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“Partners?”
“Yes, I have two, like Xen said you do too. Morgan Cherik and Brian Lauder are mine.”
“Brian Lauder…from…Denver? Or Apishipa Creek?” Eli asked, his jaw hanging.
“We live in Apishipa Creek now, but Morgan and I still work out of Denver. Mostly remote, but I go up a couple days a week. Why?”
“Brian Lauder ?”
Pez grinned. “You must be the new client from this area.”
Noah started to quietly laugh while I asked, “Your therapist?”
“Yeah,” Eli said, laughing. “He’s told me he had two partners, but never said your names. Wow, this is…insane.”
“He won’t talk about us often, keeping us to himself professionally, anyway.”
“Small fucking world,” I whispered, laughing with the rest.
“Small as all hell,” Joel said. “And yer friends with my friend! Ain’t that somethin’?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
The equipment was even better than I hoped. The sawhorse benches looked just like old-timey sawhorses, only narrow leather cushions were on the top and metal rings were bolted to each leg. They were rough looking, just like the cross for the stage, but they were done in a reflection-free varnish to seal them. Unless you touched them, however, it wasn’t obvious.
Noah ran his hand over the cross right under the thick metal manacle on one of the arms. “This is amazing.”
“Polymer sealant, low-sheen varnish, it’s been experimental mostly for things like this, where the owner wanted it to look original. Barn wood is big right now, but who wants it to shine?”
“Right, exactly,” I said, running my hand next to Noah’s. “This guy is a genius. I had to have his stuff for the club.”
“Don’t blame ya.”
Then Eli and Pez brought from another crate, one of two stocks we’d ordered, and Joel’s eyes widened when he saw them, making him forget his shyness. “Y’all’re gonna put me in ‘em, ain’t ya?”
Sean growled near him, “I have a set for my partner. He’s always in the damn thing, with a gag in his mouth. He talks a lot.”
“That’s an understatement,” Pez said, explaining, “His partner is cute as hell, but he talks your ear off. Sweet though, really.”
“I bring him to Slutae with me now and then.”
“Well, you all are invited to the opening. We’d like it to be a nice time for everyone.”
“Already planned on it,” Sean said.
“Isaac and Ferris are spreading the word for you. It’s part of their investment to make your club successful, and it makes their company the brand for several successful places,” Pez bragged.
“Well, that’s fantastic. I’ll call them and thank them after we’re set up.”
Joel was still eyeing the stocks, and Damon pointed at him. “Joel’s scared.”
“He should be.”
His head turned to us, as his shoulders rose as high as his ears. “This is scary as all hell!”
“Scarier than anything else we’ve done?”
“Yeah!”
