Marcello raised an eyebrow. Then he chuckled. “You’re a little young to have a lawyer.”
“She’s also my mother, and trust me, that makes her way scarier than normal lawyers. Speaking of which, did you work in those royalties we talked about?”
“There are never royalties on back catalog material,” Marcello said, voice sounding gruffer than normal.
“Just a token amount,” Kelly said. “The kind reserved for—what did you call me? Your new star model?”
Marcello smiled at him. Or at least he bared his teeth. “I’ll run the contract by legal again one more time before you leave.”
“No problem,” Kelly said. “Just have some lunch sent up for us, and we’ll stay out of your way.”
When envisioning his new life as a model, Kelly’s imagination whisked him away to exotic locales. The pristine beaches of Greece to model a fedora, or the rocky coasts of Scotland to help sell a new windbreaker. When Marcello called him for his first gig, describing it as a city shoot, he felt certain they would travel to the fashion districts of Rome where police blockades would protect him from his adoring public. Instead, he ended up in downtown Austin on a Sunday.
One of the intersections was blocked off, at least. And a police officer was present to redirect the occasional car or pedestrian. That felt special, as did the makeup trailer... until he learned it wasn’t just for him. Margie had a slew of extras she needed to primp and powder. Kelly soon discovered the crowded trailer was the last place he wanted to be. Once dressed in an expensive suit, he headed outside and watched the crew get set up.
Nathaniel was among them, a fact that would have been more exciting had they interacted at all. Instead he seemed preoccupied with talking to everyone but Kelly. Only when they were ready to go did he head over, giving him a quick upward nod in greeting.
“Elliot wants to know if you can balance on one foot,” Nathaniel said.
“I don’t have much choice,” Kelly responded. “Who’s Elliot?”
“The photographer, and he’s being a douche about talking to you directly, so you’re unlikely to see him again after today. The shoot calls for you to be in the crosswalk, standing still while pedestrians swarm around you. We planned to give you a stylish cane, but now there’s concern it sends the wrong message. Think you can manage without?”
“I’ll try.”
He led Kelly to the middle of the crosswalk, where an assistant held a chair ready. Then everyone else got into place. When it was time to shoot, he stood, the assistant fled with the chair, and Kelly did his best to summon mystique. While balancing on one leg. In public. Across the street a small crowd of curious onlookers had gathered. Kelly soon found himself wishing for the privacy of the studio.
“Stop!” Nathaniel shouted. “Everybody back to the starting position. You! If you’re going to just stand there, give me the fucking chair! ”
A moment later Nathaniel set down the chair next to Kelly. Rather than sitting, Kelly only used the back to balance himself.
“Might as well get comfortable,” Nathaniel said. “The crosswalk light is still running like normal, meaning all those photos we just took show it in red.”
“And green sends a better message to the consumer, since it means money and it means go.”
Nathaniel patted him on the shoulder, like a student who had answered a question correctly. Of course Kelly felt ridiculously thrilled by the physical contact. He watched Nathaniel walk away to speak with one of the city workers. Once the issue was sorted out, he held up a hand, gave a nod, and the crew scrambled back into place. Obviously he ran a tight ship.
Kelly tried to make him proud throughout the rest of the day. Thankfully this didn’t require imitating a flamingo the entire time. Some shots involved him cockily reclining in the chair, or holding out his crutches like wings, blocking the pedestrian flow. They went through all sorts of ideas, some repeated due to costume changes.
When lunchtime came, despite his stomach rumbling with hunger, he avoided the catering truck. Instead he casually headed over to the street corner where Nathaniel stood with one finger in his ear, a phone pressed against the other. Kelly’s timing was good, since the call ended just as he neared.
“Better eat something,” Nathaniel said. “That was the city. We’ve got less time than we thought. Lunch is only ten minutes today.”
“I’m not hungry,” Kelly lied.
Nathaniel glanced at his phone once more. Then he pocketed it. “You’re doing great. I’ve known pros who don’t try half as hard.”
“I won’t either when I’m famous,” Kelly said. “The crew will be forced to visit my bedside for photo shoots. What’s the point of making your way to the top if you’ve got to keep working?”
“If you love what you do...” Nathaniel said.
“Good point.” Kelly’s eyes darted over him briefly, taking in the strong brow, the tight dress shirt—sleeves rolled up—and the stubbled chin that always jutted out slightly. All of this hit him like a drug and made it hard to think. Or talk. Fearing another awkward silence, he scrambled to find some topic of conversation. “How’s Zero?”
“Good.” Nathaniel nodded. “Doing real good.”
“Great.”
“Yeah.”
Ugh, now they sounded like they had already dated, called it quits, and ended up on the same elevator by accident. Kelly had promised himself—promised Bonnie, actually—that if Nathaniel were here today, he would ask him out. Just a simple date somewhere, like a movie, dinner, or even a visit to the dog park. No big deal. All he had to do was ask.
“Dog dinner,” he managed to say. Then he winced. “Sorry. What I mean is, I thought maybe you and I could... Uh. What are you doing this weekend?”
Nathaniel considered him, lips twitching. “Dog dinner?” he repeated.
Kelly glared at him.
“I’m not doing anything,” Nathaniel said. “Besides feeding Zero his breakfast. And his lunch. And his—”
“Shut up,” Kelly said before laughing. “What I meant to say, is that maybe we could take Zero to the dog park. Afterwards, we could grab a bite to eat. If you’re not busy, that is.”
“No, I’m not busy.” Nathaniel’s smile faded, which was nearly enough to make Kelly’s heart stop. Then his phone rang. Nathaniel rolled his eyes, dug it out, and held it to his ear. Then he covered the mouthpiece. “Saturday,” he whispered. “Dog dinner.”
Kelly nodded and headed for the catering truck as quickly as he could, mostly to prevent Nathaniel from seeing the stupid smile that had spread across his face.
“Come on, come on, come on!”
Kelly hovered by the front room window, waiting for company to arrive. Not that he was alone. His mother kept finding excuses to join him. First she dusted, then she returned to vacuum. Tellingly, he didn’t hear the vacuum cleaner running in any other room. Afterwards he chased her off by snapping at her. He knew this wouldn’t last for long, which is why he needed Nathaniel to show up. Now. Despite his mother’s wishes, Kelly intended to meet him in the driveway, where she couldn’t embarrass him. Unless she followed him out there.
er-eee er-eee er-eee
Kelly spun around, trying to pinpoint the source of the squeaking noise. It didn’t sound like mice. Someone polishing a drinking glass? Or washing the windows to either side of the front door. Sighing in exasperation, Kelly headed for the hallway. Sure enough, his mother was absentmindedly wiping one window with a cloth while staring through the glass.
“Mother!”
“Oh!” Startled, she tackled her task with renewed vigor. “So hard to get these streak-free.”
“I’m moving out,” Kelly said. “College dorms, Bonnie’s couch, or under a bridge somewhere. Anywhere is better than here.”
“You can’t afford it,” his mother said dismissively. Then she did a double take. “Oh, wait, I guess you can.”
“That’s right,” Kelly said, “so either you go away or I will. Permanently.”
> “You wouldn’t survive a day,” his mother scolded. “If you want to be independent, you can start by doing your own laundry.”
“Mom!” he pleaded.
“Fine.” She picked up the glass cleaner and was turning to leave when something outside caught her attention. Then she stared, which wasn’t a good sign. Kelly hurried to her side, looking through the window above hers. Nathaniel had just pulled into the driveway.
“Who is that?” his mother asked.
“Who do you think?”
She looked again before turning to him. “Your father said he was handsome.”
“He is,” Kelly said.
“Well, yes, but I was picturing...” She pursed her lips and shook her head. “You’ve developed a taste for white chocolate.”
“Guilty as charged,” Kelly said. “Now will you please go away?” “Let me tell you something first. The older you get, the more you appreciate comfort. You’re still young. You’re out there tasting everything the world has to offer, and that’s fine. But when you get older, you’ll want your mother’s apple pie, not some half-burnt creme brulee.”
“Are we talking about men or food?” Kelly asked. “Either way, this conversation is making me exceedingly uncomfortable.”
“I’m just saying—”
Her words of questionable wisdom were interrupted by a light knock. Kelly’s expression became pure anguish, which finally caused his mother to buckle. She kissed him on the cheek and hurried down the hall. Chances were she would still peek around the corner, but that was better than her staying to inform Nathaniel of what kind of dessert he was.
Luckily, his date didn’t seem keen on meeting the parents. As soon as Kelly opened the door, Nathaniel jerked his head, instructing him to follow. That probably appeared callous or controlling. No doubt his mother would have something to say about it later, but he didn’t care. Nathaniel was cool and smooth. Like a milk shake, he supposed.
“You’ll have to wrestle Zero for the front seat,” Nathaniel was saying.
“I can sit in back,” Kelly said. “I don’t want him to think I’m a home wrecker.”
“You’d really do that?”
“Sure!”
Nathaniel flashed him a smile. “Thanks. But you’re not sitting in the back. And why am I picking you up again? You don’t drive?”
“One leg,” Kelly said.
“Last I checked, that’s all it takes. You know how?”
“Yeah.”
Nathaniel held out the keys. “Perfect solution. You drive, Zero gets to stay where he is, and I’ll sit in the back.”
Kelly felt a jolt of discomfort at the idea, but it didn’t last long. Technically he still had his license. Not driving was a habit left over from being with William. Nothing was holding Kelly back now. Of course his driving foot was long gone, but using his left leg instead shouldn’t be much different.
Once they were seated in the car, Zero sniffed his face, exhaling through his nostrils a few times before sniffing some more. This left Kelly’s face damp, but afterwards the dog eagerly stuck his head out the passenger window.
“I think we’re ready,” Nathaniel said from the back. “You know where we’re going?”
“Yup,” Kelly said, turning the key.
The radio came to life, playing something dancey and more than a little gay. He was tempted to lower the volume so he could concentrate better, but left it turned up instead. The accident was a blip on the radar, one he had put behind him. Now it was time to drive again. Kelly put the car in gear, reversed into the street, and grinned. Maybe this was one way of recapturing the speed he missed. He glanced over and noticed the seatbelt across Zero’s chest. Then he put the car in drive and hit the pedal. Hard.
“Aaand we’re never doing that again,” Nathaniel said once they reached their destination.
“I am,” Kelly said, still grinning as they got out. “Tell Marcello I need a company car. Something with a lot of horsepower.”
“How about an old mule instead?”
“Or Zero could pull my sled,” Kelly said, watching as Nathaniel opened the passenger door for the dog. Then he grabbed his collar and attached a leash. After that, they were ready. The scene they entered was idyllic, dogs politely sniffing each other’s rears or prancing around in the afternoon sun. Their owners gathered in small groups, the sound of friendly conversation carried along with the light breeze. Past the big open field were a cluster of trees and two small ponds, although no ducks were foolish enough to land there.
Kelly took a deep breath and exhaled again. “Peaceful, isn’t it?”
“Yup. Very.” Nathaniel stretched out the arm holding the leash, unclenched his fist, and dropped it. “Watch this.”
Mere seconds later, Zero realized he was no longer restrained and took off like a bullet. He headed for the nearest group of dogs, plunging into their midst, growling and snapping at the air. This caused similar reactions in the other dogs. Half of them panicked, trying to flee or hide behind human legs. The others fell in line behind Zero, charging the next group of dogs. Soon those owners were stumbling over each other and getting tangled up in leashes in an effort to keep their animals under control. Too late. The chaos spread further, a few dogs leaping into the water to escape the whirlwind of fur that was Zero’s pack.
“I love that beast.” Nathaniel sighed. “Come. Time to pretend this was all an accident.”
Kelly chuckled and followed him. As soon as they reached the first group of owners, Nathaniel whistled shrilly, and Zero raced over to sit dutifully at his side.
“You need to keep that dog on a leash!” an older man complained.
“He is on a leash,” Nathaniel pointed out.
“Then learn to hold on to it!” a woman scorned. “I should call animal control!”
“My fault,” Kelly said quickly. “I was holding the leash, and well—” He gestured with his crutches. In an instant, the angry mob became much more sympathetic. Or at least more restrained.
Mostly. An old man mustered one last scrap of irritation. “You should enroll him in behavioral training.”
“I agree,” Kelly said, glancing at Nathaniel instead of Zero. “He won’t be getting any treats tonight, I promise you that.”
Nathaniel took Zero’s leash, and they headed toward one of the ponds. A few dogs followed, clearly enamored by the Husky. Like father like son, Kelly supposed, because he loved the way Nathaniel kept chuckling to himself and rubbing tears from his eyes.
“So where did you find Zero?” he asked. “A bullfight?”
Nathaniel’s grin broadened, causing creases to appear in his cheeks. “He found me. Or at least he chose me.”
“How? Did he put a classified ad in the paper? ‘Ill-behaved dog seeks unscrupulous owner. '”
“Hey now, that dog is a saint! And my hero.” Nathaniel’s tone grew serious. “He saved me from a very dark place.”
“What do you mean?”
Nathaniel watched as Zero plunged into the pond, the other dogs giving chase along the shore. His strong brow knotted up in the middle. “Someone once told me that a dog is the best cure for a broken heart.” Kelly’s breath nearly caught in his throat. Was he finally opening up? “And is it?” he asked.
Nathaniel watched as Zero barked at the other dogs while treading water. Finally, a few mustered enough courage to jump in the water after him. This seemed to appease Zero and caused his owner to smile. “All of us have an undeniable urge to be loved and to give love in return. In that regard, you can’t do much better than a dog.”
“I suppose,” Kelly said, “although there are some comforts a dog can’t provide.”
Nathaniel glanced over at him and raised an eyebrow. “Such as?” “Zero probably gives a lousy foot rub.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised. When he’s passed out in front of the couch, he makes a nice rug.”
“I bet he can’t cook you breakfast in the morning.”
“He once tore into a carton of
eggs I was unpacking from the store. That’s pretty much scrambled eggs right there.”
Kelly sighed. “I give up. I just wish I’d known you were already spoken for before coming on this date.”
Nathaniel’s body language stiffened. He did know this was a date, didn’t he? They weren’t just friends hanging out. Kelly refused to accept that, but it would make little difference. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t take two to tango, but it sure looks a lot less ridiculous when another person is present and willing.
“I could definitely use more friends,” Nathaniel said. “Zero isn’t the best conversationalist.”
Ugh. Misinterpreting that statement was near impossible. Kelly clenched his jaw, fighting down his frustration. “Friends, pets, significant others... Whatever form it comes in, you can never have enough love.” Nathaniel glanced over at him. “Maybe you’re right.”
A ray of hope? Perhaps. Kelly wasn’t quite ready to throw himself on the bed and cry himself to sleep. The evening still held potential. “So what were you thinking for dinner?”
“Sonic,” Nathaniel replied. “Or some other drive-thru, so Zero can stay with us.”
Charming. “How about we get Zero his burger and put him to bed early? Then you take me out for something less greasy.” He tried his most seductive smile. When it failed to cause the reaction he wanted, he sneered instead.
Nathaniel laughed. “Yeah, okay.”
“You’ve got a thing for bad behavior, don’t you?” Kelly asked. “If so, you’re with the right guy. I’ll give Zero a run for his money.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Nathaniel said. “We’ll have an award ceremony at the end of the night to see who the winner is, although you’ve got some catching up to do.”
He nodded to where Zero was trying to dunk another dog under water. Or maybe he was just trying to mount him. Either way, the other dog’s owner stood at the shore with hands held to her face in horror.