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“See you later, handsome,” Jennine said, batting her very long, very fake eyelashes.
Chi-Chi hurried them out of Jennine’s grasp. Chi-Chi was having second thoughts about that introduction. Then she reminded herself again,He’s a grown man.
Abeo finally let out a long breath of air. He didn’t realize he had been holding it for what seemed like half a lifetime. He muttered under his breath, “What are you trying to do to me?”
Chi-Chi slowed her step. “Oh,buroda,” she said, addressing him in Yoruba, “she is a very nice woman. Perhaps a little too friendly at times, but you will certainly be entertained.”
“And who knows what else?” Abeo was still trying to comprehend what he had just witnessed. “That woman is a cheetah!”
“You mean cougar?” Chi-Chi snickered.
“I know the difference, dear sister. The jaguar may have the strongest bite, but the cheetah is the fastest animal on land.”
Chi-Chi burst out laughing. “You know they refer to women of a certain age who hunt younger men as cougars?”
“She is still too fast for me.” Abeo shook his head.
Chi-Chi chuckled. “You can take care of yourself.”
“Maybe I need a chaperone?” Abeo’s mood lightened.
“I will introduce you to a few more people so if you need to escape the claws of Jennine, there will be someone you can hide behind.” Chi-Chi was very amused at the situation she had created.
“I hope so.” Abeo fanned himself with his hand. “She is a few degrees warmer than most other women.”
Chi-Chi started to cackle. “And you thought you would have to entertain yourself tonight.”
Abeo gave her a sideways look. “I should have kept my original plan and waited until Monday.”
Chi-Chi elbowed him in the side, then kept her word and made sure Abeo met several other artists and vendors, subtly dropping the news that he had been introduced to Jennine. Vic from the Wine Cellar gave Abeo a knowing look, as did Brian Tucker from the Cheese Cave. The women simply smirked. Jennine was truly a nice person. She would go out of her way to be helpful. But when it came to men, her hormones were like a nuclear missile aimed right at them.
It was nearly five, and Chi-Chi was scrambling to put away the high-end jewelry. Most people who attended the open-house events weren’t interested in spending oodles of cash. Her more moderately priced items, those under $100, were popular. During a fund-raiser, she had a broad assortment because a portion of the proceeds went to the charity. Rather than keep the items that fetched $1000 or more on display, she had large, silver-framed photos of her work throughout the shop. This way she had both ends covered.
Abeo was standing in the doorway, taking in the activities in the atrium. Chi-Chi called out, “Abeo, I am leaving now. You stay out of trouble. I am leaving a key to my house on my desk in the office. Do not wait up for me.”
“Ah, and sister, do not wait up for me either!” He had the widest grin of the day on his face.
* * *
Tori was proud that she had remained calm and cool since the unexpected result of her evening outside Ringo’s. Her husband had been reasonable and more attentive than usual. He had even brought dinner home one night. Tori figured it was guilt, which was fine with her. She was much more relaxed knowing she had something on him. But it didn’t make her any happier. Powerful? Yes. That was better than where she had been a few short weeks ago.
She climbed out of bed and got ready to head back to Stillwell. It was her day to attend the origami workshop. It dawned on her that he hadn’t noticed the crane until she mentioned it to him a few days before.
“I’m going to take a workshop this weekend,” Tori announced.
His head jerked back when she told him. It was the first time she made a decision without consulting him first. “Oh?” He sounded much more surprised than annoyed.
“Yes.” She brought the crane into the kitchen where he was sitting. “Origami.”
“That Chinese or something?” he asked.
“No.” She stopped herself from saying, “You idiot.” “It’s a Japanese paper-folding art form. Thousands of years old.”
“What? That thing is a thousand years old?”
Cripes, could you be any stupider today?she thought.
“Yes. I got it from an archeological dig.” She sneered.
