“SO TONIGHT when I come for dinner, I’m telling Grandpa you’re mine, and that’s it,” Reese declared as he finished his sandwich.
Jude rolled his eyes sarcastically. “If you insist, although you know he’s going to start up with the fairy comments.”
Reese scoffed. “That old man has no room to talk. He’s as big a fairy as they come.”
Jude put down his water bottle so hard that water shot out the top. Reese laughed and handed him a napkin.
“What are you talking about?”
Reese wadded up his sandwich wrapper, tossed it overhand into a nearby garbage can, and shot up his arms in victory as it landed perfectly. “It seems the younger Thomas Matheson told a little fib. Well a big one, really. Remember I told you how he met my grandmother? How he loved her red hair? Turns out that little story—one I based my whole concept of their marriage on—was a sham.”
“Again, what are you talking about?”
Reese smiled. “Jude, the musical is called The Boy on the Corner. That story? That was about him meeting a guy on the corner in Las Vegas.”
“No. Fucking. Way. You are shitting me, Reese Matheson.”
“I shit you not, Jude Joseph De La Torre. I think that’s adorable, by the way. JJ. Why don’t you go by JJ with anyone else?”
“Don’t change the subject. Really? Your grandfather had a gay romance?”
“Indeed he did. Told me about it not too long ago. He thought he was telling my father. Said he wanted him to know because his grandson—that’s me—is like him, ‘always prancing around the stage.’ Well, he’s right. I’m in love with a man, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Jude leaned forward and gave Reese a chaste kiss on the lips.
“Nor could I.”
THAT NIGHT they all sat down to dinner—Reese, Jude, Bailey, Toby, and Mr. Matheson. Reese, being the drama queen that he was, tapped his glass with his spoon as he stood from his place next to Jude at the table.
“Gentlemen and gentlemen, I have an announcement to make.” He held his glass up to Jude and smiled. “From this moment on, I am publicly declaring my love for Jude De La Torre. I love him, and I plan on making him my husband someday very soon.”
Jude closed his eyes and wished for that disappearing power, which never seemed to work when he needed it.
“Yeah, well, good for you. Pass the potato salad,” Mr. Matheson said, and he went back to his meal.
The others looked at each other, and Reese frowned. “That’s it? You’re not going to bust my balls, old man?”
Mr. Matheson shoved a bite of food into his mouth and waved his hand at Reese. “You love who you love, son. Big deal. It’s not like I ain’t seen you two pouting enough around here. Get on with it.” He took a drink of water and then scowled at Reese. “You ain’t gonna wear a dress, though, are you?”
The five men burst out laughing at that.
“Maybe. I could rock a formal gown. What do you think, Toby? Want to throw something together for me?”
Toby rolled his eyes. “Please. Honey, no one in their right mind would even try to fit you for a gown. Remember when you tried drag in college? Hmmm? I rest my case.”
Bailey’s eyes flared. “You performed in drag?”
Reese shrugged. “A few times. They didn’t make shoes big enough for me, though, so I had to go barefoot. And I got a rash from the lace. That shit is itchy as fuck. Besides, I make one ugly woman.”
Jude doubted that was possible, but the thought of Reese in a dress did nothing for his spank bank.
The rest of the meal was full of talk about the show. Reese reached over and grabbed Jude’s hand on the table, and Jude took it and smiled.
JUDE WAS still floating on a cloud three days later when his phone rang. He recognized the number as coming from the kids’ school.
“Hi Jude. It’s Mrs. Martinelli again. I was wondering if you knew why Bailey hasn’t been at school the past two days? No one called him in ill.”
Jude’s grip tightened on the phone, and his mouth went dry. “He’s not in class?”
“I’m afraid not. He’s missed all of his classes today, and he was out yesterday as well.”
“I dropped him off there. Both mornings. Oh my God. I’m sorry. Thank you for letting me know. I’ll get to the bottom of this.”
They disconnected, and Jude tried not to panic. Where could Bailey be? He couldn’t be out looking for a job. That dilemma had been solved when they moved in with Reese. Then where? He started to call his parents and then thought better of it. He needed to find him first. He’d hate for his parents to think Bailey was messing around under Jude’s watch. He didn’t want to let anyone down.
As he held the phone in front of him, he remembered the app that let you know where your devices were. He and Brianna and Bailey were all on the same plan, so he turned on the app and chose Bailey’s phone. The map moved around on the screen. When it stopped, Jude cursed. Then he called Kyla and asked her to come sit with Mr. Matheson.
The twenty minutes it took her to arrive were long and filled with terrible thoughts. Was it drugs? A girlfriend? Prostitution? Why the hell would he leave school? Kyla rushed him out the door, and he drove like a bat out of hell to the location on the app. He didn’t ping it because he wanted his arrival to be a surprise. He planned to catch his brother in the act, beat the shit out of him, and march him before their parents.
He parked the truck and nearly broke the window when he slammed the door. Then he stalked up the steps to the front door and flung it open. He followed the same path he’d taken when he brought lunch to Reese.
Reese. There were two asses he’d be kicking that night.
As he entered the auditorium, he saw Toby sitting next to a blonde woman a few rows from the top. They had their heads together and were whispering. Jude spotted Reese’s mop down in the orchestra pit at the piano. A group of dancers was performing a number, and they ended as Jude walked in.
“Thank you. Can we please see numbers thirty-two, seventy-six, fifty-four, and twenty-nine onstage?”
Toby turned the mic off as Jude approached them.
“Jude! Come here and have a seat. We’re about to see the last audition group. I hope they’re great, because so far I haven’t seen anyone who really pops out, you know?”
Jude sat next to him on the edge of his seat. As the dancers took the stage, Jude cursed.
“Oh, I recognize number seventy-six,” Toby said. “Jude, what—”
The music started and the dancers began the number. From the first eight count, Bailey danced circles around the rest. He was strong, confident, and so damn charismatic that Jude had no choice but to follow his moves. Tears welled up in Jude’s eyes, and he covered his mouth.
Bailey was a star—a bona fide natural talent. What the hell were they going to do?
When the music stopped, Reese turned to speak with the bass player, and they laughed about something together. Being in the orchestra pit meant Reese couldn’t see the stage. But Jude and Toby stared at each other—Jude in horror, Toby in sheer titillation.
“We’ve found our lead,” Jesse was saying. “Who is this kid, and why are we seeing him last?”
“His name is Bailey Francisco De La Torre, and he’s in big trouble.”
“Uh,” Toby laughed nervously into the mic. “Reese? Can we see you up here? Like now?”
Reese turned, squinted into the lights, and made his way out of the pit and up the aisle to where they sat. He smiled happily when he saw Jude was there, but his smile faded to concern quickly.
“Oh God, is he okay? Did something happen? Oh, God Jude.”
“No. He’s fine. Grandpa is fine. It’s him who’s in deep shit.” Jude pointed to the stage where Bailey was holding court with a couple of young women.
“What’s he doing here?” Reese asked with a frown.
“He’s our lead?” Toby said nervously. “I’ll let you two discuss this. Jesse? How about we, umm, getthefuckoutofhere?” He shooed her toward the aisle and Reese, who stood with his hands on his hips, looking perplexed. Once they’d gone, he made his way to Jude’s side and sat down.
“I got a call from his counselor saying he’d cut school the last two days. I found him by using the locator app on my phone.”
Reese was still frowning. “Sonofabitch.” He paused for a moment with a curious expression on his face. “And how was he?” He turned to look at Jude, and his eyes grew wide. “I had no idea. You have to believe me. I’d never let him cut school.”
Jude sighed. “He was fantastic. He was born to do this.”
Reese nodded and looked back to the stage. Then he picked up the mic and turned it on. “I’d like to see that last group again. Band, take it from the top.”
Reese sat back and reached for Jude’s hand. Jude leaned forward and pressed his lips to Reese’s knuckles as he watched his little brother soar.