Tammy and I were a little over three hours out from Destin when we decided to stop for a light lunch to take the edge off before our dinner meeting. The normal seven hour drive from Sarasota proved to be a little longer due to some heavy rain, but it was still very pleasant thus far, because her fun conversation made it interesting to me and seem much shorter.
As we walked in to the little seafood shack, Tammy came right out and asked if I had booked us separate rooms. I smiled and told her that I had reserved a small villa within walking distance of the beach front hotel that the project owner both owns and lives in.
I told her that it had a nice great room, two bedrooms and two baths, three if you include the full bath in the outdoor garden behind the privacy fence.
Tammy thought for a minute and asked: "Is it on the beach?"
I answered: "His hotel is, these villas overlook the main road and the beach is directly on the other side of it with an unobstructed view and at night and in the early morning you can hear the surf."
I went on to say: "I have stayed there on business before and I find it to be a little more private than being right on the beach and having to listen to all the late night party noise before the beach patrol runs them off."
After we were seated and placed our orders, Tammy asked: "What can you tell me about who we are going to meet with this evening?"
I answered: "Jim and Vicki Baire, he goes by Bear, not Jim or even Mr. Baire, just Bear. He is extremely wealthy, owns most of the beach and beach front buildings and some businesses for a couple of miles. He is in his early seventies. She is kind of eccentric, an artist of sorts and I would put her in her late fifties early sixties at best.
Tammy asked: "What are they like, what makes them tick?"
I answered: "I have only met them a couple of times, she seems to be a bit of a flake, always displays cleavage, kind of pushed up in an open blouse look. She keeps her short hair dyed jet black with a golden blond streak down one side, but she seems nice. He is quiet and mostly business. That's about all I know, but I have been told that if you get in good with his firm, you're set for life."
Tammy replied: "Well, we'll just have to see what we can do."
I said: "Don't get your hopes up, he mainly deals with the real heavy hitters of construction. I'm just grateful that he gave us this opportunity to build on, though it may take several years to get totally in, I consider us blessed."
About two hours and forty five minutes later we had pulled into the parking lot that houses the villas. I retrieved the keys from the office and I was holding my bags and the door open as Tammy wheeled her suitcases in.
She grinned and said: "This is really nice, much nicer that Colorado."
I responded: "You're telling me. There's the master bedroom suit with full bath accommodation's, right back there for you and I'll take the smaller one up in the loft."
Tammy said: "Yah, like that's going to happen. Let's just put our bags in the master, have you got anything to hang up?"
I answered: "Just a couple of dress shirts and slacks, the rest can stay in my suitcase."
And we started to share the closet, but like I've said, Tammy's fun like that.
While I was placing my shaving kit next to her makeup bag she popped her head in the bathroom door and asked: "How long do we have before we meet with Vicki and Bear?"
I looked at my watch and answered: "About forty five minutes to an hour, we need to meet them in the lobby of his hotel by seven and its less than a block away."
She said: "Fine, I'll get a quick shower down here if you don't mind taking yours upstairs for now."
I said: "No way."
When she looked a little surprised and a bit hurt, I looked at the bed and jokingly asked: "Don't we have a little time?"
She grinned and said: "Peter, that's nasty, I've been on the road for over seven hours!"
I said: "You're right."
And I handed her a bottle of mouthwash and said: "Go ahead and use this, I'll give you thirty seconds, then I'm coming in after you."
She said: "There'll be plenty of time for that after dinner. Go on up and get your shower and maybe we can get there early enough for a drink, I can use a beer."
Before I had the chance to protest, she read the look on my face laughed sarcastically and said: "I'll leave my panties on the outside doorknob for you again."
Thirty or so minutes later we were in the hotel lobby bar enjoying a cold craft beer. Ten minutes later, Bear put his hand on my shoulder and said: "Good, you're hear early, their getting our table ready now."
As we turned, I introduced Tammy to Bear and Vicki as our Technical Administrative Director and after the pleasantries of smiles and handshakes, I asked them what they were drinking and ordered us all a round that upon receipt, we took directly to the table.
Tammy is a master, the moment I pulled the chair out for her she engaged Vicki in conversation and if it wasn't for the vast difference in their ages, you would think that they were lifelong high school buddies.
Vicki didn't disappoint me, jet black hair, longer on one side in a golden blond panel that hung down the whole side of her face, longer than the rest of her cut and it curled against her neck. She was wearing a tight black and white floral print dress that accentuated her tiny waist, big round butt and signature pushed up cleavage. Tammy looked over at me as to say: "Peter, you were right."
As the girls chatted about everything from Zumba and what brand of treadmill Tammy prefers to Vicki's art, Bear got right down to business with the standard concerns and appropriate questions until the Hostess handed out menus, recited the specials and asked if she could freshen our drinks.
Two seconds later, Vicki grabbed her purse and announced: "Listen, I need to run to the restroom."
Tammy grabbed her purse and said: "Hey Vicki, I'll go with you."
It always amazes me that women in restaurants insist on going to the restroom together. I also find it odd that they can't go without their purses, but there they went, chattering all bubbly like a couple of high school cheerleaders and I was proud of how Tammy nailed it by getting in the head of this much older woman. It was at that moment that I thought: "we may have a chance to get in on all future Baire Corp. projects."
I looked over at Bear and confidently asked: "Have you any other questions or concerns that I can address?"
Bear looked at me and said: "Hell Peter I researched your product and I'm happy with the system's performance reviews. I have the signed contract right here with me. I love eating at this place and I get to order whatever I want at business dinners like this instead of all the bland doctor's orders crap that Vicki insists I eat." Then he smiled and slid my copy over to me.