“Tami, I’m sorry if I hurt you, but we need to be honest with each other. I had to change how I felt for you or I was never going to be able to handle the men that came into your life. Uncle John told me last summer that I was an Alpha Male, and that affects relationships I have with women—I can’t share. When you decided to seriously date someone else, that changed our relationship.”
She took a deep breath and then turned back to me.
“I know. You told me I chose Trevor over you. I guess I never truly believed you wouldn’t be waiting for me when I was done. I just hope we can be friends again.”
“You’ve always been my friend. I can’t imagine you not being my friend for any reason in the future. I just don’t necessarily see us as more than that right now. I hope you understand where I’m coming from,” I said.
“I do understand, but like you said, I don’t have to like it. I realize we needed to do a reset or we were doomed to losing our friendship. I was too controlling, and you couldn’t allow me the freedom to grow into myself as a woman. I think we’re both in a better place. I see your independence and inner strength. I also see you aren’t totally freaked out about my past boyfriends.”
“If they all performed like Trevor, I’ll be okay with it,” I said, getting a smile from her.
“We need our ego stroked, do we?” she teased me.
“If Simon was better, then don’t tell me. Let me live in my fantasy world.”
I heard Adrienne burst out laughing. Someone had big ears. Tami blushed, which brought a smile to my face.
“I guess ‘Double D’ stands for ‘Deity of Dalliance,’” she teased me.
“I might have to get t-shirts made for all my worshipers.”
She didn’t seem to be impressed with my impending godhood.
“Anyway, let’s talk about Simon. He was in a couple of my classes. At first, I didn’t like him because he was an arrogant ass.”
“I think that was what Alan called him,” I said with a grin.
“Things changed when we ended up having to do a project together in biology. Away from everyone else, he was quite nice. I think he puts on an act to make himself look better in public. We ended up finding out we liked each other and started dating.
“I’m ashamed to say I fell hard. Everyone tried to warn me off. I didn’t really see what the big deal was because he treated me like a princess. We were with each other constantly. So, when you offered to fly me home, I guess I wasn’t surprised when he insisted he come with me. The way he did it, though, was a little creepy. That should have been my second clue something was wrong. I mean, all my friends over there had already warned me.
“When I got home, he treated my mom horribly. He basically told her she’d be waiting on him hand and foot. Mom kicked him out and told him he had to stay at a hotel. Simon explained his mother waited on him and his father, and he couldn’t understand American women,” Tami said.
“When we talked at Christmas, it sounded like you were defending him.”
“I was. I wasn’t listening to anyone. Well, that’s not completely true. After we talked, I thought about what you said about supporting my mother. I was mad at myself for letting him push me to have to choose between mom and him. I had a long talk with him about what his ideas were concerning family. He didn’t believe in allowing his wife to work. I explained my goals and we both decided we would never work out.
“When I went back to the UK, I had another rude awakening. All my friends wanted nothing to do with me because I’d dated Simon. I didn’t know they disliked him so much. If it hadn’t been for my host family, who were fantastic, I might have come home. That would have been a mistake because I was learning a lot that I would never have learned if I had come back to Wesleyan.”
“I’m sorry to hear they treated you like that.”
“Don’t be. I went to the UK for the education. I had amazing teachers and I would do it all over again if I got the chance.”
I could tell she meant it.
We spent the rest of the flight with her telling me about everything she did. It sounded like a great adventure. On the weekends, her host family would take her to different places to explore the rich history and the variety of cultures the UK had to offer. I’d like to travel back with her and vacation there sometime.
WE WERE BOOKED IN THE Ritz-Carlton. Today was geared to let us settle in and explore the area. I had a message from Sandy Range to meet her at one o’clock. Tami, Chuck and I decided to go for a walk and find some lunch since it was eleven now. Kendal asked Cora to spend some time with her so Cora could start learning what she needed to do as my PA. We were only a few blocks from the famous French Quarter. You could almost feel the history as you walked the streets. It was still a little early for the notorious party area, but people were up and about.
“I want to go there,” I said, pointing and bouncing up and down.
The sign said, ‘Déjà Vu Voodoo Burlesque – Open Tuesday thru Saturday – 7 p.m. ’til you are partied out.’ They advertised zombies, vampires, BDSM and other occult oddities. There was a disclaimer which said they weren’t liable if you fell under possession or turned into a zombie or vampire slave.
Then Chuck ruined it for me when he said, “You have to be eighteen to get in.”
I wouldn’t give up that easily.
“Dude, we get Adrienne to go with us. She can get me into anything.”
I was amazed when we would walk up to a bouncer with her on my arm. They never checked my ID. She had some kind of mystical power that turned me invisible.
“What makes you think Adrienne would want to go to a topless bar where they act like they’re vampires and other creepy things?” Tami complained.
Tami had a point. I would need to convince Tyler. She was into the kinkier side. I bet she could talk Adrienne into it. I took a picture of the place so I’d remember the address.
We ended up in a nice place for bar food called The Grill. I tried their shrimp po’boy sandwich. Chuck and Tami were wimps and just had hamburgers. I figured if you were somewhere new, you should try the food.
WE MET SANDY IN THE lobby. By ‘we,’ I meant my entourage. I was surprised when Deb Thomas joined us. We all loaded onto a minibus. Sandy saved me a seat, and as the bus driver played tour guide, pointing out points of interest, she talked to me.
“Devin’s going to meet us at our destination. I know you didn’t want to deal with him, but he wants to try to make things right. He and I have talked, and I believe he truly understands what a mistake he made with you. Will you at least talk to him?”
“Of course. I can be cordial. Devin is my employer, after all.”
I think Sandy saw through me.
“Shit. I knew this was a bad idea. I told my brother you wouldn’t just forgive and forget something like what he did.”
“Are he and Nancy dating now?”
“See, that’s part of the problem. She won’t even talk to him until he makes everything right with you. He has this idea if he makes a grand gesture, you and he can get past this. I have a feeling this is going to turn out really badly. Please have an open mind today and realize my brother isn’t really a terrible guy. He just needs to grow up.”
I could tell Sandy was worried. I looked around the bus and came to a quick decision. Every one of these people was dependent on me making nice with Devin. Making nice didn’t mean I would ever trust him again, though.
Misunderstanding, my rosy red behind.
Then an evil thought came to my mind. Let’s test Devin and see if he really had changed or not. Cora was the perfect bait. She might even be willing to rock his world. Sandy saw me get an evil look on my face.
“Oh, shit,” was her response.
I SHOULD HAVE FIGURED if Devin was involved in the surprise, it would at least be something fun. We pulled into the NOLA Motorsports Park. The bus stopped at a two-story building and I could see a track behind it. Devin, Lou and Caryn were waiting on us. Lou was Devin’s friend and product-development guy. Caryn, also known as Candy, was Devin’s stripper friend. Or was that his personal assistant? I kept getting her roles confused.