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“Professor Chadwick,” I smiled and extended my hand. “It’s been a minute.”
“It has,” he said as he gripped my hand and smiled.
“Sweetheart, Ms. Owens was in one of my lecture halls at Wash U,” Professor Chadwick explained.
“Oh, great. Then we are not complete strangers,” Sallie smiled.
“Ms. McLaren was one of my better students,” Professor Chadwick added.
“Oh please, Professor. You know I struggled in that class. I took it because someone said that you never gave As. I wanted to prove them wrong. Alas, I barely escaped with a B,” I chuckled.
“I’ve seen my rating onRate My Professor. I know what people think of me,” he chuckled. “In my defense, it is a grad level course. You shouldn’t expect to skate by.”
“And no one skates in that class,” I agreed. “This is Skylar and Phoenix’s dad, Morris Owens.”
Professor Chadwick and Morris shook hands.
“Nice to meet you. Your reputation precedes you,” Professor Chadwick said. “I’m friends with the McIntyres. They speak very highly of you.”
“Yours as well. I work with Chambers Security,” Morris responded.
“Yes, Countee has helped me a lot,” Professor Chadwick said.
“St. Louis is so small,” Sallie said.
“I say that all the time!” I chuckled.
Patty whisked the girls away to another part of the house while we sat in their living room that was decorated in white and gold. There was seating of various styles throughout the room – sofas, love seats, plush chairs, and chaise lounges. The room had a wall of two-story windows that framed a huge backyard complete with gardens, a pool, and a smaller house.
“Dinner will be ready momentarily. I wanted to give us a little time to chat,” Sallie announced.
“Would either of you like something to drink? I have a full bar,” Professor Chadwick asked.
“I’ll take bourbon if you have it,” Morris said.
“Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec, any of those will work for me.”
Professor Chadwick prepared the drinks while Sallie, Morris, and I made small talk. Two older children came into the room and introduced themselves. They were the Chadwicks’ other children.
“Can you go and get your sister and her friends?” Sallie said to the older daughter. “Meet us in the dining room.”
Sallie escorted us across the house into an even more spectacular dining room. The massive white marble table with silver chairs was set for ten. The stack of silver and white plates were accented with gold eating utensils, and black placemats.
“Did you wash your hands?” Sallie asked after the girls appeared in the room.
“Yes, ma’am,” Patty answered while Skye and Fee nodded their heads in agreement.
Dinner was amazing. Their cook made a delicious jambalaya with chicken, shrimp, and sausage. After dinner, the girls went back to another part of the house while Professor Chadwick and Sallie gave Morris and me a tour of the house.
“You have a beautiful home,” I said after the tour.
“Thank you. It’s been a labor of love. When my husband and I met, he was working in construction and I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. We knew we wanted something more, so we wrote our dreams down on paper now we are living in one of our dreams,” Sallie said.
“It’s important to have a vision in business and in life,” Professor Chadwick added.
“I’ve learned how important it is to have a plan,” Morris agreed.
We settled around the firepit in their backyard and continued our conversation.
