Page 55 of Cold Hard Cash

“Wow,” Jimmy panted, suddenly tingly and numb. He was gonna be singing for Boss Cold—tonight. “But wait, he told me I have to be back at midnight.”

“What are you, a fuckin’ pumpkin?” Rowena scoffed, rolling her eyes dramatically. “Ugh. Come on. He’ll come to the show, be fuckin’ amazed, and I’m sure he won’t even care about you being a little late for playtime.”

Jimmy was not as certain.

“Now, you boys have a good time,” Rowena cooed, wiggling her fingers in a little wave. “Mama’s gotta go do grownup things. Dario will take good care of you, Jimmy.”

“Right, uhm,” Jimmy started, fidgeting. “My mom’s stuff? In your purse?”

“Oh, right! I’ll go put it in the safe in Roddy’s office right now, okay?”

“Thank you,” Jimmy said, sighing in relief. “See you later!”

“Bye, Jimmy!” she called, pausing to offer Dario an extra sweet smile. “Bye bye, Dario.”

Dario grinned dopily, a love-struck expression Jimmy knew all too well, waving at Rowena and watching her every movement until she disappeared into the back. Jimmy tried not to smile, but he couldn’t help it. It was very clear Dario had quite the crush.

“So, you and Boss Cold?” Dario asked casually, glancing sideways at Jimmy.

“Yeah. It’s complicated. Uhm... so, you and Rowena?”

“Also complicated,” Dario said. “As in, I worship her, but I basically don’t exist in her world. She’s the Princess Leia to my Momaw Nadon.”

“Wait, who?” Jimmy’s brow scrunched up. “The... hammerhead guy inA New Hope?”

“Exactly,” Dario said sadly. “Not exactly a leading man, you know. He didn’t even have a name when they put out his action figure the first time. That’s me. Plus, I’m kind of terrified of Cold. He doesn’t like any of Rowena’s boyfriends, like ever, and they never stick around long.”

“You mean like Dickie?” Jimmy inquired carefully.

Dario’s face darkened. “Hey, fuck that prick. I’m glad he’s dead. He got exactly what he deserved.”

“Sorry,” Jimmy said quickly, frowning at the sudden burst of venom. “I didn’t mean to... you know.”

“How long have you and Cold been seeing each other?” Dario asked curiously, more than happy to divert the conversation though he still looked grim.

“Like, three days?”

“Fuck, man,” Dario laughed, shaking his head. “You are in for a lot of surprises. Now, I can play pretty much anything, but the band really only knows the golden oldies. Like, ol’ Sinatra, Perry Como, and lots of other very talented and equally deceased people. Classic, totally, but stiff as hell.”

“Band?”

“Uh, yeah,” Dario said flatly. “You know, people with instruments?”

Jimmy plopped flat on his butt on the stage, his head starting to swim. Singing in front of Cold with a live band and less than a day to practice? There was so much that could go wrong. “This is a lot more complicated than singing in the shower.”

“Hey, hey,” Dario soothed. “My man.Mi amigo. Jimmy. I’m here to make you look good. You look good, I look good, okay?”

“Okay,” Jimmy said. He took a deep breath, smiling nervously and hugging his knees.

“And together, we’re gonna what?”

Jimmy stared.

“We’re gonna lookreallygood,” Dario said smugly, giving Jimmy a proud finger gun display. “All you gotta do is trust me, I got you.”

“Okay,” Jimmy said, still completely stumped as to how to proceed. “So...”

Idly tapping across the piano keys, Dario asked politely, “Would you like me to make some suggestions?”