Chapter 4: Day 4, Pallid Pleasure
Barbara and I have afternoon drinks at Mena’s Grill, a fabulous little place along the Gulf Coast where the best Mai Tais are served under beach umbrellas on the sand.
Carlos, an adorable Cuban waiter with dimples, serves us with the broadest smile. Barbara keeps feeding him dollar bills, having every intention of taking the guy back to her place and seducing him with some naughty indulgence.
I, on the other hand, have a more sincere interest, and ask Barbara—before she becomes drunk, of course—about the lifeguard. “What do you know about Trent Long?”
She rattles off a list of details, “He’s twenty-three years old, an amateur photographer, and attended Miami University for two years. I know that he’s the son of Renaldo Long, who just happens to be the
