Moonlight Becomes You

Chapter 2

Chapter 2Hal Weiss had gone to collect the mail, and now he stared at the return address on the tube he held. He knew it contained a letter and a story or two. Hal had liked Kyle Winchester well enough back when they’d all attended high school together. Winchester had been dating Julie Mahon at that time, and his friendship with Brady Wales had seemed harmless enough.

Now, though…Why the f**k didn’t he just go away? It was three years since they’d graduated from Hollywood High. Three years that Hal and Brady had been going to Fullerton, and he’d have thought that wimp Winchester would have given up. He’d given up easily enough when none of the colleges he’d applied to had even bothered to decline his application.

Only here it was, another letter from him.

Was Winchester actually gay? Was he working to take Brady away from him?

As tempted as Hal was to tear up that letter, to cause an insidious rift between the two, he didn’t. He liked to think he was better than that, especially since he had Brady and Winchester didn’t. Besides, his boyfriend enjoyed the correspondence. Hal would take the high road.

But damn, where did Winchester find the time to write a letter in Braille, much less transcribe those stories so Brady could read them?

Time…He tapped the tube against his palm. He knew Winchester was bussing tables at the Pizza π, a place they’d gone to often enough in high school. Maybe if he had a job that took up more of his time…?

He took out his cellphone and called home.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Son. Is everything all right? You don’t usually call in the middle of the week.”

“Everything is fine. I’ll call Mom on the weekend and catch up.”

“I’ll let her know. Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Ask away.”

“Brady has a friend who needs a decent job.” Hal was lucky his family was so accepting of his homosexuality. “Right now, he’s working as a busboy, but he’s so much better than that. Do you know if Uncle Hank’s company is hiring?”

“I haven’t heard anything—your uncle can be very close-mouthed about Huntingdon. However, I’ll ask him and get back to you. Hal…I’m proud of you, son, doing this for a friend.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Hal wouldn’t let himself feel shame. Uncle Hank’s company was on the East coast, perfect for getting Winchester further away from Hal’s boyfriend. “The thing is, I’d rather he didn’t know I was behind him getting this job. It would embarrass him.”

“I understand.”

“Oh, and maybe mention that Kyle Winchester is very good at reading and writing Braille.”

“Hmm. I don’t know if that will be of any use, but I’ll be sure to let your uncle know.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

* * * *

Later that week, Dad called him back. “Uncle Hank doesn’t actually need anyone with expertise in Braille, but for his favorite godson…He’s sending a couple of men out to Los Angeles from the Phoenix campus to plant some seeds. Where will they be able to find your friend?”

Hal didn’t bother correcting his father. “From his last letter to Brady, Kyle mentioned he’d be celebrating his twenty-first birthday at Drink and Be Merry. It’s on the Sunset Strip.”

“Excellent. I’ll pass on this information to your uncle.”

“Thanks very much, Dad. I’ll be sure to send Uncle Hank a thank you note and maybe…He likes Crown Royal, doesn’t he?”

Dad chuckled. “It’s his one weakness.”

“I’ll send him a bottle.”

They said goodbye and hung up, and Hal was tempted to rub his hands together in glee.

With a little luck, Winchester would soon be three thousand miles away from Hal’s boyfriend.