As calmly as she could manage, Olivia asked how he was doing and introduced Elise. Young Pete said nothing, just gave a sort of grunt and nodded.
As the women walked toward the cottage, they suppressed their giggles. If Young Pete had seen them just a few minutes earlier...
The man’s voice came to them. “Well, Olivia, I see you’ve been up to your old tricks.”
Olivia froze in place. He was telling her that he knew what she’d done today and who the culprit was so long ago. She could feel her entire body turning red. Deeply embarrassed, she started running so fast that Elise had trouble keeping up with her.
In the cottage, Olivia barely let Elise inside before she slammed the door behind her.
Ray was sitting on the couch reading a trade magazine. “You two look like you’ve been up to no good.”
Elise started to laugh, but the look on Olivia’s face stopped her.
“If he knows, the whole town does,” Olivia muttered. “The church, the quilting circle. Oh no! Maybe my parents knew.”
Elise turned to Ray. “Do you know how to make a drink? Not one of those nasty tea-colored things on ice, but something that tastes good?”
Ray gave Elise a slow glance up and down, as though he was seeing her for the first time. When his eyes met hers, it was with a look the waitress at the diner would have loved. He was interested.
But Elise didn’t budge. She glared at him.
With a nod of concession, he went to the kitchen and they heard ice tinkling. In minutes, he returned with two of those wonderful glasses that were a big triangle on top. Two olives on toothpicks were in each glass.
“Girlie enough for you?” Ray asked Elise.
She sipped hers. “Delicious. You must have had bartender experience.”
Ray shook his head in disbelief. In a sentence she had taken away his years of success and put him back to going to school during the day and bartending at night. “Daddy cut your allowance off, did he? Terrified you’ll have to get a job like the rest of us?”
Before Elise could speak, Olivia held out her empty glass. “Another one, please.”
“I hope you two floozies don’t get drunk. I’ve got a tuna casserole in the oven.”
That was too much for the women. The drinks on an empty stomach, the memory of what they’d done, Young Pete’s knowledge, and Ray’s casserole made them fall on each other laughing. They could hardly stand up.
Chapter Four
Bartending in a college town had given Ray a lot of experience with drunken females. He put his big hands on their shoulders and half pushed, half pulled them into the kitchen and set them down on the long seat that ran under the window. They were laughing and saying nonsensical things like, “Will he put the two new ones in the frame with my old one?”
“Maybe he’ll have three separate display cases.”
“I have a scrape on my right cheek—and I don’t mean my face.”
“I have a scar on my leg from the first time! That damned wall needs to be sandblasted so future adventurers are protected,” Olivia said.
“Explain that one to a contractor,” Elise said. “Oh. Wait! Carmen’s brother might be able to do it. Think I could get a discount? For services rendered?” They collapsed in laughter.
Ray was shaking his head as every sentence made them go into more laughter. They were nearly hysterical with it.
Opening the oven, he pulled out the big casserole. It had been a long time since he’d cooked anything, but he’d remembered rather easily. Boil the noodles, drain, flake the cans of tuna. Add chees
e. It wasn’t difficult.
Behind him, the women were now on people named “Kevin” and “Hildy.” Whatever had happened, he wished he’d been there to enjoy it with them. But then, if he, a male, had been there, he doubted if it would have happened. From their laughter, it sounded like one of those girl things.
He got out some plates and forks, dumped a bag of salad mix into a bowl, pulled a bottle of dressing from the fridge, and put it all on the table.
Elise was now lavishly complimenting Olivia for having hit a wine bottle with a rock. “I was aiming for that big metal planter three feet away.” That made them laugh harder.