Cultured, page 9
“Did she like working there?” I asked.
“She loved it. I did too since it meant she was nearby.”
“What did her job at TLM entail?” Nicole asked.
“Mostly meeting and greeting VIPs and making them feel comfortable. Stephanie’s always been good at that. She’s well versed in the TLM program so she also did some lecturing and mentoring.”
“I hear that many of the employees travel a good deal,” I said.
“Stephanie traveled some. TLM has a strong recruiting and outreach program. They look for new investors and members everywhere. Stephanie went to L.A., New York, West Palm, and once to Europe. London and Paris.”
“Exciting life,” Nicole said.
“It was. To top it all off, she met James. He’s smart, good-looking, and so devoted to her. It was one of those instant romances. In fact, early on it went a little too quickly for me. They were engaged in a couple of months. But once I got to know James, once I saw how perfect they were for each other, all my reservations melted away.”
“A fairy tale so to speak,” Nicole said.
“Definitely. Now they’re planning a family. I’m heading over to see them next weekend.”
“Do you belong to TLM?” I asked.
“Not yet. I say that because, at first, after Stephanie began to work there, I looked into it. Rhea and Jonathon pitched the whole membership thing to me. I was tempted, but the price was a little steep.” She shrugged. “But now that I see how well they’ve done for James and Stephanie, I’m reconsidering. Obviously, I don’t know all the details, but I do know that James is happy with his returns.”
“That’s the consensus among the people we’ve talked to,” Nicole said.
“What about you two?” Rachel asked. “Are you married?”
“No, we just hang out together,” Nicole said. “But I will say that, like your daughter, our mutual attraction was almost instantaneous.” She ruffled my hair. “He’s a good guy. When he’s not being an ass.”
Rachel laughed. “That’s a guy thing.”
I was smart enough to stay silent, but I did shake my head.
“What do you do?” Rachel asked.
“Jake’s an ex-pro baseball player and now owns a bar and restaurant in Gulf Shores. I write and produce screenplays.”
“Oh? Anything I might have seen?”
“Murderwood,” I said.
Her eyes widened and her gaze locked on Nicole. “Really? I saw that. It was wonderful. You wrote that?”
Nicole nodded. “I did.”
“It was great. Scary, which is not usually my thing, but I really liked it. Plus, Kirk Ford’s my fantasy guy.”
Nicole laughed. “He likes that role and he plays it well.”
“Why wouldn’t he?” Rachel said.
Indeed, why wouldn’t he? Kirk had women throwing themselves at him on a daily basis. Hard to ignore that. I’d had a taste of that while playing ball. In every town we traveled to, there were a few bars and clubs we frequented where you could find an overnight companion with ease. It was all part of the game. Truth is, I’m glad I’m beyond all that. It was exhausting if nothing else.
“Do you have any friends at TLM?” I asked. “Anyone else we might talk to?”
“Not really. Not being a member—yet—I don’t have any ongoing connections with them.”
“Any other young ladies you know of that had positive outcomes?” Nicole asked. “Like Stephanie?”
Rachel gave a soft laugh. “Positive outcome. I like that. Stephanie told me about a couple of other girls she worked with, or maybe heard about, I’m not sure which, but they did well through their work at TLM. One ended up moving to Tampa and working in Jonathon’s real estate business. Another was hired by some guy from Dubai to hostess on his private jet. Apparently, she’s been all over the world and met some very interesting people. Made me wish I’d had such opportunities when I was a twenty-something.” She shrugged. “I probably wouldn’t have done anything even if the opportunity arose. I’ve always been more timid than that.”
“You never know,” I said.
“True.”
“I’d say you did okay,” Nicole said. “You live in this great little village.” She glanced at me, raised an eyebrow. “Your daughter seems to have found the love of her life. It doesn’t get much better.”
“No doubts there.”
“So you’ve seen nothing negative with TLM?” I asked.
“Nothing at all.” She glanced down and then back up toward us. “When Stephanie first began working there, I had some concerns. I mean, a young attractive woman, hired to do PR by a flashy company—well—you know where my mind went? But in truth, one of the things I learned about TLM is that they want everyone to be successful. Not just the high rollers they recruit, but also their staff. They offer them the benefits of all their programs and seem to push them along a path to success. At least, that was Stephanie’s experience.”
“Do you know these other girls?” I asked. “The ones you told us about?”
“No.” Her brow furrowed. “I’m sure Stephanie told me their names but I can’t remember.”
“Do you think Stephanie would be willing to talk with us?” Nicole asked.
“I don’t see why she wouldn’t. If you want, I can call her and tell her that you’re going to contact her.”
“That would be greatly appreciated,” I said.
She smiled. “She’ll definitely talk with you since you’ve been approved by Ginger.”
CHAPTER 16
“AM I MISSING something?” Nicole asked.
“Like what?”
“Pancake said this was a cult. I don’t see that.”
“What do you see?” I asked,
She glanced at me while blasting around a box truck that had the audacity to go the speed limit. My reflex was to suggest she keep her eyes on the road during such maneuvers but that would be a fool’s errand. In her defense, she possessed some sixth sense when it came to traffic, sort of like Luke Skywalker and The Force. Otherwise, we’d have smashed into something long ago. Funny, but after experiencing so many of her wild rides, my heart rate now stayed below 150, and the terrified organ no longer felt as if it were going to jump from my chest. Either I had acclimated to the danger or given up all hope.
We zipped along Highway 59 South, toward Gulf Shores. The sun was low, the shadows long, and the traffic sparse enough for Nicole to play NASCAR.
“Everyone we’ve talked to seems happy with Jonathon Lindemann and TLM. Members, investors, employees, everyone.”
“Except Clarice Wilkerson,” I said.
Again, she glanced at me. Don’t do that. “She could be overreacting and upset that her daughter hasn’t kept her in the loop, don’t you think?”
“I don’t know what I think. Clarice seemed certain that her daughter wouldn’t just drop communication and take off to parts unknown.”
“Mother-daughter relationships can be tricky.” Nicole goosed the car around two others and fell back into the right lane. “We’ve only heard one side of it. April might see things differently.”
“All we have to do is find her and ask.”
“That’s the trick, isn’t it?”
“She’s an adult and can disappear if she wants to,” I said.
“Which would mean we have no case.”
“That gets my vote. I don’t want to be involved in Ray’s messes anyway.”
“Yet here you are.” She slowed while a pickup made a left turn and then climbed the RPM scale again. “You kick and whine, but in the end, I think you like it.”
“I like you. The rest I tolerate.”
“You’re such a smooth talker.”
“That’s me. Old silver-tongued Jake.”
“I’ll let that one ride.” She swung around a slower car. “But I do agree with you.”
“About what?”
“Something doesn’t feel right. Even if she and her mother have issues, I think she’d at least call, or text, or something.”
“Which means Ray does have a case.”
“Yes, we do.” She glanced at me. “And not the royal we, but rather we as in me and you and Ray and Pancake.”
“Can I be excused from class? I don’t feel well.”
“No skipping school,” she said.
“Just this once?”
“Somehow I think you have experience with ditching school.”
“It was Pancake’s fault. He was bored and said he already knew all that stuff and sitting in class would be a waste of time.”
“Were you bored too?”
“Confused might be a better word. Me and algebra never got along.”
Nicole laughed. “But you’re pretty so it’s okay.”
I had several clever comebacks and mentally ran through them, but couldn’t retrieve one that worked. My dilemma evaporated when my phone buzzed. I tugged it from my pocket and glanced at the screen. Tammy the Insane. Great, just great. She possessed a knack for calling at odd, and annoying, times, which was basically any time. I never wanted to talk to her. Resigned to my fate, I answered and activated the speaker. Nicole loved these calls.
“Well?” she asked without preamble. So Tammy.
“Well—what?”
“Did you meet with Jonathon and Rhea?”
“We did.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“Jake, you can be so infuriating. You know why I’m calling.”
I glanced at Nicole. “I don’t have a clue.”
“Is Nicole with you?”
“She is but she’s driving.”
“Unlike you, she can multitask. Nicole, what did they say?”
“Hi, Tammy. They were very nice and cordial. It’s an impressive setup and everyone seems happy. Maybe a little too happy.”
“What does that mean?” Tammy asked.
“I don’t know. More a feeling than anything specific. Everyone seemed overly invested in showing an upbeat face.”
“That’s because they’re all making money and feeling better about themselves. That’s what TLM does. Self-improvement and cash flow. What about me? Did you talk to them about me?”
Nicole glanced in my direction. “We did,” she said. “They spoke highly of you.”
“They did?” Not waiting for a response, Tammy got right to it. The purpose of her call. “Did they agree to reduce my initiation fee or whatever they call it?”
“I don’t think they do that for anyone.”
“I’m not just anyone. Neither is Walter. He’s the best lawyer in the state and maybe the entire country. He’s important. You’d think they’d know that and want me as a member.”
“You’d think,” I said.
“Shut up, Jake. I don’t need your sarcasm.”
Good for her. She caught my inflection. That’s not all that common with Tammy. She misses a lot and simply plows forward through the convoluted maze of Tammy World.
Nicole smoothed things. “They would love to have you join.”
“They would?”
“Rhea said as much.”
“Then why won’t they let me in?” Tammy’s voice took on her patented whine.
“They will,” Nicole said. “But, like I said, I don’t think they reduce the fee for anyone. It seems written in stone.”
Tammy seemed to mull that over. “So your visit was a waste.”
“Not really,” I said. “We met some nice people.”
“Isn’t that wonderful for you? But since you didn’t get what I needed, it was a waste.”
Tammy can be summed up in three words: me, me, me.
Undaunted, Tammy pressed on. “Okay. I guess I need to find another way.” She disconnected the call.
“Nice talking to you too,” I said to the dark phone.
Nicole laughed. “She’s as pure as they come.”
“She’s pure something. As long it’s all about her, she’s in, but otherwise, she can’t be bothered.”
“To think you married her.”
“Everyone makes mistakes,” I said.
“She does provide a healthy dose of humor though.”
“She does? For who?”
Nicole smiled. “Me.”
CHAPTER 17
LAST NIGHT, AFTER NASCARing our way back to Nicole’s place, we shared some quality time in the hot tub with a bottle of Patron tequila. As our skin began to prune, a misty rain flared up so we retreated to bed. After that, things descended into a blur, but I do remember parts that were fun. I’m not sure how long it took for sleep to wrestle us into submission, but crawling out of bed this morning proved to be a chore. My head hurt, my eyes burned, and my back felt like I had fallen down a flight of stairs. Nicole has that effect.
She had no such issues and awoke bright-eyed and ready to hit the streets running. I slipped on my jeans, no shirt, and staggered to the kitchen. I stood near the living room windows looking out toward the beach as I worked my way through my first cup of coffee. She slapped my butt and said, “Get dressed. We have work to do.”
“We do?”
“We’re meeting with Ray and Pancake. Or did you forget?”
“I tried to.” Did I ever actually know that we had such a meeting planned? Or did Nicole keep it a secret to spring on me this morning? I had a foggy memory of a conversation about Ray, but that was blurred by tequila so the details remained a mystery. Plus, I try to filter out all things Ray.
“That’s what I’m here for,” Nicole said. “To remind you of your responsibilities.”
I started to say that I didn’t have any responsibilities, which was actually true, but instead I opted for, “You’re no fun.”
“Not what you said last night.” Another butt slap. “Now, get moving. We have to feed Pancake.”
Were we zoo keepers?
In truth, one of my reasons for existence seemed to be feeding Pancake, something that began when we were kids. We—actually more Pancake than me—would raid his fridge, then mine, and ultimately a neighbor’s or two. This was part of our daily routine. Each of the families on the block stocked up with extra provisions just for Pancake. Now, Captain Rocky’s was his food trough. Most often he would show up and my manager, Carla, would run point, but on the days he was hunkered down with Ray, like today, I became his food delivery service. Sort of like DoorDash or Grubhub.
Before we left, Nicole reminded me to grab the danishes Allison had bagged up for Pancake. We swung by Captain Rocky’s where I powered down two more cups of coffee while we waited for the crew to whip up a bag of breakfast burritos. We then motored to Ray’s, where we parked among the stilts that elevated his home above any potential storm surge. Part of life on the Gulf Coast.
Ray and Pancake sat at the deck table. Pancake snatched the bag from my hand before we could even say hello.
“What’d you bring?” he asked. Like he wouldn’t know. It was always the same.
“Your burritos,” Nicole said. “Got you three so that should cover it.”
“We’ll see,” Pancake said as he unwrapped one.
“We also brought you some treats from Allison,” I said. I dropped the bag on the table before him. “A day old but I suspect still okay.”
Pancake peered into the bag. “Allison’s truly a stellar person. How’s she doing?”
“Good,” I said. “Business is good too.”
Ray put his burrito aside and took a sip of his Dew. “How’d it go yesterday?”
“Excellent,” Nicole said. “Everyone was friendly and helpful.”
“Any flags?”
“Not really.” She glanced at me.
“If anything, I’d say that everyone seemed a bit too friendly,” I said. “Like they were trying to sell us on how wonderful they were and how happy everyone connected to TLM was.”
“They’re trying to get your money,” Ray said. “I suspect a soft sell is part of it.” He glanced at Nicole. “Did you get the same read?”
“I did. For sure Jonathon and his sidekick, Rhea Wilson, were selling. Very smoothly I might add.”
“Like they knew their product was good and we’d be stupid not to see that,” I added.
“Exactly,” Nicole said. “The two girls we met there, Lorie Cooper and Robin Meade, were definitely onboard. Both young and pretty and very well spoken. They made excellent ambassadors, I’d say.”
“Another form of selling,” Pancake said. “Particularly if your primary targets are wealthy, mature dudes.”
“Sex sells,” Nicole said. “Always has.”
“Everyone we talked to in Magnolia Springs and over in Fairhope seemed to be happy with them as neighbors,” I said. “Bobby Taylor said that other than some increase in traffic whenever TLM hosted an event at the farm, they presented no problems. Even Chief Billie Warren thought they were good neighbors and said that she’d had no issues with them.”
“How’s she doing?” Ray asked.
“Seems good,” I said. “Even more pumped than before. We stopped by and talked with Allison, but you know that.” I nodded toward the bag of pastries. “She said they were good customers and sure helped the local economy.”
“Allison said she knows April,” Nicole said. Ray and Pancake both raised an eyebrow. “She would come in from time to time with Lorie and Robin.”
“And?” Pancake asked.
“Nothing really. She said they were friendly, happy, and talked about girl stuff.”
“And how they hoped to meet Mr. Right at TLM,” I said.
“Like Stephanie DeLuca,” Nicole said. “She apparently hung out with Lorie, Robin, and April some. At least they came into Allison’s bakery together a few times. Stephanie apparently found the love of her life at TLM.”
“We talked with Stephanie’s mother, Rachel DeLuca,” I said. “She lives near downtown Fairhope. She was delighted with TLM and said it made money for her daughter Stephanie and her new husband.”
“Who is he?” Pancake asked.
“James Emerick. According to Rachel, he’s a hotshot attorney over in Destin, and a TLM member. She seemed overjoyed that her daughter married him.”
Pancake began working his laptop.
