could always
cheer him up. But not this time.”
Gemma
Jones watched Fran as she walked around the store looking for that perfect
outfit. Trina was also behind the
counter at Champagne’s, and was watching too. This was early afternoon, and there was a lull in the day. Gemma glanced at Trina, and then continued to
look at Fran.
“Jody
called,” she said to Tree.
“Oh,
yeah?”
Gemma
looked at Trina. “He said Reno fired him
yesterday. I said that wasn’t
possible. He said it was true. Reno fired him. Not you, certainly not me, but Reno. I didn’t know Reno was a partner in this
business, Tree.”
“He’s
not,” Trina said. “He and Jody have an
acrimonious history and it played out yesterday. That’s all.”
“But
the fact still remains Reno fired him.”
“I
fired him,” Trina said, looking her friend dead in the eyes.
“You
fired him because Reno made you fire him. But we’ve got to get that straight, Tree. I know what kind of a take charge man Reno is. But
he can’t take charge of Champagne’s. He
can’t have charge of this.”
“Now
you just hold on there for a minute,” Trina made clear. “My husband has enough on his plate, believe
me. He doesn’t want to take charge of
this. But you need to understand one
thing. He does have charge over me. And if he doesn’t want Jody around me, Jody’s
not going to be around me. So I fired
him, yes, I did. But it was my
decision.”
“I
don’t get you,” Gemma said, a puzzled look on her beautifully dark face. “You are one of the toughest broads I
know. I have seen you go toe to toe with
some of the meanest men I’ve ever met. But yet Reno tells you to jump, and you don’t even question it. You don’t even ask how high. You just jump. What’s up with that?”
Now
it was Trina’s time to be puzzled. “What
do you mean what’s up with it? Reno is
my husband.”
“So! Does that mean you have to do whatever he
tells you to do?”
“Yes,
it does! Now if Reno was a husband I
couldn’t trust, or a man who doesn’t handle his business, then yeah, I might
have to take more control of our marriage. But Reno ain’t that dude. He
handles his business and he handles his wife. If I didn’t want a man like that I shouldn’t have married him.”
“So
you wanted a man to handle you?”
“In a
way, yeah. I want my man to be in
charge. I want to be pampered sometimes
and treated like a queen, hell yeah I do. I don’t see where that makes me weak and insufficient. Compared to other women I think I’m a got damn boulder. But compared to Reno, I’m not even a rock.”
“Nobody’s
handling me like that, I don’t care how tough they are,” Gemma said. “I’m in charge of myself and he’ll be in
charge of himself. Fifty-fifty baby or
nothing at all. And if that’s not good
enough for his ass then we can always do a seventy-five/twenty-five split.”
“Let
me guess: you’ll be the seventy-five?”
“You’d
better believe it.”
Trina
shook her head. Gemma was dreaming if
she thought a strong man was going to let her run the show like that. “And how’s that working out for you?” she
asked her.
Gemma
looked at her. And then she smiled. “You’re wrong for that, Tree,” she said.
“No,
now, answer the question,” Trina said with a smile of her own. “You’re Miss Seventy-five percent. Where’s this man who allows you to run the show? Show him to me. And I’ll show you a man who also runs behind
your skirt when trouble comes. And I’m
not messing with you. Some women don’t
like alpha males. I’m just not one of
them.”
“I
like alpha males,” Gemma pointed out. “But
they’d better like an alpha female or they won’t like me.”
Trina
had to laugh at that one. “True that,”
she said as she laughed.
When
the laughter died down,
cheer him up. But not this time.”
Gemma
Jones watched Fran as she walked around the store looking for that perfect
outfit. Trina was also behind the
counter at Champagne’s, and was watching too. This was early afternoon, and there was a lull in the day. Gemma glanced at Trina, and then continued to
look at Fran.
“Jody
called,” she said to Tree.
“Oh,
yeah?”
Gemma
looked at Trina. “He said Reno fired him
yesterday. I said that wasn’t
possible. He said it was true. Reno fired him. Not you, certainly not me, but Reno. I didn’t know Reno was a partner in this
business, Tree.”
“He’s
not,” Trina said. “He and Jody have an
acrimonious history and it played out yesterday. That’s all.”
“But
the fact still remains Reno fired him.”
“I
fired him,” Trina said, looking her friend dead in the eyes.
“You
fired him because Reno made you fire him. But we’ve got to get that straight, Tree. I know what kind of a take charge man Reno is. But
he can’t take charge of Champagne’s. He
can’t have charge of this.”
“Now
you just hold on there for a minute,” Trina made clear. “My husband has enough on his plate, believe
me. He doesn’t want to take charge of
this. But you need to understand one
thing. He does have charge over me. And if he doesn’t want Jody around me, Jody’s
not going to be around me. So I fired
him, yes, I did. But it was my
decision.”
“I
don’t get you,” Gemma said, a puzzled look on her beautifully dark face. “You are one of the toughest broads I
know. I have seen you go toe to toe with
some of the meanest men I’ve ever met. But yet Reno tells you to jump, and you don’t even question it. You don’t even ask how high. You just jump. What’s up with that?”
Now
it was Trina’s time to be puzzled. “What
do you mean what’s up with it? Reno is
my husband.”
“So! Does that mean you have to do whatever he
tells you to do?”
“Yes,
it does! Now if Reno was a husband I
couldn’t trust, or a man who doesn’t handle his business, then yeah, I might
have to take more control of our marriage. But Reno ain’t that dude. He
handles his business and he handles his wife. If I didn’t want a man like that I shouldn’t have married him.”
“So
you wanted a man to handle you?”
“In a
way, yeah. I want my man to be in
charge. I want to be pampered sometimes
and treated like a queen, hell yeah I do. I don’t see where that makes me weak and insufficient. Compared to other women I think I’m a got damn boulder. But compared to Reno, I’m not even a rock.”
“Nobody’s
handling me like that, I don’t care how tough they are,” Gemma said. “I’m in charge of myself and he’ll be in
charge of himself. Fifty-fifty baby or
nothing at all. And if that’s not good
enough for his ass then we can always do a seventy-five/twenty-five split.”
“Let
me guess: you’ll be the seventy-five?”
“You’d
better believe it.”
Trina
shook her head. Gemma was dreaming if
she thought a strong man was going to let her run the show like that. “And how’s that working out for you?” she
asked her.
Gemma
looked at her. And then she smiled. “You’re wrong for that, Tree,” she said.
“No,
now, answer the question,” Trina said with a smile of her own. “You’re Miss Seventy-five percent. Where’s this man who allows you to run the show? Show him to me. And I’ll show you a man who also runs behind
your skirt when trouble comes. And I’m
not messing with you. Some women don’t
like alpha males. I’m just not one of
them.”
“I
like alpha males,” Gemma pointed out. “But
they’d better like an alpha female or they won’t like me.”
Trina
had to laugh at that one. “True that,”
she said as she laughed.
When
the laughter died down,
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