Wayward Son by Shae Connor Page B

that.”
    Warmth filled Mikey’s chest. “You’re welcome.” He let his arms drop back to his sides. “Now tell me which bags to grab, and let’s get you to the show.”
    Cory grinned and started pointing, and Mikey followed his lead, grabbing up the dress bag and the separate oversized drawstring bag that held Cory’s—Coco’s—boots. Cory gathered up the rest and followed Mikey outside, seemingly much calmer, until he rechecked the door lock for the third time, and Mikey had to pull him away by the hand.
    “It’s fine,” he soothed as he led Cory to his car. “You’re gonna be just fine.” But I’m driving , he decided. Because hell if he was going to die in an accident because Cory was too hyped up to pay attention to the road.
     
     
    M IKEY SAT alone at the end of the bar, careful to keep a little open space next to him for Jimmy. Cory had bustled off backstage as soon as they arrived, leaving a dusting of glitter in his wake, and remembering the way the room was set up the first time he came to a show, Mikey grabbed the best available spot. He wanted to have a good view, sure, but he also wanted to be sure Cory could see him and Jimmy when he came out to perform.
    Okay, so Coco could see them when she came out to perform. Mikey smiled at himself and sipped at the vodka cranberry he’d ordered. Cory didn’t care much about the pronouns, but he was protective of his drag persona’s name. “I created her myself,” he’d told Mikey. “And I’m a little picky about the things that I create.”
    Mikey’s gaze roamed the room, checking out the gathering crowd. Mostly gay men, of course, but with some women mixed in. Some were probably lesbian, though another bar across town was more popular with them, but some were probably straight friends of gay men. Mikey refused to think of them as “fag hags,” not since someone called Kitty that the first time she persuaded him to visit a gay bar.
    The front door opened and Jimmy walked in, gaze zeroing in on Mikey within seconds. A smile lit his face, and in moments he was standing next to Mikey’s barstool.
    “Hey, honey!” Jimmy wrapped an arm around Mikey’s shoulders and gave him a lingering kiss. “I started to think I never would get here. Some big rig jackknifed off the side of the highway out near Braselton. Didn’t look like anyone got hurt, but they had about three tow trucks out there tryin’ to get him back up on the road. Backed up for miles gettin’ around it.”
    Mikey had to smile. Every time Jimmy came back into the city after working at the resort for a while, he’d fallen back into the country-boy accent, dropping his G s and drawling things out. After a day or two, he’d be back to the more clipped, precise speech patterns of his city friends, but Mikey kind of liked the softer sounds. It made him wonder what Jimmy had sounded like as a little boy growing up in a small Southern town.
    “I’m glad you made it,” he told Jimmy. He patted the seat of the barstool next to him. “I saved you a seat. I just wish you’d been able to get away earlier to help me keep Cory calm. Oh my God, he was about to drive me crazy.”
    Jimmy laughed and slid onto the stool. “He can be a little high-strung about this stuff,” he admitted. “Last time was the other way around. I helped him get his shit together, but right after we got here, I had to run back to the resort and fix a big computer snafu. I haven’t even gotten to see him perform yet. How fucked up is that?”
    Mikey laughed. “He’s pretty amazing. The first time I saw him, I couldn’t look away.” He blushed. “Kind of confusing, actually. I mean, I knew he was a guy, but….”
    “He makes a hot woman, doesn’t he?” Jimmy leaned in close. “Women are pretty,” he said in a low voice, as if sharing a secret. “They’re soft and curvy, and before I figured out guys were the real deal for me, I had a lot of fun with them. So when you look at a drag queen and you know