Dave stepped outside Tricks. While he was in the bar, the day had wound down into dusk, and now the sky to the west was an amazing mélange of lavender, orange, and at the top, midnight blue. Just beneath the smell of exhaust and smoke in the air, he could detect a sweet, cool breeze hitting him from behind, pulling the smell of Lake Michigan off the surface of the water. Dave breathed in deeply, watching Wren’s progress west to the “L” stop at Belmont, Dave presumed.
The boy was a diamond in the rough. He was a delightful combination of bad boy and nurturing man, and he didn’t even know it. His lack of self-awareness made these charming qualities all the sweeter. Dave’s clientele would love someone like Wren. He knew several would want to treat the young man like a son. Others would want
