“I have to go,” Ramsey said in a voice that sounded like he was going
to be sick. As he ran past Jocelyn he paused, as though he thought he should stop and say something.
“Go!” she said. “Check the recorder. Do what you have to do.”
As he hurried through the hall, he yelled, “Tomorrow, Tess. I want you in the office tomorrow morning. I want you in court with me.” They heard the door close behind him.
Joce was stirring a pan and turned to look at Tess. “I’ll hate to lose you, but if you’re needed at work…”
“I have no intention of going back to that office until Ramsey McDowell and his partners offer me more money.”
“And a car,” Jim said from the doorway.
“And a new kitchen,” Jocelyn said, then looked at Tess. “Okay, so no new kitchen. How about a company credit card and four weeks paid vacation?”
“I like it,” Tess said, smiling as she held up a cute little bumblebee cupcake. “Or maybe I’ll quit and do this.”
She was joking, but Jim and Jocelyn looked at each other with raised eyebrows.
It was at four o’clock on the day before the party, when Jocelyn was so tired she was swaying on her feet, that Jim said, “So what are the adults going to eat?”
“I thought there was going to be food for them.”
“Yeah,” Jim said, “there is. Viv’s having it catered, but what about the cupcakes for them? Or cookies? They’ll want something that doesn’t have a five-inch-thick layer of icing on it.”
“How about edible flowers?”
The three of them turned to see Luke standing in the doorway holding a big wooden box full of flowers.
“Where have you been?” Joce blurted out. “I haven’t seen you in days. What have you been doing?”
Everyone looked from Luke to Jocelyn because she’d sounded almost angry.
“Glad to know I was missed,” he said calmly as he put the wooden flat down on the edge of the table.
“Sorry, I, uh…” Jocelyn wasn’t sure what to say, but she was certainly embarrassed by her outburst. “It’s just that we could have used your help, that’s all.”
“From what I hear, the three of you are doing great. So, Dad, which ones did you decorate?”
“Humph!” Jim said. “I’m management. So where have you been? With my father-in-law in his fancy house in his fancy subdivision playing on his fancy golf course?”
Luke looked at Jocelyn. “Don’t you just love families?”
“Yours, yes, mine, no,” she said quickly, which made Jim chuckle.
“Could you get that dirty box away from the cupcakes?” Tess asked.
“It’s not dirty,” Luke said. “In fact…” He picked up a pretty nasturtium blossom and ate it. “These flowers are not only clean, they’re edible.”
When Jocelyn looked at him, her eyes widened. “Flowers,” she whispered. “Like fried zucchini blossoms.”
“Exactly,” Luke said, smiling at her.
“Is that some Yankee thing? Fried flowers?” Jim asked. “And we Southerners are accused of frying too much.”
“No frying,” Luke said. “We’re just going to stick them on top of adult cupcakes and cookies.” He was looking hard at Jocelyn, as though silently transmitting something to her.
“You didn’t!”