“I’ve missed you and your crazy stories. How’ve you been?”
“I’m okay. It was touch-and-go there for a while.”
“I was so scared for you, but I never gave up hope. Your dad talked me into not coming to Colorado. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
“Oh, Mom, I missed you terribly, but I understood. I would’ve been mad if you’d come,” I said. “I love you, Mom.”
She smiled at me and gave me a kiss on my cheek.
“I need to take a nap. Will you hold me until I fall asleep?”
“Of course I will.”
Two hours later, that’s how Dad found us. He tapped my shoulder and I woke up. I slid out of bed, being careful not to wake Mom. He kissed my cheek and then crawled into bed with Mom.
I CHECKED MY PHONE and saw a text from Sandy Range. It was closer to a letter. They had set up dinner at a local steakhouse. She told me that there would be paparazzi because an actress had tipped them off that she would be there. She asked me to wear my Range cowboy gear. That was not happening.
I called Sandy to explain the facts of life to her.
“David, before you get mad, it wasn’t my idea that you play a cowboy tonight.”
“Okay, I’m listening, who wants me to look like a goof in public?”
“Hey, my brother’s out tonight, wearing his cowboy gear.”
“Hey, your brother’s in Utah. I’m in California. Plus, I don’t have my cowboy clothes with me.”
That’ll stop her.
“Nice try, but they were delivered a half hour ago.”
I went into the kitchen and found a box. Crud.
“Explain this to me in simple terms. I just got up from a nap.”
“At dinner tonight, you’re meeting our West Coast Senior Vice President ...” then she mumbled something.
“What did you say?”
“... and you’ll meet his daughter. It’s her birthday.”
Oh, hell no!
“How old is she?”
“She turns thirteen today. Her birthday wish was for you to come in the cowboy outfit you wore in the wolf pictures.”
“Grrrrr! I thought you and I had an understanding: no girls younger than me. In addition, what’s up with me being a party favor? Next, you’ll have me dragging in a pony.”
“Thank you so much, David. Hey, look at the time. I gotta go.”
This might account for all the favors I owed her. I went and got dressed. Okay, I admit it: the little boy in me loved dressing up as a cowboy. I came out of my room to find Terri in a little red dress. She shook her head when she saw what I had on.
“Nope, I won’t be seen in public with you wearing that. Go change.”
I told her what Sandy wanted. Her grin kept getting bigger.
“All right, I think I’d pay money to see you dress up as a cowboy and fend off a thirteen-year-old birthday girl. She is so going to have her way with you.”
“What?! She’s only thirteen.”
“So? I was thirteen, once. I know what’s going through her evil little mind.”
Mom came out, took one look and just shrugged. Dad had a little laugh until I told him I was buying. Then he got it under control. Chuck showed up. He was nervous and didn’t even flinch when he saw me. He was worried about his date, but I knew he would be okay. Mom had shown me pictures of her. She was a cute nurse that was involved in my mom’s treatment.
I told everyone about the paparazzi at the restaurant. Mom, Dad and the two girls decided to go in one car, Chuck and I in another. None of them wanted to be seen with me. Poor Chuck had no choice.
We pulled up to the front of the steak house and there were only four or five guys taking pictures. I told Chuck that I didn’t want to be seen walking in with him. There was no need for a gay vibe with me in a cowboy outfit. He seemed to get that right away. He pulled up slowly and saw that they had plenty of security. I stepped out and the cameras started flashing. I don’t think they knew who I was, but anyone in that getup was worth a few shots.
When Chuck made it in, the hostess took us to the banquet room. Sandy had left out the detail that we would be eating with anyone else. I was shocked when I recognized the birthday girclass="underline" she was May Zane of Nickelodeon fame. When she saw me, her face lit up. Terri leaned in.
“See, what did I tell you?” she whispered.
May made a beeline for me with a couple of her friends in tow. She was so excited I thought she was going to pee herself. I winked at her and she blushed. This girl had it bad. I grabbed her hand.
“Come on. Let’s get our picture taken.”
“Hang on!” she said as she bolted.
I almost laughed when I saw that she’d brought her own makeup person with her. She got touched up and we went back out front.
The paparazzi numbers had gone up since we arrived. There were also a couple of video guys. She grabbed my hand for support and we went to face them.
“May! May! Who’s the guy?” one of the video guys asked.
“This is David Dawson. He’s the face of Range Sports.”
“David, are you really going to Prom with Adrienne?”
“Yes, Adrienne and I are going to my prom.”
“What is she going to think of you going out with May?”
“She’ll be fine with it. It’s May’s birthday and I wouldn’t miss that for the world.”
May’s eyes got big and then suddenly she was kissing me. Sandy was going to kill me. Right then an actress from one of the vampire TV shows showed up. She just smirked at me when she saw my deer-in-the-headlights routine. She bumped May with her hip to get her to let me go.
May got even more excited. Apparently, they knew each other. The vampire girl got an evil glint and kissed me. She must have been listening to the questions because she hooked her arm under my arm.
“Tell Adrienne that she let her boy off the leash, and he’s now going to Prom with May and me.”
I gave a pleading look to the cameras.
“Adrienne, don’t let them steal me. I’ll see you at the end of the month in New York. I love you, Baby.”
They dragged me into the banquet room and then they broke out laughing.
“Thanks. That did May and my careers a lot of good. I’m Bree.”
“David,” I introduced myself. “I hate to think what Adrienne has planned for me when I go to New York.”
“What are you doing there?”
“I have a photo shoot with Kara Tasman.”
“She’s so pretty.”
“Yeah, she is. She even makes me look good.”
We said our goodbyes as Bree snuck out the back door. She had gone out and gotten her press. Now she was going home to relax. Bree had a long week of filming the show ahead of her.
DINNER WAS NICE. MAY’S dad had ordered almost everything on the menu for appetizers. I fell in love with this roasted tomato with olive oil, Italian seasonings, and goat cheese crostini. I got my cell phone out and took a picture. I was hoping that Mary Dole could help me figure out how to make it.
Dad and I went for the aged bone-in rib eye. Chuck had a large New York strip. The girls all ate the surf and turf, a lobster tail with a filet. I thought they were going to have to carry us out of there, we were so stuffed.
I spent some time talking to the VP for Range Sports. I told him how much I loved working for Devin and Sandy, doing the modeling and PR work. I asked how they were to work for on the business side. He said he’d been with the company when their dad ran it, and that he was excited about the change in focus to a broader range of products. Business was going very well, in his estimation. He also thanked me for making his daughter’s birthday. I was all she had talked about when the wolf picture came out.
He teased me that a thirteen-year-old girl had a crush on me. I reminded him that I was teenager also. He wasn’t so sure of me after that. I finally told him I was into older women, which got a chuckle out of his wife. All in all, he seemed like a good guy.