The Low Between, page 12
Joe waved her off. “You just think he’s cute.”
“That, too.”
She left them alone with promises to return soon. “You have a usual here?” Carlo asked.
“Because I’m an old man who’s stuck in his ways.”
Carlo snorted. “You’re not old.”
“Compared to you, I am.” He leaned back, legs stretching out beneath the table, an arm across the back of the booth. His knee nudged against Carlo’s, but it seemed accidental rather than deliberate. “How’re things? No more worries about Stout, I hope.”
“No, no, I’m all out of that now,” he said. “Captain Wallace said I’ll have to testify when it goes to court, but I’m not thinking about that until I have to. My parents still don’t know the whole story.”
Joe’s gaze turned contemplative. “Must be hard keeping secrets from them.”
“Yeah. Not like it’s the first or anything, though.” He was glad he didn’t have to elaborate, even if he couldn’t discuss specifics in public. He took a deep breath. “They don’t know I quit my job yet, either.”
That brought a frown. “What? Why would you quit? You love that theater.”
“Oh, not that one. The other one. At Grande Joie. Since that’s where I knew Stout from.” Though Joe relaxed at the explanation, Carlo was curious enough about his reaction to ask, “Why would you think I’d quit ushering?”
Joe shrugged. “You might’ve got an acting job.”
Carlo laughed. “I’ve barely left the house, let alone gone out on auditions.”
It sounded a little pathetic when he said it aloud. It felt even more so when he saw the shadows pass behind Joe’s eyes. “I’m sorry it got as far as it did, you know that, right?” Joe said, low enough to not be overheard.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“Some of it was.”
“I still wouldn’t blame you.” He jerked back when Lizzie approached with the coffeepot, waiting diligently as she poured them a couple of cups. Once they were alone again, he leaned across the table. “We were partners, right? Fifty-fifty. We did what we thought we had to.”
“Partners watch each other’s back.”
“And you saved mine.” All the gratitude he’d been holding inside since having to walk away from Joe at the police station gushed out in those four little words. “Jesus, Joe, I owe you everything. You really think I’m some ungrateful kid who can’t see how lucky he was to have you?”
The way Carlo meant it was a world more than what they were talking about. Sure, he was indebted to Joe for stopping Stout from killing him, but that was a drop in the bucket compared to everything else.
From the look on Joe’s face, he understood at least a fraction of that.
“Goes both ways,” Joe said. “You opened my eyes on a lot of things.”
“You did that.”
“Stop selling yourself short. If you hadn’t forced my hand, I’d currently be locked in my apartment, feeling sorry for myself, instead of sitting here about to have supper with you.” Joe picked at his thumbnail, his eyes downcast as he seemed to get lost in his thoughts. “Seeing how…excited you are, about life, about your future, was the kick in the pants I needed to remember I’ve still got a lot of years ahead of me. Emmett would hate for me to spend all of them completely miserable.”
“He’d want you to be happy,” Carlo assured.
“I think I’m still a long way away from that.” Joe lifted his gaze and offered a small smile. “But I’m going to work on it. That’s due to you.”
Warmth spread throughout Carlo’s body. He might hope for more with Joe, but he couldn’t deny how good it felt to have his friendship. Joe wouldn’t lie to make him feel better. He might not be Joe’s equal, but he wasn’t a freeloader in this relationship, either.
“We just have to find ways to keep you from being alone,” Carlo said. “Like going out. Maybe to the theatre? Because I can probably snag you discounted tickets if there’s a show you’re interested in.”
Joe chuckled. “If you had your way, I’d need a social secretary to keep up with it all.”
“I don’t mean every night. Just once in a while.”
“One step at a time.”
“I’ll have more time on my hands until I find another job. We could do something.” For a brief moment, Joe’s eyes narrowed, and Carlo realized too late how he’d bungled the offer. “Just friends,” he hastened to add, keeping his voice low. “That’s what we are, right?” He held his breath, waiting for the response.
“We are.” But Joe’s wariness was still in full effect, and Carlo couldn’t yet relax. “You can’t pick up more hours at the theatre to make up for not waiting tables?”
Where was he going with this? “Not really. Competition’s pretty stiff. And if I want to start looking at moving out of my parents’ house, I need to prove I can support myself or Ma’ll never let it happen.”
That sharpened Joe’s attention. “That’s the first time you’ve mentioned that’s a possibility.”
Carlo shrugged. “It’s always been the goal. I mean, I don’t want to live with them forever, especially since they still think I’m going to find some nice Italian girl to marry and settle down in the neighborhood. But I’ve got bigger dreams than that. I can’t get ’em if I still have to check in with Ma when I’m going to be late.”
“So another job is important then.”
“Yeah.”
“What about working at the bookshop?” Joe barreled forward when Carlo’s brows shot up. “I can’t tip you, and the hours wouldn’t be as flexible as you’d find at a restaurant somewhere, but you’d have access to all the books you’d want to reference when you’re looking for audition material, and I can offer a decent wage.”
“Why would you do that for me?”
“Why wouldn’t I? You’re a hard worker. We get along. And I can trust you if I have to leave for any time, too.”
“Leave? For where?”
“Not like you’re thinking,” Joe said with a wave of his hand. “I mean for an afternoon if I wanted to go see Emmett’s mother. I’m long overdue for a good visit.”
There was another bonus. Carlo would get to see Joe on a regular basis without having to find excuses. He hid his excitement about the possibility with, “Well, unlimited access to new monologues would definitely help…” He laughed when Joe stiffened. “I’m kidding. Of course, I’d love to work for you. As long as you’re sure.”
“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t.” The smile returned. “Besides, what better way to guarantee you stay out of trouble than keeping you too busy to find it?”
As far as Carlo was concerned, that was the best reason yet. He was done with trouble. No more shortcuts. Hard work was the only way to get everything he’d always dreamed about. The past couple of weeks had merely been a dip in his otherwise upworld climb.
Except now he had Joe and their friendship and a new job to go with it all.
All the proof he needed to know that sometimes the lows made the highs even better.
VIVIEN DEAN
Four-time EPPIE winner Vivien Dean is a firm believer that love doesn’t care about gender. That’s why her titles encompass both GLBT and het, erotic and sweet, as well as a wide variety of genres. After growing up in the snowy and isolated Midwest, she went off in search of her creative muse. She performed on stage, wrote and directed indie films in Orlando, then met her British soulmate online. One wedding, two children, and ten addresses later, she resides in the Bay Area where it’s easy to indulge her favorite pastimes—good theater, great movies, and amazing food.
For more information about Vivien and her books, visit her website at:
http://www.viviendean.com
Vivien Dean, The Low Between
