Free Red’s Hot Honky-Tonk Bar by Pamela Morsi Page A

flags to cover bare walls, tastefully framed art was displayed instead.
    “Uh…nice,” she said inadequately.
    The adjacent dining room was also visible, its drop-leaf mahogany table an obvious leftover from earlier occupants. Beyond that, Red could glimpse one corner of a gleaming white kitchen.
    “The stereo stuff is all in here,” Cam said, opening a cabinet on the interior wall. “The CDs are alphabetical by artist. You guys are welcome to use all this,” he said to the children. “And…I guess we’ll have to move the TV.” He opened the top cabinet to reveal a small television inside.
    “Why do you have the television up there?” Red asked.
    “It keeps me from wasting too much time,” he answered. “You’d be surprised how few things on the air are compelling enough to make you stand up to watch.”
    Red saw Olivia and Daniel share a glance that clearly indicated their opinion.
    “The main bedroom is in here.” Cam led them into the hallway, indicating the first doorway. “This is perfect for you, Red. When you come in from work, you won’t wake up Livy and Daniel.”
    Red glanced around the room. It was obviously a masculine room, but it was classy-looking, she thought. There was no sense of it being a bachelor’s passion pit. It was cozy, and while her eyes viewed that favorably, she couldn’t help comparing it to the stark utility of her own bedroom over the bar. The only expense she’d been willing to incur for decoration had been the ugly but effective blackout curtains.
    “It’s got a pretty good closet and I thought we’d do halves,” Cam said. “I’ll take half of my clothes to the apartment and you can bring half of your clothes here.”
    Red didn’t comment.
    Cam quickly clarified. “I didn’t mean it as a way to co-mingle our stuff,” he said. “I’m just thinking about cutting down on the moving.”
    She nodded slowly.
    “You guys are down this way,” Cam said, addressing the children. “You can each have your own room. But they’re right next to each other.”
    Red followed them past the bathroom to the far end of the hallway, where one corner had two open doors.
    “I thought this room would be good for you, Daniel,” he said. “It’s my guest room, where all my buddies hang out when they stay over. You kind of fall into that group.”
    Daniel’s chin rose a little higher and he puffed his chest out slightly.
    “We’re going to clean out these shelves and drawers and bring all your things from your abuela’ s house to put there,” he continued. “This used to be my room when I was your age.”
    Red was surprised at that statement. “You lived here when you were growing up?”
    He nodded. “My mom and I lived here for about ten years,” he said.
    “Your parents were divorced, like ours?” Olivia asked, sounding almost excited at the prospect.
    “No,” Cam answered. “My mom was sick for a while, so we lived here.”
    It was a simple explanation and he smiled as he said it, but Red detected more to the story than was being said.
    “Olivia, I want you to have the music room,” he said, stepping into the door on his left. “This is where I practice. I can move most of this out of here to give you space, and there’s a bed I can bring down from the attic. It has little fairies painted all over it. Kind of girlie, but it looks pretty cool.”
    Red watched Olivia take in her surroundings. She ignored the uncomfortable-looking folding chairs, the music stands and the various guitars, violins and the electronic keyboard. Instead, the girl seemed drawn to the small computer desk near the window. She’d hardly spoken since they walked into the house, but she did now.
    “Are you taking this with you?” she asked.
    “The computer?” Cam shrugged. “I have a laptop. I can leave it here, if it won’t be in your way.”
    “It won’t be in my way if I can use it,” she said.
    Her comment bordered on rudeness and it was on the tip of Red’s tongue to