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“I’m quite shameless about shoving it in everyone’s face.” Laughing lightly, Tiffany added, “My mother says I’m no longer a class act, and I gotta admit that she’s right about that.”
“You bagged a guy with good taste, I’ll give you that much,” Barbara said, still admiring the flashy diamond that had to cost Ryder a small fortune.
Grabbing a seat at a table with a couple of other women, Tiffany tried not to look as thrilled as she clearly was. “Ryder insisted on a big one, and before you ask, he’s not overcompensating for anything.”
Considering the guy was practically a giant, Barbara wasn’t going to argue that point. She’d take the woman’s word for it.
~ Barbara ~
Something about that tired, silly joke shattered the strangely morose aura surrounding her day and catapulted her back to reality. Laughing, Barbara dropped down into the seat beside Tiffany. “You have no idea how much I needed that laugh.”
“I heard about the bodies. I have to say, even though I’m a nurse, stuff like that is hard to cope with.”
“You see dead bodies in a hospital or the morgue, not partially decomposed ones spilling out of—”
An older woman at the far end of the table interrupted. “We are trying to eat, dear, so maybe you save the gory details for after dinner or some other time entirely.”
Cringing, Barbara murmured, “I’m not usually so socially inept. I do apologize, ma’am.”
Tiffany spoke up again. “I was just getting ready to introduce you to everyone, when my mother chimed in. Barbara, this is my mother, Sarah. Mother, this is Barbra.”
“Now don’t go getting snippy with your mother, Tiff. She’s just trying to keep us straight.”
The woman smiled. “And this is Hickory. He’s the club’s Vice President. I’m unclear on why he’s here, instead of watching the sparring match out back with the rest of the brothers.”
Earnest put plates down for Tiffany and Barbara and shot the other man an annoyed look. “It’s because he haunts Ms. Sarah’s every step these days like an old vulture. It makes it damn hard for ladies to have girl time, with him always hovering around.”
“You’re one to talk,” Hickory spoke up. “Even though the poor woman’s got no love for the homeless, you just won’t go away.”
Sarah said, “Oh leave him alone, Hickory. I think Earnest is a real gentleman. He reminds me of my husband in a lot of ways, may he rest in peace.”
Grabbing her empty glass of tea, Earnest murmured shyly, “Why thank you, Ms. Sarah. I’ll just fetch you a nice fresh glass of tea with extra ice, just like you love.”
One of the other women was leaning on the palm of her upturned hand, taking it all in. “Why don’t you and Earnest settle your little ongoing vendetta the old-fashioned way. The winner gets Ms. Sarah, and the rest of us don’t have to listen to the two of you going at it constantly.”
The older woman looked positively mortified, but Tiffany just laughed. “Now, Alyssa, you’re just stirring up trouble today.”
Waggling her eyebrows, she quipped, “I’m just saying what everyone else is thinking.”
Hickory jumped to his feet and followed the other man. They were clearly arguing, but Barb couldn’t make out what they were saying.
A quiet, older woman spoke up. “I’m all kinds of interested in this story about bodies. That’s something that doesn’t happen around these parts. Just let me get my food down, and then I’ll be all ears.”
Tiffany grinned. “This is Ryder’s mother, Lily. Lilly’s really nice. You can talk to her about pretty much anything. She’s been involved with the club her whole life.” Turning to the woman who’d set the men off, Tiffany smiled warmly. Turning to the younger blonde, she said playfully, “The instigator is our friend, Alyssa. Everyone, this is Barbara Reynolds. She’ll be here with Ace and the new college kids for a few days. No embarrassing questions until she has a chance to settle in.” The playful tone of Tiffany’s voice helped her calm down.
Looking down at her plate, Barbara noticed that the food was fresh. Picking up a thin wafer that looked kind of like a homemade potato chip, she asked, “Do you mind if I ask what this is?”
“Earnest makes them from Idaho baking potatoes. They’re called potato flats. They’re really tasty, ‘cause he sprinkles hand-ground sea salt on them the minute they come out of the fryer.”
Alyssa chimed in, “He’s giving a class on cooking them the evening after next. You should come.”
Holding one up in front of her face, Barbara could see the fading sunlight showing through it and smell the delicious aroma. She began thinking the thing she always did when she was about to be bad.
Tiffany spoke up. “In case you’re wondering, it takes about sixty minutes of brisk walking or thirty minutes of running to burn off the four hundred calories in the portion sitting on your plate.”
Shifting her gaze from the chip to Tiffany, Barbara slowly nodded. “You nailed it. That’s exactly what was running through my mind. How’d you do that?”
Shrugging, she replied cheerfully, “It’s a high-calorie food and you look like someone who makes a real effort to stay in shape.” She shrugged. “It wasn’t a gigantic leap.”
