Ronnie laughed. “Ditto, but that’s dangerous talk when we have a flight to catch out of Charleston in a few hours.”
“I’ll bet you could make it worth it if we did happen to miss the flight,” she said.
He shook his head. “I’m sure I could, but I’d never hear the end of it, so just rein in your libido, sugar. We’ll be in Italy before you know it.”
Across the room, he spotted Annie dancing with Ty. He pointed them out to Dana Sue. “Those two seem to be getting closer, don’t they?”
She nodded.
“Think I need to have a man-to-man talk with him?”
“And humiliate your daughter?” Dana Sue teased. “I don’t think so. She and I have talked about Ty a lot recently. I think she really has her head together where he’s concerned. Because he’s going away to school in the fall, they’ve agreed to take things really slowly.”
“They’d better,” Ronnie said grimly.
She patted his cheek. “You are such a dad.”
He winked at her. “I am, aren’t I? Always will be.” He glanced at his watch. “Any last goodbyes you need to say before we go?”
“Not a one. Annie’s thrilled about staying with Helen. Erik has everything under control here, or if he doesn’t, I’ll never hear about it. Karen’s been on the job more regularly lately. I think we’re good.”
“Then let’s go and start the rest of our lives,” Ronnie said, leading her toward the exit.
Before he could open the door, they were once again surrounded. Somehow Maddie and Helen were ahead of them, expectant grins on their faces.
“What do you think they’re up to?” he whispered to Dana Sue.
“I have no idea,” she said, then gasped as she looked past them to the street. “My car!” she shouted. “You bought my car!”
She was gone before Ronnie could ask what the devil she was talking about. Then he spotted the sassy red Mustang convertible parked by the curb, a huge bow on the hood. Beside it, Maddie and Helen were grinning, and Dana Sue was hugging them both fiercely.
“What’s going on?” he asked when he joined them.
Dana Sue turned to him with eyes that shone. “I won my car!” she said, looking awestruck. “We had a bet and I won.”
“Are you talking about those goals the three of you set? This is your prize?” he said incredulously.
“She met every goal on her list,” Helen confirmed.
“And one that wasn’t on there,” Maddie added. “She took you back. That was on my list for her, not that anyone will give me any credit for it.”
“Poor Maddie,” Dana Sue said. “But I don’t feel all that sorry for you, because I won!”
Ronnie chuckled at her unbridled delight in her triumph. “Gloating’s not nice, sugar.”
“I don’t care,” she said. “For once in my life I actually beat both Helen and Maddie.”
“Given the prize, I’m not surprised you worked so hard to win.” He glanced at her friends, neither of whom looked all that disappointed at having lost. “What were you two supposed to get if you won?”
“A trip for two to Hawaii,” Maddie stated.
“A shopping spree in Paris,” Helen said with a shrug. “I’ll get there sometime and pay for it myself.”
Dana Sue regarded her two best friends with tears in her eyes. “You know,” she suggested slyly, “we could just set new goals. I’m starting to feel pretty lucky.”
Helen’s eyes lit up at once. “New goals? I like that.”
Maddie groaned and frowned at Dana Sue. “What were you thinking?”
“That I want to see both of you as happy as I am right this second,” Dana Sue responded.
Maddie linked her arm through Cal’s and smiled serenely. “I am that happy.”
“But Helen will never try to meet her goals if we don’t challenge her,” Dana Sue said. “We owe her. And something tells me she has a new goal she’s just dying to add to her list.”
“Yeah, I do,” Helen said. “In the meantime, I can practically hear those shops along the Champs-Élysées calling my name.”
“Two weeks from tomorrow we meet at The Corner Spa at eight, then,” Dana Sue said, then grinned up at Ronnie. “Hop in, pal. I’m about to take you on the ride of your life.”
He laughed at her exuberance. “Sugar, there was never a doubt in my mind about that.”
* * * * *
Please keep reading for an exciting preview of
FEELS LIKE FAMILY
Book three of the Sweet Magnolias
Feels Like Family
It was nearly seven when Helen finished with her last client. Barb had left an hour earlier, so she turned off the lights and closed up the office, relieved to have the workday behind her.
Outside she weighed the prospect of going home to her empty house against dropping in at Sullivan’s for a decent meal and a few snatched minutes of Dana Sue’s time. Maybe she could lay some groundwork before she and Karen met with her formally tomorrow. Barb had already set up that appointment for two o’clock, after the lunch crowd thinned out.
Sullivan’s won out easily. The restaurant, which specialized in what Dana Sue called new Southern cuisine, was packed, as it was most nights. Though Serenity’s population was only 3,500 or so, the restaurant’s reputation had spread through the entire region thanks to excellent reviews in the Charleston and Columbia newspapers.
Helen was greeted at the door by Brenda, the harried waitress. “I should have a table opening up in a few minutes,” she told Helen. “Do you mind waiting?”
“Not at all. Do you think I’ll be risking life and limb if I stick my head in the kitchen to say hello to Dana Sue?”
Brenda grinned. “I’d say that depends on whether you’re prepared to pitch in and help. She and Erik have their hands full tonight. It’s been crazy ever since that review in the Columbia paper. If it’s going to stay this busy, she needs to hire some additional prep staff for the kitchen and some more waitstaff. Paul
