sam for Fagin. I think he can carry it off. Sikes? It has to be Mace. He's got the build and the voice."

Brent nodded. "DJ as Oliver, I presume, considering he's the smallest boy. And Ricky as the Dodger. What about the women?"

"I want Roma for Nancy. I already told her that, and she didn't exactly balk at the idea. I think Evie would make a good Bet."

"Leaving Dena and Jolie." Brent looked at the list. "One of them can be Charlotte Sowerberry, but that leaves the other without a role."

"They can both play friends of Nancy's and part of Fagin's gang. There's nothing that says the kids have to be boys," Tuck replied.

"True. Just so neither of them get their feelings hurt, can the other one play Mrs. Sowerberry?"

Tuck nodded. "As far as that goes, they could do the housekeeper and Mrs. Corney, too, with makeup."

"Are we asking too much of them? None of the kids have acted before."

Tuck blew out a deep breath. "I don't know. I hope not. They want it to happen, and it's not like we're planning on opening next week. We won't open until we all think we're ready. All of us, not just you and me."

Sing for Their Supper - 25

"We'll have beds and furniture for them by the time we get them out there" Brent said as he and Tuck walked back to their cars. "I even remembered to get sheets and towels. Norm wanted to take another look at the stage and the shop, so I asked him if he'd mind accepting the delivery from the furniture company at the same time."

"One less thing to worry about."

Brent snorted. "I'm sure by the time he's finished, he'll have a list a mile long of what he needs to furnish the shop. And Peg reminded me when I talked to her this morning that it might be nice if she had supplies, including a couple of sewing machines."

"Yeah." Tuck sighed, although he wasn't really unhappy. "Who knew this was going to turn into such a huge project?"

"Me?" Brent chuckled, giving Tuck a hug. "How many more cast members will you need?"

"A couple to play the grownups, to start with. I was talking about it with Andy and Fran Rogers." He winced, not quite looking at Brent. "I forgot to tell you."

"I'd say so. And?"

"And our show closes this weekend, so they're available. They said they'd love to be involved, and they're even willing to do it for free."

"Seriously?"

"That's what they said. So, with them, if we double and triple cast them, we should be okay on the adult roles. As soon as I get home tonight, I'll go over the cast list again and figure out what other holes need filling."

"And pray the kids we have now will all work out." Brent said.

"There is that. Damn."

"What now?"

"We have to grocery shop, at least for the essentials, and things like soap and shampoo. We can't expect the kids to live on air."

"Let's do that now." Brent checked his phone. "We've got time before you're due at the theater."

"All I can say is, thank God the show closes this weekend. I feel like I'm being pulled in ten different directions."

Brent wrapped him in a tight embrace, saying, "You will survive. We both will."

They kissed, then Tuck said, "It's going to be worth it."

"Going to be? It already is. Meeting the kids just reinforced it. Now, let's go shopping—again."

Sing for Their Supper - 24

"Guys, ladies, this is my husband, Brent," Tuck said, when everyone had gathered along the retaining wall behind one of the pianos. It was just past noon and the kids were in the process of devouring the sandwiches Tuck had brought with him.

"Bribery," Ricky had said as Tuck handed them out.

"Sustenance," Tuck had countered. "I don't want any of you fainting from hunger before we start."

Brent saluted, then waited for Tuck to introduce him to everyone individually. With that accomplished, Tuck told them that they would be able to move out to the theater the next day.

After the expected cheers, Roma had two questions. "How will we get out there? And is there a piano?"

Brent took the floor. "We've hired a van. Do all of you know the car rental place three blocks over on Union?"

A couple of the kids didn't, so Sam offered to show them once the meeting broke up.

"As to a piano, Roma," Brent said, "we're in the process of finding one. We'll need it for rehearsals, and it may be the only instrument we'll have for at least the first show."

That, of course, had the teens asking what the show would be.

"How many of you know Oliver!?" Tuck asked. DJ's and Evie's hands shot up immediately. Roma nodded that she did, as did Sam.

"I've seen the movie. Does that count?" Ricky asked. "I mean, movies sometimes change things a lot."

"In this case, the movie was very true to the stage version," Tuck replied, "so it counts."

"Good," Sam said, "because I've seen it too. It's about kids like us."

"More or less," Tuck agreed, "but in the Victorian Era." He glanced around to see if any of them had a clue when that was. It didn't seem as if they did, so he told them, "The story takes place the eighteen thirties. It starts in a workhouse, which is like an orphanage. The kids are treated badly, so Oliver runs away and ends up on the streets." He went on to give them the barebones of the plot.

"Poor Nancy," Dena said when he finished. "I'm glad that Sikes guy got killed."

"And that Oliver finally found his family. Well, his grandfather," Jolie said.

"It is sort of like us." Mace seemed to be bothered by that.

"Which is why I want your input about our doing the show," Tuck told him. "If any of you think it will remind you of things you'd rather forget, or if it hits too close to home, I'd rather know now than when we're in the middle of rehearsals."

"Well, none of us were in an orphanage, I don't think," Sam said. "So that's different."

"And none of us have done anything illegal." Jolie looked at the other. "Have we?"

"Umm…" Ricky puffed out a breath. "Does selling weed to make some money for food count?"

Tuck looked at him. "Are you doing that now?"

"Uh-uh. It was right after I ran away. I almost got caught a couple of times and decided it wasn't worth it. If I'd ended up in jail, they'd have called my father, and I wasn't about to be dragged back home."

"I hear you on that," Mace said quietly.

Tuck wondered what his story was—and all the other kids', as well—but now wasn't the time to find out.

"I don't have a problem with it," Sam said. "I think it suits us—and what you're trying to do, if that makes sense."

"It does," Tuck replied. "So, if everyone else agrees, Oliver! will be the opening show." None of them said they objected, so he asked if they had any questions. No one did, although he was certain they would in time. This was going to be a big change from what they'd been used to, after they'd ended up on the streets. "Okay. Then Brent and I will meet you tomorrow morning at ten at the rental place."

Sing for Their Supper - 23

Sam kept an eye out for Tuck, relieved when he saw the man walking toward them. Tuck stopped outside the railing, asking if there was room for him to join them.

DJ shot Sam an angry look. "What's going on?"

"Not what you're thinking," Sam replied quickly. "Tuck's a friend of ours. Nothing more."

Jolie patted DJ's arm. "I bet you think he's our pimp. Not even. I promise."

By then, Tuck had gone inside the shop. A minute later he came onto the patio. Pulling up a chair from the next table, he managed to wedge himself in between Sam and Mace.

"I'm Tuck Williams," he said to DJ. "I'm really quite harmless."

Warily, DJ shook Tuck's hand when he held it out, before introducing himself and Evie.

"I'm here for a reason," Tuck told the two of them. He went on to explain about the theater and the fact that Sam, Jolie, and Mace were going to be part of the acting company. He ended by saying, "Sam called me after hearing the two of you sing. He thought you'd be a good addition."

"Like, get on stage and act and all that?" Evie asked.

"Yep. Are you interested?"

"Maybe?" She looked at DJ.

"I don't know," DJ said. But the look on his face told Sam that he was interested—if maybe afraid he wouldn't be any good at it.

"DJ"—Evie shook her head—"you just told me, not an hour ago, that you wanted to do theater in high school. This could be like that, but better, I think."

"If it all works out the way we hope, it should be," Tuck said.

DJ still seemed doubtful. "And you said we'll have some place to stay?"

"The cabins. Yes." Tuck smiled. "Unless you like the idea of hiking out there every day."

"Not really." DJ glanced at Evie. "What do you think?"

"I like it, but it's not up to me to tell you what to do. We barely know each other, when you think about it."

"I know. It's just—"

"You don't have to decide right now," Tuck told him.

"Go with your gut instinct," Jolie said at almost the same time.

"Last time I did that, I ended up out here." DJ waved his arm, almost hitting Sam in the process. "Sorry."

"No problem. So, do what Jolie said."

DJ glanced at Evie again. When she nodded, he said, "What the hell. It's not like you're going to keep us prisoners there, right?" He stared at Tuck.

"That's not my thing," Tuck replied with a laugh.

"So…when do we start?"

"Let me get back to you on that, after I talk with my husband and we check on the cabins to see if they're ready to move into. If they are, I'd say the sooner the better, as far as getting all of you out there so you can settle in."

All five of the kids, even DJ, cheered, rating them surprised looks from the other customers on the patio.

*****

"What do you think?" Tuck asked Brent as they drove out to the theater.

"I don't see why not. The only problem is the fact that they're all under twenty-one. I'm not sure how the law feels about that, since there won't be adults to supervise them when we're not there."

"If they had money and jobs, most of them could have their own apartments already. You only have to be eighteen to do that. And Roma's thirty, which helps."

"If she's willing to play housemother."

"I don't think she'd have any problem with that, but I'll ask."

The first thing they did after parking in the lot by the theater was to check out the cabins. Tuck immediately realized something. "We need beds and some other furniture."

Brent chuckled. "That would help. I'll call around first thing in the morning to find a place that's cheap and will deliver all the way out here."

"Bribe them with tickets to the show."

"Hard to do until we make up our minds which one we're doing."

"I thought we'd already decided. Oliver!."

"Are we sure the kids won't take that the wrong way?"

"Well, I have mentioned it to some of them, but I didn't ask."

"Exactly. Can you get them all together tomorrow and feel them out?"

"Hopefully." Tuck thought for a moment. "At the piano plaza. Do you want to be there, too?"

"Of course. It's about time I met everyone. Don't you think?"

Sing for Their Supper - 22

A few minutes later, two blocks away, Sam was wondering if he, Jolie, and Mace really would be able to find any more kids who might be right for Tuck's new theater.

"It's not like there's that many who wander around singing or dancing," he said. "We're sort of an anomaly. I mean, sure, there's guys like me who might have a guitar or that old man downtown who plays the sax, but…." He shrugged.

"Yeah," Jolie agreed. "Maybe, since we're here, we should set up? College kids like music."

"Hip-hop and junk like that," Mace muttered. "Not the stuff we do."

Sam turned when he heard someone call his name. "Hey, Johnny. How's it going?" he said as the kid approached. "I didn't know you hung out around here."

"Sometimes. When I need a change. And some change." Johnny grinned at his own joke then said, "You guys might want to check out your competition."

"Huh?"

"Two kids back there." Johnny pointed. "They've got a crowd listening to them sing."

Jolie did a fist pump. "Let's go see."

They did, stopping at the edge of the small crowd of mainly college students. The singers were in the middle of "Money", with the girl acting out her part as Sally Bowles, getting laughs from the onlookers.

"They're good," Sam said enthusiastically as he took out his phone. When Tuck answered, Sam said, "You have to get down here. I think we found two more. In fact, I know we have." He told Tuck where here was and hung up. "Now let's hope they don't disappear before Tuck arrives."

He was afraid that might happen when the pair stopped singing, so he told the others they should go over to talk with them.

"You guys rock," Jolie said enthusiastically. "Do you always do this?"

The girl shook her head. "This is our first time. DJ and I were talking about music we like and it sort of went from there."

"Evie started it," DJ told them. "I just followed along."

"Pfft. Maybe at the start," Evie protested. "But after that…"

Sam looked around and spotted a coffee shop with a patio. "Why don't we celebrate your new partnership?"

DJ frowned. "Why do you care?"

"Because we do the same thing, downtown," Sam replied. "Only we do blues, mostly. Maybe we can give you some pointers."

"Come on, DJ. Talking to them will be fun." Evie looked down at what she was wearing—jeans and an oversized shirt tied at her waist, both of which had seen better days. "That is, if they'll let us in."

"We outnumber them. They will," Jolie told her with a grin. "Besides, we don't look all that much worse than some of the students around here, right?"

Evie grinned back. "Right."

DJ didn't look all that confident, Sam thought, but it didn't stop him from going along. They all got plain coffee or sodas, which Sam insisted on paying for. That earned him a 'you're kidding' look from Mace, so he took him aside and said, "It's a way to make them trust us."

They managed to squeeze in at one of the patio tables. While they drank, they talked, mostly about tricks they'd learned on how to survive on the streets—not that any of them had really found out anything from the others that they didn't already know.

Sing for Their Supper - 21

"Curl in, like this." Evie pulled her knees up, wrapping her arms around them. "Stare down at the sidewalk like you're afraid someone's going to kick you."

"Been there, done that," DJ said tightly. "I was the guy who got bullied all through school."

"Oh, man. I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault."

"I know that," she said, looking exasperated. "Jeez. So what did you do when that happened?"

"Went home and listened to my music and prayed my dad wouldn't lay into me for being a wimp if he found out."

"He did that? What a creep."

DJ lifted a shoulder. "He was big and never really got what it was like to be my size, even though my mom was tinier than you. He'd tell me to stand up for myself." He sighed. "After a while, I just let it go in one ear and out the other."

"What music did you listen to?"

"Dark ambient, when I was really bummed." She cocked her head in question, so he explained. "It's distorted, dissonant, melancholy—all the things I was feeling. But if I was just lonely or sad, then it was show tunes."

"Like musicals?"

"Uh-huh."

"Did you sing along?"

DJ grinned. "Well, duh. Why listen if you don't?"

"Me, too. I like the older ones."

"Define older. At your age, five years ago would be older."

Evie swatted his arm. "I mean the good ones. The classics—Gypsy, My Fair Lady, Guys and Dolls. Ones like that."

"Ever hear music from The Fantasticks?"

Evie smiled. "'Soon It's Going to Rain'." She started humming it. DJ started singing. She jumped in to sing Luisa's part. When they finished, she told him, "You're pretty damned good."

"Lot's of practice." He smiled shyly.

"Did you ever do any plays in school?"

"I wanted to, but look at me. I'm hardly actor material."

She harrumphed. "Daniel Radcliffe is five six. Tom Cruise isn't much taller. Joe Pesci is five three."

"How do you know that?"

She grinned. "I've had crushes on them. Well, not Pesci so much, but the other two. So, see? You don't have to be tall to be good as an actor or a singer. Or an actor who sings."

"But it helps."

"Yeah, I guess it would. But still."

DJ held out his cup when he realized they had an audience, thanking the people who had dropped their spare change into it. One guy—he looked like a college student—asked what else they knew, saying he loved musicals. Evie gave him a thumbs up and started in on "Never Been in Love Before" shooting a look at DJ, so he sang, too, grinning when the guy said, "One of my favorite shows."

Sing for Their Supper - 20

"Well? We have to let Tuck know one way or the other. So?" Sam looked at Jolie and Mace.

"I'm scared to say yes because I know he'll change his mind about me," Mace replied.

"Bull," Jolie said, smacking his shoulder. "You're just as good as me and Sam."

Sam nodded. "She's right, you know. So we'll tell him yes?"

"You better believe it!" Jolie replied. "Now we just have to wait for him to show up again."

That took another day. They were in the middle of a song when Sam saw Tuck standing at the edge of a small crowd of listeners. He raised his hand to give Tuck a thumbs up. Tuck circled a finger and Sam nodded. Tuck gave a fist pump in reply.

When they finished, Tuck waited until most of the onlookers had left before joining the kids. "Do any of you have a phone?" he asked.

"We all do," Sam told him. "And I've even got a few minutes left on mine."

"Good. What's your number?" Sam told him and Tuck entered it on his phone. "Okay. Just so you know, I've got three other people—Roma, a kid named Ricky, and a girl named Dena."

"Hot damn," Jolie exclaimed.

"I want at least two to four more, to begin with," Tuck said.

"Did you try Champion Park—or around the college?" Sam asked.

Tuck winced. "No. I've been too busy with other things I have to get done. I'll do that this afternoon."

"We could take one of them," Mace said.

"It'll make things go faster," Jolie added. "That way we can, well, you know—"

"Get everything started." Tuck winked. "Eager much?"

"You have no clue."

"I think I do." That gave him an idea, one he'd have to talk over with Brent. "All right. You all take the campus. I'll hit up Champion Park."

*****

"What are you doing here?" Evie asked, coming over to where DJ was sitting, his back against the wall of a bookstore.

"Trying to look starving and pathetic," he said.

She sat down beside him. "You've got the starving thing going. I mean, could you be any thinner?"

He chuckled. "I hope not. But part of that's just me. I never was the biggest guy in school, by a long shot."

She eyed him. "I'm five four, and if I remember from the drop-in place, you weren't much taller than me. That's why you were having a problem finding shirts. Right?"

"Yeah. I'm a strapping five six."

"How old are you?"

A bit surprised at the question, DJ said, "Eighteen. And you?"

"Sixteen, but almost seventeen." Evie thanked a guy who dropped a couple of coins in the cup she was holding. "So, are you having any luck?"

DJ shrugged. "I think I've made enough for a cheap burger and some coffee."

"Coffee? Eww." She wrinkled her nose and he laughed. "Don't do that," she said. "I mean, you look good when you do, but you're supposed to be pathetic."

"Show me, oh great and wise one."

Sing for Their Supper - 19

Tuck's phone chimed just as he was getting ready to hit the streets again, two days after talking with Lady Roma. The screen came up blank as far as who was calling, but he answered anyway, hoping it was her or Ricky.

"You don't know me," a soft voice said. "My name's Dena. Lady Roma said you wanted to talk with me?"

"I most certainly do. Is there somewhere you'd like to meet?"

Dena went quiet before replying, "At the plaza with the pianos?"

"Perfect. I can be there in twenty minutes. Please wait for me."

"I will."

It took him twenty-five minutes because of traffic and trying to find a parking place. He hoped she wouldn't have vanished before he got there. When he walked onto the plaza, he saw Lady Roma sitting on one of the piano benches, talking to a girl who looked to him to be maybe sixteen, if that. She had shaggy red hair and was wearing jeans and a T-shirt a couple of sizes too large for her.

Lady Roma saw him and waved as he came toward them. "Dena," she said when Tuck got there, "this is Mr. Williams."

"Tuck. Please. Nice to meet you, Dena." He squatted down in front of them. "Did Lady Roma explained things to you?"

"Why don't we dispense with the Lady, Tuck? Just call me Roma. We're friends now, I think."

"Thanks. I will." He looked at Dena in question.

"She said you were looking for actresses who can sing. Or, singers who can act?"

"Either-or. Roma said you're a good singer."

"I guess," Dena replied. "People say I can carry a tune." She actually smiled—finally.

"Do you mind singing something for me?"

Dena looked at Roma. "Would you sing too?"

"Of course, kiddo." Roma ran her fingers over the keyboard, telling Tuck, "She showed up yesterday and I told her about you. I suggested we work on a song before she called you. Sort of an audition." With that said, she started playing "Crazy", saying, "Go for it, girl."

At first Tuck could barely hear Dena, but as the girl got into the song, she seemed to lose herself in the words and feelings. Softy, Roma joined in. By the time they'd finished, there were at least a dozen people standing there. They broke into applause, Tuck along with everyone else.

Dena took a deep breath. "It was good, wasn't it?"

"Absolutely," Tuck replied.

"And you want me to work at your theater?"

"Definitely."

"And Roma?"

Tuck nodded. "Her, too. She knows that."

Dena turned to Roma. "Will you?"

At first, Tuck was certain Roma would say she wasn't interested. Much to his delighted surprise, she replied, "Why the hell not?" He resisted pumping a fist in the air then again when Dena said, "I want to, too."

Sing for Their Supper - 18

"I've got one definite and four possibles," Tuck told Brent over dinner that evening.

"Not bad for the first day. We may have a costumer and a designer-slash-tech person."

"Any one I know?"

"You probably know Norm, right? He works as assistant tech at the theater. When I told him what we were planning, he asked if he could be involved both as tech supervisor and the scene designer." Brent grinned. "I jumped on the chance to hire him, so all he has to do is tender his resignation. Barring any problems with that, he's ours."

"Great. And the costumer?"

"I visited the theater department at the college to talk to a couple of the professors. One of them recommended a girl—well, a woman. She's twenty-four. Her name is Peg Quinlan and she's working on her MFA in costume design. When I spoke with her, she said that she's very interested. She just has to figure out how she'll work it in and go to class."

"Two down and a billion to go. Norm's going to need a crew. So is Peg. And we'll need someone to do lighting, people for the box office, ushers."

"One thing at a time," Brent replied. "Norm may know a lighting man. I'll ask him. Maybe…" He looked at his husband. "We're doing this for the kids. What do you want to bet there are guys out there who know the difference between a hammer and a screwdriver?"

Tuck chuckled. "No bet. I'll put out feelers, once we get our cast together."

"And I'll see if Peg knows any underclassmen who might be interested in helping her. I've yet to hear of a college student who didn't need to earn a few extra bucks."

"We'd better hope this all works and people come to see the shows. Otherwise, we may be joining the kids on the street."

Brent took Tuck's hand, giving it a squeeze. "Oh, ye of little faith. It's going to be great.

"We might not become millionaires, but then, we aren't now, so we won't know what we might be missing."

"I'll remember that when I have to sell the Ferrari to pay the bills."

"You don't own a Ferrari."

"There is that."