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I know that Trey is far from an angel. I’ve read lots of stories, but he’s not nearly as bad as what I expected. I honestly thought he would be a conceited asshole. Based on my initial impression, however, he is anything but that.
Liv moans and turns in her seat. Trey and I look at each other, breathing a sigh of relief when her eyes remain closed.
“So, tell me about Vanessa,” I continue, turning to face him.
After another long sip, he says, “She was the cutest thing I had ever seen.”
“Where did you meet?” I ask, settling in for a good story.
“We moved into Trump Tower when I was a seventh grader and I hated it. There weren’t any kids around except Tyler and me and then one day there she was. I remember telling Mom that I was in love that very first day.”
“So you had a crush on her from day one. How sweet is that?” I think about how cute he must have been as a teenager.
“Yeah, for me it was love at first sight. The three of us would meet ever day after school in the common area between our two places. There were three couches and a big screen TV, so it was a perfect place to hang out and watch cartoons.” He gets a far-off look in his eyes and I can tell by the smile on his face that those were happy times.
“It sounds like fun,” I reply, suddenly feeling just a little jealous of Vanessa.
“Yeah, Mom always liked cooking and baking, so she was happy to have us out of her hair,” he says with a reminiscent smile.
“And your dad was at work,” I assume.
“Always.” He chuckles. “I used to look at our family picture that hung over the fireplace just to make sure I didn’t forget what he looked like.”
“I think you’re exaggerating.” I tilt my head and roll my eyes.
“Not really. I remember him being gone for weeks at a time. That was back when Papa ran the company. Dad was scouring the tri-state area trying to buy up all of the little cable companies.” He suddenly pauses as if he has said something wrong.
“What’s wrong?” He looks like he stuck his foot in his mouth.
“Nothing. Papa was a great man. He used to stop by almost every evening to check on us when Dad was gone. He’s the one I really miss.”
“You called your grandfather, Papa?”
“Yeah, that’s all we ever called him. Still do, I guess.” He stares reflectively into his glass before reaching for another refill. “Papa always drank whiskey too.”
I think back to the same time frame and my memories aren’t nearly as pleasant. I remember Dad pacing the floor and cursing each time the Addison’s out bid him for another cable property. It was only a matter of time before we were packing everything we owned into a moving van and heading for Tennessee.
No one could believe that our family business had failed so quickly after being in business for more than eighty years. Dad took the blame for the whole thing. He was the one had who bragged about the future of the cable industry, not realizing there was a blood-hungry shark sitting at the table with him.
Trey
After several minutes, I realize that Mandy has grown silent. Turning toward her, I see that a scowl has settled on her face. She’s still pretty, but I like her better when she has that twinkle in her eyes. I shouldn’t have brought up Papa. He and her granddad were best friends for many years.
“Do you want to hear the rest of the story?” I ask in an attempt to restart the conversation.
“I do.” She turns, giving me a more solemn smile.
“Once we got into high school, Tyler transferred to Syracuse to play football. I finally had my chance with Vanessa.”
“So she had always favored Tyler?” she asks inquisitively.
“Yeah, she couldn’t wait to see him when he came from practice. He would say hi and then blow both of us off.” It still makes me angry when I think about it. “He was the jock and thought he was too cool for us.”
“Most young girls will choose the jock over the nice guy if they are given a choice. It’s one of those foolish things we do as teenagers,” she explains, as if I hadn’t already had that realization on my own. “So did you guys start dating after that?”
“Yeah, three years and one month later we had our first date,” I tell her, feeling a little foolish about my admission.
“Three years?” she howls, looking at me like I’m crazy. “It took you that long to ask her out?”
“Well, the first day back at school Tommy Fowler asked her out. I couldn’t believe my shitty luck.” I can still feel how crushed I was when she told me. “I didn’t even have a chance to get my nerve up!”
