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?"