Charley (17 page)

“I know, I know. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting the kind of weekend we had. But once it started, I just went along with the flow. I was okay, as long as we were just enjoying each other, but when you said something about taking the relationship to a different level, well you changed the game. I wasn’t expecting that. And I wasn’t sure that is what I wanted. Sex is one thing, but a relationship is another. I just froze and pulled back.”

“PJ … it’s my turn to apologize. I guess I’ve been thinking about it a long time, and just assumed you would automatically think it was a good idea.”

“Charley, it’s a great idea. I just needed time to think about it. I’m not as spontaneous in real life as I am on the court.  Truthfully, I’m just a plodder and it takes time for me to work through something. But I will tell you this. Once I decide something, it’s hard to get me to back down. And I’ve decided that I want to see more of you … if
you
still feel the same way.”

His speech sounded a little practiced, but I didn’t doubt his sincerity. I choked back a small sob, and wrapped my arms around him and pulled him to me. He was tearing up as well, when I felt his hand on my chin lifting me to him. My lips opened to receive his. This time, we kissed out of love, and not passion. To be honest passion is more exciting, and sends long shivers running throughout my body, but there is nothing more satisfying than a kiss that screams ‘I’m yours and you are mine’. I lingered in his arms and held him close. I never wanted to let him go.

Nothing lasts forever I guess. PJ leaned back. “Now tell me about this attorney and what is going on.”

I couldn’t help feeling he was a bit premature in breaking the mood. I wanted more, maybe some time in the bedroom. But, that’s his personality. I figured I would have to get used to it. Still I couldn’t let him totally off the hook. “So now you want to talk? No more time for some messing around? Really?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his startled look. I could hear him thinking.

“Huh?”

“Set yourself down. Want a coke, or something stronger?”

“No thanks.”

I spent the next thirty minutes wrapped in my bath robe, sitting on the sofa recounting the offer from the investor’s group. He had a few questions, but generally was silent, and taking in as much as he could. I could see that his style is to collect information and spend some quiet time thinking about it, the direct opposite from the way I operate. I didn’t really want him to tell me what to do, but I really wanted his reaction. “So, Ronnie and Terry and I are meeting with them at 1:00. Do you want to sit in with us?”

“If it would be okay with you?”

“Good. Let me finish dressing, and we’ll go down to have some lunch before going over to the bank.”

After introducing Terry and PJ, the eight of us, four in their group and four in ours, walked to the bank under an overcast sky that made the temperature hot but almost tolerable. The conversation was relaxed, no business out here. “Hope you’re all staying over. Vincent Gill is in concert Friday night. I can get tickets if you like?”

“Sounds great, let’s talk after our meeting.  Say … who are we going to meet with at the bank?”

“No one in particular. They have more space than we do at the Bar. Besides, its lunch time, and we wouldn’t have any privacy if we stayed at Jimmy’s. So I reserved the Board room. I’ll introduce you to Shelby Loomis, the bank’s President, if he’s available.”

“Sounds good.”

As it turned out Loomis was out of the bank, so Mrs. Watson showed us to the bank Board room. The cavernous room was richly paneled in a light maple finish, with portraits of Old Mr. Loomis, Shelby Loomis and the current Board members up on the wall. A long, highly polished table with twelve cushioned leather armchairs dominated the room. At the end was a small wet bar which Mrs. Watson had opened, and generously supplied with soft drinks and a fresh pot of coffee. I had to grin when I noticed that she also had a bowl of GooGoo Clusters, Nashville’s original candy bar, on the buffet.

“Gentlemen,” I began. “Have a seat and let’s see what you have for us today.”

Quinn and his group had made another version of the same presentation they had done earlier in the week. Terry and PJ both asked a few questions, but Ronnie and I had heard it all before and we were anxious to move on. When they finished, Quinn asked the critical question.

“Ms. Howard,
are
you interested?”

Obviously I’d been thinking about this question ever since I was first approached. It sounded like an excellent opportunity, and I was indeed very much interested, but I wasn’t eager to let them know, not just yet.  “Mr. Quinn. Obviously, when anyone expresses an interest in giving away money, I would be a fool
not
to be interested. But, to tell you the truth, I haven’t had Jimmy’s evaluated yet, and I haven’t heard any of the financial details of what you’re proposing.”

This must have been the answer Quinn was looking for. His partner, Ben Eckerd, removed a thick folder from his briefcase and began a presentation complete with demographics, cost calculations, revenue projections, and all the myriad information typical of a CPA. For the next forty-five minutes, Eckerd rolled out their proposal: fees, conditions, contracts, payments, options. He finally ended with. “That’s the way we see this arrangement shaping up; any questions?” Frankly, I understood less than half of his presentation, but the parts I understood seemed to be very attractive.

I was ready to tell him that when PJ spoke up. “May I, Charlotte? Mr. Eckerd, we have just heard this proposal for the first time and frankly we need some time to digest it. Why don’t you leave us a copy and let us study it?”

Ronnie had been quiet up to this point, but he said. “I agree with Coach McCoy, we need time to think about this.”

After a pause, I noticed Terry glancing at Quinn and Eckerd before saying. “I agree.”

“Sounds reasonable to me, in fact we brought extra copies for you. I would urge you to remember, we are in a bit of a time crunch because of our financing source. Call me as soon as you feel comfortable talking further.  I’ll be in touch in a couple of weeks.”

I agreed to consider the proposal and contact him shortly. With that we wrapped up the meeting and prepared to leave. Quinn’s group was staying next door at the Summit, and Terry had an appointment in his office for which he was late. That left Ronnie, PJ and me to walk back to Jimmy’s.

I stood up and walked back to the wet bar that Mrs. Watson had set up. “Might as well drink Loomis’ cokes and eat a GooGoo. I’m sure my money is paying for it anyway!”

PJ slid his chair back to join me. Ronnie remained seated with a look on his face that I’d seen before. He usually looks that way, when he has something on his mind; silent and deep in thought.

“Want a coke, Ronnie?” I suggested.

With a wave of his hand and a grunt, he signaled no.

With my coke in hand, I ventured back to my silent friend. “What are you thinking so hard about?”

By this time PJ was back also with a coke and a GooGoo, and the two of us sat across from Ronnie, waiting for him to respond. He finally spoke up. “Am I the only one who thought something was wrong with this meeting? Didn’t the two of you pick up on something?”

I felt the question was directed to me specifically. Ronnie was just introducing his own questions. There was a lull before Ronnie spoke again. “I’ve seen good salespeople and I’ve seen bad salespeople, but this group is beyond good; they are slick. Too polished, too prepared. They mentioned earlier there was urgency about making a quick decision on their proposal. But today they just mentioned it almost in passing. I suspect any urgency is not because of a financing partner; I think it’s something else.  They didn’t press the issue, which I think they would have if it was really important.”

“Or,” PJ responded, sounding like a light went on. “They could have someone here to push the process along. Anyone else know about this?”

“There’s only me, Ronnie, Terry and you,” I replied. With a laugh, I added. “Are you the inside man?”

“No, of course not. You came after me remember, not the other way round. Besides, I don’t know of this group and believe me, I get approached by a lot of groups wanting to invest
my
money.” After a rather long pause, PJ continued thoughtfully. “Terry maybe?  How well do you know him?”

I couldn’t let that go. “Terry is okay. You’re just suspicious because he was in my apartment.”

Ronnie ignored our discussion. His voice had that confident tone to it. “You know, to be honest, we don’t really know anything about this group. They just popped up from nowhere. And another thing. Why are they really interested in a single location, local restaurant? Wouldn’t it be smarter for them to go after a multiple location business that had proven its concept? I tell you, I think there
is
something else they’re after.”

“Finish your drinks. Let’s talk about it on the way back to work.”

We left the bank and were on the way back to Jimmy’s. I took PJs hand, and a smile crept across my face. Before I could say anything, Ronnie suddenly piped up.

“Coach, I didn’t get a chance to talk with you.  Why
are
you back in town so quickly?”

He looked at me, squeezed my hand and turned to Ronnie. “Charley and I have some unfinished business to attend to.”

And I shivered in anticipation …

Dinner at the Palm restaurant was exquisite. We were talking and generally enjoying each other. PJ was in the middle of answering my question. “… she said I was stupid, that I handled things wrong, and I should be on the next plane to Nashville. And I was …”

I interjected. “I’m so glad you had a good friend to talk to. Mary Lou sounds like a great person. I’ll have to thank her someday.”

“How about tomorrow?”

The smile I loved crept over his face. He was serious.

“What do you mean?”

“This investor group meeting is over. You can leave the proposal with Ronnie to study. He and Wilma can run the Bar. I want you to come to Middletown with me and see the world I inhabit. You can go to Church with me, and I want you to meet my friends. You’ll love them and they will love you to bits. You wanted us to see more of each other, didn’t you?”

I could see he was running out of reasons for me to go with him, so I let him dangle a little bit. I had already decided to go when he first asked, but he just didn’t slow down enough for me to tell him. But I couldn’t go until Monday. “Okay, I would love to come see you.  But I can’t leave until Monday morning because of some business commitments that I made several weeks ago. You go on back Friday, and I’ll come up on Monday. Okay?”

“Fantastic.”

He reached across the dinner table and hugged me. I laughed at him. He was grinning from ear to ear like a little kid who just found a pony under the Christmas tree. 

I was feeling a freedom and peace that I hadn’t felt in years. An aura of wellbeing covered me. Everything was right with my world, I was feeling good about everything, the business had the prospects of growing and I had a good man with me. I reached around the glasses and bread plate to grasp his hand and whispered. “What about that unfinished business? Want to talk about it at my condo?”

When he said ‘no’, my heart skipped a beat. Was there another problem? I guess my face showed my surprise, and disappointment.

Instead, PJ laughed and said. “Sweetheart, I’ve rented the Executive Suite at Opryland Hotel for us. The roof top suite has a small garden and a pool. I thought we could see each other in some place where your memories wouldn’t get between us.”

“That costs a fortune, my condo is free.”

“Charley, don’t you get it yet? You’re worth every cent I might spend. I didn’t come back just to have dinner with you. I came to see you, and to get on with this relationship and see where it’s going to take us. I told you I’m a plodder, but once I make up my mind, I’m more like a bulldog.”

I couldn’t think of something to say except. “Oh hush up, you talk too much. Get the check and let’s go.”

*****

“PJ, this is magnificent.” I had no idea such a suite was available at the Opryland Hotel. The living room was spacious, the bedroom was exciting, but the best part was the garden and pool outside the sliding doors. I stood in the middle of the room and whirled around drinking in the luxury wet bar, big screen TV, soft music playing, fresh flowers and a sweet aroma wafting through the room. It was perfect.

And there in the corner stood PJ, grinning from ear to ear with his arms out to me. “Like it? Did I do okay?”

“It’s perfect, and you are perfect and we are perfect.”

I just couldn’t think of any better words to describe how I felt. I crossed the room and threw my arms around his neck and planted a big kiss on his lips. My adrenaline was pumping, I couldn’t stand still. I bounced away from him, grabbed his hand and pulled him through the sliding doors.

Outside was a golden tiled patio surrounded by large earthenware pots, overflowing with blooming flowers. The red roses were featured as they stood out against the yellows and greens and blues in the background. Small lights illuminated each vessel. The landscaping was perfection. Tall glowing tiki lamps gave the patio a soft soothing glow. Just beyond the patio was a swimming pool, bathed in dancing blue lights. Above, the entire cloudless Southern sky was brilliant, with a full moon and thousands of tiny pinpoint lights.

We stood there holding each other for a few minutes while our senses absorbed the romantic ambiance. I wanted so badly to tell PJ that I loved him, but I didn’t speak. He’d already told me he was a plodder, and I didn’t want to rush him or force him to say something he didn’t mean. He would have to decide for himself how he felt. For now, I was simply comfortable, standing there with his arm around me and his head leaning down on mine.

On a whim, I turned in his arms, smiled and asked. “How about a swim?”

“Charley, I didn’t bring a swim suit, sorry.”