Page 49 of Broken Halos
“Honey, I’m home,” Reggie called when he entered the house. “What smells so good?” He stopped at the doorway to the dining room and looked longingly at the food set out on the table. “I should really shower first before sitting down, but it looks so delicious.” Reggie got hired as an apprentice with Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority to learn bus maintenance. “I’m a little greasy still.”
“Don’t worry about it, Reg,” I said. “It’s not like you were working in the sewers.”
“How’s everyone doing this morning?” he asked, dropping into the open chair beside Henry.
“Most of us are doing great, but Archie has some explaining to do,” Henry told him.
“What’d you do, Archie?”
“Ididn’t do anything,” I calmly said because I knew they were just teasing me. Ollie squeezed my thigh under the table to reassure me. Had it been anyone other than Ollie, I might’ve questioned the timing of his declaration of love. “Ryder only stopped by to let me know about a benefit the museum was putting on next month to showcase local LGBTQ artists. There will be a silent auction for the works on display. Ryder claimed he convinced the board to donate a portion of the ticket sales to Ryan’s Place.”
“I have mixed feelings about this,” Mamma said. “On one hand, it’s a wonderful thing. The museum charges big money for those events, and they almost always sell out of tickets because it gives the wealthy people in the area a reason to dress up and show off. I can’t help thinking Ryder had an ulterior motive for his suggestion.”
“Archie told him the same thing,” Esther said then grimaced.
“I told him the same thing,” I repeated wryly, “and he assured me the offer came with no strings attached. He gave me two tickets to the event, thinking I would be bringing you, Mamma. I told him Ollie would be my guestifI attended.”
“That’s when he got snippy and implied Ollie and Archie might not still be together in three weeks when the event happens,” Esther added. “He must have a really big set of balls.”
Ollie choked on the bite of roll he’d just swallowed. I rubbed his back while he coughed then took another long drink of milk to soothe his throat. “Well?” Ollie asked once he could breathe without sputtering more.
“Well, what? Are you asking me if he has big balls?”
Ollie threw his head back and laughed. The sound warmed my heart as nothing else could. “I meant are we going to the gala? I’d like to see you dressed in a tuxedo, Arch.” If Ollie wanted to see me in a tuxedo, then that’s what he would get. I also saw how eager he was to remove the suit from my body. I was pretty keen on seeing how Ollie would look in a tux too.
“Sure, we’ll go,” I said. I wasn’t at all worried we wouldn’t be together next month for the gala. “It’s a date.”
“Well, there goes our morning entertainment,” Jeremy said dryly. “Not a single face slap or anything.”
“The morning is young, lamb chop,” Millie said, pointing to him with her fork. “Eat your breakfast before it gets cold. Miss Esther went to a lot of trouble fixing this beautiful meal to replenish your body.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, tucking into his breakfast.
Millie shot me a playful wink then changed the subject. “How many of you think the Bengals will win tonight?”
“Dalton chokes during big games,” Reggie said.
“I think this is his year,” Jeremy countered.
“I have no idea what any of you are talking about,” Henry said. “I don’t follow sports.”
“That’s okay, lamb,” Millie said. “What are you interested in?”
“I’m all about the theater,” Henry said passionately.
“Stage or movies?” Mamma asked him.
“Stage.” Henry released a long sigh. “Growing up, I was only allowed to act in church plays, but I loved it so much. Luckily, our church put on four or five productions a year, and the man in charge had a lot of theater and music experience.”
“I saw in the paper they’re having open tryouts for the community theater,” Mamma told him. “I know they’ve already been rehearsing their Christmas show, so this would probably be for the first production of next year.”
“I don’t know,” Henry said. “I’m not sure my talent is worthy of a big production even if it’s community theater.”
“If you don’t get a part in the show, you could always volunteer to help behind the scenes?” Ollie suggested. “I’m sure they’re always looking for help with props, costumes, and all the other little things that go on behind the scene.”
“It actually sounds like a good idea,” Henry said. “I’ll never know if I don’t try.”
“That’s right,” I told him.