Art of Forgiveness

by Monique Orgeron

  He asks me, “Honey, do you mind helping me with these cufflinks? It’s been a long time since I’ve had to wear a monkey suit.”

  I walk over to him and adhere his cufflinks to his shirt. When I look at him, I notice his hair is a little longer than I remember, and it’s waved back, with the exception of one curl that fell on his forehead. Taking my fingers, I slowly and gently brush it back. He grabs my hand and kisses my finger. Our moment is interrupted by Jeffery, who says Mr. Braun your car has arrived.

  Phil says, “Thank you, Jeffery. Mrs. Margaret, I hope you don’t mind if I take Avery with me and follow you all in my car?”

  She smiles big and tells him that would be wonderful. We all walk out together, and Zander’s the first to notice in the driveway is a parked brand new black Maserati Quattroporte.

  Zander says, “Damn, man, nice car.”

  Phil smiles and says, “It’s a loaner. I called in a favor when I saw how Avery was dressed. I couldn’t take her out in my truck. But I do have one at home. I just prefer driving my truck long distances.”

  He opens my door and helps me in. He then walks around the car, undoing his button on his jacket. After he starts the car, he holds my hand.

  “I missed you, Avery.”

  “I missed you, too, Phil.”

  “Wow, Avery, you look beautiful. I’ve never seen you like this. I like it a lot.”

  “I could say the same about you, Phil.”

  “Well, don’t we both clean up well? We look like the perfect couple,” he says.

  We wait for the first car to pull out of the driveway, and we follow behind them. The whole drive, he holds my hand and talks about what’s going on back in Boston. We catch up on all we missed, except my words were all lies. I don’t want him knowing anything about what happened to me. Not now, not ever. I never want him to look at me like I’m a victim.

  We all meet at the entrance of the casino as the valet drivers take our cars. As we enter, Phil still has my hand in his. Suddenly, everyone stops on a dime, then my mom calls my name very loud like something is wrong. I look at her and see she has her hands over her mouth and is looking up with everyone else.

  I slowly look up and say, “Oh God!”

  Catherine comes to my side and says, “It’s your surprise. Look at how beautiful you look. The pictures came out so well, we decided to display them all over the casino.”

  I still can’t speak. I’m starting to freak out. Phil feels my hand trembling, and he leans down to whisper in my ear, “Wow, honey, I’ve never seen you look more beautiful. Avery, it’s gorgeous, I think every man is going to be jealous of me tonight.”

  I can’t stop staring at the giant banner that goes across the whole entrance of the casino. It’s me lying on a table covered in food. I don’t know how to feel. Then I hear my mother say how lovely I look, and she has tears in her eyes as she tells me, “Avery, I never knew how truly lovely you were. I’m so proud of you.” She continues to wipe her tears as she hugs me.

  I look over and see Liam’s face. He’s staring at me with a look I can’t decipher. Then he gives me a slight grin. Zander whistles and says, “Damn, kid, I might have to rethink my feelings for you.”

  Everyone continues to talk about the picture as Phil walks me into the casino. Then I notice more pictures; I’m all over the casino. In all different scenes and poses. Fallon comes and grabs my other hand. “What do you think?”

  What do I think? Good question. Part of me is embarrassed at being so exposed with people gawking at my image. But then there’s a part of me that loves them. I really do love them. Oh my God, I do love them. I start to feel pride in myself for doing the shoot and taking the risk. It’s something I would have never even thought of doing before. Me, Avery Edwards, the little shell of a girl who no one ever noticed, is now on display, and people are gossiping about who I am. I love it.

  I burst out saying to Fallon, “I love them. I think they’re absolutely what I needed.” My smile grows, and I start to walk with confidence.

  We walk into Sin, and immediately we’re spotted by Chef Acosta. “Avery, sweetheart, your pictures are amazing. Catherine and I couldn’t decide which ones we liked the most, so we filled the casino with all the ones we loved.”

  “I know, Catherine already told me. Thank you.”

  He then turns to Catherine and tells her, “I have the best table in the house reserved for you and your family, come.”

  We all follow as we’re led to the center of the restaurant. They have a large table waiting, and the flower arrangements are incredible.

  We all sit, and I start seeing eyes on me. People are whispering and looking my way. Catherine tells me not to worry, they are just wondering if I’m the lady in all the pictures. She says I need to hold my head high and show them my confidence. I do, and as time goes by, people start nodding their head my way. My confidence rises.

  As the conversation goes on, I look around the table, and for the first time in I don’t how long, I am truly happy. My mother and Phil, along with the Sterns, are all laughing and having a great time. All except Liam. Every now and then, I catch him watching me. I smile, but he doesn’t return it. He’s on his second drink now, and I hope he doesn’t have anymore. I start to sense it might be because Phil is here. He shouldn’t feel jealous, though. He knew Phil was coming, and there really isn’t anything between me and Liam. But part of me takes satisfaction in knowing that if it is jealousy, it serves him right. I had to watch him with someone else, so now it’s his turn.

  The chef comes back and tells us we will be receiving a taste of everything on the menu and he hopes we enjoy. The first course arrives, with waiter after waiter laying them neatly on the table.

  Phil whispers in my ear about how hot my photos are, and then his hand squeezes my knee. This, too, confuses me because part of me is turned on, and then part of me feels it’s wrong. Not the flirting, but who’s doing the flirting. I enjoy it, but not like when Liam used to flirt with me. I just have to forget Liam; it’s time.

  Halfway through our first course, I hear the voice of a long-lost nemesis. Marcy.

  Liam

  I can’t wait for this night to fucking end. I sit here having to watch Avery giggle every time this fucking prick, Phil, whispers in her ear. What could he possibly be telling her? Whatever it is, she giggles and blushes. And I get more and more pissed. All I want to do is hurt him, badly. How dare he touch what’s mine? What has always been mine?

  All of a sudden, I hear her before I see her. What the hell else can go wrong tonight?

  Marcy comes around the table. “Liam, here you are. I’ve been looking for you.”

  I stand and kiss her cheek. “Hello, Marcy, was there something you needed?”

  She fucking giggles and says, “No, silly, I just wanted to see you. I thought I would’ve heard from you by now.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ve been busy.”

  She starts to look around the table. “Mrs. Catherine, hey, it’s Marcy, remember? I haven’t seen you in years.”

  My mother, being polite, says, “Yes, Marcy, I remember you. Why don’t you have a seat and join us?”

  What? Why? I look to my mother, and she’s giving off a vibe that tells me she’s up to something.

  Marcy accepts, and I pull a chair out for her. She starts whispering in my ear about how much she misses me and would love nothing more than to have some alone time with me. Well, she can keep on dreaming because that shit is not happening. The last thing I need is Marcy trying to get her claws into me.

  I look over to Zander, and he’s chuckling. I’m glad my predicament is so fucking amusing. I start to introduce Marcy to everyone sitting down. When we get to Avery, I notice she has a scowl on her face.

  Marcy practically yells out, “Oh my God, Avery, is that you?”

  Avery answers, “Afraid so, Marcy. This is my date, Phillip Braun.”

  Phillip the asshole is more like it.

  Marcy starts looking around the
room and says, “Avery, is that you in the pictures?”

  Avery hesitantly says, “Yes.”

  Marcy laughs and says, “Wow, who knew quiet Avery was that pretty?”

  I immediately look up at Avery and say, “I did.”

  Marcy replies, “Well, yes, I guess you did. You always seemed to have a soft spot for poor little Avery.”

  I’m about to shut her up when I hear Avery tell her, “Really? Because I remember him having a soft spot for the school slut.”

  I am so caught off guard and at the same time very impressed with Avery’s comment.

  Zander shouts out, “Oh shit!” And then laughs.

  Before Marcy can say any more, Phil looks at Avery and says loud enough for everyone to hear, “Him, Avery? He’s the one?”

  I stand from my chair and say, “Yeah, asshole, that’s right. I’m the one!”

  Phil jumps up, ready to attack, when we all hear Fallon yell, “Oww! Oh crap, it hurts!”

  Everyone’s attention goes straight to Fallon with concern. She can have this baby at any time, and now we all start freaking out, forgetting everything else. Gabriel and Mom keep asking her if she’s okay. She says she’s fine; the baby just kicked. But then I catch her wink at Avery. What the hell? It hits me. It was a distraction from me kicking Phil’s ass.

  We all sit back down except Marcy, who asks if we can leave. “Hell no!” I tell her. Once settled, I look straight at Phil. He leans back, putting his arm around Avery with a shit-eating grin, and says, “Well, this is going to be fun.”

  Fuck him. But then I see Avery looking at me, pissed off. What does she have to be pissed at? Then I watch her eyes slide over to Marcy. Bingo, that’s why she pissed. Well, Phil, two can play this game, and he’s right, this should be fun.

  The rest of the night, I give Marcy the attention she desires and notice how well it pisses Avery off. If she thinks now I believe for a second there is nothing between us, then she has another thing coming. She should have played her jealousy off better. But now I got her. She obviously has feelings for me. I just need to figure out what to do with my newfound information.

  49

  Avery

  Fuck him. I can’t believe he has this bitch sitting here with the family. At first I thought he hated her being here, but now he’s carrying on with her right in front of me. It’s like we were back in high school all over again.

  Then I start to wonder, Why do I care so much? I mean, Liam and me are finished, and I’m sitting here with a gorgeous man who is dying for my attention. It hits me hard that the reason I care so much is that it’s Liam. I never fully released him from my heart. He’s the only man to ever have it. And as much as I want to deny it, he stills does.

  Again, fuck him. I’m not about to give him another chance to hurt me. He is my past, and he needs to stay there. He can have Marcy, because I have Phil.

  We all finish our meals, and we stand to leave. I grab Phil’s hand and ask, “Hey, do you want to stay and maybe gamble a little?”

  “That’s sound good, let’s go.”

  We tell everyone goodnight and take off into the casino.

  Phil asks, “What do you want to play?”

  “I only know how to play one game, blackjack.”

  “Well then, honey, blackjack it is.”

  We go straight to the first table we see with open chairs. I put money on the table, but Phil refuses to let me pay for anything. We start to play, and I start winning. I jump up over and over again, hugging Phil. I’m having so much fun until I see Liam staring at me from across the floor with Marcy as she plays craps. I don’t know why he’s looking over here when everything he should want is standing right next to him.

  I ask Phil if we can go somewhere else, and he says he would love to. So, we leave and head for Bourbon Street. We are having a great time until I spot Liam and Marcy, again. What the hell is he doing, following me?

  Liam

  If she thinks I’m going to let her go off with him by herself, she’s crazy. I watch them walk out and immediately call Vin. I ask him to follow them. I don’t want to make it obvious, so about half an hour after Vin calls me back with Avery’s location, I ask Marcy to forgive me for earlier and ask if she would like to join me on, of all places, Bourbon Street. She agrees, and we leave and head their way.

  On the drive, I thought about her playing blackjack. I taught her that game. She should have never played it with him. I also taught her how to count the cards, which I could tell by her face is exactly what she was doing. That dealer is going to be fired for not catching on, but not tonight. When my floor manager caught it, he pulled me aside and told me. I told him I knew and to let it slide for tonight only. I also told him I would pay for all the losses. I watched as she won hand after hand. She was so excited, it made me smile until I remember her jumping into his arms every time her hand won.

  It doesn’t take long before we arrive right outside the French Quarter. I park my car in a private garage owned by my family. We then walk the rest of the way. We make our way into Pat O’Brien’s. I figured she would bring him here if you come to Bourbon Street you have to get their famous Hurricane drinks.

  We enter, and I see them sitting at a table by the piano. Avery looks up in shock, seeing us here, but I play it off and wave to her. I act like nothing’s wrong and walk straight towards them.

  “Hey guys, I didn’t know you were bringing Phil out tonight on Bourbon. Mind if we join?”

  I pull out a chair for Marcy before they can say anything. Marcy looks at me, pissed. Who cares?

  “Well, I see you had a Hurricane already. Better watch out, they’re strong.”

  I order another round for the whole table. Marcy and Avery barely even look at each other, and they definitely aren’t speaking, but again I don’t care. I figure I should start a conversation.

  “So, Phil, how long have you known Avery?”

  “For a couple of years now.”

  Short and to the point. Let’s see what he does with this one.

  “And you still haven’t gotten her yet?” I laugh and shake my head for emphases.

  He smiles at me and kisses Avery’s hand. “I would have if some prick wouldn’t have broken her heart. Thank God she hates the son-of-a-bitch now. Isn’t that right, Avery?”

  He then shows me how he lays her hand right on his lap. Fucker!

  Marcy’s staring at me now, begging to leave, but I don’t give up that easily. The smart-ass banter continues like that until I suggest we head down to another bar.

  With us all in agreement, I let Avery lead the way. She’s holding Phil’s hand the whole way to the next bar. On the street, I try to keep my hands in my pocket because the last thing I want is to do is hold Marcy’s hand.

  The next bar is loud with music and people dancing in place. A typical weekend night on Bourbon. I order another round for everyone, but then Phil buys us all shots of tequila. It’s going to be a long night, but he’s not going to outdrink me. So, I take the shot and then we get the rest of our drinks. We walk off to hear the music for a while. When the music switches, Phil stands behind Avery and puts his arms around her. They start moving to the rhythm of the song. I almost come un-fucking-glued. Marcy gets my attention and gives me a look that tells me she won’t tolerate any more shit, so I try my hardest to ignore them. I pat Phil on the shoulder hard.

  “Come on, Phil, let’s go get the women another drink.”

  He follows me to the bar, and out of nowhere he says, “I hope you know, I know what you’re trying to do. But it won’t work.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Phil.”

  “Sure you don’t, Liam. Now that I know what I’ve been competing with all these years, you won’t stand a chance. She’s mine.”

  I have Phil by the collar of his shirt and my other fist raised, ready to strike him hard, then I hear Avery scream. Phil and I both look and see two guys coming on to Avery and Marcy. One is trying to grind all over Avery’
s body. He has his hands all over her. Phil and I forget our squabble and run to the girls. We both start punching both guys, but here in Louisiana, guys have friends who are never far away. Here we go, the fight escalates until we are fighting with everything we have. The bouncers jump on all of us and kick us out the bar. Then one of them recognizes me, apologizes, then lets me and Phil back in.

  Once we go back in, we see Avery and Marcy going at it. They are in a full-blown catfight. Phil and I look at each other and shrug. We enjoy the fight for about another minute, then go in to break them up. With Phil beating me to Avery, I have no choice but to go after Marcy. Once we have them in our arms, separated, they finally start to calm down. We ask them if they’re good and let them go. Then Phil and I start cracking up laughing. The girls look at us like we’re crazy.

  Phil slams his hand on my shoulder hard and says, “You ready for another round? I’m buying.”

  I start to follow him but then remember the girls. I go back for them, putting an arm around each one. The rest of the night we spend drinking and laughing. Phil is actually an all right guy. If he wasn’t after my woman, I would probably like him.

  By the end of the night, Phil and I are drunk off our asses. Avery calls Vin to come pick us up. We’re walking on the street with the girls in front of us. I can’t help watching Avery’s ass as she walks. Her dress is backless, and I want nothing more than to reach out to her. Phil notices my glare and walks up behind her and wraps her in his jacket. She has no idea why he did it and accepts the jacket. He turns around and punches me in the face. Well, that’s it. I nail his ass right back, and we go after it until Vin and Zander find us and separate us.

  “Whoa, little brother, stop, man,” Zander yells at me.

  Vin has Phil restrained, and I go in for the cheap shot but miss as Zander pulls me back down.

  “Let me the fuck up now, Zander!”