Page 334 - Some Dance to Remember

304 Jack Fritscher

mind if he stayed there till after New Year’s.”
Ryan had avoided the ranch since the first days after Thom’s Death.
He hardly wanted to spend the holidays at the scene of the suicide.
“I knew you wouldn’t want to go up there now.”
“It’s okay,” Ryan said. He would have agreed to anything to have Kick
back in his bed for Christmas.
“I need to come back to hit the gym. I want to get into top shape
again. There’s the Mr. California contest in the spring.”
“Mr. California,” Ryan said. “I like the sound of that.”
“I need you to help psych me up for it,” Kick said.
“I need you,” Ryan said. “This AIDS thing is killing me. But why
should it? I’m not interested in anyone but you.”
“We’re not exposed,” Kick said. “For the last three years, who’ve we
had sex with? Hardly anyone.”
“When you’re not here, I want you. When I can’t have you, I think
about cruising the bars, but I don’t because I don’t want anyone but you
and even if I did, I wouldn’t, because for the first time in my life strangers
scare me.”
“It’ll be like old times,” Kick said.
He hoped that Kick’s revolving relationship with Logan was over for
good. He was no fool. He was determined to be gentlemanly. If Logan had
been good for Kick for a while, then he deserved at least to have a place
to stay until after Christmas. Besides, Ryan had long before learned never
to say anything about the absent party when a couple was breaking up,
because if they kissed and made up, as often happened, they’d both hate
you for anything you said. So Ryan stayed silent, even though he wished
Logan dead: first for taking Kick away from him so often, and then for
treating Kick badly.
“My New Year’s resolution is to take possession of the ranch again.”
Ryan made his intention clear. “He can stay there for a while.”
“It’s better to have someone there than to have the place stand empty,”
Kick said. “Besides, he has some business to finish. When that’s done,
he’ll leave.”
“What business could he possibly have?” Ryan asked.
Kick beamed a surprise. “He’s been growing pot in that old green-
house behind the barn.”
Ryan was shocked. “We could all get arrested!”
“It was my idea too.” Kick softened the news. “I figured we could
make a little money on the side. He knows all about cultivation. I told
him we’d divide the profit three ways.”

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