Listen to Your Heart - Fern Michaels [21]
“Good Lord, chère, why would you want to do that? You go out and have a good time. From the looks of you I don’t think there are too many women who can hold a candle to you. You are a beautiful young woman. Strut your stuff. Make him dance to your tune. And don’t baby-sit his dog again either!”
“Yes, ma’am,” Josie said, saluting smartly.
“Would you like to meet the ladies before you leave?”
“Absolutely.”
Marie put her fingers to her mouth and let loose with an earsplitting whistle. “That’ll bring them on the run. Bet you can’t do that!”
“Wanna bet! Kitty and I used to try to outwhistle each other. I always won. Listen to this!”
Marie clapped her hands over her ears. “That was good. Really good. Ah, here they are.”
They were all shapes and sizes, and all of them wore wide smiles. Like Marie, they wore colorful outfits and pounds of jewelry. In rapid-fire French, with the aid of her hands, Marie Lobelia outlined Josie’s request. She ended by saying, “Laissez les bons temps rouler.”
Josie burst out laughing. “Yes, let the good times roll. I’ll be back tomorrow to pick you up around one o’clock. Will that interfere with your soap operas?”
“Not at all.”
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Be sure to lock the gate after me.”
Josie picked up Rosie and smiled all the way back to the car. She was still smiling when she parked the Explorer in the driveway. Maybe the good times really would roll. Now she had to tell Kitty what she had done. She crossed her fingers that her sister would approve.
“That’s great!” Kitty crowed when Josie told her the news. “No, it’s better than great! I can learn from them. God, Josie, think of all those priceless recipes handed down within each family and never given out. I think that’s probably the best idea you’ve ever had. Congratulations!”
“On that thought, I’ll leave you. I need to find something to wear tonight. How’d that praline pie come out?”
“Perfect. I made one of those crabmeat pies with the cornmeal. It’s good, but something’s missing. Take a bite and see if you can tell what it needs.”
“Ooohhh, this is good, Kitty. Maybe more salt. No spices. It’s more than flavorful. Crusty French bread, a crisp garden salad, and a good bottle of wine. Perfect light supper or a great lunch. A good addition to a brunch, too. I don’t think it needs anything. But then what do I know? You can try it on the ladies tomorrow. They’ll be your real test. Cut me a sliver for Rosie to sniff.”
“What are you going to wear?” Kitty asked, cutting a thick slice of pie that she wrapped in a napkin before she slid the pie into the refrigerator.
“I don’t have a clue. That ponytail bothers me.”
“You can always cancel. We have the phone number as well as the address.”
“I know. It is the last minute. I hate it when someone cancels on me at the last minute. It’s just one dinner date. I don’t have to see him again if I don’t want to.”
“What exactly does he do? Do you know? The article just said he had many businesses.”
“I don’t know but if you really want to know, I’ll ask him tonight. Maybe the long black sheath with pearls.”
“Boring,” Kitty said, rolling her eyes.
“How about the brown linen with the chunky gold belt?”
“You look drab in brown. If you had a tan, it would be different. What about that gauzy green number you wore a few weeks ago? It came back from the cleaners on Monday. If you wear those sexy, strappy heels, you’re good to go.”
“Okay, sounds good.”
“Brush your hair back and wear that gold headband. The one with the matching earrings. If you brush it back, you won’t look so young and girlish. You want to look sophisticated.”
“Why all the advice, Kitty? You didn’t do this when I went out with Mark or any of those other guys whose names I can’t remember.”
“That’s because I knew they were strictly one-nighters. This guy is different, trust me.”
“Oh yeah.”
“Yeah.” Kitty grinned. “Go on,