Page 21 of Throuple Next Door

“There you are,” she said half an hour later, her face flushed. “You have the nicest neighbors.” She might have been a little tipsy—it was hard for him to tell—but her glass had been kept full. Most of the food was gone.

“They are fun. And they do this almost every Friday through the summer, apparently,” Weaver told her, resting his head on Randy’s shoulder. “It’s been a long day, I guess.”

“We can go,” Randy said softly. “Mom, do you need more to eat?”

“Gosh, no. They plied me with everything from veggies to empanadas.”

“Then I’ll take you back to the hotel,” Randy said as he grabbed the empty dish from his mother’s contribution. He also arranged for one of the neighbors to take what was left of the veggie tray. Then they headed home, and Randy got his mother into his truck.

“Your friends are really nice. This is a good place to live, especially surrounded by people like that.” She patted his cheek. “Maybe I should think about giving up my place in the city and moving here.”

Randy said nothing, but his belly went cold. That was so not a good idea. “All your friends are in Brooklyn.”

“But you left…,” she complained.

“Yeah. Because it was time for a change. Austin’s career was coming to an end, and Weaver wasn’t happy. So when I got the opportunity, the three of us discussed it and decided to make a change to our lives.”

She narrowed her gaze at him as Randy pulled to a stop at the light. “But I thought….”

“What? That I got a job here and Weaver and Austin just followed me? It was a decision we all made together. That’s how we live. It’s the three of us, and we’re a family. That’s the one thing all those people you met tonight get that you don’t.”

Chapter Nine

Austin was nervous, but the excited kind of nervous that kept him on his toes. “I have to go to the theater and make sure everything is ready.”

“How are you doing this? The theater is too big,” Weaver asked.

“We built an addition to the stage that will create a circular runway out into the theater. That way people can sit close and get a good look at the clothes. We’re only using the area in front of the curtain, to bring the clothes as close as we can. And once the models have done their runway, they’ll stroll down the center of the theater and out toward the lobby. That way everyone can experience the show no matter how far away they’re sitting.” He ate his light breakfast. “What time are you picking up Louise?”

“Eleven,” Randy answered. “We’ll be there in plenty of time.” The show began at three, and he expected the entire experience to take about two hours. And that’s what Austin wanted this to be: an experience. “Just go and do whatever it is you need to. Don’t worry about anything.”

Austin’s phone rang as he finished his eggs, and he answered it as he hurried out the door.

“There’s an issue with the runway, and we may need to use the stage,” Chris told him. He picked up his pace without thinking.

“No. Don’t do that. I’m on my way, and we’ll figure it out. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” He rushed toward his car, still talking. Then he raced back and gave Randy and Weaver each a kiss before sailing out into the sunny morning and getting into his car. He zoomed through town, reaching the theater in record time. There were always issues before something like this.

Chris met him in the lobby, and they walked through to the theater—where part of their runway looked like a third grader assembled it.

Austin took a closer look. “They forgot to secure this area right here. There was supposed to be another brace here and a leg there. No wonder it isn’t working. Get the carpenter in here and tell him he needs to fix it right away.”

Chris’s eyes widened. “I tried that, and he said he was busy.”

“This is his fault, and he’ll fix it or he isn’t going to get paid for anything. Play a little hardball. He should have been here to check on this already.” Austin crawled past the bunting and under the rest of the setup, making sure it was put together properly. It all seemed okay. “And call the borough inspector. Tell him that we need him to check this out today. I want to make sure this is safe once the carpenter is finished.” There was no way in hell this show was going to fall apart, not on his watch.

“He says it’s a Saturday, and he’s in Maryland with his family,” Chris reported after talking to the carpenter. “I told him that if he didn’t get back here, we weren’t paying his bill and that we were turning him in to the borough. The bastard hung up.” Those words seemed so out of place.

“Okay…,” Austin said as he tried to figure out what to do. “Did you call the building inspector?”

“The office is closed.”

“Look up his name, then search locally. He lives near here. Dig in and see if you can get any sort of borough official. They have a stake in this as well. They all know each other, and once you get hold of one, they will be able to contact each other. Word gets around fast in New York. I bet it’s even quicker here.”

“Okay. But what can they do?” Chris asked.

Austin groaned loudly. “Damned if I know. But someone has to help. It’s either that or we tear this thing down completely and rework everything.” He snapped his fingers. “That’s it. Get everyone you can in here, including the models. We need to get this entire thing out of here. We can’t fix it and know it’s safe.” His mind went in a million directions in seconds. “Please.”

“But…?” She seemed completely lost.

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