“How long until you turn eighteen?” Mick asked.
“Two months.” Jimmy sighed. “I should go. Mom’s pissed I’m even here now. She thinks Mr. Conley will come on to me or make me gay.” He shook his head. “I have a girlfriend and if Mom knew what we were doing, she’d flip. I’m not gay.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about, but it’s not a bad thing if you realized you are gay. That said, I understand.” He didn’t, but whatever. “Would it help if I talked to your mother?” He knew her well enough that he could probably convince her to let Jimmy keep working.
“No. She doesn’t like that you’re gay, either. She said you were gay and made Mr. Conley gay, so I’m next,” Jimmy said.
Mick growled, but kept the sound low. How ridiculous… No one turns anyone else gay. “Okay.”
“Luke’s mom doesn’t care. She likes that he’s working here, but if she can’t convince my mother it’s okay for me to work here, then no one can.” Jimmy rubbed his arms. “I should go.”
“I understand.” Mick shoved his hands into his pockets. “The job is open when you graduate.”
“It is?” Jimmy’s eyes widened and he froze. “You’re not shitting me?”
“I’m not.” He was speaking for Evan, but he knew Evan well enough to know that he’d help Jimmy.
“Thanks. It’s just another couple of weeks.” Jimmy half-smiled. “Tell Mr. Conley I’m sorry, but I’ll be back.”
“Sure.” He watched Jimmy leave. Jimmy was a good kid. He had manners and acted with respect. Too bad for him, his parents couldn’t be more open-minded. Being gay wasn’t bad. A gay person wasn’t messed up or wired wrong. Mick thought minds had been changed in Cedarwood. The Coalition wasn’t attacking anyone and the LGBTQ community seemed to be accepted more. He’d been incorrect—there was more work to do.
The camera crew left en mass and the reporter followed. Evan joined Mick on the porch. “How’d it go?” Mick asked.
“I wasn’t this cool during my career. I couldn’t buy this kind of publicity,” Evan said. “And it’s biting me in the ass because people think I came out as a stunt. Who I am isn’t a stunt.”
“No one seems to care that your grandmother just passed away from cancer and she never smoked, that you’re having to switch careers. They don’t care that you’re hurting.” Mick threaded his arms around Evan. “People see what they want to. All we can do is be true to ourselves and be honest.”
“Agreed.” Evan rested his forehead against Mick’s. “Where’d Jimmy go?”
“He quit.” Why did such a short sentence have to hurt so much?
“Because I’m gay?” Evan let go of Mick and threaded his fingers in his hair.
“Yeah.” He hated having to admit that. “His mother didn’t like that he was working for a gay man. She said you’d be a poor influence.” He grasped Evan’s hand. “Cedarwood has changed so much since we were in school. It’s more tolerant, but it’s not perfect.”
“This town was full of hate when Edwin was alive, too,” Evan said. “He got called a freak and a flake for being gay.”
“I know,” Mick said. “I did make some headway with the information on Edwin. Are you done with the news outlets for the day?”
“The local paper wanted to interview me tonight at the diner. I don’t have to go,” Evan said. “I’m actually happy to stay here instead.”
“Which reporter?”
“Remy someone.” Evan shrugged. “I don’t know him.”
“He’s a good man. He’ll be sympathetic.” Mick squeezed Evan’s fingers. “Of the media, he’ll do the most to help your situation. Colt will be helpful, too. You might even get free food.”
“You’re twisting my arm.” Evan scrubbed the heel of his hand across his forehead. “The reporters asked about my music and if the people I mention in my songs are guys. I told them the truth. Some were and others were whoever the songwriter meant. I didn’t write everything I recorded. The big machine in the music business doesn’t work that way and I don’t write that fast.”
“Right now, it’s novelty.” Mick shrugged. “They want an angle. If you wrote them about guys all along and you featured chicks in the videos, then it won’t look authentic.”
“Oh well.” Evan leaned against the railing. “What about Edwin? What’d you find out?”
“I got papers and emails on him. We’ll read them together tonight when you get back.” He nestled between Evan’s knees and slid his palms along Evan’s chest. “I told Jimmy he could come back after he graduated. He wants to work and likes working here.”
“He can.”
“You don’t think it was too forward of me to tell him that?” He wasn’t sure what to think. Evan could tell him to fuck off for pushing.
Evan shrugged. “I’ve had handlers and managers do shit for me. It’s not a big deal and I will let him come back. I hope he does. He’s a good worker and responsible.”
“His mom is intolerant. She might make trouble,” Mick said. “Keep that in mind.”
“Once you said she pulled him from the program, I figured she might. She called me earlier to ensure I wasn’t convincing her boy to be gay.” Evan tucked his fingers into Mick’s front pockets. “So? What’d you find out? I don’t want to wait until later. My uncle is dead. I want to know what happened.”
“Come with me.” Mick tugged Evan into the house, to the family room, and picked up his tablet. “The emails are from the police department. Your uncle was charged with lewd behavior.”
“Translation—he was gay.” Evan grunted.
“Yes.” Mick sank onto the sofa. “He was gay in public multiple times. Most likely, he was out with a boyfriend and holding hands or something.”
“Arrested for being himself,” Evan muttered. “Jesus.”
“It gets better,” Mick said. “Your uncle and Neil were at the Stonewall Riots. According to the police reports, Edwin and his friend, later identified as Neil,
