Manaconda(54)

“That’s impressive,” I said. “Wish I could sleep like that.”

“That’s Keys’s superpower. She can drop off to sleep in five minutes wherever she is.”

“I’m jealous.”

“We all are. The rest of us are a hot mess after we have to go anywhere on the bus. Why we transitioned to the plane for most tours.”

We talked for most of the trip. A few sing-a-long sessions with Keys when she woke in between coffee and doggie breaks.

“Okay, so how does this showgirl thing work?”

I laughed. “It’s definitely not as glamorous as you’d think. She’d come home early in the morning crying because the head dresses were so heavy.”

He frowned. “They don’t regulate that kind of thing.”

“Sure, now they do. But when I was a kid I learned how to massage her neck and get knots out. I learned how to do pilates before it was cool, and how to deal blackjack at fourteen.”

“Helluva lot more interesting than my childhood.”

“Believe me, it would have been nice to have normal. I bet you were on the football team and lost your virginity at homecoming.”

“Close. I played lacrosse, and lost my virginity at the first bonfire party of my sophomore year.”

I crossed my legs and bounced my foot in time to the Mumford and Sons album we were listening to.

“I was home schooled. The Vegas schools kinda sucked. My mom would have been happy for me to go to public school so she could sleep in the day in peace.”

“But you were bored?”

I grinned at him. “Bingo. I got my GED when I was sixteen and got into college at seventeen.”

“Overachiever.”

“I wanted out of Vegas. Out of the seedy motels that we lived in when my mom got a wild hair to try another company. But the hotels relied on dancers less and less, and went for the bigger entertainers. So eventually my mom turned to training the elite girls for the Jubilee shows when she aged out.”

“And your dad?”

I picked at the my skirt. “He was around sometimes.” I took a deep drink of my latte. “He had another family.”

“Your parents were divorced?”

“No, he was married and had a family in Phoenix. Then he had us in Vegas where he worked.” I shrugged. “He was a real estate guy. When he passed away a few years ago, he finally did something right. He took care of my mom in his will. She still trains the dancers part time, but now she has a nice house outside of Vegas.”

Hunter took my hand and placed it on his lap, covering it with his. It was better than any apology I usually got when I explained my fucked up family.

Instead of trying to keep up the awkward conversation we listened to the rest of the album as he navigated the twisty roads near the wharf.

Finally we saw the huge clock tower and white tents along the water. Sammy woke as we moved into a more stop and go traffic closer to the market area.

Keys popped her head up between us. “Finally. I need me a doggie fix.”

Sammy burrowed her way under Keys’s arm.

“Okay, well more doggie lovings, but you’re definitely my favorite.”

Keys took off with Sammy, sprinting across the road to the tents. She waved to people she must have known and the two of them darted into the rows and rows of kennels.

“I haven’t been here in years. I usually just do stuff with the LA unit.”

Hunter slid his hand in mine. “This is one thing I do every year. I got Wyatt to do it with me once, but he got chased around by fans all day.”

“He’s hard to miss.”

“A six-foot-five ginger tends to stand out.”

“You’re not such a tiny guy yourself.”

He shrugged. “No, but still normal enough to blend if I want to. And if they stare too long, I just say I play football.”

“Jerk.”

“What? It’s easier.”

The next few hours were a lesson in fandom for me. I’d seen what happened at a meet and greet, but the public was the wild west. There was no Indie and Patrick to control the chaos.

The calendars were gone within the first two hours, and Keys and Sammy were officially the mascot of the day, even if he was my dog.

She took him around to kids, to the puppy pen, and down to the water to run off some energy. Sammy might be closer to seven, but he acted like a two year old most of the time.

When it came time for photo ops, I got dragged into shots for Love & Paws, but managed to beg off for the Hammered stuff. Me and Hunter even got to walk over to the farmer’s market and get some superior seafood chowder.

Around four o’clock I cried uncle and collapsed under a tree to take a nap with a very happy, very tired Sammy. I watched Hunter interact with puppies and ten little girls that were convinced he was Flynn Ryder from Tangled.