Page 61 of Tony

A few minutes later, Vinny came out with his flavor of the day—a tall blonde with fake boobs showcased in a tight sweater, looking extremely out of place at the gathering. Vinny tried to convince her to go inside but she insisted that she wanted to stay with him. Frustrated, he went back inside with her to keep her from interfering with the men’s conversation, finally settling in the living room with a ballgame on the large screen TV.

Gabe shook his head saying, “I swear, even on my worst day I wasn’t as big a horndog as Vinny.”

The others laughed as Tony shook his head and said, “It seems like he goes for the same type every time. I can’t tell the difference between this girl and the last twenty women I’ve seen him with.”

Jobe moaned, “You all are married or,” looking at Tony, “almost married. I’m the one he drags along to his bar nights. Jesus, the women flock to him but I swear he only goes for bimbos. Any other woman there? Nope. Just the bimbos.”

“That way he doesn’t have to think. Or talk. Or anything other than buy them a drink, dance with them on the floor then take them back to their place and dance with them in their bed,” Shane added.

“Y’all have nice apartments. Does he ever take them to his place?” Matt asked.

“Oh no,” Gabe and Jobe said simultaneously. Jobe continued, “No way. He wants to get them off, get himself off and get the hell out of there. He’ll never bring someone back to his place.”

“Well, if he ever does end up with someone there, then send out the invitations ‘cause he’ll be getting married,” Tony quipped as the others laughed.

* * *

While the men grilled outside the women worked in the kitchen, side by side, moving seamlessly around each other as only friends can do.

Annie and Suzanne talked about the new veterinary clinic Annie had opened just outside the city. Annie was the veterinarian and Suzanne was the vet tech.

“I need to make an appointment for Pippi,” Lily remembered, referring to her little dog.

“Just remind me before we leave today and I will put it on our automatic call list,” Annie said. “At least everyone loves Pippi. You should see it when I have to bring my own cats in. They’re horrible.”

Suzanne agreed, adding, “Annie’s cat, Rags, is especially naughty. He howls the entire time.”

Jennifer got off her cell phone, apologizing to the others. “Sorry, I had to take that call from Ross.” She was the guardian of her young brother. “He’s with Gabe’s parents for the weekend and had to tell me about the outing they had on the boat this morning.”

The conversation continued to flow and the women tried to include Vinny’s date when she came in, but she insisted on plastering herself to Vinny’s side. Rolling their eyes, the women finished up the preparations quickly.

As the men came in with the meat from the grill, they were just setting everything out. Picking up an art pad, Jennifer flipped though it admiring the drawings.

“Sherrie, where did you get this?” Jennifer asked. “These drawings are so lifelike.”

“They are amazing, aren’t they?” she replied. “My CASA case draws them and she gave the pad to me. I think those are drawings of her friends from school.”

Lily looked over Jennifer’s shoulder, admiring the pictures. “Wow, these are fabulous.”

The other women circled around as Jennifer flipped the pages over, each revealing another beautifully detailed face.

“It’s as though I’m looking right at their faces,” Annie exclaimed. “I have no artistic ability at all, so I’m always amazed when I see something like this.”

Matt walked by, kissing his wife’s neck as she closed the art pad, placing it back on the table. Suzanne laid it on the kitchen counter out of the way of the table.

Everyone filled their plates with an abundance of food that was brought. At times like this, Sherrie was still in awe of how her life had changed. For the better. Good food. Good times. Good friends. Glancing up at Tony’s profile as he sat with his legs touching hers, she could not help but think of the best change of all. A good man at her side.

* * *

“Is she going to be a problem?” Quentin asked.

“No, no,” Hernando assured his boss. “I’ve got her under control.”

“Really? I don’t give a shit about details, just make sure you do.”

“No worries, boss. I’m not letting a piece of pussy ruin us.”

Quentin chuckled. “Speaking of pussy, I’ve got some news and need your help. You got a chance to really step into the big time here if you play your cards right.”

---