Stage Fright (22 page)

“Here.” Chris pressed a pack of playing cards into his hand.

 

Jesse looked down. The pack was opened and the cards hole-punched. “Used playing cards?”

Chris stood facing the sun. He squinted at him, his thumbs hooked through the belt loops of his jeans. “They’re a memento to remember your time in Vegas. Since you insisted on paying next month’s rent, I had to get you something.”

Jesse turned the pack over and examined the logo. “You don’t work for Caesars Palace.”

Chris shrugged one shoulder. “Caesars Palace is cooler, and anyway, it’s the thought that counts.”
“I’m gonna miss you,” Jesse said.

“Nah. You’ll be too busy gawking at all the touristy stuff.” Chris shoved his hands in his pockets.

The distinctive rumble of Val’s Subaru approaching saved them from saying anything else.
Val popped the trunk and jumped out. He nodded a hello to Chris. “Ready?” he asked Jesse.
“You bet.”
They jammed one of his suitcases in the trunk but had to load the rest of his stuff in the backseat.
Val waited patiently as Jesse hugged Chris.
Chris accepted the embrace, then slapped his back a couple of times, tapping out. “Don’t get all sentimental on me now.”
“I’ll keep in touch,” Jesse promised.

“Make sure you do.” They pulled away as Chris stood on the sidewalk. Jesse watched him grow smaller in the passenger-door’s mirror.

He was silent as they headed out of town. Since he’d moved to Vegas, his life had undergone dramatic changes. Some he’d planned. Some he’d only dreamed of.
He’d struck out on his own, made some good friends, worked at a crazy job. Most amazing of all, he’d fallen in love with someone who loved him back.
And that had been a catalyst, giving him the courage to become the person he’d always wanted to be.
As they left the city limits and hit the empty highway, Jesse settled more comfortably in his seat. The future stretched out like one long, bright, shiny adventure. No matter what happened when they got to New York, he was strong enough to handle it. There would be no turning back.
Jesse turned to Val and grinned. “Next stop, the Grand Canyon.”

Loose Id Titles by Pender Mackie
Stage Fright
Pender Mackie

Pender lives in Canada though she spent her childhood years in England. An imaginative child, Pender wasn't a willing student and didn't learn to read until age nine when her father—deciding some incentive was needed—promised her a pony as soon as she could read a newspaper.

Properly motivated, Pender picked up a book and discovered the joys of fiction. Though her infatuation with ponies didn’t last, she still loves a good story.
Pender always has several works in progress and spends all her free time trying to coax another story into shape.
Please visit Pender at
www.pendermackie.com
.