The boys have arrived in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and first order of business is a meeting with their manager, Marge. She texts them to meet her at a Mexican buffet not far from their motel. Ryan is a little nervous, wondering what Marge is like. She seems nice on the phone, but appearances can be deceiving. See what's up in this week's chapter of In Pieces. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them! Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!
The restaurant wasn’t very far at all from the motel,
probably one of the reasons why Salvation’s manager had chosen to meet there.
Even Keanu had to admit it wasn’t a bad walk, but the admission had come after
a certain amount of cajoling from Deacon. The interior was dark and cool, and
the décor reminded Ryan of a Mexican cantina. Colorful serapes and sombreros
decorated the walls, and piñatas hung from the ceiling. Two large buffet tables formed an L shape in
the middle of the room. The most enticing aromas were coming from them. Ryan’s
mouth began to water in anticipation.
“Over here, guys!” a brassy voice called out from the far
side of the restaurant.
“There’s Marge. C’mon, I’ll introduce you.” Holding Ryan’s
hand, Ben led him toward the rather large woman who was vigorously waving at
them. Even from this distance, her enthusiasm was contagious, as was her large
smile. They had barely reached the table at which she sat when she enveloped
Ben in a large bear hug, lifting him from his feet, forcing Ryan to relinquish
his hand.
“Hi honey,” she greeted him as she set him back on his feet
with a kiss on his cheek. She turned to each of the members of Salvation in
turn and accorded them the same treatment. Ryan noticed not one of them seemed
surprised by her actions, or taken aback in any way. Once she’d greeted them all, she turned to
Ryan, who felt suddenly shy.
“This has to be our writer. Ben, you sure picked a looker.”
She winked at Ryan, whose face suddenly flamed. Before he had a chance to
react, she’d hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. “Nice to meet you, Ryan!
Ryan couldn’t place the scent which clung to Marge, but he
found it comforting and soothing, much like her touch. “Nice to meet you too, Marge.”
Marge turned to Deacon and Keanu. “Mind pushing that table
over here so we can sit together?” she asked. Moments later, she got her wish,
and they all seated themselves.
Right after that, a waiter bustled up with a tray full of
water glasses, which he distributed to them. “Hi, my name is Julio, and I’ll be
your server today. Are you here for the buffet or would you like to look at the
menu?” he asked.
“Buffet,” everyone said in unison, then laughed.
“What about drinks? We have a special on margaritas, if
you’re interested.”
The general consensus was that everyone was interested.
“Excellent.” Julio nodded. “I’ll have those to you in just a
few minutes. Help yourself to the buffet. Plates and utensils are at the end of
each table. If you need anything else, please let me know.” He withdrew, presumably
in the direction of the bar.
“Let’s get some food and then we can gab,” Marge said, and
no one argued with her.
Ryan and Ben hung back a little, letting the others get in
line first. Marge stood beside them, also waiting. She gave Ryan a speculative
look. “So, what do you think of them so far?”
“I think they’re amazing,” Ryan blurted out. “They’re all
fantastic, and their music, it’s…. it’s awesome. Especially Ben. He has an
incredible voice…”
Ryan let his voice trail away, wondering if he’d said too
much, but somehow when it came to Ben, he couldn’t help himself. As if he was
making up for lost time between them. But he honestly believed in the band, and
he found it hard to contain his enthusiasm. He noticed Marge glance between him
and Ben. Was it his imagination or was Ben blushing too?
“These guys are my favorite clients,” she confided. “They are a great band and they’re gonna go
places, I just know it. This is only the start of something big, you’ll see.”
“I think you’re right,” Ryan said. “Salvation’s headed right
to the top.”
“You might be a little prejudiced,” Ben said shyly. Ryan
wondered if maybe he should exercise a little common sense and skip the PDAs
for now, to keep from embarrassing Ben. But then he felt Ben’s arm wind possessively
around his waist and that plan went right out the window.
“You have no idea how excited Ben was when you agreed to
take the job,” Marge said. “I’ve never seen him smile so much. I knew then you
must be special to him.”
Marge’s words went straight to Ryan’s heart. Everything was
working out so perfectly. What could possibly go wrong now they were together?
“C’mon, let’s grab some grub.” Marge headed to one of the
buffet tables.
Ben didn’t move
immediately, though. He leaned in to Ryan and whispered, “She’s right, I’ve
never been so happy, Ryan. I love you so much.” He kissed Ryan’s cheek gently.
“Let’s see if this tastes half as good as it smells.” Ryan’s head was spinning as they
headed to the buffet and lined up behind Marge.
to be continued
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