CONTRACTS
When Colin arrived home the following day, he dropped onto the couch and tugged Joshua down beside him. “I have an attorney for Nate,” he announced.
“Wow! That was fast.”
“Well, I got to thinking,” Colin said, turning sideways to face Joshua. “The best contracts guy I know is my contracts professor from UVA.”
“Meyers?”
“Yeah. So I called him, and he gave me a recommendation. He’s not long out of law school so he won’t cost a fortune. Meyers said he’s a crack attorney who has experience with show business contracts.”
“Did you call him?”
“Yeah. He wants to meet with Nate on Saturday, and I said I’d arrange it.”
“You’d better call Nate before he makes any plans.”
“Yeah,” Colin repeated, his voice low. He quirked his mouth, then turned to face the fireplace, his expression somber.
Joshua watched his husband closely. His voice carried no hint of excitement when describing the attorney, and his body language was firing off clear signals: Colin was unhappy. “Babe, are you OK with this?”
“The whole goddamn thing gives me the creeps,” Colin grumbled.
“Because…” Joshua said, letting his voice trail off encouragingly.
Colin huffed out an unhappy sigh. “I smell change in the air. Potentially big change.” He shot a glance at Joshua. “And I don’t like it.”
Joshua nodded. “You’re worried that Nate might leave Virginia?”
Colin’s eyes were once again riveted to the fireplace. “It could lead there—eventually.”
Joshua nodded. He linked his arm with Colin’s and leaned against him. “Honey, I think you’re fretting for nothing. We’ve both heard him say that he’d never leave Virginia—and he’d certainly never leaveDavid.” He hugged Colin’s arm. “He loves his life here!”
Colin nodded. “Maybe. But fame and money can change people.”
Joshua turned Colin’s face toward him. “Not Nate! And I’m amazed that you’d think it could.”
Their eyes met, and for a long moment, there was silence; then Colin turned and stared down at the floor. “I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
“Darling, you haven’t lost anyone.”
“Lately.”
“You won’t lose Nate.”
“Sureof that, are you?”
“Colin, a transitory moment of success in a small, off-Broadway production couldneverrender Nate so addle-brained that he’d abandon David, his step-daughters, his career, his friends, and a life he loves! It just doesn’t make sense!”
Colin frowned, narrowing his eyes as if in thought. “My head knows you’re right,” he said. He shook himself, then grabbed Joshua’s hand and stood, drawing him to his feet. “I’m starved. Let’s go grab takeout.”
“Your mind knows I’m right, but…” Joshua encouraged, but Colin wheeled to face him, and his blank stare stopped the words in Joshua’s throat.
“Let’s just grab takeout,” Colin suggested, tugging Joshua toward the door. “I don’t want a big, intense conversation right now. I want food.”
Joshua allowed Colin to lead him to the car, and they both climbed in. Joshua opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated and instead sat silently as Colin drove down the gravel road leading to Charlottesville. After a while, Colin shot him a glance. “I didn’t say you couldn’ttalk, you know.”
“I know. I’m just… thinking.”
