“I’m not.” He remembered the guy from school who had sung in the plays and swaggered through the building. Evan wasn’t the same man, but he wasn’t all that different from the man he’d once known. Evan still wanted to sing, but fame wasn’t important.
“That’s what’s sexy. You don’t want anything from me. I don’t need your lawyer skills, either. I just like you. Have since we were in school,” Evan said. “I was afraid to admit it back then, but I’m not now.”
He paused and replayed Evan’s words in his mind. “Wait.” Liked him in school? “You had a thing for me?”
“Uh-huh. I knew I was gay and I wanted to tell you, but you were so confident and I was only confident on stage. When I had my guitar, I thought I was the coolest.” Evan blushed. “Sad, I know.”
“Not sad.” He admired Evan’s honesty. Well, shit. They’d crushed on each other back then. He wished they’d been truer to themselves, but things happened. They were together now. “I’d love to hear you play some of your recent stuff.” He flattened his hand on Evan’s chest. “What I heard online is good.”
“Someday. I have music in me, but it’s quiet right now.” Evan wrapped his hand around Mick’s wrist. “When I do play, I’ll play for you.”
“The music will come back.” He wanted to stay right in this moment with Evan, but he should get some work accomplished, or at least make sure the office hadn’t burned down. “Mind if I retrieve my laptop?”
“I should check in with the guys.” Evan left the bed and crossed the room to his bag. “Make yourself at home.”
“I will.” He retrieved his underwear and trousers from the floor. “Ev?”
“Mick?” Evan faced him. “I’m wearing boxers.”
“Do you have more clothes than the same two outfits you’ve been wearing?” He stood. “Did your manager bring you something else to slog in?”
“I went up to the consignment store before I went to the funeral home. I bought a bunch of second-hand stuff. Good for the environment and everything has the soft wear spots.” Evan put on a pale blue T-shirt. “I’ve never had a bunch of stuff. I tend to wear what I do have out.”
“You’re smart. Most people don’t do that.” Mick finished dressing. “I used to shop there, but the dress shirts tend to have stains or are frayed.”
“I know.” Evan strode from the bedroom.
Mick followed him to the ground floor. Martha’s words came back to him. She wanted him to keep an eye on Evan, to be nice to him, to maybe fall in love and be a couple. Things were happening too fast for this to be love, but he cared about Evan. He had no desire to walk away, even if his co-worker thought he and Evan shouldn’t be together. He liked Evan and enjoyed his company.
Mick wanted to see this relationship through, no matter how young it might be. Evan was special—too much so to ignore.
* * * *
Evan wasn’t sure how he made it through the viewing and funeral two days later. Then again, comprehending that his grandmother was gone was almost impossible. When the casket closed and the men moved it from the funeral home to the car, he lost his composure. He knew damn well that wasn’t his grandmother in the box—not really. Her spirit, her essence, was free. The body was a shell. But when he had to leave her at the cemetery, he couldn’t walk away. She loved the rain and the earth, but he couldn’t imagine leaving her there.
The music got to him, too. Each note brought tears to his eyes. He’d selected the items for the displays, but he doubted he’d be able to look at them for a long time after today. His heart was too raw.
He’d hugged her friends and stood in the queue. Thank God Mick had accompanied him. He needed the support. After the ceremony at the cemetery, he and Mick headed to his grandmother’s church. He was given a plate of food, but he barely touched it. His stomach wouldn’t cooperate.
Women from the church packed up plenty of food for him to take home. They claimed he needed to keep up his strength. An army couldn’t eat the amount of food they’d given him, but he refused to argue.
Flowers were delivered to the house. When he returned to the farm after the ceremony, he had to pick up two more sprays of flowers sent by friends of his grandmother. He brought the blossoms inside and left them with the rest on the table. He had no idea what to do with so many flowers.
He stood in the kitchen with Mick. “It’s so quiet.”
“Want to turn on the radio?” Mick tucked the food into the refrigerator. “I can play an app on my tablet.”
“No.” He missed his grandmother. He’d been okay until this morning. He glanced over at his cell phone. The screen lit up. “I don’t want to answer that.”
“I can.” Mick took charge and answered the call. “Hello. No, he’s not available. No. It’s not a good time. Yes, he’s here.” He groaned. “Let me write that down.” He scribbled something on an envelope. “Okay. I will.” He put the phone down. “Your former manager just called.”
“We parted ways. What could he possibly want?” Evan pinched the bridge of his nose. What the hell… Lawrence Crowse would drive him to drink and he hadn’t touched a drop since coming back to Cedarwood. His manager wanted Evan to keep working. So what that his grandmother was dead? He didn’t care there had been upheaval in Evan’s life. Write and record. If Evan did both, then Lawrence got paid.
“I know you did,” Mick said. “And he doesn’t want to rep you, so it’s fine.”
“Oh.” How sweet.
“But he’s not ready to sever ties—even though you fired him. You’re trending, and not for
