Ten minutes later the four of them were sitting on the back patio eating Chinese food that Shawn had ordered in. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Jera spoke up. "Where's Rebecca today?"
"She's out baby shopping with mom," Shawn answered,digging around in one of the takeout boxes with his chopsticks.
"Michael Shawn Hickenbottom you'd better not be getting all the baby corn out of that!" Jera said, swatting at his hand with her chopsticks.
"I'm not!" he said with a mischievous smile. He then withdrew the chopsticks from the box and dropped two pieces of the baby corn onto his plate.
"Shawn!"
"Hey, there's plenty more in there."
Jera glared at him and then grabbed the box and proceded to pick out the rest of the corn.
Shawn shook his head and laughed. "Anyway, how are things?"
Paul answered, "Good, except for the creative differences we have with the VinMan and the fact that he and our wonderful baby girl here butt heads at least once a day."
Jera looked up from the carton she was digging through. "Well, if he wouldn't say I had absolute control over things and then tell me I couldn't do it, we wouldn't butt heads." She sat the carton down with a thump.
Paul nodded. "He does do that and she cuts a promo on him everytime he does it. When she starts in on him people will start gathering around, by the time she's done there'll be about fifteen people standing around. It's funny as hell."
"Vince doesn't think it's funny though, does he?" Shawn said.
Jera chuckled. "No, he doesn't. He's threatened to fire me a grand total of tem times in the past couple of weeks."
"But he know's he can't fire her." Paul said.
"Yeah, and the only reason he won't fire me is because he knows I'd run directly to WCW."
"Would you?" Shawn asked, looking surprised.
"Yes, I would. I'd hate it if I had to, but if Vince pissed me off enough I would."
"I don't think Vince would ever fire you. He thinks to much of you. He bent over backwards to get you to stay when you talked about quiting in '97." Paul said.
At the mention of the time when she had thought about quitting, Jera glanced over at Shawn. He was starting down at his plate. Jera had thought about quitting the business after a huge and very public blowup with Shawn. She had taken several months off and only her extreme love for the business and for her friends had brought her back. It had taken a long time for the rift between she and Shawn to close.
Shawn finally looked up, caught her eye, and smiled. Even though the two of them had had their problems the bond between them was still strong, and Jera was sure now that they could make it through pretty much anything.
Jera looked back at Paul. "Yeah, he did do his damnedest to get me to stay." She shrugged. "I think he just does most of the crap he does just to get a rise out of me."
Sean chuckled. "Yeah, because you're so damned funny when you get pissed at him."
Jera snorted. "That's my whole point in life, to entertain ya'll."
They all laughed and then fell silent for a moment before Jera spoke up again. "How are things going around here Shawnie?"
"Pretty good, the TWA is going great and so is the school. Which reminds me...I've got some ladies signing up for classes and I was wondering if you would come and talk to them?"
"Sure, I'd love to," Jera said as she popped the last bite of egg roll into her mouth and then pushed her plate plate back with a sigh. "Man, I am *STUFFED*!" Shawn pushed his plate back too. "So am I." Sean and Paul were still eating.
"Walt, where in the hell do you put all that?" Jera asked, shaking her head.
"In my feet," he answered, without looking up from his plate.
Jera laughed and then stood up. "I think I'm going to walk down to the pool. Want to come with Shawnie?"
"Sure." He looked at Sean and Paul. "You guys come on down when you're finished."
Jera and Shawn walked down to the pool and Jera immediately headed for her favorite chair under a huge potted palm. Shawn settled on the lounge next to her. They sat in silence before Shawn glanced over and saw her looking up at the patio, intently watching Paul with a far away look on her face.
"A penny for your thoughts beautiful."
Jera smiled. "They're not worth a penny."
Shawn shook his head. "Oh I think they are, and unless I miss my guess, Paul has a staring role in them."
When Jera gave him a surprised look he knew he had hit the nail on the head. "Have you forgotten that I can read you like a book?"
Jera sighed and then smiled. "No Shawnie, I haven't forgotten."
"Okay, then what's going on?"
Jera didn't answer, just sat studying her nails until she felt Shawn touch her arm. "Jer, you can tell me anything, you know that."
"I know, it's just that...," her voice trailed off and she looked back up at the patio.
"What? Did something happen between you and Paul, did you have a fight or something?"
"No, we didn't have a fight."
"Then what *IS* it Jera?"
She took a deep breath and then turned to him. "I'm in love with him Shawn."
Shawn sat looking a little surprised for a moment before a smile started to spread across his face. "You're in love with Paul?"
"Yes!"
Shawn looked up at the patio and then back to Jera with a grin and settled back on the lounge. "Now this could get *VERY* interesting."
"She's out baby shopping with mom," Shawn answered,digging around in one of the takeout boxes with his chopsticks.
"Michael Shawn Hickenbottom you'd better not be getting all the baby corn out of that!" Jera said, swatting at his hand with her chopsticks.
"I'm not!" he said with a mischievous smile. He then withdrew the chopsticks from the box and dropped two pieces of the baby corn onto his plate.
"Shawn!"
"Hey, there's plenty more in there."
Jera glared at him and then grabbed the box and proceded to pick out the rest of the corn.
Shawn shook his head and laughed. "Anyway, how are things?"
Paul answered, "Good, except for the creative differences we have with the VinMan and the fact that he and our wonderful baby girl here butt heads at least once a day."
Jera looked up from the carton she was digging through. "Well, if he wouldn't say I had absolute control over things and then tell me I couldn't do it, we wouldn't butt heads." She sat the carton down with a thump.
Paul nodded. "He does do that and she cuts a promo on him everytime he does it. When she starts in on him people will start gathering around, by the time she's done there'll be about fifteen people standing around. It's funny as hell."
"Vince doesn't think it's funny though, does he?" Shawn said.
Jera chuckled. "No, he doesn't. He's threatened to fire me a grand total of tem times in the past couple of weeks."
"But he know's he can't fire her." Paul said.
"Yeah, and the only reason he won't fire me is because he knows I'd run directly to WCW."
"Would you?" Shawn asked, looking surprised.
"Yes, I would. I'd hate it if I had to, but if Vince pissed me off enough I would."
"I don't think Vince would ever fire you. He thinks to much of you. He bent over backwards to get you to stay when you talked about quiting in '97." Paul said.
At the mention of the time when she had thought about quitting, Jera glanced over at Shawn. He was starting down at his plate. Jera had thought about quitting the business after a huge and very public blowup with Shawn. She had taken several months off and only her extreme love for the business and for her friends had brought her back. It had taken a long time for the rift between she and Shawn to close.
Shawn finally looked up, caught her eye, and smiled. Even though the two of them had had their problems the bond between them was still strong, and Jera was sure now that they could make it through pretty much anything.
Jera looked back at Paul. "Yeah, he did do his damnedest to get me to stay." She shrugged. "I think he just does most of the crap he does just to get a rise out of me."
Sean chuckled. "Yeah, because you're so damned funny when you get pissed at him."
Jera snorted. "That's my whole point in life, to entertain ya'll."
They all laughed and then fell silent for a moment before Jera spoke up again. "How are things going around here Shawnie?"
"Pretty good, the TWA is going great and so is the school. Which reminds me...I've got some ladies signing up for classes and I was wondering if you would come and talk to them?"
"Sure, I'd love to," Jera said as she popped the last bite of egg roll into her mouth and then pushed her plate plate back with a sigh. "Man, I am *STUFFED*!" Shawn pushed his plate back too. "So am I." Sean and Paul were still eating.
"Walt, where in the hell do you put all that?" Jera asked, shaking her head.
"In my feet," he answered, without looking up from his plate.
Jera laughed and then stood up. "I think I'm going to walk down to the pool. Want to come with Shawnie?"
"Sure." He looked at Sean and Paul. "You guys come on down when you're finished."
Jera and Shawn walked down to the pool and Jera immediately headed for her favorite chair under a huge potted palm. Shawn settled on the lounge next to her. They sat in silence before Shawn glanced over and saw her looking up at the patio, intently watching Paul with a far away look on her face.
"A penny for your thoughts beautiful."
Jera smiled. "They're not worth a penny."
Shawn shook his head. "Oh I think they are, and unless I miss my guess, Paul has a staring role in them."
When Jera gave him a surprised look he knew he had hit the nail on the head. "Have you forgotten that I can read you like a book?"
Jera sighed and then smiled. "No Shawnie, I haven't forgotten."
"Okay, then what's going on?"
Jera didn't answer, just sat studying her nails until she felt Shawn touch her arm. "Jer, you can tell me anything, you know that."
"I know, it's just that...," her voice trailed off and she looked back up at the patio.
"What? Did something happen between you and Paul, did you have a fight or something?"
"No, we didn't have a fight."
"Then what *IS* it Jera?"
She took a deep breath and then turned to him. "I'm in love with him Shawn."
Shawn sat looking a little surprised for a moment before a smile started to spread across his face. "You're in love with Paul?"
"Yes!"
Shawn looked up at the patio and then back to Jera with a grin and settled back on the lounge. "Now this could get *VERY* interesting."
