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“I see!” Mel and Gavin were standing a couple tables away with a grinning Mimi by their side. “Rosie, this guy here is my very good friend Calvin. Calvin, this is my best friend, Rose.”
“Well, hello, Rose!” Calvin crouched down. “You can call me Cal if you want. My buddies all call me Cal.”
Nick watched expectantly, but he saw something completely new: Rosie beamed at Cal and gave a shy little wave. “Okay.”
Cal grinned. “Would you like to come with me to get some cake?”
Rosie nodded. Cal picked her up, and she hugged him around the neck.
Nick started to chuckle. “Oh, wow.”
“Don’t start,” Cal warned him.
“Whatever you say, lady-killer.” Nick walked over to the Becketts while Cal and his admirer went in search of cake. “Rosie has a crush!” he informed Gavin.
“I’m not worried,” his friend said. “She can’t date until she’s old enough to rent an RV.”
Nick laughed, turning to Mimi. “Not that I’m not happy to see the Becketts, but …” Something clicked, and he grinned at Mel. “Please tell me I’m looking at potential musical talent.Please.”
“Don’t get too excited, Nicky.” Mel tried to look annoyed, but she couldn’t completely hide a smile. “You’ll be up there with me.”
“Mel called me, wondering if we needed some entertainment in our little café.” Linda Brandazzio strolled up to them. “And I told her to come to the party. Now I’m telling you there is no way we’renothaving you play in Adagio.”
Mel smiled politely. “I appreciate it, but I’d want to audition.”
“You already did,” Linda said. “I used to catch your solo set at Carmany’s downtown. Have you seen her do ‘Uninvited’?” she asked Nick. “Hot damn!”
Nick laughed. “Couldn’t have put it better myself.”
“Come with me,” Linda said. “We need you up front.”
Nick knew better than to object, and soon he was standing in front of the Vivez crew.
“Attention!” Linda called. “Attention, my darlings!” There were chuckles as everyone settled obediently. “As you know, this is the time when we say goodbye to one season and hello to another. We had many a returning star join us for the summer, but we only had one addition to our family.” She highlighted him with a grand sweep of her hand. “Mr. Nick Freeman!”
Everyone from Linda to Rosie applauded, and Nick was overwhelmed. He hadn’t set out to gain so many friends, but here they all were, smiling at him.
Linda continued, “Today Nick will be playing my favorite game, which is …”
Nick jumped as the crowd roared back at her.“Five things we love!”
“We here at Vivez are very enthusiastic about singing one another’s praises,” Linda told him, “so at some point we had to limit the count to five. I’ll start. Nick is one of the best teachers I’ve ever had the pleasure to know.” The compliment almost brought Nick to tears now that he understood how deeply Linda meant it and the difference he’d made to her son.
“Nick brings us doughnuts!” someone yelled from the back. Nick tipped an imaginary cap amid more laughter and applause.
“The man can duet,” Cal said. “Not everybody likes singing with someone else, but my boy knows how to take a duo up a notch.”
“Nick listens,” Mimi spoke up. “Doesn’t matter if it’s serious or ridiculous, as long as it matters to you.”
“Uncle Nick is my best friend!” Everyone laughed as Rosie hollered, and Nick blew her a kiss. She grinned as she caught it, then looked up the ramp to the back of the room and went wide-eyed. Nick couldn’t see what had her so excited, but Cal could, and he set her down to run off at full speed. Mel or Gavin must have circled around with some cake.
Linda said, “That makes five. And normally we’d get all teary-eyed about Nick leaving, but today we will not, because he is not.” A murmur went through the room; not even Cal or Mimi knew about this. “Mr. Freeman will be staying on as Vivez’s official archivist, filming each of our shows and maintaining our digital database. He’ll still have free run of the place, so everybody behave in the green room.” She turned to Nick. “And it is an understatement to say we’ll be happy to have you.”
The crowd started clapping again, and Nick wanted to respond with more than a smile. These people had given more to him than he ever could to them.
“Could I say a few words?” he asked Linda.
Linda smiled. “Of course!”
