CHAPTERNINE
OPENING NIGHT
The following morning, while Colin went for a jog, Joshua and Nate sat on the sofa to drink their morning coffee.
“Listen,” Joshua said, reaching to touch Nate’s arm. “There’s something I need to tell you. I heard you two talking last night. I heard what Colin said about the nightmares and his fears.” He drew in a quick breath. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, Nate. It took me a minute to realize what I was hearing, and then…” Joshua’s voice trailed off. “God, Nate, I’m so sorry. I feel horrible.”
“Jesus,don’t, Josh!” Nate told him. “I’ve been trying to think of a way to tell you without betraying Colin’s confidence.”
“How do I get him to talk to me about it?”
“Tell him!” Nate cried, gripping Joshua’s arm. “Tell him you overheard us!”
Joshua peered at his friend. “You think?”
“Why not? It seems like the quickest, easiest way to approach it. He thinks the PTSD symptoms got triggered when he took on that murder case.”
Joshua nodded. “Wasn’t murder, as it turns out. It was an accidental homicide. But the man’s wife was devastated, and her pain tore at his heart.” He sipped his coffee, stared at the tabletop, glanced up at Nate, and grimaced. “I knew he put himself in her shoes, but I had no idea how bad it had gotten for him. Goddamn it, Nate! It kills me to see him suffer this way.”
“Tell him you overheard us,” Nate counseled. “Get it out in the open.”
Joshua nodded, staring at his coffee mug, then met Nate’s eyes. “Before I forget, do we have tickets for opening night? Or do we need to buy them?”
“No, I’ve set aside complimentary tickets for all of you. And I’ve rented a two-bedroom suite for you, Trent, and Jeff.”
Joshua snorted out a laugh. “Well,thatshould be a barrel of laughs. Colin and Trent in the same suite.” He rolled his eyes. “I can’twait!”
* * *
Joshua,always a fearful flyer, was a nervous wreck during their flight home, especially during takeoff. He gripped his armrests with white-knuckled fingers, gritting his teeth while Colin counted to sixty; their ritual ever since Colin had convinced him that if anything terrible were going to happen, it would happen during the first minute of flight.
“See?” Colin said after reaching the magic number. “You made itagain!You are a flyin’fool, Joshua Campbell-Abrams.”
Joshua pressed his face to Colin’s upper arm. “That’s only because you know how to count, Colin Campbell-Abrams,” he muttered, then drew in and released a long, slow breath. “God,Ihateflying!”
Colin snickered and pressed the buzzer to summon a flight attendant.
“Yes, sir,” she said.
“Ma’am, what might you have in the way of something that comes anywhere close tobrandy?”
“Well, sir, as soon as we reach cruising altitude, I can bring you a Bailey’s Irish Cream.”
Colin flashed his dimples. “Perfect. We’ll take two.”
“One for each of you,” she asked, returning his smile.
“No, darlin’. Two apiece.”
Joshua lowered his head and snickered.
“Sir, I don’t think…”
“Never mind, ma’am. One apiece will do.”
* * *
It wasafter midnight when they arrived at home. They each lugged a suitcase to the center of the living room, then turned and looked at each other. Colin tossed his suitcase to the center of the couch, then gestured for Joshua to do the same. “Leave it. We’ll deal with all that tomorrow. I’m too beat to unpack tonight.”
