Part 12
�I can�t believe I�m in New York City!� Amy exclaimed, walking through the doors of the Waldorf Astoria.
�Well, believe it,� Kale said, putting his arm around her waist, �we�re here. And you, Little Miss I-Grilled-the-President-of-the-United-States-at-a-Press-Conference-But-Am-Scared-to-Death-to-Fly are lucky that I didn�t leave your ass in North Carolina.�
�Please, Kale, you would never leave me behind. Who would iron your clothes for you while you�re here?�
�I�d make Kasey do it,� Kale said laughing.
They were meeting Kasey at the Waldorf for lunch and then going shopping before catching Jenna�s show tonight. Amy hadn�t seen Jenna once in the six months since she�d moved to New York and was dying to see her, so Kale booked them a trip to New York during banquet time, when he knew Kasey and Ray wouldn�t need him. Luckily for them, tonight was Jenna�s last performance in �Chicago� and she�d be able to spend time with Amy during her visit.
�There�s Kasey,� Amy pointed out. �Come on.�
They walked over to where Kasey was standing, surrounded by a group of girls asking for his autograph. He looked up at Kale and Amy and flashed them his lopsided smile.
�Did he ever get in trouble when you guys were growing up?� Amy asked. �That smile must have saved his ass quite a few times.�
�Yeah,� Kale said. �When it wasn�t getting him INTO trouble.�
�What�s this I hear about getting into trouble?� Kasey asked once the fans walked away.
�I was just telling Amy that for every time your smile got you out of trouble in your life, it got you into trouble just as many,� Kale said. �If not more.�
�Not one thing he�s saying is true, Amy,� Kasey laughed as they walked into the caf�. �I�m was and still am a little angel. Just ask our mother.�
�Ha!� Kale said. �Just because you�re her favorite-�
�Okay, boys, enough,� Amy said before she turned to the host. �Kahne, party of three.�
They were led to a table by the window. Amy positioned herself by the window so she could people watch.
�I can�t believe how many people there are walking around out there in this bitter cold,� she said.
�It isn�t like we�re in Enumclaw, Amy. It isn�t that cold here,� Kale said. �And besides, you�re from Ohio. You weren�t raised in the South.�
�I know, but we don�t walk around town in the snow in Ohio. We sit on our houses.�
Kasey smiled as he listened to his brother and Amy. He was really happy for them. To him, his brother would always be a goof ball, but Amy was so mature that she seemed to balance Kale out. At first, he had no idea what they could ever have in common, but now, he couldn�t imagine his brother with anyone else.
�Yo, Kale.�
Kasey looked up from his menu as Junior came over to their table.
�I�m glad I found you, man. Hey, Kahne, Amy,� Junior said. �I was just commin� to Kahne�s room to see if he knew where you were staying so I could get in touch with you.�
�What�s up, man?� Kale asked.
�All kinds of shit is up,� Junior said, his choice of words warranting him a few glances from some of the people sitting around them. �I just found out that I have to be at this sponsor thing tonight for Truex for DEI. I�m not gonna be able to go to the show with you guys tonight.�
�Really?� Amy asked. �I know Jenna was really looking forward to seeing you. She�s gonna be upset.�
�I know, man,� Junior said. �I feel horrible about it. But I gotta do this thing. Here�s my ticket.�
Amy put it in her purse. �Well, I, being the workaholic that I am totally understand, and Jenna will too.�
�Yeah, well, I�ll have to take her out to lunch or something while I�m here. I�m just bummed I won�t get to see her show,� Junior said.
�Thanks for telling us, man,� Kale said. �Have fun with the sponsors.�
�See y�all,� Junior said and turned around before his smile gave him away. Perfect! He thought as he sauntered through the caf�. Kasey will have to go with them now and he and Jenna will finally have to talk. If he could pat himself on the back he would have. He�d been planning this since Jenna suggested he come to the show with Kale and Amy. He actually went to the show the night before so he could see her playing the murderous Mona before she left the production, and although he was tempted to scratch the plan and just go again once he saw her on the stage, he knew that no matter what Jenna said, there was unfinished business between her and Kasey. And I�m going to make sure they work it out, he thought.
�Great,� Amy said. �Now we have this extra ticket and I know Jenna had a really hard time getting them for us.�
�Why don�t you come with us, Kase?� Kale asked his brother, ignoring the pinch Amy was giving him on his leg as he spoke.
�I dunno,� Kasey said looking at his menu. �I�m not really into that musical stuff.�
�I happen to know you saw the movie, bro,� Kale said. �And besides, what else were you going to do? Go out with McMurray and Shane and those guys? There�s plenty of time for that while you�re here. Get some culture here, while we�re not immersed in fishin�, huntin�, racin� and rebels.�
�You sounded like Junior when you said that,� Kasey laughed. �I guess I�ll go. Lemme go call McMurray and tell him I�m not going with them tonight.�
Amy waited until Kasey was out of earshot before she hit Kale on the arm.
�What was that for?� he said, rubbing the spot she hit him in.
�What do you think you�re doing?� she hissed. �We can�t just show up with Kasey with us. Hello?�
�Why not?� Kale said. �I know he�d love to see her.�
�Jenna hates surprises, Kale,� Amy said, �and him being there will definitely be a surprise.�
*********************************** ***********************
�If it isn�t the crew from North Carolina coming through!�
�Hi, Neil,� Amy said hugging him. �I�m so glad we found you in this crowd. I can�t believe how many people are here.�
�It�s Broadway at holiday time, Darling. Of course it�s packed. You must be Kale Kahne. Neil Maxwell, pleasure to meet you,� Neil said as Kale stuck out his hand to shake Neil�s.
�Nice to meet you, too.�
�Oh, Kale, dear, what is that hand there for, give me a hug!� Neil exclaimed and gave Kale a bear hug. �Now,� he said, letting go of a flustered Kale, �where is that Dale Earnhardt Junior? I�m dying to meet him!�
�Oh,� Amy said, looking at Kale out of the corner of her eye, �Junior got tied up at some sponsor thing. He couldn�t come. So-�
�Man, am I happy to be out of that bathroom crowd,� Kasey said walking up to them.
�Oh my God, it�s Kasey Kahne!� Neil exclaimed and hugged Kasey. �Congratulations on that gorgeous Tiffany�s Cup, honey! I can�t believe they came out with an item that I can�t own, and you have it!�
�Thanks, Neil,� Kasey said, doing the manly pat on the back to Neil. �I don�t have it yet.�
�So what did you all think of Miss Thing�s performance?� Neil asked
�That was pretty amazing,� Kale said. �But why would she give up a role on Broadway to play a role on Off-Broadway?�
�Honey,� Neil said, �Off-Broadway is THE place to be! And besides, she�s one of the leads in a four-woman play. This is nothing compared to that.�
�How can you have a play with just four people in it?� Kale asked.
Kasey and Amy laughed as Neil�s mouth dropped.
�Kale, just shut up before you give Neil a heart attack and he can�t take us to see, Jenna,� Amy said.
�And speaking of heart attacks,� Neil said motioning for them to follow him, �Let�s go get Jenna.� He shot a sideways look at Amy and gave a slight head nod to Kasey.
Amy raised her eyebrows as if to say, �What was I supposed to do?�
�We�ll head back to her dressing room and then go out for a late dinner. She made reservations at Nobu as soon as you decided to come.�
�Nobu!� Amy exclaimed. �Think we�ll see Robert DiNiro?�
�Honey,� Neil said laughing as they reached Jenna�s dressing room, �I don't want to have to bail you out of jail tonight for stalking a celeb, okay? Let�s hope we don�t see him. Knock Knock!�
Neil swung the door to Jenna�s dressing room open. �Look who�s he- David!�
Jenna jumped and removed her arms from around David�s waist. His back was facing the door while she kissed him and she didn�t see her friends walk in. He turned around with a grin on his face and she ran past him and squealed.
�Oh my god, you�re here!� Jenna pulled Amy into a hug. �Oh my god! Let me look at you.�
Jenna held away at an arm� length and looked her up and down. �You�ve lost weight, chica,� she said, hugging her again.
�And Kale,� she said, hugging him, �look how long your hair is! I can�t-�
She stopped mid sentence when she looked at the man over Kale�s shoulder and realizing that it wasn�t Junior.
�I can�t believe you�re keeping it at that length. You look like a surfer,� she said, covering up her surprise.
�And if it isn�t the Champ himself!� Jenna exclaimed walking over to Kasey.
�Hey, Jenna,� he said as she hugged him as well. �You were fantastic.�
�Thanks,� Jenna said. �I cant believe you�re all here.� She stepped back and shook her head as she looked at all of them.
�Oh, you guys,� she said walking over to the man she�d been kissing and laced her right hand in his left one, �I�d like you to meet my boyfriend, David Wright.�
David put out his hand to shake each of theirs. �I�ve heard so much about you all, and I�m not just saying that. You know how much this one loves to talk.�
�Jenna was right, David,� Amy said. �You DO look a lot like Ryan Sutter from the Bachelorette.�
David grinned and lightly blushed. �Yeah,� he said, �I get that all the time.�
Amy could see why Jenna was so attracted to him. He was easily six feet tall, with light brown hair and pale blue eyes that crinkled on the sides when he smiled. His smile was gorgeous and you could tell he was built under his well-tailored clothes. Jenna looked so delicate next to him and she was beaming from ear to ear as she looked up at him.
�But David here is much better looking and not as pretty,� Neil added in.
�What�s up, Neil?� David asked as he let go of Jenna�s hand and wrapped his arm around her waist. �You guys just missed the big surprise.�
�I thought we were the big surprise,� Neil said, raising his eyebrows at Jenna and cocking his head in Kasey�s direction.
�You�ll ever guess what David got me for Christmas? Tickets to Italy!� Jenna exclaimed grabbing the two tickets off her chair and holding them up for everyone to see.
�Shut up!� Neil squealed and grabbed for the tickets. �And you�re not taking me?�
David laughed. �Nah, Neil, maybe next time. I�m sure we�ll be going back.�
Jenna looked at her friends and said, �But that isn�t for another few weeks. Right now, I can�t wait to spend time with you all. Why couldn�t Junior come?�
�He had to do some DEI stuff with Truex,� Kasey said. �So I came along instead.�
�And I�m so happy you did, Kase,� Jenna said, looking into his eyes. �I�m dying to hear all about how it feels to win the Cup.�
�That is definitely a dinner conversation and I am starving,� Neil said. �We need to get over to Hudson St. ASAP.�
�Let me call a cab,� Jenna said reaching for her purse.
�No need,� Amy said. �We have a driver outside with a limo.�
�A limo?� Jenna said as she put on her off white coat. �Well, well, Mr. Kahne. Last year it was a Towncar and this year it�s a limo. Perk of being the Champ, huh?�
�One of the many,� Kasey laughed.
�Who cares about the limo?� Neil said, ushering them all out of the dressing room. �I just want that Cup!�
************************************* ******************************
�So, David,� Kale said once they all placed their orders and got their drinks, �are you an actor, too?�
�No,� David said taking a sip of his draught, �I�m actually a high school teacher.�
�David teaches history at a private school in Manhattan,� Jenna said, laughing to herself as she realized she was picking up on Neil�s habit of adding tidbit of information about people that they didn�t share themselves.
�Are you from New York?� Amy asked.
�Believe I or not, I�m from Columbus, Ohio.�
�No way!� Amy said.
�Yeah, I went for my undergrad at a private liberal arts school in New York and have been here ever since.�
�Except that year he spent in New Haven getting his Masters in Education at Yale,� Neil said over his champagne glass. �Don�t blush David, if I were a Yalie, I�d have it tattooed to my forehead.�
�You would,� Jenna laughed.
�What about you guys?� David asked Kasey and Kale. �Where are you from?�
�We�re from Enumclaw Washington,� Kale said. �But right now, we�re in North Carolina, obviously.�
�Yale, huh?� Kasey said. �That�s pretty impressive.�
�Impressive?� David said. �You�re twenty five years old and you�ve already scored the biggest honor in your sport. That�s impressive, man.�
Kasey shrugged took a drink of his draught.
�Are you a NASCAR fan?� Kale asked him.
�No, I�m sorry to say I�m not. I�ve caught a second or two when Jenna�s flipped to it, but I�m more of a soccer kind of guy.�
�David coaches Varsity soccer at his school and lacrosse,� Neil told them.
�Yeah?� Kasey said. �That must be cool coaching kids.�
�It is,� David said, signaling the waiter for another beer. �My soccer coach in high school was my mentor and I like being that for my guys. I actually just started playing in a league around here. It�s a lot of fun. I hadn�t played since college.�
Jenna listened as the guys talked sports. She was scared to see how David and Kasey would react to each other at first. They were so different except for the fact that they were both on the quiet side. And David knew all about her and Kasey. She didn�t know how he�d handle meeting Kasey so unexpectedly, but she should have known better. David was so classy. That was one of the things she loved about him.
�If you gentlemen will excuse us for a moment,� Amy said, �we ladies will be right back.�
She stood up and Jenna and Neil did too.
�What?� Neil said when the three other guys looked at him. �I�m can�t sit here. There�s too much testosterone. I need some estrogen.�
The three of them walked to the restroom.
�Can he be in here?� Amy asked when Neil followed them in.
�This is Nobu,� Neil said. �It�d be weird if there weren�t gay men in the bathroom. But, oh my god, Amy. I almost died when I saw Kasey!�
�I know,� Amy said. �I just about pinched off the circulation in Kale�s leg when he asked Kasey to take Junior�s ticket.�
�And then we walk in and this one,� Neil said motioning to Jenna �is sucking face with History Hottie. Could have been any more 90210?�
�Jesus, you guys,� Jenna said getting her lip-gloss out of her purse. �You act like Kasey is my boyfriend and he caught me fucking his best friend on the kitchen table! I�ve been dating David for over five months now and I haven�t even SEEN Kasey in almost twice as long.�
�But Jenna,� Neil said, �don�t you feel awkward?�
�Not at all,� she said. �Yeah, at first I was a little nervous about how they�d react to one another. But you know David, Neil. He�s such an easy going guy and so classy.�
�Jenna, he�s perfect,� Amy said. �Absolutely perfect.�
�And he�s great in the sack,� Neil added.
�Neil!� Jenna exclaimed.
�What? He is. Remember how our little Jenna here was a member of Girls Who Can�t Orgasm During Sex Anonymous before she met Kasey and thought that it was just him with the magic stick? Especially after Dale Junior failed to deliver the goods?�
�Yeah,� Amy said laughing.
�Well, it seems that David and Kasey can both do what no man had ever done before,� Neil said grabbing Jenna�s lip gloss and applying it to his lips.
�Why not spill all my secrets here in the restroom Neil?� Jenna said snatching her lip-gloss out of his hand. �Why don�t you tell everyone that I love being on top, too?�
�Everyone already knows that, Jenna,� Neil said.
�Fuck you!�
�You don�t have the right equipment, honey.�
�You two crack me up,� Amy told them. �But for real, Jenna. Honestly, what did you think when you saw Kasey?�
�I thought a lot of things,� she said. �I thought about how long it�s been since I saw him. I thought about how nice it was TO see him. But mostly, I thought about how David would react to seeing him.�
Jenna turned away from the mirror. �Can we get back to the table now, I�m starving,� she said.
�Yes, back to the eye candy,� Neil said. �I�m in a bisexual�s wet dream. Two gorgeous women and three gorgeous men and moi!�
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