My Way Home (St.Gabriel Series Book 1) (St. Gabriel Series) by Cynthia Lee Cartier Page A
Authors: Cynthia Lee Cartier
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us? We have a big booth. You could be standing here all night waiting for a table.”
Or, I thought , go back to the inn, take a shower, and crawl into bed.
“Yes,” said Dawn, without taking a vote. The man set his hand low on her back, guiding her across the room. The rest of us followed like a tail.
Marni self-consciously tapped her head scarf, a habit I had noticed her becoming attached to. I slipped my arm through hers. “Do you want to go someplace else?” I asked her.
“No, this is fine,” she said.
The two men who were waiting at the table had left their seats to let us slide into the booth, which we did, and they slid in after us. We were trapped.
Dawn made a show of the introductions. “I’m Dawn Dawson, an actress. You might have seen me in something.” She went on to list her resume of the previous ten years. Then she said, “This is Loretta Scott, the Director of the New York Botanical Gardens; Marni Scott-Robles, sought after T.V. producer; Sandi Wong, mother of many and grandmother of many more; and Cammy Coleman, a soon-to-be hot divorcee.”
“She’s an artist,” added Loretta. Loretta likes to introduce me as an artist even though I’m not and have asked her not to.
The man who came over to fetch Dawn did the honors for himself and the other two men. “I’m Gary Rogers. This is Brad Mallory. And this is James Alexander, of the St. Gabriel Alexanders, one of the three families that have owned most of the places you can eat, sleep, and piss on the island since the creation of the world.” James looked uncomfortable but that didn’t stop Gary. “He’s also in the middle of a divorce, a battle that will very likely last into the next decade. Don’t know that you’ll ever be a hot divorcee, hey buddy?”
Gary reached around Dawn and smacked James on the shoulder, and then he continued, “By the time the gavel drops, you’ll probably be rocking on a porch somewhere, old and penniless.” Gary Rogers had the grace and tact of a chimp, a perfect match for Dawn. “We’re here from Chicago for a few days to play some golf and keep James here company. How long are you ladies here for?”
“We’re supposed to leave on Tuesday, but Cammy is thinking about buying a place on the island. She may not be leaving at all,” mocked Dawn.
“Are you? Where?” James had to shout from across the table to ask the question.
“I just looked at something, curiosity really.”
“It’s that big scary wreck on the other side of the island,” offered Dawn.
“The Lake Lodge?” asked Gary, chuckling.
“That’s the place, isn’t it Cammy?” Dawn pushed.
“Didn’t your family try to buy that pile?” Gary asked James.
James ignored the question and the waitress arrived just in time and we ordered our food. Then Gary and Dawn whispered back and forth. James was sitting next to Marni, making conversation, and she eventually stopped tapping the scarf on her head.
Loretta was next to Brad Mallory, trying to get a chat going. He wasn’t much of a talker. Sandi and I were safely buffered, Sandi between Loretta and I, me between Sandi and Marni. Neither of us knew which conversation to try to listen to. We ended up amusing ourselves, making up what we thought Dawn and Gary were whispering to each other, really mature.
About the time we were finished eating, the D.J. played “I Love the Night Life” to which Dawn yelled, “I love this song!” She bumped Gary out of the booth with her hip, grabbed him by the hand, and pulled him out onto the dance floor.
I excused myself to the ladies room and when I came back, the booth was empty and everyone was dancing. I saw my chance and took it.
James approached me before I made it to the door. “Would you like to dance?” he asked me.
“Oh, thank you, but no. I’m going to call it a night. Would you mind telling my friends I’ll see them back at the inn?”
“Sure, I’ll tell them. It was nice to meet you, Cammy.”
“It was nice
Or, I thought , go back to the inn, take a shower, and crawl into bed.
“Yes,” said Dawn, without taking a vote. The man set his hand low on her back, guiding her across the room. The rest of us followed like a tail.
Marni self-consciously tapped her head scarf, a habit I had noticed her becoming attached to. I slipped my arm through hers. “Do you want to go someplace else?” I asked her.
“No, this is fine,” she said.
The two men who were waiting at the table had left their seats to let us slide into the booth, which we did, and they slid in after us. We were trapped.
Dawn made a show of the introductions. “I’m Dawn Dawson, an actress. You might have seen me in something.” She went on to list her resume of the previous ten years. Then she said, “This is Loretta Scott, the Director of the New York Botanical Gardens; Marni Scott-Robles, sought after T.V. producer; Sandi Wong, mother of many and grandmother of many more; and Cammy Coleman, a soon-to-be hot divorcee.”
“She’s an artist,” added Loretta. Loretta likes to introduce me as an artist even though I’m not and have asked her not to.
The man who came over to fetch Dawn did the honors for himself and the other two men. “I’m Gary Rogers. This is Brad Mallory. And this is James Alexander, of the St. Gabriel Alexanders, one of the three families that have owned most of the places you can eat, sleep, and piss on the island since the creation of the world.” James looked uncomfortable but that didn’t stop Gary. “He’s also in the middle of a divorce, a battle that will very likely last into the next decade. Don’t know that you’ll ever be a hot divorcee, hey buddy?”
Gary reached around Dawn and smacked James on the shoulder, and then he continued, “By the time the gavel drops, you’ll probably be rocking on a porch somewhere, old and penniless.” Gary Rogers had the grace and tact of a chimp, a perfect match for Dawn. “We’re here from Chicago for a few days to play some golf and keep James here company. How long are you ladies here for?”
“We’re supposed to leave on Tuesday, but Cammy is thinking about buying a place on the island. She may not be leaving at all,” mocked Dawn.
“Are you? Where?” James had to shout from across the table to ask the question.
“I just looked at something, curiosity really.”
“It’s that big scary wreck on the other side of the island,” offered Dawn.
“The Lake Lodge?” asked Gary, chuckling.
“That’s the place, isn’t it Cammy?” Dawn pushed.
“Didn’t your family try to buy that pile?” Gary asked James.
James ignored the question and the waitress arrived just in time and we ordered our food. Then Gary and Dawn whispered back and forth. James was sitting next to Marni, making conversation, and she eventually stopped tapping the scarf on her head.
Loretta was next to Brad Mallory, trying to get a chat going. He wasn’t much of a talker. Sandi and I were safely buffered, Sandi between Loretta and I, me between Sandi and Marni. Neither of us knew which conversation to try to listen to. We ended up amusing ourselves, making up what we thought Dawn and Gary were whispering to each other, really mature.
About the time we were finished eating, the D.J. played “I Love the Night Life” to which Dawn yelled, “I love this song!” She bumped Gary out of the booth with her hip, grabbed him by the hand, and pulled him out onto the dance floor.
I excused myself to the ladies room and when I came back, the booth was empty and everyone was dancing. I saw my chance and took it.
James approached me before I made it to the door. “Would you like to dance?” he asked me.
“Oh, thank you, but no. I’m going to call it a night. Would you mind telling my friends I’ll see them back at the inn?”
“Sure, I’ll tell them. It was nice to meet you, Cammy.”
“It was nice
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