But she didn’t give one. She stood up and cheerfully said, “Is everyone finished?” She smiled sweetly at the children. “After lunch, why don’t we go out to the big magnolia tree and I’ll make you a couple of shields? Anybody want some banana pudding?”
Letty and Ace stared at her, eyes wide, barely able to nod yes to all of it.
Mr. Gates looked across the table at Uncle Freddy. Both of them had twinkling eyes. They’d lived in the same house for many years and they knew what the other was thinking. This was a time for extortion.
“That boy sure can work,” Mr. Gates said.
“Best worker I ever saw,” Uncle Freddy said. “I’ll bet he has the cemetery spic and span by nightfall.”
Livie, a bowl of pudding in her hands, looked at them. It was like waiting for the other shoe to drop. What was their point?
Mr. Gates smiled at her. “So, Livie, what kind of soup are we having for supper tonight? Maybe I should go into Richmond to a restaurant supply store and buy cans of Campbell’s by the case.”
Olivia’s lips tightened.
“No need to do that,” Uncle Freddy said, his voi
ce exaggeratedly loud. “Olivia is going to go work in a dress shop.”
“No!” Letty yelled. “Who’ll make our shields?”
When Ace’s lower lip began to quiver, Olivia was reminded of what the child was about to face. He knew his mother was very ill and—
Olivia’s face looked stormy. She was not a cook. She was a woman with a great career ahead of her. She wasn’t one of those earth mothers who naturally enveloped children. She wasn’t—
She let out her breath and glared at Uncle Freddy. “You’re going to pay someone else to clean this house. I’m not going to do it. And there’s too much laundry for me to do.” She turned to Mr. Gates. “You are in charge of errands.”
The two old men nodded. A bargain had been struck. “What do we do, Livie?” Ace asked.
“Eggs. And no more rolling them down a ramp. And you’re going to help me clean up that garden.”
“And get tiger plants?” Ace asked.
It took her a moment to figure that one out. Zucchini equals zoo equals tiger. “Right. Tiger plants.” She went to the back door. “The four of you can clean this up. I have to go see Nina.”
“My mom?” Letty looked worried. “I didn’t break that lamp. It just fell. I was a million feet away from it. In the garage.”
Olivia shook her head. “I’ll deal with that later. Your mother has a cookbook I want to borrow.” She looked at the men. “Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” She left the house.
“What’s that?” Letty asked.
“Heaven,” Mr. Gates said. “Pure heaven on earth. Who wants some banana pudding?”
“Boeuf Bourguignon,” Uncle Freddy whispered as though it was a sacred phrase. “Did I ever tell you about the time I was in Paris?”
Mr. Gates had heard the story dozens of times, but he said no, that he’d missed that one.
Each of them was smiling as they finished their second lunch and listened to Uncle Freddy’s story of a meal he’d had in Paris when he was a young man. They were all glad Livie was staying. For all that she complained and was often grumpy, there was something about the way she shot out orders that gave life to all of them. But best of all, she made things happen.
Chapter Fifteen
“Then what?” Kathy asked. “You can’t stop there.”
Elise leaned forward. “Why was he running around in so little clothing?”
Olivia stood up. “That is a whole other story. Anyone want some more wine? How about ice cream?”
The women followed her into the kitchen.