friend makes a lot more sense, even though it’s harder to say. I figure
your best friend, let’s call him Ben, has plenty of good reasons for liking
you. If I like Ben, and he likes you, then it stands to reason that I
probably like you too. Hopefully that also works in reverse.”
“Depends,” Allison said. “Did Ben put you up to this, or are you a
creepy stalker?”
“A little of both?” He held out his hand. “I’m Jace. Ben’s taking his
car back to his parents, and I imagine he thinks it’s funny putting me in
this awkward position.”
Allison considered his hand before taking it and squeezing gently.
“Or maybe I’m supposed to appraise you, decide if you make the grade.”
“How I am doing so far?”
“Well, you’re handsome, but the crazy ones usually are.” Allison
looked him over once more. Then she nodded toward the interior. “Come
on in.”
Jace wasn’t sure what to expect. Vases full of condolence flowers, or
furniture draped in black cloth, maybe. Instead the house seemed fairly
normal. The curtains were all open, letting in the sunshine, and Jace
could hear a Top 40 radio station in another room. Allison led them
toward this sound, which grew louder and louder until they entered the
kitchen. She went to a counter and shut off the radio before turning
around to face him.
“Want something to drink? Whisky? Beer?”
Jace shook his head. “I don’t drink during the day.”
“Oh, first test passed!” Allison said with some humor. “How about
an iced tea?”
“That would be fine.”
She took two large plastic tumblers from the cabinet, then a pitcher
from the fridge that she used to fill them. After handing one to Jace, she
raised her glass in toast. He did the same, laughing nervously. While they
drank, they considered each other. Okay, so this was a little
uncomfortable. Allison spoke first.
“I’d invite you to sit down, but—” She nodded at the table, which
was covered in cardboard boxes and paperwork. “We could go to the
living room.”
Jace considered the mess on the table. He knew what had caused it.
There had been boxes when Victor had died. Jace’s parents had worked
with the public administrator, moving as many of Mrs. Hemingway’s
possessions to her room at the nursing home as they could. He didn’t
know what happened to the rest, but his parents had boxed up some
things from Victor’s room, thinking Jace might want them. He’d barely
recognized anything, which had only upset him further. He hadn’t kept
any of it, except the beat-up Zippo. Besides the lighter, all he had from
those days were a few photos, an old werewolf mask, and a carving of a
lion.
“I’m sorry,” Jace said. “I didn’t know your father, and I don’t really
know you, but I know what it’s like to lose someone.”
“Thank you,” Allison said.
“If there’s anything I can do to help…”
“Not unless you know how to dissolve an estate.” Allison sighed,
walking toward the stacks of paper and considering them. “I stayed up
half the night trying to make a plan. Should I keep the house? I don’t
know how much Ben has told you, but it’s just me, really. My mother
died a long time ago, and my dad and I didn’t get along so well.” She
looked up at him. “I don’t want this house, but I don’t feel like I have the
right to sell it either. I mean, it’s his. Not mine.”
Jace understood that too. The little box of Victor’s possessions had
made him equally as uncomfortable. Disposing of it had seemed
treacherous, and it had been many months before Jace had been able to
do so. “Don’t rush anything,” he said. “That is… Do you mind if I get
personal?”
Allison shrugged. “The friend of my friend is also my friend.”
Jace smiled. “Is the house paid off? If not, are you able to make the
payments?”
“It’s nearly paid off,” Allison said. “There’s an insurance policy that
will do more than cover the rest.”
“Then you have time,” Jace said. “Losing your father is hard enough.
Let the house stay as it is for now and focus on dealing with your loss.
When you’re back on your feet, you can decide what this house means to
you, if anything.”
Allison exhaled, as if relieved. “Yeah. Maybe you’re right. You
know what’s funny? If I do sell the house, the idea of having all that
money terrifies me. Isn’t that stupid?”
“Nope.” Jace shook his head. “It just means you’re too smart to do
anything foolish with it. I have a suggestion though.”
Allison took another sip of her tea. “An investment tip?”
“Sort of. Buy yourself a new car. That’s your Ford Escort outside,
isn’t it?”
Allison raised an eyebrow. “And what if it is?”
“Just looking at it gives me chills,” Jace said. “If cars could become
zombies, yours would be one. It probably lurches through the streets at
night, devouring the engines of other vehicles instead of brains.”
Allison pretended to be offended. “Next to Ben, that car is the most
loyal friend I have.”
“Really?”
Allison snorted. “No. I can’t wait to get rid of it. Speaking of which,
my father’s car. I don’t know if it’s paid off or…”
Looking panicked, she set down her tea and started rifling through
the papers. Jace asked if he could help. She accepted. By the time Ben
entered the kitchen a few minutes later, they were seated at the table
together, Allison on the phone with the dealership where her father had
purchased his car, holding a list of questions that Jace had helped her
compile. Jace fixed Ben with a stern expression and put a finger to his
lips, as if his intrusion was unwelcome.
After the call, Allison beamed at Ben, the first real smile Jace had
seen. “I’m so glad you sent him to me,” she said.
“You can’t keep him,” Ben said. “He’s mine.”
God, how Jace loved the sound of that! This called for a celebration.
“Let’s grab lunch,” he said. “We’ll go somewhere nice. My treat.”
They agreed, but first Allison went upstairs to change her clothes.
Ben went with her. When they returned, his hair was nicely styled.
Allison wore makeup, subtle perfume, and a smart black top.
“Should I run home for something dressy?” Ben asked, tugging at
the flannel shirt he wore.
Jace considered him thoughtfully. “No, I think they’ll let you in like
that.”
“Is it that fancy?” Ben asked, intimidated.
“Yes,” Jace said. “Although festive is probably a better word. Shall
we?”
They piled into his car, and after a short drive, they pulled into a
parking lot. “Ready, kids?” Jace said, unbuckling his seat belt. He turned
in his seat to face his passengers. Ben looked as apprehensive as Allison
did excited.
“Chuck E. Cheese’s!” she squealed.
“Not fancy enough for you?” Jace asked when Ben didn’t respond.
“He’s scared of the robots,” Allison said, playfully shoving her
friend. “Come on, you big wimp. We’ll protect you!”
The calm atmosphere of the parking lot gave way to one of complete
chaos when they entered the restaurant. Kids screamed with delight as
bright lights flashed from all directions, the bangs and roars of video
games accompanying them. If Jace closed his eyes, he suspected it would
sound like a war waged by children, their army spreading across the
nation as they conquered every toy store in their path. They wandered
through this paradise, Jace grinning at it all. Was this the right time to
ask if Ben wanted kids? Probably not. They made their way to the dining
area, Ben gripping Jace’s arm as if they were in a haunted house. On
stage, a giant animatronic rat and his friends were telling terrible jokes
and singing outdated songs.
Once they had ordered their pizza, he couldn’t resist asking, “Why
are you scared of the robots?”
Ben just shook his head, but Allison was happy to fill him in on the
details.
“He had a birthday party here when he was little,” she said. “Ben
was standing in front of the stage, shaking his thing and singing along
with Chucky when the power cut out.”
“It was a thunderstorm,” Ben said. “Like the kind from hell with big
boomers and tons of lightning.”
“Hurricane season,” Allison said. “Anyway, all the lights go out, so
of course the robots stop singing—”
“—and moving,” Ben said defensively. “So I turn to look at them,
and let me tell you, a seven-foot-tall rat is a lot scarier in the dark. As I’m
staring into the dim reflection of his dead eyes, Chuck hisses and bends
over to kill me.”
“Or,” Allison said, “the hydraulics started draining of air, making the
robot slump over slightly.”
“Like a kid understands that,” Ben said. “For weeks I had nightmares
about him grabbing me and turning me into one of his singing robots.”
“Oh, I’d like to see that,” Allison said. “What animal would you be?”
Before he could answer, she started snapping her fingers as a new song
started. Soon she was singing along with the worst version of Wham’s
Jitterbug that Jace had ever heard. Only Allison’s voice made it
tolerable, since she could really sing. After the first verse, Ben joined in.
They sang together like lovers did in musicals, making cute faces at each
other and pointing to signal when one should take the lead. The pun that
popped into Jace’s mind was terrible, but their music revealed the
harmony they shared. This wasn’t a casual friendship. They loved each
other. Jace thought of Greg, happy Ben had someone like that in his life.
When finished eating they hit the game room, competing in such
time-honored sports as Whac-A-Mole and skee-ball. They earned enough
tickets to get Allison a cheap and tawdry tiara from the prize counter,
which she wore like the Queen of Texas. Allison and Ben remained in
high spirits on the drive home, chatting in the backseat like a couple of
teenagers. This made Jace feel like the adult chaperone, but every time
he glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Ben’s smile, he couldn’t help
but do the same.
“You guys go do something romantic,” Allison said when they
pulled into her driveway. “I have things I need to take care of.”
“Need any help?” Jace offered.
“I’m good,” Allison said. “Thanks for lunch. I had a nice time.”
“Me too,” Jace said. “Just remember the free pizza when you write
your report on me.”
“Will do.” Allison nudged Ben. “Speaking of which, call me later if
you’re not busy.”
Ben smiled sheepishly as she hugged him and got out of the car.
Once Allison was safely inside, Jace looked again to the rearview mirror.
“Where to?”
“This is my old neighborhood,” Ben said. “We could go for a walk.
Leave the car here.”
“Okay.”
Jace liked Allison—a lot—but was glad to have more time alone
with Ben. Once they were on the sidewalk he offered his hand, Ben
taking it and smiling up at him.
“That was a cool idea,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d see Allison that
happy any time soon.”
“It’s impossible to be sad at Chuck E. Cheese’s,” Jace said. “They
should stop catering to kids and start doing funerals.”
Ben laughed. “You might be on to something. They could program
the robots to give eulogies and sing hymns.”
“I’m putting that in my will,” Jace said. He considered the
neighborhood houses, which weren’t so different from Warrensburg. “So
you lived around here?”
“Yeah,” Ben said. “I’ll show you.”
A quarter of the way around the block, a sidewalk lined with trees
wound between houses. Jace had read about the bike paths, or maybe
Adrien had told him. He knew they ran all through the community,
allowing residents to walk, jog, or bike just about anywhere. Ben led
them a couple of blocks over to an innocuous two-story house. The car
he had been driving was parked in the driveway.
“There it is,” Ben said. “Pretty thrilling, huh?”
“It’s hard to tell much from the outside,” Jace said.
“I guess we could go in.”
“Nah. I want you all to myself.”
Ben nodded his agreement. “Anyway, that’s where I grew up. It
seems small now. In my memory, it felt like my entire world at times.
Now when I come home, it’s like the house isn’t big enough for me, like
I couldn’t stay there long without feeling cramped.”
“I know what you mean,” Jace said as they continued walking. “My
whole hometown feels that way. When I go back now, I nearly suffocate.
I used to have a friend—my first boyfriend, actually—who never wanted
to be indoors. I couldn’t really understand why until recently. He must
have felt something similar.”
“How old were you?” Ben asked.
“When I had my first boyfriend? Seventeen.”
Ben nudged him. “Got you beat! I was sixteen!”
Jace chuckled. “Lucky you. On second thought, lucky him.”
Ben’s smile faded. They entered another bike path, one that branched
off in a couple of different directions. They turned right, and Jace could
see a small lake and park ahead. Ben stopped. Jace glanced over at him,
but Ben’s attention was focused on the lake.
“You all right?”
“Yeah,” Ben said. “Let’s go a different way.”
“Okay.” They backtracked in silence a few moments. Ben was
clearly lost in thought, or the past, which is exactly where Jace wanted to
go. He wanted to know more about him, but knew he couldn’t force
matters. “If it’s hard for you to be here, we can go somewhere else.”
“It’s not hard,” Ben said. Then he smiled ironically. “But it’s not
easy.”
“Ah.” Rather than walk in silence, Jace decided to pry. “The reason
you moved to Chicago?”
“Kind of,” Ben admitted. Then he squeezed Jace’s hand tighter. “His
name is Tim. Did you ever have a crush on a straight guy?”
Jace shook his head. “Honestly, no.”
“Oh. Well, it’s not important.”
Feeling the lifeline slipping away, Jace quickly added, “Then again,
my boyfriend couldn’t admit he was anything, straight or gay.”
Ben glanced over at him. “How does that work?”
“Don’t ask. Victor was a very strange person. Anyway, I know what
it’s like to love someone who can’t love you back in the way you need.”
“Exactly.” Ben looked relieved. “That sums it up perfectly.”
“So did Tim live around here too?”
“Yeah,” Ben said. “Not too far away. I used to sneak over to his
