Page 22 of Dragged Home for Christmas

“Anyhow, Polly went off to find fame and fortune in Hollywood, and that was the start.” Sam’s expression grew gloomy. “Everything just… snowballed.”

“Nick began drinking, for one thing,” Elliott said in a low voice. “We’d put on a show and his heart just wasn’t in it. Before she left, he’d be in the audience, whooping and cheering with the rest of them. After?” He shrugged. “He’d stay in the bar, drowning his sorrows in a glass of bourbon.”

“Several glasses, you mean.” Anthony’s brow furrowed.

“The next blow was losing Frank. He was our pianist,” Jim informed Mike. “Polly had been gone a week before she messaged him to come join her. He was packed and out of here in less time than it takes for me to shoot when a guy nails my prostate.”

Ashley snickered. “Okay, that comes under the heading of TMI.”

Mike frowned. “I saw a photo of Nick and… what was his name?”

“Doesn’t matter. She’s Polly now, and sharing that would be deadnaming her.” Anthony finished his coffee. “As much as we hate what she did—allthe things she did—we won’t do that.”

“She transitioned?” Ashley asked.

“Yup, about a year after she left us. She found herself an amazing plastic surgeon who provided her with an equally amazing boob job. So yeah, she had the work done, and now he’s a she.”

“You saidallthe things she did. What else happened?”

Elliott glanced at Jim, who nodded. Elliott leaned forward. “We all knew she was with Nick, but… we also knew she was cheating on him with Cal.”

“Who was he?” Mike’s heart sank. “Did Nick know?”

“Cal was my boyfriend,” Jim ground out.

“And we’re not sure if Nick ever found out,” Sam said.

“Ofcoursehe did,” Anthony yelled. “He wasn’t blind. That was just another nail in his coffin. And we all knowwhyshe poached Cal, don’t we?”

“Cal was the one who made our costumes,” Sam explained. “What that man couldn’t do with a needle and thread wasn’t worth knowing.”

“Polly wanted to make sure her costumes were better than anyone else’s,” Jim said with a sneer.

“Did he follow her to Hollywood as well?” Ashley’s lip curled and she wrinkled her nose.

“Yeah, about a week after she left here. So then we were short one pianist and one dressmaker, and we never found anyone to replace them.” Jim scowled. “And then there was the dancers.”

“We had a team of six guys who used to dance for our big numbers,” Elliott explained. “Oh, they didn’t desert the sinking ship right away. But onceHollywood Queenaired, we didn’t see them for dust.”

“What makes it so painful about Polly’s betrayal?” Elliott’s eyes glinted. “She was our drag mom. She helped us all get started, she gave advice on our acts, our costumes…”

“And now she’s making big bucks in LA, whilewe’restruggling to put food on the table, or stay warm this winter. And there ain’t no winter like a P-town winter.” Jim sounded so down Mike’s heart went out to him.

“Mike…” Sam glanced at the others, and they gave him reassuring nods. “The thing is… We don’t want to leave P-town. This is the safest, best town I’ve ever lived in.”

“Same here,” Elliott added.

Jim and Anthony joined him, their expressions grave.

“I know you own this place, but I’m asking, on behalf of us all, that you don’t throw us out onto the streets.” Sam grimaced. “We can’t afford to find anywhere else.”

“Just like nearly everywhere else in this country, P-town rents are sky high,” Anthony told him. “That’s if you can even find a place.”

“We’ll earn our keep.” Elliott gazed at him with such desperation that Mike’s throat seized. “We’ll clean, Anthony will cook, we’ll shop, whatever it takes.” He flushed. “Short of giving a repeat performance of last night.”

“Thank God,” Ashley murmured. “I might get some sleep tonight.”

Mike sighed. “I’m in the same boat as you. I don’t have any money to fall back on. I’m going to struggle to heat this place. And when the taxes are due, I won’t be able to pay them. I’m sorry, but…” He squared his shoulders. “Selling is probably my best option.”

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