"Watch your mouth, man." The words were spoken without heat, but Donnie knew Warren was quite serious.
"So I take it you're a little interested in Miss Lisette Francois," Donnie said. "And you know I meant no disrespect to her, it was just an observation. For a little bitty woman, she's put together quite nicely. Dang, that makes me sound like a hound, doesn't it?"
"That's because you are a hound, Cochran," Warren said with a wink. "Anyway, I told you she was the designer we hired to put the house together, right? And I'm sure I also told you that she was kind of instrumental in me finding out what my ex-fiancée was all about." The game forgotten, Warren went over to the bar and sat on a tall stool while helping himself to a Corona. "Tracy was a first-class actress, I'll give her that. And it's not because she looks so cute in that Farmer Jack commercial," he said with a wicked smile.
Tracy's dreams of stardom had evaporated after their aborted engagement when it became apparent to those that mattered that her talents were fairly limited outside of some spectacular measurements. She now did local commercials once in a while, like the one for the Farmer Jack grocery chain, to supplement her income from selling furniture on commission at Art Van.
"She always acted like the sweetest thing in the world, so feminine and adorable. If I hadn't walked up on her and her girls in that gallery dogging me like I was the biggest geek in the world, I would've actually tied the knot with that heifer. Lisette saved my life, man." He took a deep draught from the bottle and stared at it reflectively. "I always had the feeling that she did it on purpose, you know? Like she set the whole thing up to head me off at the pass. I always wanted to thank her for that, but I didn't know how."
Donnie made a few more passes with his cue stick and replaced it in the rack. Joining his friend at the bar, he also took a beer. "So why don't you tell her now? It's never too late," he said.
Warren shook his head and went around the bar to get a glass of ice water from the small refrigerator. "No way. If you could've heard the things Tracy was saying about me, calling me a fat chump, saying I'd break the bed down with my big butt, just generally clowning me..." his voice stopped and his expression turned glum. "It's not the kind of thing you want to think about, especially when someone as beautiful as Lisette heard the whole thing. I need a woman who's going to love me and respect me for me, not someone who feels sorry for me. And that's what was happening there, Cochran. She obviously felt pity for me and she didn't want to see my dumb butt get cleaned out by a gold digger. So, she intervened."
After draining the glass of water, he put it in the small sink behind the bar. "I still want to thank her in some way," he said thoughtfully. "And I must agree with you, Cochran, she sure is fine. And she's as sweet as can be, too. We're going to the Auto Show next week, you should come."
Donnie looked puzzled. "You're going on a date? You were just acting like you didn't want to ask her out," he said.
"No, I meant we're all going, me and my harem, Paris, Angelique, Lisette and who knows who else. My sister might come, too. Angelique called me and asked if I would come with and I said sure. They're all cute and they're all fun. You need to come, too, so I won't look like Dr. Pimpenstein with all those pretty women." He gave a deep belly laugh and pointed his index finger at Donnie. "It'll also give you an opportunity to keep an eye on Angel since that's all you want to do. 'Cause if you think I'm scared of Lisette, it's nothing compared to you. That little woman has you turned out and you just won't admit it," Warren gloated.
Donnie gave Warren a look of disgust "Throw me another lime, they're in the refrigerator. And give me another Corona. If you're gonna start with the snaps, I need to be well lubricated" he growled.
But what he was really wondering was when Warren had crossed over into the place where he could call Angelique by the pet name only family and very close friends called her. What was that hot nasty feeling? Surely it wasn't jealousy, not over Evilene. A sudden spasm in his stomach made him change his mind. "Never mind the Corona, doc. Is there a Vernor's in there?"
Warren gave him another evil grin. Vernor's ginger ale was the Michigan remedy for all ills from upset stomach to flu to headaches, but as far as he knew, it wouldn't cure budding passion. He kept this to himself and merely passed the green and gold can across the counter. "Drink up, Cochran," was all he said.
***
"So it's settled. We'll have a big Super Bowl party here and invite Warren and make sure you guys get some quality time," Paris said happily. She was in her element when she was mating up likely couples.
Angelique was curled up on the end of the sofa and her face was bright with excitement. "This'll be perfect. We'll make a lot of food and invite some fun people, and before everyone gets here, we'll make sure you have a moment or two alone with Warren," she said. "Make sure you wear something kinda sexy-oh, never mind you could come in a sack and you'd still look good." She laughed.
Lisette also laughed a little, but out of embarrassment "Oh, please. That's enough about me and Warren, when are we going to do something about you two?" she asked archly.
Paris held up her hand "I'm not looking for a serious entanglement. I'm going to be finishing up my internship here and heading back to Atlanta for the rest of my management training. My cousins love me to death, but that doesn't mean they don't want their money's worth. I have too much on my plate to get serious with anybody right now. I'm having fun with my friends and that's all I need."
Lisette then glanced at Angelique, who was studying her fingernails. "Okay, that sounds like a legitimate reason for a fabulous woman like you to remain casual about your relationships. But that doesn't excuse your sweet cousin, who is obviously intrigued by Mr. Cochran," Lisette said mischievously.
Paris had to put her two cents in and cosign Lisette's statement "Well, Angel, she does have a point," she said cheerily. "I rather think there's some mutual interest there, don't you, Lisette?"
"Yes, I absolutely do, Paris. I think we might have the makings of a wonderful couple here," she said with a smile. "What do you think, Angel?"
To their surprise, Angelique slumped back against the throw pillows without saying a word. When she spoke, it was with an air of finality that was most unlike her. "I can admit that Adonis Cochran is not repulsive in any way. He's very attractive, very smart, he has nice manners most of the time and he's not boring. He at least has a sense of humor." She sat up and pulled her hair behind her ears, looking at the two women observing her every move with great interest "But I'm not crazy, and there is no way he would ever be interested in me as a girlfriend I'm not his type," she said quietly.
"Not his type? You're every man's type! You're pretty and funny...." Lisette's words died off as Angelique held up her hand to silence her.
"Honey, ‘pretty' is not going to get the job done. I'm sure Paris hasn't told you this, but I'm dumber than a box of rocks, Lisette. I almost didn't graduate from high school and I couldn't even finish a two-year program at a community college. I have dyslexia. I can barely read. A man like Adonis Cochran wouldn't be caught dead with a nitwit like me," she said in a dead voice. "I'm going to make some more popcorn." Without another word, she got up and took the big bowl into the kitchen, leaving Lisette staring at Paris in disbelief.
Paris looked so sad and distant Lisette didn't dare ask her any questions. Paris, however, began to explain.
"Angelique is not stupid by any means. It's obvious that she's very intelligent. But she's never been able to accept that. Like most dyslexics, she's actually very bright, very creative and extremely talented. Her mind just processes information differently than other people. She does an amazing job of coping with it, though, and she has a very severe form of dyslexia. And whatever you do, please don't start rattling off a list of famous people who've overcome dyslexia, it drives her crazy.
"She's had a hard time all of her life because of the way she learns. Like a lot of dyslexics, it wasn't diagnosed for some time. By the time they figured out what was wrong, she was in middle school and was so traumatized by school in general that she had all kinds of behavioral problems. She ended up having to go to boarding school, and it was supposed to help her, but it almost killed her. For her it was like being sent into exile. It was like the ultimate punishment, being away from her family. I don't think Aunt Lillian realizes to this day what it did to Angel to be sent away. But her family really thought it was for the best. They just didn't know what else to do," Paris said softly.