Chapter 1

“All right, all you guys and dolls, that was Elvis Presley singing ‘Hound Dog’ and he sure can croon! Now it’s time to shake up the sounds and play our most requested song of the day, ‘The Great Pretender’ by The Platters. This is WKLM and Daddy-O is rockin’ and rollin’ tonight!”

The disc jockey’s smooth voice resonated through the speakers and Billy spun the dial up before he turned right onto Wilson Lane, enjoying the way the wind blew through his short hair, cooling his heated skin. He loved driving with the top down, even as darkness began to fall around him. The day had been unbearably hot and sticky; it was clear that the summer of ‘56 was going to be a scorcher.

Melody poured from the speakers, floating on the crisp night air, and he couldn’t help but sing along, his voice loud and off-key. He was alone in the car, so what did it matter, anyway? Ironic, he mused, letting the music wrap around him, the lyrics filling him, forcing their way through the shield he wore every day. No, the irony that the lyrics of this very popular song spoke to him on such an intimate level was not lost on him.

Hah…the great pretender. That was Billy. Pretending to be everything he wasn’t. Even at the ripe old age of twenty-two and recently graduated from college, his true identity, his very soul, stayed hidden behind a shield that he rarely let fall. That shield had protected him over the years. Sure, it had some dents and scratches now, and the energy required to lift and hold it up daily was almost more than he thought he could give sometimes, but it was his only defense against a world that didn’t often understand him.

Tonight wasn’t about wallowing, he reminded himself. Tonight was about celebrating his graduation and hanging with his younger sister, Carolyn. His heart felt lighter just thinking about her, and he couldn’t wait to meet her at Max’s Diner over on Main Street. She was so full of joy that nobody could ever feel sad around her. Besides, Max’s had the best chocolate malts on the planet. Rich. Frothy. Perfection. His mouth salivated.

An advertisement followed the song, so Billy reached over again and dialed the sound down, his green eyes off the road for only a second. At the edge of his peripheral vision, he thought he saw movement in the trees lining the road.

He jerked his gaze back to the street as something darted out, just before it flashed in front of his headlights. Instinctively, he slammed his foot on the brake pedal and turned the steering wheel to the right, swerving to miss it, but immediately realized he had turned too far. Desperately, he tried to correct his steering as his car aimed for the shallow dip in the ground to the right of the road. The car jostled him as it jumped the curb, tires tearing up grass, still wet from an earlier shower, before sliding down the slanted terrain.

The car shuddered and groaned as the grill smashed into a young tree at the bottom edge of the ditch. Billy’s hands flew in front of his face, the impact flinging him forward into his steering wheel.

Dazed, he slowly pulled back into his seat and eyeballed the scene. He shifted in his seat, searching his body for injuries and heaving a sigh of relief when he found that he was still in one piece. A jingle for a local restaurant rang out from the speakers and he turned the car off, removing the keys before leaning his head back, trying to gather his wits about him and figure out what his next move should be.

A loud rumble caught his attention and he glanced behind him to see someone climbing off a motorcycle and moving in his direction. Billy squinted into the darkness.

“You okay, bud?” the stranger called as he got closer. “I saw you fly over the curb, probably trying to miss that opossum, huh? Damn thing ran off after you took a nosedive.” He walked around to the front of the car, squatted to look over the damage, and whistled low. He popped back up and moved into the moonlight, allowing Billy a better view.

His breath caught in his throat as his eyes drank in the sight before him. Damn, he’s tall. Probably lots of muscles hidden under that leather jacket, he considered, cocking his head to the side. Probably really strong, too. The guy’s mouth was moving and he tried to focus on the words, but Billy couldn’t tear his eyes from the man’s full lips.

“Did you hear me?” The guy waved his arms in front of him, trying to get Billy’s attention. “You okay?”

Billy shook his head and slowly pulled himself from his haze. “Um, sorry…what did you say?”

“I said, you creamed it man; grill’s gone. Done for,” he announced as he paced around the car.