Grady Tremone, keyboard player and backup singer for Hail The Dead Marys, feels like something is missing in his life. While trying to figure out what that could be, his mom asks for help with an upcoming show. Grady agrees, and on the day of rehearsal, he comes face to face with the man for whom he's in instant lust.
Tim Hugo, the show’s choreographer, likes to flirt but wants more than a casual fling. Grady pushes the issue, and Tim shoots him down, cold. However, after sending white roses every day for a week as an apology, Grady convinces Tim to give them another go -- at Tim’s pace, this time.
It takes a month, but when the men finally become intimate, Grady is convinced he’ll eventually walk down the aisle with Tim, the man who has the keys to his heart.
“Mrs. Tremone?” a voice called out.
My mother turned to the speaker and her face lit up. “Tim! You’re early.” Wait a minute. That voice was familiar.
I glanced over and saw Tim Hugo, an old acquaintance of mine. “What the fuck, man?” I exclaimed.
“Dude!” Tim replied, surprised but pleased to see me. “You’re the new piano player?” Tim filled in for me sometimes when I couldn’t make a gig with Hail The Dead Marys. He was an awesome musician, very laid back, but I’d had no idea he did this, too. And now that I thought of it, I should have caught on to the resemblance between him and Clyde -- Mom’s best friend, and Tim’s father.
I smiled. “Guilty. You probably could have done this yourself, though, but I guess you couldn’t choreograph and play at the same time.”
“I could, but these folks are a handful.” Tim winked at my mom, and she swatted him playfully on the arm.
“That’s enough out of you,” she said. “Okay, let me get everyone together, and rehearsal will get started.”
Tim and I watched her move away briskly. “Your mother is something else,” Tim said, shaking his head and grinning.
“That she is. So tell me,” I said, turning to face him fully. “How long have you been doing stuff like this?”
“Choreography? I’m a dancer, have been since I was three years old. Music went hand in hand with that, naturally, and I took voice and piano lessons for almost as long. Dance is my first love, though.”
“Huh.” I checked him out while he was focused on the stage. Tim was a fine-looking man, built for dancing with his long legs and firm, slender frame. I’d never noticed before just how hot he was, or maybe I’d been too preoccupied with other things. Those light brown, almost golden eyes and that tight, curly black hair were distracting. His mocha brown skin was definitely kissable.
Before I could make another comment, Mom returned. “Okay, boys.” She handed the sheet music to me, and the CD player to Tim. “We’re ready when you are.”
I arranged things to my satisfaction while Tim gathered everyone together, hugged his dad, and got to work with the group. It was an eye-opening two hours. Watching my mom and her friends as they rehearsed was hilarious, but they were gutsy as hell, and gave it everything they had. None of these people had let age, aches or disabilities stop them from doing things they enjoyed, no matter how slowly they moved, or how their voices warbled.
Mom had found a new life and friends here, and that made me want to do something more with my own. I played with one eye on the music, and the other on Tim.
The man was gorgeous. It was the way he moved, how kind and encouraging he was to everyone. Everything about him was confident and sexy, and I wanted him like I’d never wanted anyone before. Why that was, I didn’t care.
“That’s a wrap, everyone,” Tim announced as he wiped the moisture off his brow with a handkerchief that he’d stuck in his back pocket. His T-shirt clung to him like a second skin and I wanted to taste his sweat and suck the nipples that pushed against the material. My response to him was visceral, and I felt like a horny teenager again. And me in my thirties.
I shook my head at myself. Grabbing the sheet music, I rose and waited as Mom made her way over to me. She embraced me tightly.
“You were wonderful, sweetie. You and Tim work so well together, you’d think you were a couple.” The twinkle in her eye told me where this was going.
“Enough, sneaky woman. I’m capable of finding my own guy, thank you very much.”
“But I want to see you happy, just like I was with your father.” Her eyes misted a little.
I kissed her cheek. “I know you do, love, and thanks for your concern. It will happen when it happens, all right?”
