Page 5 of Bad to the Bone
Well, shit.Ricky Lee was here?
Alex had seen the mailing list the reunion invitations had been sent to. Ricky Lee’s name wasn’t on it. He supposed Ricky Lee could have found the information about the reunion online, if he’d looked up the high school’s Facebook page, but why would he bother?
There was only one way to find out.
Alex shouldered the two-by-four pieces, picked up his toolbox, and headed inside.
An eight-foot table draped with Freeland High’s gold and green colors stood inside the doors, blocking the entrance into the gymnasium itself. One of the committee volunteers, Melissa Scott, was seated behind it, staring up at the two people in front of her.
“You didn’t register to buy tickets. You can’t come in.”
“I’ll buy a ticket now.” Ricky Lee’s voice was slightly deeper than it had been eleven years earlier, but Alex would have recognized it anywhere. Up close, Ricky Lee himself looked far different than Alex remembered.
The Ricky Lee of high school days had been almost painfully slender. He’d been taller than Alex, which only made his thinness all the more evident. Whatever he’d been doing in the years since leaving Freeland, Ricky Lee had matured into his height. The black evening suit he wore stretched across broad shoulders and clung to long, muscled legs. The collar of his shirt, turned down at the corners and held in place with silver and onyx studs, didn’t need a tie to draw attention to the long column of his neck. The crisp white fabric set off the slightly darker complexion that evidenced his half-Native heritage. Ricky Lee’s face was all strong planes and sharp cheekbones. He’d pulled his long black hair into a neat tail at his nape. But it was his brown eyes that caught and held Alex’s gaze.
Melissa’s annoyed voice broke into the moment. “You can’t buy a ticket. You’re not a graduate. The reunion by-laws clearly state that only 2008 graduates of Freeland High School and their guests can attend. I don’t know where you graduated from, if you graduated at all, but it wasn’t Freeland High School.”
“Now that’s just rude.” Ricky Lee’s voice was quiet, but it was plain he wasn’t about to back down. But then, he never had. That was part of what got him into so much trouble.
“He’s here as my guest.” Alex set down the toolbox and studs he was still carrying and walked over to the table. “You can let him in, Melissa.”
“I thought you were coming with Samantha, Alex,” Melissa protested.
“Sam paid for her own registration.” Not for the first time, Alex had cause to be grateful for Sam’s independent streak. “I wasn’t sure until now that Ricky Lee would be able to make it.”
Melissa’s expression didn’t soften any. “And what about his—his—this other person?” She gestured to the figure at Ricky Lee’s side, who had barely registered on Alex’s radar until now.
“Crae Adams,” Ricky Lee said. “My friend and… assistant.”
Crae extended a hand to Alex. “Nice to meet you. Lee has told me so much about you.”
Lee?Alex wondered, taking in Crae’s appearance. Where Ricky Lee was dressed with classic elegance, Crae’s outfit was more… eclectic. The blue satin trousers and jacket were loosely constructed, the jacket’s lapels a bright blue-and-gold floral print, the front joined by several slender gold chains. Beneath it, Crae wore a ruffled cream shirt open at the throat. Crae’s henna-rimmed eyes were a clear blue, complementing the dreadlocks Alex had noted the day Ricky Lee’s motorcycle had been pulled over.
“Crae is my guest too,” Alex told Melissa, because what else could he do?
“But… but… you can’t have two guests,” Melissa spluttered.
“Why not?” Alex asked. “There isn’t anything in the by-laws to prevent it.” He had no idea whether that was true or not, but he didn’t think Melissa would call his bluff. He pulled several bills from his wallet and offered them to her. “This should cover their tickets.”
“But—” Melissa repeated, but Alex was tired of listening to her.
“Stephanie’s waiting for me to make some last-minute repairs.” He picked up his tools and the lumber and gave Ricky Lee a crooked smile. “I’ll see you inside.”
