Page 27 of You Spin Me

Becky stops short, throwing me off balance. “What? No way.”

“Way.” Have to own up to it someday.

“Well, you don’t look it. Oops, sorry Randall. I didn’t mean you’re old or anything. I’ll shut up now.” Becky’s cheeks, already rosy from the cold, are now fully flushed. She sounded a little surprised on the phone when I asked her to come out with us. She’s been assistant stage manager for Shakespeare Boston from the beginning, but maybe she still feels like an outsider.

Glad I asked her, I whisper in her ear, “It’s okay; he is old.”

Randall rolls his eyes but takes the teasing in stride. “Hey, I heard you quit teaching at that private school.”

“More like they quit me. I got replaced by an actual aerobics teacher.”

“That sucks. But you’re doing that play up north?”

I laugh. “Yes, an entire hour outside of town.” Randall’s from Boston too, so he thinks anything outside of 128 may as well be in New Hampshire. “Anyway, the money’s not horrible, and I’ll get the weeks for my health insurance.”

“Nice. Well, I can put a word in at the restaurant if you want.”

“I might take you up on that if I don’t book anything else soon.”

Mike claps his hands. “Get a move on, folks.”

I squeeze Randall’s arm. “He’s right; let’s get inside.”

We catch up with Mike as he trots up to the dude guarding the door. Mike’s on the shorter side, but he puffs up his chest and flashes his wide smile. “Hey, my man. Jess Abraham here should be on your list.”

Standing, the bouncer is monolithic. “List?”

“Yeah.” Mike takes a step back. “You know, the list?”

“I don’t got no list.”

I go up on tiptoes behind Mike. “I’m a friend of the DJ’s.”

The guy’s face may as well be carved of granite. “There’s five DJs spinning right now.”

I untangle myself from Becky and Randall and raise my hand. “I’m a friend of Callihan’s.”

“Callihan’s, sure.” The sarcasm in his tone is not encouraging.

Two people exit, and he checks the IDs of the next two people in line. After frowning at me, he follows them inside, shutting the door behind him.

Mike turns to face me. “What the fuck, Jess? Do you know this guy or not?”

“I do. We’re friends.”Friends who’ve never actually met, I don’t say. “If this is a bust, I’m buying everyone a drink.” I wrap one leg around the other in an attempt to warm up. “So, what’s theHamletgossip?”

Mike’s eyes light up. “I think something is going on with Eva Marie and the guy playing Horatio.”

“Really?” I squeak. “Is he for real, Becky?”

She flashes an impish grin. “All I can say is Dave is pretty mad.”

“I always wondered if those two had a thing. How old is the guy playing Horatio?” I couldn’t tell you if Eva Marie was forty or sixty. Dave’s probably in his forties, but… “A guy young enough to play Horatio—that’s cradle robbing.”

“Give her a break. She’s still got it going on.” Randall smiles at a cute guy in the line behind us.

Mike shakes his head. “It’s too weird. She was my teacher. She can’t date anybody.”

The giant reappears, interrupting our gossip. “All right. You’re in.”

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