Chapter
1
Leaning
against the window, he put his hand on the cool glass and stared beyond it,
trying to catch a glimpse of something in the dark. The steady drone of the
engine was like a monotone lullaby, the rhythmical motions of the bus an
invitation to sleep, but he was unaffected. He knew there was no chance he'd
rest. Not with the nearly tangible tension flowing from one of the people he
regarded as a brother.
Yes, they
were brothers, in every way but blood. And when one of them was angry, the
other four couldn't help but feel the echoes. Right now, the focal point of
hostility came from the middle of the bus, where the tiny kitchen could be
found.
The sound
of a cabinet being slammed shut, again, made him frown. He pulled his
long legs up on the couch and wrapped his arms around them, still staring into
the window. For a moment he was dismayed to find he had no idea exactly where
they were; after three months spent on the road, all the highways and cities
and venues had begun to blur. The concerts were great, and the fans,
spectacular… but the traveling was something akin to hell. It was way better
than flying, in his opinion, but the bus had its share of drawbacks, one of the
biggest being there was no real place to escape. He was in the farthest section
at the very back of the tourbus, huddled on the couch where the group normally
enjoyed playing video games or watching movies together. But this time, he was
alone. Three of the five had taken refuge in their bunks, curtains drawn shut
in a lame attempt to avoid the angry challenge in green eyes.
He sighed.
It had been pretty much the same for a solid week. The worst part was no one
had been able to reach past the wall their bandmate had erected, despite their
best efforts. Questions had been shrugged off, reasoning and cajoling had
fallen on deaf ears, even bribery had been flatly refused. Anger had made things
worse: when AJ had finally lost his cool and confronted the older member, he
had been treated to a curt silence that lasted for almost two days. Close
quarters and the tedium of the road hadn't helped. Then, after encountering
repeated rejections and refusals to talk, Howie had withdrawn his efforts to
help, not understanding what was wrong. He'd become even more quiet than usual,
and his warm smile had all but disappeared. Brian… even Brian had given up. His
last effort at drawing out a conversation had ended in total disappointment.
He, like AJ and Howie, had been mystified.
However,
the lone figure huddled in the corner did have a good idea what was
bothering his older brother. He'd thought long and hard on the subject,
watching him closely as the days went by. Finally, certain things began to make
sense… but Kevin was unapproachable. Nick knew that until Kev brought it out
into the open, things would get worse before they got better. He watched as the
others tried, and failed, at drawing the oldest Boy out of his self-imposed
isolation. Then it was his turn, but his one and only attempt to talk to Kevin
had netted him nothing but a cold, disdainful glare. He hadn't tried again.
He
half-heartedly turned from the window's dismal view and picked up a discarded
magazine he'd gotten part way through earlier. Without enthusiasm, he flipped
through the glossy pages and wondered who had bought the magazine in the first
place. Then, something caught his eye.
He sat up
straighter and leaned towards better light. After a minute, he checked his
watch… not for the time, but for the date. With the days blending so easily, he
couldn't be sure.
A small
grin began to curve his lips. With growing interest, he scanned the article,
eagerly absorbing the information there. He paused, a momentary frown on his
face as he tried to remember what part of the country they were in. Then, he
had it. Tomorrow they would be in Ohio… Columbus, that was it. He rifled
through the book rack mounted on the wall, found the dog-eared atlas, and
quickly flipped through the pages. When he saw the map, he traced a line, and
his grin blossomed into a full-blown smile. For the first time in days, there
was a sparkle in azure blue eyes. If he could pull things together, there just
might be something he could do to help his big brother.
Nick had a
plan.
**********
The bus
slowed to a halt at a truck stop just across the Ohio line. At eight in the
morning, there was a steady bustle of activity, but no one gave the new arrival
much attention. After speaking to the driver, Kevin informed the still-sleepy
group they would have an hour before hitting the road again. He grabbed his
jacket and promptly left the bus, heading towards the main building.
"Sheesh,
Kevin," AJ muttered, "sure, we'd like to join you for breakfast.
Thanks for asking."
"Leave
him be," Brian said tiredly, rubbing at his eyes. "I think he needs
time alone right now."
"What
he needs," came Howie's flat voice, "is to get whatever it is off his
chest. This is getting old."
Nick
stretched. "Who's up for breakfast? I've had all the cold cereal I can
handle this week. I'm hungry."
"You're
always hungry," Brian said as he searched for a sweatshirt. "Your
nickname should have been Hoover instead of Kaos."
At Nick's
silence, AJ said, "He's referring to a Hoover vacuum, blondie."
"I know
what he was referring to, Aje. I didn't think it rated a comment," Nick
answered as he rolled his eyes.
"Sure,
sure," AJ said, clearly not believing it.
Howie
grinned. "If Nick's a blondie," he asked, "does that make you a
'reddie'?" He indicated AJ's haircolor du jour, a rather vibrant red.
AJ puffed
out his chest and said, "Bay-bee, I'm always ready!"
A pillow, a
baseball hat, and someone's dirty sock pelted him in an instant.
"You're
all jealous," he protested, pretending to be offended. A moment later, he
regarded the sock. "Hey, is this mine?"
"Dare
you to smell it," Brian teased.
"Uh…
no," AJ said, declining the challenge. He tossed the sock over his
shoulder and began searching for his left shoe.
The four
stumbled out of the bus a few minutes later, blinking in the bright morning
sun. Nick paused, scanning the skies: not a cloud in sight. He smiled. The
weather would be key to his plan, and so far things looked good. With a bounce
in his stride, he and his friends made their way to the restaurant.
Despite the
old cliches, most truck stops were clean, well-lit, and had relatively good
food. While none of them would earn a five-star rating, the meals were more
than edible, and there was a bonus to dining in such a place. They had never
been recognized at a truck stop. There, they weren't the Backstreet Boys, they
were simply fellow travelers. While they loved their fans, there were times
when it was a relief to be anonymous.
The noisy
clatter of dishes and conversation provided a comforting backdrop as the four
were shown to a table. The waitress came by seconds later, her smile a welcome
addition. She wrote down their beverage requests and zipped away, giving a wink
as she left.
"Hey,
she winked at me," Brian said, grinning. The young woman was attractive,
to be sure; her shorter skirt afforded the guys a wonderful view of her shapely
legs.
"You?"
AJ countered. "You're blind. She was winking at me. Who would wink
at an old married dude like you?"
"Now who's
jealous?" Brian said, chucking a rolled-up straw paper across the table.
"You're
both mistaken," Nick said, studying the menu.
"What,
do you think she was giving you the eye?" AJ asked. "Dream
on."
"Millions
of girls can't be wrong," Nick grinned. "But no, I wasn't talking
about me. She was giving Howie that wink, no doubt about it."
Howie
blinked, his brown eyes full of light. "Really?"
"The
Latin Lover gets 'em every time," Brian joined in, patting his friend on
the back. "Way to go, Sweet D."
Although a
slight blush rose on Howie's face, his smile got wider.
AJ groaned.
"She's angling for a tip, is all," he muttered. "Oldest trick in
the book."
"Yep,"
Brian said. "Jealous."
While the
three continued their conversation, Nick closed his menu and scanned the rest
of the area, looking for Kevin. After a moment he found him sitting on a stool
at the counter, staring at a newspaper. It looked as if he had already finished
breakfast. He sighed, thinking how much more fun it would be to have the oldest
member sitting with them, laughing and joking again. The waitress returned with
the coffee and juice, interrupting his thoughts.
She took
each person's order, not aware that she was under scrutiny. When she came to
Howie, her smile hitched up a degree; Nick had been right. The moment she was
out of hearing range, AJ leaned back and crossed his arms.
"I'm
telling ya, she's just working it for the money. She's got you pegged as a
sucker, D."
"Well,
I don't care," Howie said smugly. "You can bet she'll get a good tip
from me." He poured creamer into his coffee and ignored AJ's snort.
"Hey,
guys, I'm gonna to make a phone call, okay? I'll be back in a minute."
Nick slid his chair back.
"Who
you calling this early, Frack?" Brian asked.
"Just…
someone. It's personal," Nick answered, not wanting to reveal his plan to
anyone just yet.
"Nicky's-got-a-girl-friend!"
sang Brian, his blue eyes teasing his best friend.
"Er…
hardly," Nick said. Good lord, definitely not this girl! he added
mentally. Before anyone could make another comment, he left the group and
walked to the bank of payphones. He chose one near the end, where he could get
some relative privacy. He dialed the calling card code he had committed to
memory, got the okay, and punched up the number. Tapping his foot impatiently,
he waited for the phone to be picked up. Finally, a familiar voice said
'hello'.
"Hi,
it's Nick," he said, keeping his voice down.
"Nick!
What's wrong, has something happened-"
"No,
no, everything's okay… or, it will be if you can help me here."
"Okay,
I'm listening," came the reply.
Nick took a
deep breath and began talking.
*********
Kevin
stood, folding the paper into half, then thirds, before placing it on the
counter. He put a few bills on top of his check, drained the last of his
coffee, and turned to leave the restaurant. He hesitated when a unique laugh
reached his ears… a quick glance in the direction of the sound revealed AJ,
Howie and Brian sitting at a table by the far wall, having what looked like a
great time. For a second, he felt a pang of longing to be in their company. He
actually took a step in their direction before stopping himself. From the way
he'd been acting, he knew he wouldn't be welcome. He couldn't blame them.
The core
problem was simple, yet… it wasn't. He sighed. None of them would understand,
with the possible exception of Brian. But even his cousin might not be able to
relate. If he was totally honest, even he didn't understand everything;
how could anyone else? With a sad shake of his head, Kevin turned toward the
doors and walked, alone, to the parking lot.
Leaning
against the bus, he pulled out his cell and hit the auto-dial. It was early,
but he knew that wouldn't really matter. He needed to speak to her so badly it
hurt. She always understood; even when he'd called her in the middle of the
night, she had never complained. Her voice always was warm and welcoming,
something he needed desperately now. He heard a click, and took a breath to
speak… but frowned when a busy signal, not Kristen's soft hello, sounded in his
ear.
He paced a
few times along the length of the bus, and hit the redial button.
Busy…
Kevin felt
his frustration returning. Glancing at his watch, he saw he had twenty minutes
left, which should be plenty of time for whoever was tying up the line to
clear. Clenching his jaw, he went inside the bus and closed the door behind
him.
The tiny
space that surrounded him was cluttered with miscellaneous junk, and he scowled
at the disarray. Hats, pillows, food wrappers, playing cards, even a dirty sock
littered the aisle. Normally he would have taken it in stride, knowing his
bandmates would pick up after themselves once the bus got rolling again, but it
bothered him immensely now. With a muttered, soft curse, he began straightening
up. At least it gave him something to do.
Five
minutes passed before he tried the phone again: still, no luck. He tossed it on
the table and ran a hand through his hair. He shut his eyes and breathed
deeply, trying to shake off the surge of frustration that arose. The rest of
the guys would be back soon, and he would lose his chance at privacy until they
arrived at their destination. Wondering exactly when that would be, he found
the travel planner, map, and schedule of the day, spreading them out on the
table to study. A quick calculation told him that in a little over two hours,
they would make their destination half a day earlier than planned. Realizing it
would be too early to check into the hotel, he decided that they should go
directly to the venue to rehearse a bit. Even though the concert wasn't until
the following night, lately the group's timing had been off and he knew they
could do better. Of course, that wouldn't sit well wit the others; it was rare
that they had extra time on a tour. He could almost hear the complaining and
whining.
He used the
cell to contact the tour coordinator and let him know about the plans. He got
the okay and was just saying goodbye when he heard voices approaching the bus.
Kevin allowed himself a single curse before the door opened and his privacy was
spoiled. So much for life on the road.
It was
obvious the four had enjoyed breakfast from their smiles and laughter. They
quickly keyed down a notch when they entered the bus and saw who was waiting
for them. Brian offered him a hello, as did Howie, but his unenthusiastic
response killed any further greetings. Before they could settle in, he informed
them of the new plans. As expected, the protests were instant and voluminous.
"You've
got to be kidding!" AJ exclaimed, looking over the top of his sunglasses.
"You want us to have a two hour practice, a day in advance, before even seeing
the hotel?"
"We
need to sharpen up the choreography," Kevin answered with a frown.
"Kev,
I think that a few hours spent relaxing and enjoying a break will do more for
us than more rehearsal," Brian said. "No one expects us to be in town
until tomorrow, so we won't have to fight the crowds and stuff. This is a real
chance to have some fun."
"That
last performance was off," Kevin stated flatly.
"Wonder
why," AJ muttered as he gave the elder Boy a hard glare.
Howie
stepped in, knowing what was brewing. They couldn't afford another fight,
things were too tense as it was. "Maybe a compromise?" he suggested.
"How about an hour practice, then go our separate ways until dinner? We
can have the staff take our stuff to the hotel, so everything will be ready
when we get there."
Kevin
looked ready to protest, but Nick interrupted.
"Howie's
right. That way we get a chance to work on some moves, stretch our legs, and
get in some down time before regrouping. Maybe after dinner we can think of
something interesting to do."
Seeing the
looks on their faces, Kevin knew it was the best he would get. With a short
nod, he begrudgingly agreed.
Howie's
shoulders relaxed and Brian let out a long-held breath. The bus driver sounded
the signal that they were ready to leave, and the group separated. AJ climbed
into his bunk, grumbling about needing his rest; Howie grabbed a book and commandeered
a chair, and Nick and Brian headed towards the back to watch some television
together. Kevin stayed where he was, staring at the map and thinking how very
far away from home he was.
**********
Nick
checked the sky again when they disembarked the bus. Happily, it was still
clear and bright; unless a freak storm moved in within the next few hours,
things would be perfectly set for tonight. He looked around at the venue; he
was pretty sure he hadn't ever been in Columbus before. Or… had he? What he'd seen
of it so far didn't ring any bells, but that didn't mean much. He'd been to so
many places he'd stopped keeping track years ago.
The concert
arena was large, and the next night's show would be a blast… already the sets
were being erected and readied by the crew, who had arrived in advance. He
heard a few greetings called, and answered with a wave; neither the crew nor
the band had time to chit-chat, or so Kevin had declared.
Nick
glanced at the tall figure walking beside him as they followed a guide to a
secluded practice room. He caught an unguarded look on the older man's face,
one that he'd seen in his own mirror many times: a blend of weariness and
uncertainty. On Kevin, it looked strange. He'd always been the leader, the one
that was so sure of everything, the giver of advice and support. But bit by
bit, things had changed, especially over the last month. It had taken Nick a
while to notice, but once he'd become aware of it, he'd been compelled to try
something to make things better.
He had
fought the urge to tell Brian and the others about his plan. He was afraid if
they knew, they would only interfere, and that was the last thing he needed. As
it was, the important part of the plan was on shaky ground, and totally
depended upon his ability to get his friend in a certain place at a certain
time. Not so easily done… but he had to try.
**********
"Okay,
from the second sequence forward. Let's go." Kevin hit the button and a
familiar rhythm echoed around the room. He counted time, and they began moving.
Things were
going well until Nick turned the wrong way and collided with Brian, sending
both tumbling to the floor. Although he tried to catch himself, all Nick ended
up doing was landing on top of his best friend. He pushed himself up a bit,
looking worriedly down at Brian, who was calmly staring at the ceiling.
"Dammit,
I'm sorry, Frick… you okay?" he asked apprehensively.
Brian
blinked a couple of times and looked at Nick's anxious statement. Slowly a grin
teased the edge of his lips.
"Yeah,
I'm fine… but how many times do I have to tell you, I'm not that kind of
guy?"
Realizing
the awkward position he was in, Nick quickly scrambled upright. On cue, AJ
began making kissy noises while Howie chuckled.
"What
the hell was that?" came a very un-amused voice.
"Sorry,"
Nick said, not looking at Kevin. He offered a hand up to Brian and dusted
himself off.
"Is
that what you're going to tell 20,000 fans tomorrow night when you-"
"Chill,
Kev," Brian interrupted. "It was just a mistake. No harm done."
"I had
my mind on other things," Nick explained with a frown. "I won't mess
up during the concert."
Kevin
glared hotly. "If you're not going to take any of this seriously, then
there's no point to continuing on, is there?"
"I
didn't see the point in practicing to begin with," AJ declared.
"We
agreed that we'd practice for an hour, Kevin," Howie interjected in his
smooth voice. "It's been forty-five minutes, and this is the first thing
that's had a… glitch."
"A glitch?"
Kevin exclaimed, his eyebrows arching high. "I'd hardly call crashing
into-"
A shrill
noise cut through the room: someone's cell phone.
"That's
mine," declared Brian, sprinting over to where it sat on his bag.
"Great,
just what we need," the oldest Boy muttered angrily.
"Lighten
up, Kev," Brian said before he hit the 'talk' button. "Hello? Oh, hi
honey… no, you weren't interrupting, we're just taking a break from practice.
What? Yeah, the show isn't until tomorrow… sure, I can talk for a bit." He
turned to the rest of the group, grinning from ear to ear, and said
unnecessarily, "It's Leigh!"
"Gee,
Bri, really?" AJ said sarcastically. Then a wicked grin appeared. He
raised his voice and continued, "I thought it was your girlfriend,
you know, the one that's been following the tour…"
"Shut
up, Aje," Brian said, rolling his eyes. His attention snapped back to the
conversation in his ear. "What? Oh, no, he's just kidding… wait,
let me get where I can have some privacy…" With that, he moved to the
corner of the room and sat in a chair, speaking lowly enough that the others
couldn't hear his words.
Nick
watched how Brian's face lit up at something his wife said, and smiled. He
turned away, feeling like he was intruding, but stopped short when he caught
Kevin's statement. Mixed with the anger was a look he identified as resentment,
or… jealousy. It shocked the younger man, because he'd never seen it appear on
Kevin's face in all the time they'd been together. It seemed so fundamentally
wrong, it scared him. He didn't think, he simply stepped closer and spoke.
"Kevin,
we need to talk." His tone was direct and matter-of-fact. It surprised
him, but not as much as it did Kevin.
"Another
half-hearted apology won't make a difference," the dark-haired man said
curtly.
"I'm
not going to apologize," Nick said, battling to keep his temper in check.
"I want to talk, not argue."
"That'd
be a first," came the reply.
Nick
clamped his jaw shut against his instinctive reply. Knowing that he had to keep
his cool, he began again.
"Look,
whatever is going on with you, I want to help. Pushing me away won't-"
"Forget
it. You wouldn't understand," Kevin said tightly.
"Maybe
if you'd talk about it once in a while-"
"It
wouldn't matter," he insisted. "This… this is way beyond you,
Nick. It'd be a waste of breath." He turned away, ignoring the dumbfounded
looks on both Howie and AJ. "Don't believe for a second that you know what
I'm going through, because you don't."
Nick felt
like he'd been slapped. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't force the
words for several heartbeats. Finally he found his voice.
"That's
unfair, Kevin," he protested lowly. "You're not even giving me a
chance. I thought that's what we're all about, helping one another."
"Before
you can help someone you have to be able to at least relate to their
problems," Kevin grated. "Unfortunately it doesn't involve video
games or practical jokes." He spun on his heel and grabbed his jacket.
"I'm outta here." Without another word he crossed the room.
Before he
could open the door, Howie spoke.
"Kev,
we're supposed to have dinner at seven in the hotel restaurant tonight. We'll
wait and go down together, okay?"
Although
Kevin hesitated, he didn't reply. Five seconds later the door closed shut,
leaving the question hanging in the air.
Brian, who
had witnessed the last exchange between his best friend and his cousin, turned
back to his conversation and murmured a quick goodbye to his wife, along with a
promise to call later. He tossed the cell on his bag and moved towards a
slightly pale Nick, who was simply staring at the door.
"Frack,"
he said hesitantly, "are you okay?"
Nick held
his silence for a moment, then spoke quietly. "You should be worried about
Train, not me."
"I
can't believe Kevin said that to you," Howie interjected in a sympathetic
voice. "That was cold."
"I
don't know what he's got up his a-" AJ began.
"AJ,"
Nick said, "let it go. Kevin…" He swallowed hard. "He's right… I
did screw up."
"But
that's no reason to cop an attitude like that," AJ said. "Bro,
he told you it'd be a waste of breath talking to you!"
"I
heard." His azure eyes betrayed the pain his voice tried to cover up.
"Look, obviously practice is over, and we have almost six hours of free
time before dinner. I don't want to waste it standing here."
"Nick's
right," Brian agreed. "Let's bail. Anyone interested in lunch?"
"Count
me in," Howie said.
A moment
later AJ nodded, followed by a shrug from the tall blond. Together, the
foursome gathered their things and left the room.
**********
Nick pushed
a french fry around his plate with his fork, lost in thought. He wasn't sure
that his plan… his stupid plan… was even a consideration any longer. At
first he'd thought it was a great idea, but the blowup at the practice room had
given him a large dose of doubt. Now, the more he thought about it, the more
foolish he felt; he toyed with the idea of calling and canceling the entire
thing. And it might be a moot point anyway… he seriously doubted he could ever
get Kevin to cooperate, not now.
Unfortunately
it doesn't involve video games or practical jokes. The words echoed in his mind, causing a new surge of pain. Is
that what Kevin thought? That he wasn't capable of understanding anything but
surface, adolescent subjects? That his whole world was nothing but fun and
games? Sure, he still enjoyed goofing around, but he wasn’t a kid any longer.
Hadn't been for a long time, at least in his own mind. And that's what hurt the
most.
A hand on
his arm snapped him out of his musings and he looked up, startled to see three
sets of eyes staring at him in concern.
"Frack?"
Brian asked softly. "What are you thinking about?"
"Oh…
sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to tune out there."
"Well?"
AJ said when no further explanations came.
He shifted
a bit in his chair and put down his fork. Then, he surprised them all with a
question.
"Do
you guys still think of me as a kid?"
The tone in
his voice told them this was a very serious topic, and no jokes or smart
comments came forth.
"You're
20, man," AJ finally said, leaning forward and looking at Nick with
puzzled eyes. "At 13, you were a kid… but not now."
Brian
frowned. "You'll always be our younger brother, but a kid? No."
"Kevin
thinks of me that way," Nick declared. "To him, I'm still that
immature brat that first joined the group."
"Kev's
got a lot on his mind," Howie said. "I think he said what he did
because he wanted to push you away."
"There's
more to it than that," Nick said, staring down at his hands. "I know
I'm a screw-up sometimes-"
"Hey…"
Brian interrupted.
"It's
true, Frick, and you know it. I goof around a lot, and don't get serious too
often… and that's what Kevin sees." He paused. "Maybe he's
right."
Howie shook
his head at once. "No. Nick, don't think that. No one at this table
believes it."
The frank
doubt on Nick's face prompted Howie to continue.
"There
are some things about you that have never changed: your love of fun, your sense
of humor, your uncanny ability to lighten situations up by just being you. I
hope those things never go away. But that's not immaturity, that's just who you
are. An immature person would have gotten into a shouting match with Kevin, or
worse. An immature person would have been sulking or pouting or plotting some
kind of payback. But at the practice session, you kept your cool-"
"As
hard as that must have been," AJ interjected.
"Right.
And you tried to reason with Kevin. You were the sensible one, Nick. You've
been quiet since we've come to the restaurant, but I don't perceive it as
pouting." Howie offered a slight smile. "As for plotting…"
"I have
been plotting, kinda," Nick admitted with a sigh. "I… think I
understand what's been going on, but I can't be sure because he never talks
about it. I had an idea about what might help Kev, but now I… I don't know.
After today…"
Brian
looked at his best friend. "If you have an idea what to do, it's more than
any of us have come up with."
"It's
probably stupid," Nick said, his voice soft and full of doubt.
"You
can tell us," coaxed Brian.
"Yeah,"
AJ added. "We promise to let you know if it's stupid so you don't
embarrass yourself."
For the
first time that afternoon, Nick allowed himself a small smile. He could always
count on AJ to be honest… maybe not tactful, but honest. He shook his head.
"I'd
rather keep it to myself," he said, looking down at his hands. "That
way, if it doesn't work, the only one disappointed will be me."
"What
if it does work?" Howie asked.
"Well,
I guess if it works, then Kev might actually have some fun… you know, a good
time for once. I figured if that happened, then maybe he'd be able to open up
to one of you guys about the problem." He bit his bottom lip. "He
needs to talk to someone he can trust, someone who can relate."
An
uncomfortable silence swept over the trio.
"Nick,"
Howie began, "he said that stuff because-"
"Yeah,
I know," Nick said, cutting off the sentence. "Bottom line is, if I
can even get him to go for the plan, it'll be a miracle. Anything beyond that
is asking way too much. I just want you guys to be aware that Kev might need to
talk."
Brian sat
back, a thoughtful statement on his face. "You have been thinking
about this a lot, Frack."
Howie
nodded. "Your idea might do a lot of good if he goes along with… whatever
it is."
"Yeah…
if you can get Train to go along with it," emphasized AJ. "If
we knew what you had in mind, we could try to push him in the right
direction."
"You
can't push him," Nick declared. "That never works. You know how
stubborn he can be."
Muttered
agreement from around the table.
"Can
you at least give us some clue what the plan is?" asked Brian.
"I
need to see about arrangements first. This whole shaky thing could fall apart
in a second if I can't make a couple of things happen. All I can say is if it
goes okay, I need him to be at the hotel at 10 tonight."
"What
if Kev wants to go clubbing? Wouldn't that ruin the plans?" Brian asked.
"He
won't want to," Howie spoke up. "Kevin's turned us down the last
seven times. I doubt he'll suddenly change his mind and want to go with us. You
saw his mood… the last thing he'll be thinking about is socializing."
"There's
still a good chance this whole thing could go bust," Nick said darkly.
"It's more likely that he'll go from the restaurant straight to his
room."
Howie
wanted to reassure his brother, but knew Nick was right. Instead, he offered a
smile of encouragement across the table, hoping it would be enough.
"Speaking
of hotel rooms," Brian said a moment later as he stretched, "maybe
it's time to check in, finally. We can get suggestions as to what fun things
there are to do in this town for a few hours before dinner."
"Sounds
great," Howie agreed.
They
settled the bill and left the small restaurant quietly, each lost in thought.
***