Page 35 of In the Nick of Time
“What?” Doug squinted at him.
“The creep in the bathroom last night,” Nick reminded Doug. “I didn’t like him.”
“Keep your eye out for him again tonight. That was odd. I should’ve said something when we checked in.”
“After the club, then what? This whole undercover thing is a lot more boring than I’d thought it would be.” It wasn’t, but Doug was acting very calm and un-rattled and Nick preferred it when he wasnotMr. In Control, like he had been yesterday and in the shower earlier.
Doug rolled his eyes at Nick’s comment.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure it will get exciting.”
“Do you think we can go back to the room and take Tim for a walk before we hit the club?” The tortoise wanted to stretch his legs. Nick wasn’t sure how he knew this, but he’d had the thought before they’d left the room and he just couldn’t shake it.
“Tim.” Doug said the name like he was tasting vinegar. Or kombucha. Nick liked the drink but he suspected that Doug would hate it. “Fine.” He looked at his watch. “I suppose even if we spend a couple hours here, it will still be early for the club.”
The meal was surprisingly delicious. Nick savored his salad while being jealous of Doug’s steak. And, just because he could, he regaled Doug with facts about red meat and the health benefits of being vegetarian in between bites.
“And yet,” Doug said after chewing and swallowing, “I see bacon bits covering your salad.”
“Yes,” Nick conceded, “but small amounts.”
“And I’m also having a salad but with no meat on it.”
“I just don’t think that one salad balances out a massive steak like that one. Especially at your age.”
The eye roll appeared again, along with the slightest hint of that dimple in his left cheek. Nick nearly choked on the bite of iceberg lettuce he just put in his mouth. If they’d been back at the hotel room, Nick would’ve jumped Doug’s bones.
“Are you okay? Are you having an out-of-body experience? Should I be worried?”
“What? Ha, ha. No! I’m fine, just fine. Er, thinking about the tortoise.”
Sherry came and cleared off their empty plates.
“Dessert? Or perhaps a cocktail?” she asked.
They opted to share a crème brulée. Nick suspected Doug was pandering to him, but who knew? Besides,dessert. While they were waiting for it to arrive, Velvet Elvis made his first appearance.
“Ah,” said Nick. “Midsixties Elvis. Not quite gone to the weeds yet.”
The entertainer looked just a bit older than Nick and wore a white shirt with the collar flipped up and a black vest over it. Black slacks and leather loafers completed the outfit. Nick had to admit the guy was good; his hair was perfect and so was his Memphis accent.
“How do you know? Are you an Elvis expert?”
“Who isn’t an expert? Dead or not, the man is an icon. Sheesh. And also hush, I want to listen.”
Their dessert arrived and they—okay, it was mostly Nick—ate the brulée while listening to a smattering of Elvis classics. Nick knew all the songs, of course. The guy was a very good, very traditional Elvis. Had all the right moves and even his facial expressions were perfect.
A couple of tables positioned close to the stage were filled with women in their sixties and seventies who were heavily sparkled, adorned with a good portion of the two billion sequins in Vegas. They were yelling song suggestions and generally acting like they were twenty again. Nick thought it was sweet. He shot Doug a glance and considered baiting him with a senior comment but decided against it.
With the exception of the tables of women, the rest of the patrons seemed oddly quiet. There was no catcalling or whatever else Vegas was famous for. Elvis was singingCan’t Help Falling in Loveand only the ladies were singing along with him. Nick glanced around and saw even the family with three children under five was quiet. Two of the children had fallen asleep in their highchairs. What the hell was that about?
Nick glanced over at Doug and saw his eyes were half-mast as well. Falling asleep was an old-man move. But no matter how he joked, Nick knew Doug wasn’t old.
Nick tapped him on the forearm. “Should we get you back to the room for a nap? I kept you up late last night.”
Doug blinked and shook his head, instantly alert. “No nap, but let’s pay up and get out of here.”
“Sorry your friend never made it,” Sherry said after Doug had swiped his card.
