Chapter 46

Tuesday, June 12

The girls all looked a little nonplussed at my blanket invitation to go out. Yeah, it might not have been the most romantic way of doing things, but I didn’t have enough romance in me to satisfy eight girls. I’d be lucky to have enough to satisfy one.

I looked at Bethany, the first of the six present I’d asked for a date.

“Will 7 o’clock Monday be OK?” I asked. “It can be somewhat fancy, like dinner here at the club, or as casual as you want. Movie? Ballgame? Something else? Let me know. I guess we should exchange phone numbers.

“In fact, I should probably get all of your numbers while you’re here.”

Arlene kept a hand curled over her face to hide her smile as I continued to treat the little princesses in a very unprincesslike manner. With expressions ranging from uncertain smiles to outright pouts, the girls gave me their contact information. Going in alphabetical order, it was Bethany, Callie, Erin A., Erin B., Keri and Staci.

Once I had all that punched in, I sent all six a group text so they could add me to their contacts. I shouldn’t have been surprised when all but Staci said they already had my number courtesy of my sister. And yet none of them had ever called me.

I finally finished my lunch before a 40-something woman looking like she’d just stepped out of a Neiman-Marcus catalog strode up and greeted Arlene. An exchange of air kisses and “Dahling! You look mahvelous!” was followed by a couple of minutes of small talk before they got around to the main event.

“So, where’s this protégé of yours who’s going to set the world on fire?” the woman asked Arlene in a cultured tone.

Where Arlene oozed the style and grace she’d become accustomed to, this woman bespoke generations of breeding to such status. I got the feeling coming to our little country club qualified as slumming in her world.

“Right here,” Arlene said, indicating me.

I stood up, made sure to wipe my hand with a napkin and introduced myself.

“Gary Robinson, ma’am,” I said, accepting her proffered right hand.

“Julia Fairchild,” she replied. “And who are your pretty admirers?”

I introduced the girls, making sure to mention they were all friends of my sister and my girlfriend, who were not present.

“Just the one girlfriend?” she asked with an arched eyebrow.

That drew a mixture of coughs, giggles, titters and blushes from the six girls and a knowing grin from Arlene. I just gave my best clueless smile.

“Let’s move this inside, shall we?” Arlene said as she grabbed her bag and rose from her lounge. “Girls, if you will excuse us. Feel free to hang around, but this may take a while.”

The ladies made themselves comfortable on the sofa. I asked if they’d like anything to drink and headed for the kitchenette.

“There’s a bottle of wine that should be chilled by now,” Arlene said. “Julia?”

“It’s 5 o’clock somewhere,” the older lady said. “I’m sure I can handle one glass. I actually took time for lunch today.”

I poured and delivered the drinks, then grabbed a bottle of water for myself and pulled up a patio chair.

Julia Fairchild was a well-preserved woman, whether because of good genes or a good plastic surgeon, I couldn’t tell. Her hair was kind of a burnished bronze with highlights. The color definitely came from somewhere more upscale than a Clairol box. She exhibited a sense of style that seemed so effortless it was like she was incapable of anything else.

It turned out she ran a modeling agency that pretty much dominated the local market. More than one young woman who’d started with Julia was now treading runways in New York, Paris or Milan.

She had me stand, turn this way and that and walk back and forth as much as the limited space allowed. Then she asked me to remove my shirt.

I looked to Arlene for direction, receiving a discreet nod, and peeled out of the garment.

“Not bad,” Julia said, requesting I twirl around. “No obvious tattoos or piercings. Young and healthy without being overblown. Just enough with the abs and pecs to get your attention. We’ll need to even out the tan. You must be enjoying yourself, Arlene.”

“That would be telling, dear. But let me show you a little something,” Arlene said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a tablet. “These are from the day I met Gary.”

Oh, no, I groaned. She’s not going to do that to me, is she? I put my shirt back on and sat down.

“His sister and girlfriend fixed him up as their personal cabana attendant the day the pool opened for the season,” the redhead said. “It was the talk of the club for several days.”

Arlene then showed Julia the same slideshow Kacie and Morgan had given me for my birthday. Those photos were going to haunt me for the rest of my life.

The women swiped through the display, Julia going back and forth between one series of shots to create the illusion of motion. Then she stopped on one of me holding a tray of drinks low for the girls. The Speedo filled the background.

“Tell me he was smuggling socks in that thing,” she said, to which Arlene shook her head with a grin. “Don’t let Armand see that one. He never will get any work done.”

I didn’t think I wanted to meet this Armand, whoever he was.

The women discussed upcoming projects and how I may fit in. Several of Julia’s clients were getting their Holiday campaigns set up. Some, those with Halloween or Thanksgiving themes, were already under way.

Julia said there were some department stores that might use me for their young men’s line.

“We need to get him a portfolio we can show around,” she said. “And we should get him under contract.”

“You should probably talk to my mother about that kind of stuff,” I broke in. “She’s the general manager of the club and will be in her office or somewhere on the grounds.”

“Do you have the time?” Arlene asked Julia. “I can call her right now.”

Arlene was quickly on her phone, telling my mom she would be at her office in 10 minutes with a business proposition. She then reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of yoga pants, which she pulled on over her suit, and a men’s dress shirt to cover the top.

“That ought to be sufficient for the main clubhouse,” she said. “Gary, be a dear and close up here. I’ll head on home after we talk to your mom. Come over after your workout and I’ll fill you in.”

With that, she and Julia Fairchild were out the door. By the time I got things in order, Keri and Erin Bennett were the only girls remaining from the group.

“Gary, could you please give me a ride home?” Keri asked. “Erin’s got to run some errands and it would be too far out of her way to drop me off.”

“Sure thing, but we’ll have to walk to my house to get my car,” I said. “Let me go put this shirt back and we’ll get going.”

“We’re going to change, too,” Keri said. “We’ll meet you out front.”

I threw my work shirt into the hamper and grabbed the T-shirt I’d worn for our morning workout. I almost gagged at the stench. I’d just have to make it home shirtless and get a fresh one. I hoped the girls wouldn’t be offended, but it wouldn’t be the first time they’d seen me bare-chested.

They came out a few minutes later decked out in T-shirts, jogging shorts and sneakers. Did every girl I know have the same combination in their closet?

I explained my laundry situation, which they brushed off. The girls exchanged a hug that wouldn’t have raised suspicions except among the already suspicious and Erin took off on her errands. Keri and I talked of inconsequential matters as we walked toward my house, how the summer was going, what was up with her club softball team — it had won more games in the last few weeks than our major league team had all season — and the like.

We got to my house, where I quickly donned a clean shirt and made sure I had my wallet and keys. I led Keri out back to my car and held the door as she got in and settled her tote bag on the floorboard.

“Which way are we going?” I asked as I backed out of my spot. With no other vehicles around, I had just enough space to make a three-point turn and drive forward instead of having to back all the way out.

Keri gave me directions to an address that was on the other side of our high school. She’d attended a different elementary school and hadn’t entered Kacie’s sphere of influence until junior high. I don’t know that I’d ever been to Keri’s house unless I was with Mom when she was picking up or dropping off my sister.