Chapter 14

            Scott sat at the bar nursing a fresh beer. He wasn’t sure what was going on. Perhaps Regina hadn’t told her friends that she was going out with him tonight. He knew women. They’d be in that bathroom for at least ten minutes. Scott raised his glass to take a sip of his beer.

            “Scott! Scott Kelly!”

            He choked on his drink at the sound of his birth name being yelled in the air. Shit, who is that? He coughed as he turned around to see Bart Guthrie. He was a swamp lizard from New Orleans who had a house in NOLA and a house around the Glades in Florida. Scott wiped his mouth with his hand as Bart approached him. He had a young girl on each arm. They were both blondes.

            “Scottie, you elusive sum bitch! I haven’t seen you since we closed that deal on the lake property in Miami,” the sixty-five-year-old said with a big smile.

            And he still hasn’t gotten his teeth fixed, Scott thought. Bart was worth close to a hundred million dollars. Scott couldn’t understand why Bart insisted on walking around with two front teeth missing and bad clothing. “Yes, it’s been about six – seven years, I think.”

            “Hell yeah, it’s been. Let me introduce you to my beauties. The one on the right is Shonda, and the one on my left is Nina.”

            “Hi,” the girls said as they waved to greet him.

            “Hello, ladies,” Scott said. He tried not to turn his nose up at the alligator-skinned, flashy green shirt Bart had on. At least he had on dark slacks, but of course, he had on alligator shoes. Beads of sweat glistened on Bart’s forehead.

            How the hell did he get in here dressed like that? “I have to say, Bart, EVE doesn’t seem like your kind of place.”

            “It’s not. The girls wanted to come here, so I figured I could stomach it for two hours. Hell, at least the beer isn’t watered down.”

            The girls giggled.

            “No, the beer is good here.”

            “You know, Billy Bob asked me about you last month. You remember Billy Bob, right?’

            “Of course,” Scott said. Billy Bob was the third partner in the lake development deal they had done.

            “Well, he asked me if you had died. I told him you better not had. You too doggone tough to let a fiasco divorce get you down.”

            “Thanks,” Scott said wryly. He couldn’t be that upset with Bart calling his divorce a fiasco because it had been. It was all over the television and in the newspapers. Hell, there had been reporters outside the courthouse with cameras and microphones at the ready.

            “Whatever happened to that fuckin’ cunt, anyway?”

            The last I heard, the cunt was heading to Malibu. Scott didn’t want to use such crude language in front of the ladies, even though it was obvious they were with Bart for his money.  “Not sure, but good riddance.”

            “Damn straight. How’s that crazy-ass Clayton?”

Scott chuckled. “He’s great.”

“Still livin’ in the same house?”

“Yeah.”

“And your boy?”

“Growing like a weed.” Scott usually got a kick out of Bart, but now wasn’t the time. He had to get rid of him before Regina got back and Bart blew his cover.

“Good, good. Hell, let’s get a table and catch up.”

            “I’m gonna have to take a rain check. I’m here with someone.”

            “All right, Nina, give Scottie my card.”

            Nina pulled a white card from her large bosom and handed it to Scott.

            He took it from her. “Thank you.”

            “Scottie, I got the inside scoop on a piece of property ripe for development in New Orleans. I want you in with me and Billy Bob. If you’re in it, we have a chance of getting it and making some sweet money.”

            “I’ll get my VP to give you a call, and you two can set up a meeting.”

            “Oh hell no. I want to deal with you personally, not with one of your flunkies. I am an old friend of your father’s, after all.” That’s how Scott had gotten involved in a deal with Bart in the first place. His father had asked him to get Bart in on one of his multi-million-dollar deals because he had owed Bart a favor.

            “I got a lot on my plate, Bart, but since you are an old family friend, I’ll find a way to make time for you.”

            “That’s what I like to hear.”

            Scott saw Regina heading back his way. He didn’t have any choice but to do what he was about to do. “Hey, Bart, my date is coming back. Look, she doesn’t know that I am . . . well-off, so if you can just refer to me by my first name, I—”

            “Say no more,” Bart said with a smile. “I know us rich guys got to screen these women.”

            “Um, thanks,” Scott said as he tried not to look at Nina and Shonda. It looks like you need to work on your screening technique, buddy.

            “Hey,” Regina said. “Sorry about that.”

            “It’s all right. Is everything okay with your friends?”

            “Yeah,” she answered with a soft smile.

            “Regina, this is Bart Guthrie. I did some work for him a while back,” Scott said.

            Bart didn’t give anything away. He smiled and nodded his head to Regina. “Nice to meet you, sweetheart.”

            “Nice to meet you too.”

            “These are my girls, Nina and Shonda.”

            “Hi,” the girls said in unison.

            “Hi,” Regina said back.

            “You’re a good lookin’ girl, Regina,” Bart commented.

            “Thank you.”

            “What do you do for a livin’?” Bart asked.

            “I’m a salon owner. I currently have seventeen salons on the East Coast.”

            “Nice,” Bart said as he nodded with approval. “You and Scottie have something in common; the entrepreneurial spirit.”

            “I suppose we do,” Regina said. “We’re both small business owners.”

            Bart laughed – too hard. His girlfriends laughed, too.

            A nervous smile appeared across Regina’s lips. “Did I miss something?”

            Shit.

            “Oh no, honey. It’s just that Scottie reminds me so much of his daddy. They both like keeping things small and simple. No matter what.”

            “Well, I’m not greedy,” Scott said with trepidation.

            “That’s all right. I got enough greed for you and your lady,” Bart said and laughed again.

            Everyone chuckled.

            “It was nice to meet you Regina — and Scottie, I’m expecting to hear from about that thing, ya hear?” Bart said.

            “I hear,” Scott said. Everyone within ten feet of us can hear you.

            “Y’all have a good evenin’,” Bart said.

            “You, too, Bart,” Scott said.

            Bart and his girls finally left.

            “My goodness, he seems like a real character,” Regina said with a smile.

            “Oh, he is,” Scott said as he slid off the barstool.

            “How do you know him?”

            “He’s an old friend of my father’s.”

            “Oh.”

            “Are you ready to go? It’s almost eleven o’clock.”

            “Yes,” she said.

            Scott wanted to exhale with relief. He wanted to get the hell out of there before his luck turned sour. If Bart Guthrie was in there, of all people, he knew more prominent faces from his past could show up as well.

****

            Scott took the scenic route back to Regina’s house. They were quiet most of the way until they got closer.

            “Regina, your friends, what did they speak to you about?”

            The corner of her mouth turned up. “Yeah, I didn’t think you bought Mika’s excuse as to why I needed to go to the bathroom with her.”

            He glanced over at her. He had a crooked smile.

            “They didn’t know that Sidney and I were separated . . . so . . .”

            “So, they thought you were having an affair with your contractor,” he finished for her.

            “Yes,” she said shyly.

            He turned on her road. “Why didn’t you tell them you were getting a divorce?”

            “I guess I wasn’t ready to let people know yet.”

            “You told me, and we hadn’t known each other nearly as long,” he said.

            “I know, but you were different. You don’t know Sidney. Sometimes it’s easier to tell strangers things than your friends. You know what I mean?”

            He nodded. “I do.” Then he was quiet. It looked like he was in deep thought. Scott didn’t speak again until he pulled into her driveway. “Regina,” he began as he put the truck in park and cut off the headlights. He turned to look at her. “Are you . . . still in love with your husband?”

            She had been thinking about that for over a week. She decided to be honest. Scott deserved the truth. “I do still love him in a way, but not the way a wife should love a husband. I love him, but I don’t think I’m in love with him anymore. I think I’ve felt that way for the past few years of our marriage. In the past, I just thought we were just another boring married couple who had gotten too comfortable with each other. That’s what happens sometimes. I just thought it was a phase. Yes, I was upset when he left me, but I believe it was because I was used to having him around. I hadn’t been alone in years. I haven’t even cried.”

            He looked at her for a minute. “Good,” he said in a raspy tone.

            “Good?”

            “Yeah, because I think I could fall for you pretty hard, and I couldn’t take it if you go back to him. Yes, I know this is the only date we’ve been on, but I like you a lot, and I want to get to know you better. I’m not looking for a fling. After seven years of being alone, I’m ready for a real relationship again.”

            Her heart pounded at the words. “Oh Scott, I like you too. It’s like we have an understanding without even speaking sometimes. I feel like I can . . . be a woman around you. You’re a grown man who is confident in who he is. You’re not . . . intimidated because I can make my own money.”

            “Thank you,” he said with a grin. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your door.”

            They got out of the truck. Regina unlocked her front door. She hadn’t gotten the key out of the lock before Scott turned her around and pulled her into his arms. She gasped with excitement.

            “Do you want to see a movie tomorrow afternoon?”

            “Yes,” she answered quickly.

            “Great, we’ll go to a movie and then we’ll swing by my dad’s house and pick up Clay. All three of us can go out to lunch.”

            “That sounds great,” Regina said.

            He smiled as his mouth came down on hers. This kiss was different from the others. This one was deeper – more aggressive. The heat overtook them as they wrapped their arms around each other. They kissed as if they hadn’t had human contact in twenty years.

            Her body was screaming to be satisfied, but she couldn’t sleep with this man on the first date no matter how much they liked each other. The problem was finding the strength to pull away.

            As if he read her mind, he broke the kiss. His lips lightly grazed her cheek. “I better go, before I lose my willpower to do so.” His breath was hot against her skin.

            “Yes. That would be best,” she said breathlessly.

            “I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll come by at eleven. Goodnight,” he said huskily and pulled away from her.

****

            Scott’s hard-on had subsided by the time he got back to his father’s house. He was going to go home, but he decided to spend the night at his father’s. He had plenty of clothes there, and he could have breakfast with his dad and Clay.

            He opened the front door and then closed and locked it. He could hear the TV and his father snoring from the small foyer. The light from the TV was illuminating the living room. Scott walked into the room.

            Sure enough, Scott’s father was sitting upright, his head leaned back on the couch, with his eyes closed and his mouth wide open. Clay was lying down next to him curled up in a ball.

            Scott looked at the TV. Halloween II was on. He shook his head as he glanced up to the ceiling. He turned on the lamp and then grabbed the remote and cut the TV off.

            His father snorted loudly then let out a short cough. He opened his eyes as he raised his head like the Undertaker from WWE. “Oh, I didn’t expect you back tonight,” he mumbled.

            Scott pointed at Clay who was still sound asleep on the sofa.

            “I was going to take him to bed. I was just resting my eyes.”

            Scott covered his mouth to stifle his laugh. He smirked as he walked over to Clay and carefully picked him up in his arms. He started walking to the staircase. His father slowly followed behind them.

            When they got to the hallway, Scott let his father walk ahead of him so he could open Clay’s bedroom door. He walked in, and Scott followed him. Light from the hallway guided their steps. His father pulled the green comforter and white sheet down on Clay’s twin bed. Scott carefully laid Clay down and covered him up. Clay barely stirred. He could sleep through an earthquake.

            They quietly left the room, and Scott closed the door behind them.

            “I was going to put him to bed,” his father said again as they walked back down the hall.

            “I know, Dad,” Scott said with a smirk. He knew both of them would have slept through the night on the sofa. “I’m more concerned about you letting him watch a scary movie.”

            “We fell asleep watching Tremors: After Shock. Well, that’s what I remember anyway.”

            “If my son has bad dreams, you’re going to get an ear full from me,” Scott said as they descended the stairs.

            “He’s not going to have bad dreams. The boy’s got nerves of steel.”

            “Perhaps, but he’s still nine,” Scott said.

            “You want a beer?”

            “Sure. It would be a nice nightcap to top off the night.”

            “Ah, it was a good date, I take it,” Clayton said as they walked through the living room.

            “It was. I thought it was going to bust all to pieces when her friends showed up out of nowhere, but it worked out.”

            “Her friends didn’t know you were taking her out?”

            They entered the kitchen. Scott had remodeled his father’s kitchen three years ago. It had dark granite counter tops, wood floors, dark varnished cabinets, and Scott had installed a dish washer. His father didn’t use it unless he had let the dishes pile up for three days. Scott had initially done it as a gift to his father, but Clayton wouldn’t hear of it. He had insisted on paying Scott. Scott had told his dad it wasn’t like he needed the money. His father had said he knew that, but he was paying him anyway. Scott had offered to pay for a lot of things for his father during the past nine years, but his dad wouldn’t let him. When he needed a new car, he had told Scott to save his money for himself and Clay. It was his way of making sure that Clay got a good inheritance.

            Scott sat down at the kitchen island. “No, they didn’t know. She hadn’t even told them that she was legally separated.”

            “Why?”

            “I think she was embarrassed. But we had a pretty . . . frank discussion before I dropped her off. I told her I wasn’t looking for a fling, and she seemed to be okay with that. She said she liked me as much as I liked her.”

            His father smiled as he closed the refrigerator door.

“However, my identity was almost blown when Bart Guthrie picked me out in a crowded club.”

His father’s light brown eyes widened. “No shit? How is that crazy son of gun?”

“Considering that he had two blondes young enough to be his daughters plastered on both sides of him, I’d say he’s doing fine.”

Clayton chuckled. “So, what he have to say?”

“He asked about you and Clay. Then he said he wanted me to look at a New Orleans property that could be good for development.”

“Are you going to take him up on it? Ole Bart is luckier than a four-leaf clover.”

“I told him I would call him.”

“Great. Now let’s get back to your date. Did you kiss her?” he asked as he carried two bottles of beer to the island.

            “Dad,” Scott mumbled.

            His dad chuckled as he twisted the caps off the beer. “What? I just want to make sure you’re happy.” He sat a beer down in front of Scott.

            Scott picked up the beer. It was ice cold. “Yes, I kissed her and yes, I’m happy, okay?”

            His father grinned. “Okay.” He took a sip from his beer. “When are you going to see her again? Other than working in her backyard, I mean.”

            “I asked her out tomorrow afternoon to a movie. Then I’m going to swing back by here and pick up Clay so all three of us can have a late lunch together.” Scott took a long swig of his beer.

            “Hell, I got a better idea. Bring her here for lunch after the movie.”

            “What?” Scott said with wide eyes.

            “Yeah, I would love to meet her, and I can cook here. Hell, I keep enough food in the house to choke a horse. A habit I got from your mom. We can grill out. I got fresh trout in the freezer from my last fishing trip, hamburger thawing in the fridge, and I got a pack of hot dogs in there too.”

            “I think it’s a little too early for me to bring her home for her to meet you. Plus, do you ever eat any vegetables?”

            “Not the vegetables you have to cook, and it’s not too early. You got a real thing for this girl, and I want to check her out for myself.”

            Scott was about to protest, but he remembered that he didn’t bring Marlena home to meet his father until two weeks before the wedding. During the divorce, his father had said that he knew the girl was no good, but by the time he had met her, it was too late. Scott was head over heels for her, and his father wasn’t going to risk losing his only son over a tramp. “Perhaps you should check her out. All right, I’ll bring her here for lunch, but we should have more than meat to feed her.”

            “Don’t worry about that. I’ll handle it. For God’s sake, don’t cook anything,” his father said with a serious expression.

            Scott laughed.