Chapter 46

Saturday afternoon, Dec 2, 2028

When we finished tree decorating, Addie’s phone rang. From the way she was talking, I presumed it was Tanya, especially when I heard Addie practically screaming into the phone, “Oh my God, Victoria’s Secret, Oh my God!”

The kids were still having fun with the tree while I listened to more of Addie’s phone call with Tanya, they were talking excitedly about Victoria’s Secret. It seemed that Tawns may have gotten an offer from them.

An hour later, she finally was off the phone. “You’ll never guess what,” Addie told me.

I rolled my eyes, it wasn’t exactly top secret, listening from Addie’s end, “No,” I told her, “what?”

“Tawns...” she hesitated, “has already gotten an offer for modeling ... from Victoria’s Secret!” she was practically screeching, she was so excited for her friend.

I waited, for more info, then gave up, “And... ?” I finally apparently had to ask her.

“You know what they already offered her?” Umm, no, I didn’t, again waiting for her to tell me, “Five hundred freakin’ dollars an hour!”

My jaw must have dropped open, five-hundred ... an hour? Damn, I had no idea. “And she told them yes, I hope,” I told Addie.

She shook her head, “No, she didn’t. Playboy told her to not accept anything until she got an agent to represent her.” Addie had calmed a little but was getting excited again, “They told her she has the potential to be one of the top models in the country, maybe even THE top model!”

I was speechless. I remembered that first time I saw Tanya across the room and thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. How many times the thought that she should be a model had run through my mind. And now this! All from what was kind of a joke at the time, that email to Playboy.

Addie went on, “Playboy gave her a list of agent’s names they recommended in Seattle. She and Tanner are spending the weekend researching all of them. It’s going to be a big decision for them, to even do it.”

I still didn’t know what to say, then a thought, maybe a little selfish, “If they do, and I presume they will, will they ... maybe have to move ... maybe ... if when she’s famous...”

Addie knew what I was trying to say, “Tawns brought it up, she said they’re never going to lose our friendship, no matter what.” Then she smiled and went on, “She specifically said, ‘tell Matt we’re still on for next time we see you’.”

I let out a breath. I hadn’t even realized I was holding my breath, worrying about that. After everything between us, I shouldn’t even have had the worry. And wow, what she’d said! The thought of sleeping with a Playboy Playmate, and possible supermodel, that every guy in the country would want, really did a number on my libido.

“Something else, too, though,” Addie went on, “Playboy’s Playmate of the Year comes out in the January issue. They’re going to let the girls know on the eighth so there’s time for another photoshoot. Tawns thinks she might have a chance. She wouldn’t say what, but there’s been some little hints.”

Wow! I hadn’t even imagined any of this when I sent that email on that businesswomen pictorial; Playmate, Victoria’s Secret, potential supermodel, Playmate of the Year! What the hell else?

We put on an old Frosty the Snowman movie for the kids and sat, watching it with them. Hard to get tired of a kid snuggled up on your lap and Addie with Katie on her lap right next to me, the four of us watching a Christmas movie together. Sorta puts everything else in perspective.

Still, though, after the kids went to bed, Addie and I snuggled in our bed and I opened the Playboy site to show Addie the rest of Tawns’ pictorial and videos. We followed that up with what happens when both of us are so super turned-on. It was a whole lot better than just ‘nice’.

Sunday, Addie finally remembered to tell me about the ‘business’ part of her trip with Susan. Wow, I still couldn’t get over what Addie had told me about her.

Anyway, re-painting was going to be done this Monday, then counters and shelving were coming in Tuesday and Wednesday. They’d found a small mom and pop candy company, kind of like Sarah’s Sweets, that was going to provide hand-made candies. Susan was going to be looking for more local suppliers tomorrow when she starts full-time, and Addie had interviewed with the Tri-City Herald for a feature on her new store. She’d also taken out full-page ads leading up to her grand opening, which she hoped to be Saturday, December 16th. Most of the stock I’d ordered should be there at least by the week before, a lot this coming week.

As a matter of fact, we said that it would make sense if I went over on the eleventh and spent that week unpacking and providing some of the muscle-power (she said it. Me, the big muscle-man!) to help Susan with the stocking. Another thing Susan was going to be doing right away was interviewing for two part-time employees, hopefully having at least one hired by that week.

And no, it didn’t escape me that spending that week in the same town as Ginger could be more than a little pleasant. As a matter of fact, it was Addie that mentioned it, asking if I’d see her again. After all, it had been a month, since November 4th when I’d been with her and we hadn’t really talked about Ginger since then, except that first night when Addie had tortured me in bed.

I told Addie I most certainly would be calling her to see if she’d like to get together sometime during the week, hopefully, a date one evening with possibly a little ‘extra’. And this time, I wouldn’t be nearly the nervous wreck I was in the Best Western last time. Then I thought about that and laughed to myself, yeah, I probably still would, at least close.

Even though it was the middle of the day and Addie and I had just had a very satisfying Saturday night, the thought of seeing Ginger again had me totally turned on.

Addie wanted to plan to come over Thursday evening and be there Friday and through the weekend during the opening. The only problem with that little plan was our two children, who were right then at the dining room table playing Chutes’n’Ladders.

“If I’m in Richland, who’ll watch the kids?” I asked her, “They can’t stay with our parents because they’re working, and the kids have school Friday.”

“Joanie?” Addie asked, then thought a minute, “Don’t think that’d work, either. She has school Friday, too and I don’t know how she’d get them to and from their school. Not sure if she’d want to babysit that long, either.”

We agreed to at least ask her, see if she had any ideas. Otherwise, Addie would just have to wait until Friday after the kids came home to travel. She wouldn’t be there for any of the prep time, but she would be there on Saturday for the grand opening. I was sure one of our parents would be able to watch them over the weekend. That is unless that’s the weekend they have their ‘dinner’ party. If that happened to be the case, we could talk to Joanie about having them over the weekend. I’m sure she’d like the money she’d earn.

“And Nick,” I asked her, “I’m presuming that you’ll be staying with him? Are you going to introduce me as your husband to him?”

She frowned, her nose getting that little off-kilter look when she’s confronted with a minor problem to solve. “An employee,” she said, “someone that Susan hired to help with the stocking and opening. I know she’ll go along with that after our discussion last week.”

“And ... when your husband finally does ‘come home’? What then? Is he going to ever meet your husband, me? He’s going to remember that ‘employee’ and know that he’s been misled all along.” Hell, I don’t know if I’d ever actually meet him as Addie’s husband, but I at least wanted her to think about that before this subterfuge went too far. I didn’t want her to stop seeing Nick, but I also didn’t want her to have an angry boyfriend down the line.

“I ... I guess you’re right...” long hesitation, deep in thought, “but I don’t know that he’d ever meet you ... as my husband. I know he’d meet you in the store ... but I don’t think he ever needs to know.”

This was a bad idea! But the more I thought about it, the hotter I got. I’d be there, he’d be there, none-the-wiser, interacting with my wife in a normal, public environment. God, I wanted to do it!

“Okay,” I told her, “you and Susan will treat me just like any other employee ... and ... down the line, we’ll just have to make sure he never knows.”

Now, I was anxious to call Ginger to let her know I was going to be in town; see if she’d like to go out one evening. Unfortunately, there was a movie that we’d been promising to take the kids to, and it started in half an hour. It’s a new Disney film about the trials and tribulations of squirrels and chipmunks in the forest. I don’t know how they did it, but the previews show real animals, not cartoonish. It looked funny as hell, too. The miracle of modern technology.

But damn, I wanted to call Ginger!

The movie was every bit as good as the previews implied, one of the best Disney movies I’d seen for a long time. And how they did it? I have absolutely no clue, it was totally real life. Kevin and Katie absolutely loved it. Actually, so did Addie and I. I know we’ll be buying it when it comes out in digital.