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“I’m sorry.” I hand her my napkin to wipe the tears from her cheeks. “My grandmother is still alive and I know she would love to meet you. She’s going to be eighty-five this fall.”
“I have no idea what the hell is going on,” Liv finally breaks her silence. “I feel like I’m in the fucking twilight zone over here.” She slumps back in her seat and crosses her arms. “What the hell is the deal between you two?”
“Mandy’s grandfather and mine were good friends who had dinner here about twenty years ago along with my dad and her dad. During that dinner, her dad talked about his interest in consolidating the cable industry,” I start to explain.
“And let me guess, Victor took his idea and beat them to the punch,” Liv says, guessing correctly.
“He did. He ruthlessly outbid them at every turn and left them with an obsolete, dying business,” Mandy tells her, releasing feelings she had held onto for years.
“Is that why your family left New York?” Liv asks her.
“Yes.” Mandy nods. “He killed us.”
“Their conversation most likely took place at this very table.” I tap my fingers on the old wooden tabletop. “That’s why I brought her here tonight… to make things right,” I reiterate.
“Oh, really? How are you going to fix something like that?” Liv scoffs.
“I might not be able to bring back your old family business, but I’ll figure out a way to make it up to you guys.” I pat Mandy on the thigh.
“So, we aren’t really friends?” Liv suddenly turns on Mandy. “You were just using me to get to him?”
“At first maybe, but I really do like you.” Mandy proclaims while carefully dabbing the remaining tears from her eyes.
“God, I can’t believe you.” Liv fumes. “If there is one thing I hate, it’s being used.”
With those words still hanging in the air, Mandy gives me a sideways glance. I know exactly what she is insinuating with that look. I’ve been using Liv myself for way too long.
Mandy
If Liv is pissed about this, I can’t imagine how she will react when Trey sets her down for their little talk. She’s going to go through the roof. I don’t understand her thought process, though, as it seems that Trey has made his lack of interest in a relationship about as clear as possible. That’s a whole other issue. I really don’t understand why he got so jaded by his first teenage crush. I can’t wait to see what is so special about that girl.
“I want you both to try the Kobe Beef. Liv, order yours with a side of Bordelaise sauce,” Trey tells us, changing the topic.
“Are you serious?” I had just read that a twelve-ounce portion costs three hundred and fifty dollars. “I’m perfectly content with the regular tenderloin.” There is no way that Kobe beef is worth ten times as much. That’s ridiculous.
“Just humor me,” Trey chuckles. “This is a special dinner.”
“I love Kobe beef,” Liv spouts. “It’s the most amazing steak ever.” I glance at her out of the corner of my eye and bite my tongue. It’s just not worth it.
“Okay, I’ll give it a try. I’m sure it will be fabulous. But I suppose it would be a sin to pair that with a Guinness.” I give him a wink.
“It’s your meal. You can have whatever you desire,” Trey replies with a shrug.
“We need a bottle of Ace,” Liv informs us.
“Of course we do, Liv!” Trey laughs lightheartedly. He then explains that Ace is champagne that has the Ace of Spades on the bottle and is now owned by Jay Z, which makes it the go to for the in-crowd.
While waiting for our food, I notice that Trey seems really apprehensive about spending time with his family. It makes me wonder if he really is a prodigal son or if he just ran away out of sheer anxiety. I know what it’s like to feel out of place. It’s something I had to deal with when we first moved to Tennessee. I was definitely a fish out of water when I started second grade.
“So where will you be on the list?” Liv asks him out of the blue.
“The list?” Trey pretends he doesn’t know what she’s referring to.
“Don’t screw with me. You know exactly what I’m talking about. I read that your dad was number thirty five,” Liv adds. “Where will that leave you and Tyler?”
“I’ll come in at eighty-three in the U.S. and two-forty in the world,” Trey whispers. Then it occurs to me. They are talking about his place on the Forbes list of richest people. He’ll be the eighty-third richest person in the whole country. Wow. I guess he can afford to feed us Kobe beef.
