Jago began tilting his hand toward the ceiling, gesturing for them to guess higher.
“Thirty-two?”
“Thirty-eight.”
“What?” Alex snapped. “No way.”
“Christ, man, what’s your secret?” Vicente asked.
Jago smiled with a broad spread of flawless white teeth. “Curiosity and an appreciation of beauty.”
Alex shook his head. This guy…
“Also, water, sleep, and very few sweets. No Christ, though.”
“More like magick,” Vicente said with a laugh.
“Magick can’t fix everything, my friend.” Jago drained the last of his vermouth, putting the glass down firmly on the table.
Alex ate a slice of Manchego, unsure how to answer that. “Lighting cues, you said?”
“Yeah.” Vicente fished a notebook from his kit bag and set an open page in front of Alex. “We can try them tonight. Shouldn’t take long to set up.”
“May I come watch?”
The two of them looked up at Jago, making no effort to hide their surprise.
“If that’s all right. I have a special fondness forBlood Wedding. I would love to see what you’re doing with it.”
If only for a second, Alex found himself confused by the look that crossed Vicente’s face. It was defensive, as if their unfinished work had been cornered for some premature critical scrutiny.
“We’re still working things out,” he said quietly. “I’d be embarrassed to—”
“Embarrassed? You should never be embarrassed just because the work isn’t finished. You told me yourself, you’re worried about having so little time to prepare. I’m not asking to judge. Only watch and help if I can.”
“We don’t need help,” Vicente said, eating a slice of sausage.
In truth, Alex wasn’t so sure. Curiosity and an appreciation of beauty?
“Sure,” he said at last. “Seven o’clock, Cervantes Culture Forum, studio—”
“Seriously?” Vicente burned him with a glare before turning back to Jago. “I mean, no offense, man, but we’ve just met you and—”
Jago lifted another gilda from the plate, turning the skewer in his fingers as if studying the strange ingredients impaled on it. “Everything that can cut a man’s body. A beautiful man, tasting the fullness of life… I’ve always thought that line danced on its own. I’d love to see how it dances on your stage, if only that. You say you owe me? This would more than pay your debt.”
“I… okay, sure? I guess?”
“Uh, excuse me,” Vicente said, raising a hand as Jago swallowed the gilda in one smooth bite. “I’m also still here. Do I not get a vote in this?”
Jago smiled. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It was rude to put you on the spot. Another time, perhaps?”
Alex winced as his mind leapt to the notes he’d made after their last rehearsal. “No, tonight would be great.” He turned to Vicente, hoping his apology looked as sincere as his desperation. “It couldn’t hurt.”
Vicente curled his fingers so hard, Alex was sure he’d scratch the table. “Okay,” he said at last, getting up. “You’re the boss. I’ll see you both at seven.”
Alex nodded, trying to regain some semblance of directorial authority. He was close to calling out ‘love you,’ a habit he’d triedto break himself of since Joanna had entered their lives, but he managed to bite his tongue.
“Your friend doesn’t like me.”
