Page 53 of The Bro Date
A large, brown horse comes trotting down the road, pulling a carriage steered by an old man with a curly white mustache and a top hat.
“Is that for us?” Toby asks in awe when it comes to a stop in front of us.
“Toot! Toot!All aboard the Crescent Bay Express!” the old man bellows, chuckling as he climbs down to open the tiny carriage door.
“Hi, I’m Toby, and this is Shane,” Toby says for both of us. I hold his hand as he steps up into the carriage and takes the far seat.
“Good afternoon. The name’s Cormac, and it’s a pleasure to meet ya. This beautiful boy here is Chestnut,” he says, patting the horse’s hindquarters.
I give Cormac a respectful nod, stepping up and taking my spot next to Toby on the plush bench seat.
He shuts the door, locking us in before he takes his seat up front behind the reins. “Are we ready?!” Cormac hollers, and Toby once again answers for both of us.
“Yeah!”
“Off we go!” He shakes the reins and makes Chestnut start off at a slow trot through Crescent Bay’s historic park.
“This is so cool,” Toby says over the rattling of the wheels and clomping of hooves on the uneven cobblestones. A few small children stop and stare, pointing in wonder at the giant horse and carriage. “I wish I had candy to throw out, I feel like we’re at a parade,” Toby laughs.
Making a full loop around the park, Cormac drops us off right where he picked us up. I slip the old man a nice tip, and then we head toward downtown, where all the shops and restaurants are.
It’s romantic here, walking around the cobblestone streets together, hand in hand and completely unbothered. No one’s watching, no one’s looking, and no one cares. We can be ourselves.Whoever that may be.
We come to a gate with a quaint outside patio draped in string lights and mostly hidden by tall hedges and flowing green vines.
“Whoa.This is magical,” Toby whispers in awe, staring up at the giant, wrought-iron gate with an elaborate goldenEin the center.
The Esquire is a stunning, seven-story-tall, historic hotel with a Michelin Star restaurant on the first floor. They’re usually booked out for three weeks, but my boss, Glenn, has the hookup, and he was especially happy to call in a favor when I told him I was taking Toby.
“This is such an amazing surprise. How’d you even get us a table so fast?” Toby asks.
“Let’s just say, I know the right people,” I reply with a wink, making him blush.
After our delicious dinner, we go for a walk next to the waterway, enjoying the scenery before the sun sets. As we’re strolling down the sidewalk holding hands, the familiar sound of violin strings fills the air, beckoning us over.
When the person playing comes into view, Toby’s eyes light up in excitement. He tugs me toward the music, crossing the street carefully. “Oh my God, this is so cool!” Toby whisper-shouts. His long, lithe fingers dance in the air like he’s playing his own invisible strings.
The street performer finishes his set and takes a bow. Toby claps excessively, dropping a twenty into his open case. “That was amazing! Your technique is so smooth and clean. I’m Toby, and this is Shane. What’s your name?”
“Thank you, Toby. My name is Jules. You look like you know a thing or two about playing violin, care to join me?” Jules nods to a second violin case sitting on the sidewalk.
Toby looks at me, and I just shrug. It’s up to him. I don’t know violin etiquette.
“You sure you don’t mind if I use it?” he asks.
“Nope. Here’s an alcohol wipe for the chin rest.” Jules winks, getting back into position. “Any requests from the love birds?”
Toby smiles at me, then leans over, whispering into Jules’s ear and making him grin.
“I’ll follow your lead, young man.”
Toby nods, getting into position.
Slow, seductive notes harmonize with each other, and it takes me a moment to recognize the song as “Pony” by Genuine.
They draw a crowd, and before I know it, people start tossing in fives and tens.
Toby really gets into it, dancing around like he does out on the dock when no one’s watching. The crowd cheers, wanting more, but Toby hands the violin back to Jules.
