Naturally Naughty - Leslie Kelly [48]
“Absolutely. I’ve got a couple of high school boys who’ve helped with the painting and repairs. The shelving units and cabinetry were already there from when the men’s shop was open. Carpet goes in Monday, and the stock you sent arrives daily.”
“Well, I’m here now to help with the inventory, at least, now that you did the hard stuff. The permit was approved, right? I still don’t know how you pulled it off.”
Cassie gave her an evil smile. “It’s called boobs. A low-cut shirt and a pair of breasts leaning on the desk of a city worker’s office can accomplish a lot. Including rubberstamping an application for a business license.”
“Boobs and brains. Cassie Tremaine Montgomery, you’re a force to be reckoned with.” Kate sipped her drink.
“It’s only fair I got the bigger boobs, since you got the bigger brain,” Cassie pointed out.
Kate sighed. “But we both got the big hips.”
Cassie gave her a Cheshire-cat smile. “Most men who look at my pictures in the catalog like curvy hips.”
Kate agreed. “I’ll bet the permit guy is a fan.”
“Even if he’s not, I didn’t lie on the business app. We are going to open a lovely, tasteful little ladies’ shop….”
“With King Kong Dong featured prominently in the front display window,” Kate interjected with a snorty laugh.
They clinked their glasses again.
Cassie got up to make them a couple of sandwiches for lunch. “Speaking of King Kong Dong, or dongs in general, have you met your new neighbor yet?”
Kate didn’t answer right away, drawing a curious stare from Cassie. In spite of how close they were, Kate hadn’t told Cassie about her interlude with Jack at the Rialto. So she couldn’t exactly explain what had happened the night before when she’d discovered he was really J. J. Winfield. “We’ve met.”
“And?”
Kate got up to wash lettuce for the sandwiches.
“Come on, what gives? Aren’t you going to make him your love slave, then trample all over his heart with the heels of your six-inch-high, slut-puppy boots?”
“I don’t own slut-puppy boots.”
“You sell them.”
“I sell a lot of things that I don’t own or use myself,” she said as she sipped.
“Aw, gee. Here I figured you gave a personal testimonial with every dildo, clit ring and butt plug you peddle.”
Kate laughed so hard some of her margarita spilled from the corner of her lips. “You are as bad as Armand.”
“So tell me about the Winfield prince,” Cassie said.
“I don’t know about Jack—J.J. He’s not what I expected.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning he might be more than I can handle.”
Cassie lifted a brow. There probably wasn’t a man alive who her cousin couldn’t handle. But Kate wasn’t Cassie.
“Maybe I’d better start out a little easier. Focus on some of my other goals. Like the shop. Or Angela and Darren.”
“Hmm, yeah, I forgot about them. I saw Angela one day, walking out to her car. She and her mom live up the street.”
“Please tell me she’s fat.”
“Sorry, hon. She looks pretty good. Still looks like a total bitch, but not a Jenny Craig-bound one.”
Rats.
“What about Darren?”
“Works at a car dealership and lives downtown in an apartment over the Tea Room. Did you know he and Angela were married for a while right after high school? The rumor mill says she got knocked up on prom night. They married that summer. Then when she lost the baby, he divorced her and went into the army.”
Kate winced. “Maybe I should thank her for stealing him on prom night.” She couldn’t imagine how her life might have ended up if she’d been the pregnant teen. Probably she’d be living here, bitter and sour with a poochy belly, saggy breasts and four kids who looked like moon-faced Darren clinging to her