Larsen walked around the front of the car, opened the passenger door, and got inside. His mother was right; he didn’t trust her. He held her keys in his right hand so she couldn’t snatch them and drive off.
Noticing the way he held the keys irritated her. “You really don’t trust me, do you? Why the hell would I do something stupid and take off with you in this car? I got a job to go to. And I don’t need any more damn trouble with the police, thanks to you.”
Larsen, who could barely meet his mother’s intense gaze, thought for a moment before responding. “I didn’t get you in trouble with the police. You and Reggie did that on your own.”
“Don’t you be dissing me and my man.”
“Oh, so I guess you’re still together.”
“Of course we are. You think Raylene Davis can’t keep a man? Yeah, we’re still together despite your efforts to break us up.”
“I never tried to break you up.”
“Don’t lie to me, boy. You made up that story about Reggie’s dead wife being alive. You know, in this day and age, it’s not very hard to find out what’s true and what’s not. The lady passed away years ago. Just like he said. So why don’t you tell me why you made that story up?”
Telling his mother what he now believed to be the truth, that Martha Joy was a ghost, was not something he would even think to attempt. He would just have to let her think he’d been lying.
“Mom, how come you’re here?”
“I’ll ask the questions. How come you haven’t called your mama since you moved into this big house with this old white lady?”
“Well, I was gonna call you, but then a week ago, on Halloween, you sent me that text. That was pretty nasty, Mom. Mean. Why would I want to call you after that?”
Raylene had no intention of answering the question. “What are you doing with your life now that you’re livin’ the high life? And I hope you got my message that I ain’t paying your cell phone anymore.”
“Yeah, I got it, Mom. It was in that charming text you sent me on Halloween. I don’t need you to pay it. I have a job.”
“Oh, hellllllll no! Don’t tell me you went and took that gay job!”
“It’s not a gay job, Mom. It’s just a job. I work in a trailer behind a theater with River’s mother and a guy who’s a vintage restoration specialist. I’m actually learning something about building restoration. That’s not gay, is it?”
Raylene looked pensive. “Well, no. Not that part of it. I suppose that’s a good part. Depends on the guy you’re working with. Does he bat for your team?”
Larsen clenched his teeth. “No, he’s straight. He’s got three kids. Two of them go to Mystekal High. The other one’s in the middle school.”
“What do you do on this job?”
As much as he wanted to share his enthusiasm for selecting vintage theater posters, Larsen knew his mother wouldn’t want to hear about it. “Well, I help Mrs. D coordinate everything having to do with the renovation. It’s her job to choose all of the materials that will go in the theater, right down to the hardware. I get samples and catalogs for her. I run errands. That kind of stuff.”
“You go to hardware stores?”
“Yeah, Mom. Why?”
“Maybe you could get a job there instead. With some manly men.”
“Mom, I didn’t get into this car for more gay bashing. If that’s all you want to talk about, me being gay, then I’m going back into the house. I’m not going to apologize for who I am or what I do. I have a really good job, and I’m learning a lot of great skills. I’d think you’d be happy about that.”
“ ’Spose so.”
“So how come you’re not working tonight? Did you switch with someone?”
“Yeah, Mr. Nosy. I did. Reggie Lee is taking me to Palm Desert for the weekend. A fella he works with got him a complimentary room at a spa resort. So I’m off to have a good time, and I wanted to see my son before I left. I worked last Sunday for a girl, and now she’s taking my shift. Anything else? Speak now, boy. What else do you want to know?”
“Just wondering if we could ever have a conversation without my sexual orientation being a part of it.”
“Oh, damn. Don’t be mentioning sex to me. If you go find some nice girl to get it on with, you can tell me all about that, and I’ll be one proud mama.”
“Really? So what if I were straight and didn’t use any protection and got a girl pregnant or caught an STD? Would that make you proud?”
Raylene’s response was barely audible. “Be better than this.”
Larsen wiped a tear from his eye with his wrist while his hand felt sore from having Raylene’s car keys in his grasp. “Here, Mom. Here are your keys. I hope you and Reggie have a great weekend.”
“You cutting out on me already?”
“If you ever decide to accept me for who I am, let me know, okay?”
As Raylene squinted her angry eyes, Larsen got out of the car, shut the door, and ran behind the car and back into the house.
Chapter 16
“Wait, Riv! Don’t eat that yet!”
River looked down at the plate of spaghetti Bolognese Gina had placed in front of him. “Okay, I’ll bite. I mean, no, I won’t bite. Why not?”
Gina giggled. “I forgot to take the bay leaves out of the sauce. They’re just for flavor, then you discard them.”
Reaching for the only visible bay leaf he could find, River plucked it out of the pasta. “Are you telling me that I can’t eat this? Because I’ve had my eye on this sucker for at least ten seconds. Look at the succulent juices dripping from this leaf.”
“Bay leaves don’t have juices.”
“Exactly! That’s what makes this one so special. And here you are, trying to deny me the pleasure of savoring this …um … leaf.”
Coyly, Gina looked into River’s eyes. “I wouldn’t want to ever deny you any pleasure.”
River reached out through the candlesticks on the table and grabbed Gina’s hand. “You mean that, baby? You don’t want to deny me any pleasures?”
Gina smiled crookedly, trying not to let her nerves get the best of her. “That’s right.”
River caressed her hand. “That’s so sexy of you. And that’s exactly why I’m going to eat this bay leaf.” Before Gina could say another word, River popped the leaf into his mouth and began chewing.
“O … M … G! I can’t believe you’re eating that.”
Trying not to laugh, or choke, River chewed the leaf as best he could and then swallowed it. “Yum. Bay leaf Bolognese. You’re the best cook ever!”
“Oh, no, you are so not going to tell people I made bay leaf Bolognese for you, are you? I’m still trying to forget I said ‘handsome hands.’ So, how was it?”
“Crunchy, for one. And kind of sharp. As in pointy. But the tomato sauce helped it to go down easier. I think I’m going to have to wash this delicacy down with water.” River picked up his glass of water and drank nearly all of it at once.
Gina blushed. “Will you please eat the meal I did make for you? I want to know if you like it.”
“I’m sure I will. I told you, I’m fine with anything but fish.”
“I’m not that big on seafood either. Were you forced to eat fish as a kid or something?”
“Nah. My parents never forced me to eat anything. But when I was a little kid, we went for dinner to the home of these people who worked with my dad. Me, Jess, Mom, Dad, and Aunt Stella. Anyway, the lady served us this big fish on a platter. She decorated the plate with lemon wedges and parsley. Oh, yeah, and cherry tomatoes. But the fish still had this big freakin’ eyeball in it. I swear the damn thing winked at me.”
“You’re so funny, River. It did not.”
“Well, it completely freaked me out. Now, in case you hadn’t noticed, I kind of say what’s on my mind, and I was even worse when I was a kid.”
“Oh, gee, I never noticed.”
“Ha ha. Yeah, right. So, anyway, I blurted out that the fish was staring at me and
said that there was no way I was eating it. My parents were real embarrassed, Aunt Stella didn’t care, and Jess felt the same way I did. The lady was so eager to be a good hostess that she took this big spoon out of the bowl of vegetables and just scooped the eyeball out.”
“No way!”
“Yes way. Only it fell off the spoon right into my mom’s glass of red wine. Mom screamed and knocked the wine glass over, ruining the lady’s new tablecloth. Then Jess started screaming and knocked over Dad’s wine. Then I started screaming, and I was so freaked out that I yanked the tablecloth off the table. Oh, man. Plates and food were flying everywhere. The one-eyed fish flew into the air and got stuck in the chandelier. The lady wasn’t too happy by that point. She ran into the kitchen, grabbed a meat cleaver, and chased us all out of the house, calling us uncultivated lowlife plebian scum. So, that’s kind of why I don’t eat fish.”
“You are so full of shit, River. But that’s hysterical. What makes you even think of things like that?”
“I like to make up eyeball stories.” River twirled the spaghetti around his fork and tasted it. “Hey, this is actually really good.”
“Of course it is. What were you expecting?”
“I wasn’t thinking about the food. I just like being with you. And by the way, the fish story is partially true. The lady did scoop out the eyeball. Just the rest of it … um … maybe not so much.”
Gina daintily wiped the sauce from her lips. “You’re the most different guy I’ve ever met.”
River was embarrassed. “I’m just me. This is really good. I like the salad you made, too.”
`*`*`*`
Gina adjusted the dimmer switch in the living room and turned the lights down low. She put a couple of CDs into the changer and sat down on the couch next to River. She rested her head on his chest and was ecstatic when he put his arm around her and pulled her closer.
“Thanks for that amazing meal. Believe it or not, I do know you went to a lot of work making that. The pasta was fantastic. Those cannolis were delish.”
Gina looked up at River. “I have a confession to make.”
River laughed. “Does it have anything to do with Stinelli’s Bakery?”
“How did you know where I bought them?”
“Hey, this is Mystekal. We don’t have any bakery wars going on here. My aunt Stella loves that place.”
“You’re just such a been-there, done-that guy. I mean, I really have to think hard to find something you haven’t tried before.”
River stroked Gina’s hair. “Yeah. You just might, sweet thing.”
“How about this?” Gina turned to face River, folded her arms behind his neck, and then pulled him down. In one fluid movement, River was on top of her, kissing her deeply.
As his tongue slowly explored her mouth, Gina could feel his arousal, and every part of her tingled as she experienced something she’d only dreamed about before.
Raising himself up, River started to take off her top, but Gina did it herself, with far greater ease. As she threw it onto the floor, River unhooked her bra and tossed it in the same place. Then, as he lovingly kissed her breasts, running his tongue over her nipples, Gina wrapped her legs around his waist. “This is just the best feeling ever, Riv. Can we stay like this forever?”
Slowly thrusting himself against her body, River began to imagine how good it would feel to be inside her. “Hey, Gin, you got a bed, baby?”
Gina could barely catch her breath. “Yeah, let’s go.”
Never taking their eyes off one another, they got off the couch and walked together into her bedroom, where Gina finished undressing herself as River watched, fixated on every inch of her. “You’re so beautiful. Wow, you’re just amazing!”
Naked, Gina sat on the bed. Rolling her tongue over her top lip, she slowly unbuckled River’s belt as she felt him react. Just as she was about to pull him out, completely unaware of her own words, she murmured softly, “From now on, I’m the only girl you’re ever going to need to think about. Ever.”
Surprised, River gently pulled her hand away and looked at her. “Wait a min—”
“Don’t worry, I have condoms. They’re in the back pocket of my jeans.” Gina pointed to the floor, where her discarded pants lay.
River took a deep breath and sat down next to her on the bed. “Baby, what is this about?”
“Nothing, Riv. Nothing. I was just mumbling to myself.”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“What else would it be? Don’t you want to be with me?”
“More than anything. In case the augmentation of my male anatomy didn’t give me away, that would be a yes.”
Gina smiled, reached up, and stroked his hair. “I always wondered if you’d make jokes during sex.”
“Hey, I’m still me, baby.”
“Then can we get back to where we were? Please? My bed is super comfy.”
River put his hand on her knee. “Gin, what did you mean when you said you’re the only girl I need to think about?”
“Nothing, Riv. It was just one of those things people mutter during sex, you know?”
“Actually, it sounded like you meant something more specific. This isn’t about Avalon, is it?”
The look on Gina’s face answered River’s question, and as disappointment washed over his face, Gina knew that the night of sex she had planned was over. But she wasn’t giving up without a fight.
“Can’t we just forget all of this and get back to what we were doing? It felt so good. I can make you feel even better. Let me show you.”
“Did you plan this because you think Avalon’s your competition?”
Gina looked down, not wanting to meet his gaze. “Yeah. Sort of.”
River put his hand under her chin and lifted her face. “First of all, Avalon’s not your competition. She’s just a friend, and I don’t like her that way. And you know what else? She doesn’t like me that way, either. She’s got a boyfriend back home. And she misses him a whole lot.”
“Really? She does?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, maybe she’s missing him so bad that—”
“Don’t say that, Gina. She’s never hit on me in any way. I’m telling you the truth.”
“Okay. Well, forget about her. It’s just you and me here.”
“I would love to be with you, sweet girl. But I don’t think this is what you really want. You told me on our second date that it was really important to wait a while, remember? And I told you I was cool with that. And now everything’s changed, and I think it’s because I left the cafeteria on Wednesday to look for Avalon.”
“Riv, I just want us to be solid. Like a real couple. Like Bianca and Tonio, you know?”
River looked surprised. “What do they have to do with any of this? Wait … did Bianca talk you into this?”
Again, Gina lowered her head. She couldn’t bear to look him in the eye.
River got up from the bed and began to pick her clothes off the floor. “Put these back on, okay? This isn’t our time. As much as I wanted this, too, I knew it was too soon. Let’s just do it for the right reasons. We don’t need to initiate ourselves into any club. What other people do is their business, you know?”
Gina slipped her jeans on, not bothering with her underwear, and put on her shirt. “I’m so embarrassed, Riv.”
“Don’t be. I’m glad it happened. I’ve got the best images in my head now, and I know what I’ve got to look forward to. C’mon, sweet baby, let’s go back into the living room. I’ll tell you another eyeball story.”
`*`*`*`
“So, after the scream, I heard someone crying. It sounded like they were in the worst pain ever. And then everything just went quiet. Muggs and I were completely freaked.”
River smiled at the Kalifornia Kafe server as she put the lunch on the table, then returned his focus to Larsen. “That’s mind-blowing. You didn’t see anyone or anything?”
“No, like I told you, on my first day of work I sa
w that shadow moving backstage, and then on the following Tuesday your mom’s friend Lisa said she heard ‘Tonight’ playing. Then on Friday, this happened.”
“So, what did my mom say when you told her? And how come she didn’t tell us?”
Larsen took a sip of his drink. “Riv, are you kidding me? No way I’m telling your mother this. That’s one of the reasons I asked you to meet me here for lunch … besides the fact that I like that we can sit outside here. I didn’t want anyone at your house to overhear me telling you this stuff.”
“My mom has working ears, but she can’t hear through walls.”
“It’s not just that. I mean, she sees me all week, and I don’t want her to get sick of my face. Just don’t want to wear out my welcome.”
River paused to chew the bite of sandwich in his mouth. “That’s the real reason you didn’t want to come over, isn’t it? Why do you always think you’re gonna wear out your welcome?”
Larsen looked down as he picked up half of his sandwich and mindlessly tugged at a piece of lettuce sticking out between the two pieces of bread. “Well, I kind of wore out my welcome in my own home.”
“That’s different, dude. Bad different. And not exactly what happened. Anyway, don’t you think my mom should know what’s going down at the Desert Theater? She’s not a virgin to ghost action. Trust me, she’s a believer.”
Larsen emphatically shook his head no. “That’s not what I’m worried about. Your mom is busting her butt for this theater. She’s putting her whole heart and soul into it. What’s she supposed to do if I go tell her some mess like that? ‘Hey, Mrs. D, the Mugster and I heard this screaming and wailing in the theater Friday night after everyone was gone. I’m pretty sure the theater is haunted.’ No, not doing that. I told you, Riv, she knows about the shadow, but she just figured it was Raphael. And she heard her friend Lisa mention hearing the song playing, but she probably just assumed it was coming from someone’s car, if she even bothered to think about it at all. She hired me to help her get a job done, not stand in the way of it. But I had to spill my guts to someone, so tag, you’re it.”
Desert Star Page 15