Seventh Chapter

Tate was stuck on the word 'research'.  She can see his smile, she can hear the lightness in his voice, but she has to ask, "Research?  You researched me?"  She just about ready to go into panic mode, thinking that someone has looked into her past.  Someone may know her secrets, but here he could be wanting to work with her?  There's no way he could know all that there is to know about her and still want to work with her.

Jon reaches over and places her hand upon his, "I didn't, but my people did."

"Your people??" She tried to hide the faint hint of disgust, the hint that she's upset that he had others look into her past.  "Who are your people?"

"Relax." He pats her hand, "I had people look into your work, nothing more.  I told you I want to talk to you about a fundraiser I'm playing , and that's why I had them check you out."

"Why me?" She flatly asks.

He laughs, "Why not?"

"What's your fundraiser for, for Poly Prep?"

The hired car pulls up in front of Von.  The driver hops out and opens the curbside door for them.  Jon hops out first, Tate follows.  Jon lets her get a step ahead of him.  He glances to the left, then to the right.  To him, the coast is clear.  "Let's discuss it over a very old glass of red."  He guides her to the back of the small, dark wine bar with his hand on the small of her back.

The two of them make their way to the back corner of the dimly lit bar, passing by a few customers that have no idea who either of them are.  They take a seat at a table, across from one another.  Tate messes with her things, tucking her pocket book and work bag between her chair and the wall.  When she's done, she places her hands on the table and smiles, "Well, let's hear it.  You're playing Poly, when and why?  What do you need me to do?"

Jon's unable to answer as they are interrupted by the waiter, "Good afternoon, my name is Marco, do you know what you'd like to order or shall I bring you a wine list?"

Jon takes the lead on this one, "Give us a glass of your oldest, sweetest red.  One on ice, please."

Marco gives an understanding nod and takes his leave, to only turn around a few moments later with their glasses of wine.  As he places them on the table, Jon adds, "We're good for now Marco, should we need anything else, I'll holler for you."

"Very well."  Marco responds and leaves them to be.

"Let's hear it.  What do you need me to do?"  She's feeling a little miffed about the fact that he checked her out, spied on her. 

"It's a gala with some high profile influential people, that have deep pockets.  They're willing to throw money at what they think is an issue at the school."

"There's an issue at the school?" She questions, not really in the loop of what's going on at Poly.  "What's going on?"

Jon leans back in his chair, clasping his hands be hung his head.  "Jaxson doesn't bring the newsletter home?"

"He might, why?" 

"You don't see his school work when he brings it home?"

It's then that Tate can see Jon thinks that Jaxson is her son.  "I'm sure he brings it home to his parents."

"Jaxson, he's your son, is he not?"

She throws her head back and laughs.  "No, he's my nephew."

"Really?" he's shocked, after seeing the way she cared for and mothered the young lad.  "I'm sorry, I just assumed."

Tate can see that Jon is surprised.  "He's my older sisters son.  I look after him from time to time.  When she's running late I grab him from school or get him to soccer practice.  I enjoy our time together."

"He seems like a good kid."

"He is.  Your young one, he must look like his momma?" She states, "but we're not here to talk about Jaxson and Romeo - what do you need my help with?"

"The school needs a new swimming pool and I agreed to play a show to raise funds.  I was thinking, after looking at your previous work that maybe you'd like to design the set and the ball room."

"Ball room?  Wow, fancy."

"And it needs to be designed and put together by a professional designer.  The New York socialites have no idea how to design a themed fundraiser."

Tate pauses for a moment and thinks back over her short but amazing career.  She gives Jon a grin, "I've never designed a fundraiser.  Where will it be held?"

"At the Met."

"The museum?" She practically chokes on her words.  To play it off, she sips her glass of wine.

"Yeah.  The high and mighty wouldn't attend if it were in the school gym."

"The Met is beautiful all on its own, does it really need to be designed?" As she says those words, she's wondering if she's trying to talk him out of using her. 

"It does, because I'm picturing a Masquerade theme.  But not like the Phantom of the Opera.  a real masquerade party."

"For a school fundraiser? 

"Too much?" He asks just before he downs his first glass of wine, "Do you have a better idea?"

"I have no idea at all, not my fundraiser Jon." 

"THIS one has to be epic.  All of the previous ones were boring and too scheduled.  They weren't fun at all."

"Why the pressure for an epic fundraiser?" Tate leans back in her chair, her hand on her glass of wine, tapping the stem with her fingernail.  "Is this YOUR fundraiser?" She starts to smile.

Jon leans in, elbows on the table and he says to her, "MARCO!"

Tate jumps from being startled by the unexpected outburst.  That makes Jon laugh and it also let's him see a glimpse of Tate, vulnerable.  "Jesus Jon." 

"My glass is empty.  Are you ready for another?"

"One and done was just a ploy, wasn't it?" She winks at him.

Jon feeling very confident in the skin he's in, he can see that she's slightly enamoured, maybe she's a little intrigued and that gives him feelings he's not felt in a very long time. "Let's hammer out the details of this fundraiser and I'll take you home."

"Details?  You should have all the details all hammered out, don't you just need a theme design?"

"And everything else."  He leans back in his chair, as he sees Marco approaching.  "Marco, could you bring us something a little sweeter.  This was a tad bitter."  

Marco just nods and does as he's asked.  It was then that Tate piped up, "Everything else???"

Jon sneers at her, playfully and he likes that it makes Tate smile, "All I have is the date and the venue.  Could you help me with everything else?  I'll pay you of course."

"Are you serious?" She balks at him, seeing his arrogance in himself.  It pokes out for a second or two at at time.  "I'm in the middle of the Marshall redesign and you want me to plan an event?"  She's a little baffled.

"Jaxson will benefit from it too, Tate.  Just think of him swimming in that pool, being a member of the elite swing team out there at Poly."

She gulps her wine and looks at him with a coy little look, "Now you're not playing fair."

"I'm right."

"I'm sorry Jon, there's no way I can do that and the Marshall's. There isn't enough time in the day."

"It's not until July.  We can get started on it when you're done with Chris' place."

Tate sits there and looks at every detail of his face, she notices the mole on his cheek, the creases in his eyes.  She's seeing him up close and personal and she thinks he's just beautiful.  Then her eyes dart to the wedding ring on his finger.  "Isn't this something that you should be doing with your wife?" She nods toward the ring on his finger.