'Oh. Well, that sounds nice. I don't mean to put a great deal of burden on you, Ruby,' he said, 'but . . .?
'It's all right, Daddy. Gisselle is going to like it here after a while,' I said, glaring at her. 'I'm sure.'
'Is there anything you girls need?'
'No. We're fine, Daddy. Are you all right?'
'I have a little chest cold. Nothing serious. I might be away for a week or so, but try to call you from wherever I am,' he promised. 'And if you should need me . . call the office,' he added quickly. I knew that meant don't bother calling Daphne.
'Is everything all right at home, Daddy?'
'It's okay,' he said.
'How are Nina, Edgar, and Wendy?'
He hesitated a moment. 'We've replaced Wendy,' he told me.
'Replaced her? But why?'
'Daphne wasn't happy with her work. I saw to it that she had a good recommendation and a few good leads. We have an older woman now. Daphne picked her out herself at the agency. Her name's Martha Woods.'
'I feel so bad for Wendy.'
'She'll be all right,' he said quickly. 'Enjoy your weekend. I love you,' he said.
'And we love you, Daddy,' I told him.
Gisselle smirked. 'What about Wendy?' she asked. 'Daphne had her replaced.'
'Good. She was too uppity anyway,' Gisselle said.
'That's a lie. She put up with a lot from you, Gisselle. I'm sure the new maid won't.'
'Yes she will, or she'll go too,' Gisselle promised with a smile. Then she took off, wheeling herself back to her room in a fury. I was sure she would do something to embarrass us at Mrs. Clairborne's tea, maybe by wearing something inappropriate just for spite, but she surprised me by dressing herself in a pretty light blue dress with matching shoes. She had Samantha brush out her hair and pin it back at the sides. Mrs. Penny had told us that Mrs. Clairborne did not like to see her girls wearing makeup, but a slight tinge of lipstick was permissible. I thought Gisselle would be defiant and do her eyelids and her cheeks, but she surprised me again by being conservative with her makeup.
Samantha wheeled her out to the main lobby to join Abby and me at a little before one-fifty.
'Chubs asked me to steal a few pralines for her,' she told us. 'When either of you get a chance, shove some in my purse.'
'Kate doesn't need the added calories,' I said.
'If she doesn't care, why should you?'
'Good friends try to help each other, not feed each other's weaknesses,' I replied.
'Who's saying I'm good friends?' She laughed wickedly. Abby and I looked at each other and shook our heads. A moment later Mrs. Penny appeared dressed in a floral cotton dress with a wide pink sash tied around her waist. She wore a corsage over her right breast and had a sun hat and a matching straw pocketbook with an embroidered rose on each side.
'Well, I declare,' Gisselle said. 'Scarlett O'Hara.' Samantha laughed and ran off to tell the others what Gisselle had said, I was sure.
Mrs. Penny blushed. 'You all look so pretty,' she said. 'Mrs. Clairborne will be very pleased. Right this way, girls. Buck has the station wagon out front,' she said.
'Buck?' Abby said, turning to me. We started to laugh. 'Who's Buck?' Gisselle demanded.
'He's the young man in charge of most everything around here,' Mrs. Penny said, but Gisselle eyed Abby and me suspiciously as I pushed her out and down the ramp to the wagon.
Close up in the daylight, Buck looked even younger than he had looked at the boathouse or riding on the lawn tractor. He had hair almost as black as Abby's, but his eyes were dark brown. He had a dark complexion, being a Native American. Even in his plaid shirt, we could see how strong he was. He looked taller too, and leaner, with a narrow waist and hips and long legs. The moment he set eyes on us he smiled softly, which was something Gisselle caught.
'Hello, Mr. Mud,' Abby quipped. He laughed and then registered a look of surprise and great interest when he saw that Gisselle was my twin.
'Don't tell me there are two like you,' he kidded. I just smiled.
'How do you know him?' Gisselle demanded. Neither Abby nor I replied.
'Here, let me help you,' he offered Gisselle. 'He put his left arm around her waist and his right under her legs and lifted her so gently out of the seat, it was as if she weighed no more than ten pounds. She smiled, her face so close to his that her lips could graze his cheek. He placed her comfortably into the wagon and then folded the wheelchair with such expertise, I felt certain he had done this before.
We all got into the car, Mrs. Penny up front.
'Who's wearing all that jasmine?' Gisselle demanded as soon as we were all settled in the station wagon.
'Oh, I am, dear,' Mrs. Penny said. 'It's Mrs. Clairborne's favorite scent.'
'Well it's not mine,' Gisselle remarked. 'Besides, you should wear what you like, not what some rich old lady likes.'
