“Been there, done that. You need to figure out something new to torment me with,” I said.
“Thank you. Your other gift was very thoughtful. Pam will be surprised.”
I’d worried that Pam would get lost in everything this week, and might need her best friend with her. So, I’d arranged for Tracy to fly out with her and stay with Rita. I’ll admit I did it for selfish reasons as well; I missed Tracy. After talking to Tami, I’d almost changed my mind. I didn’t want Tami to feel slighted, but then I wasn’t going to be around all the time. Besides, I wanted Pam to enjoy herself this week. Tami’s mom hadn’t seen her very often, whereas Tom and Mary could probably use a vacation from their daughter. Tracy would be Pam’s plus-one at Devin and Cora’s wedding. I was sure the two of them would have a good time.
“I’m hoping you have fun too. The two of you can explore LA, and I might even get you up on a surfboard.”
“Pam said we’d take you to Sea World where you can pet the sharks in a controlled environment. She said your method had some flaws.”
“No shit. My bodyguard was actually shaking when he got out of the water. We decided we wouldn’t be going back to that beach ever again,” I proclaimed.
I heard her smartwatch beep.
“Oh, and I’m going to kill you. She’s practicing sending text messages with her new watch,” Tracy said.
I knew she was talking about Pam. It was good Tracy was her guinea pig and not me. Seems to me I had the same issue with some girl named Tracy when she got her smartwatch. Karma was a bitch.
I looked forward to the coming week. My parents, Pam, her mom, and Tracy would all be coming to LA for Devin and Cora’s wedding. I wondered how Devin would react to my hiring Caryn. I also looked forward to seeing Sandy. She was supposed to be my date for the big event.
◊◊◊
Chapter 24 – Don’t Take Me For Granted Saturday December 26
Pam, Tracy, and Lacy were flying in today for the wedding. I’d almost forgotten that part of the settlement prohibited Cal from being anywhere near Pam. My dad called to let me know they had worked it out so Cal could go to most of the events as long as he paid for security for her. Rita had volunteered one of her people to accompany Pam and her mom when Cal would be around.
Devin, Cora, and Sandy were also coming in today. They’d coordinated the wedding so it coincided with their annual corporate get-together on New Year’s Eve. Caryn had joked that she was sure that the banquet was a business-expense write-off. I thought it was a clever idea if you could get away with it. I figured I would want advice from my accountant before I tried a similar stunt.
Fritz pulled in, and I bounced out to greet him. He gave me a sideways look and smiled.
“Did you come to help me unload my car?” he asked.
“Uh, sure,” I said.
Fritz made me make three trips as he ‘organized’ things in his apartment. When I was done, he looked around, satisfied everything was where it should be.
“I was thinking about going surfing. Would you want to go with me?” he asked.
“Sure, if it’s no trouble.”
I think Fritz saw through me, or he was getting better at reading me. It might have been the bouncing-around part. Anyway, I was going surfing!
◊◊◊
When we got out on the water, one of the high school guys gave me an update on the ‘Baby Dick Gang,’ as he called them. They’d been charged and would have to face a grand jury after the first of the year. They’d all made bail. The rumor was that their ringleader’s parents had to remortgage their home.
He told me about a couple of parties, one on New Year’s Eve. I told him I had a wedding that night and he perked up.
“You mean Cora Bell’s wedding?” he asked.
“Yeah, do you know her?” I asked.
“I know Pam better. She and I were in the same class.”
“She’s actually going to be in town today,” I said.
He smiled.
“In fact, I used to date her,” he smirked.
No shit. This was the guy she’d pined over. He’d started dating her best friend as soon as Pam left town. The smirk irritated me. I felt my territorial self begin to come to the surface.
“Really,” I said to see if he’d tell me more.
“Pam had it bad for me. I’d like to see her again. Rumor has it she got herself knocked up. I’d like to get another go at her. It’s not like she can get any more pregnant,” he said.
“Maybe you should call Pam and invite her to the party tonight,” I offered.
“I think I will.”
There were too many people around to just drown him right then and there. When I kicked his butt, I would have to be careful there were no cameras around. I also didn’t want to be the one to tell her what a shit her ex was. I’d see if Halle would go with us to help me keep an eye on her. Tracy would help, of course, but I figured the more help, the better. I planned to let him make an ass out of himself before I killed him. Pam needed to get over this jerk once and for all. She was too good for him.
◊◊◊
On the way home, I talked to Fritz about the party tonight, courtesy of a talk he’d had with me after the fight. During that talk, he’d confirmed a lot of what I suspected. He was aware that Halle and I were sexually active. He even knew about me being with Rita. Fritz said it wasn’t his job to pass judgment, it was to keep us secure. He impressed on me that if he wasn’t aware of a potential problem, he couldn’t do his job.
As a result of that last comment, I made sure to talk with him about what might happen at the party. Fritz surprised me when he offered to have a talk with Pam’s ex. I think he understood how I felt about her, and I could tell he was serious. I’d never thought to ask him to do something like that. It might come in handy if I had to deal with Al again.
Fritz also had a new app he thought might be helpful. It was equivalent to a panic button. He wanted to put it on all my devices, including my smartwatch. He reasoned that if I’d had it during the fight, I could have hit the alert and events might have turned out differently. What the app did was send a signal to a distribution list to let everyone know there was a problem. It was customizable, so the message would be unique to the person it was sent from. Fritz would combine that with the ‘Find Me’ app so the device the alert came from could be found. He planned to add both apps to everyone’s devices this week. He would make sure Pam, Tracy, Halle, and I all had them for tonight’s party. Fritz would also bring an extra security person, one of the women, to help him keep an eye on everyone.
I realized Fritz hadn’t tried to talk me out of my plan. Instead, he’d looked at ways to assure everyone’s safety.
◊◊◊
Halle and I drove to the airport to help pick up the arriving guests. Pam spotted me first and almost knocked me down when she ran up and put me into a bear hug.
“I missed you. There’s so much I have to tell you. I had an ultrasound done and brought you a picture. I also found the perfect dress for the wedding, but we’ll have to go shopping for something for the rehearsal dinner …”
Halle and Tracy both smiled at me when I was suddenly overwhelmed with rapid-fire girl-speak. My head was spinning with all the information she could impart in machine-gun succession. Pam finally relented on the ride home. She and I sat in the back together. When she’d gotten it all out, she seemed relieved and hugged me.
“Want to see a picture of our baby?” she asked.
She pulled out her cell phone and showed me a black-and-white image of our baby’s sonogram.
“It’s a boy,” she blurted out.
“Is he okay?” I asked.
“Yes. Everything looks normal, and all the tests tell them everything’s okay. He’s been pretty active today. Want to feel?” Pam asked.
She took my hand and put it on the side of her tummy. I felt the baby move.