The B Girls - By Cari Cole Page 0,15

raccoon stood on the kitchen floor, the remains of a cake spread at its furry feet, nose covered with white icing, striped tail twitching in agitation.

Lucy rolled her eyes and wondered what else could go wrong, then immediately sent up a prayer telling God she really didn't want an answer to that question.

Jane went after the creature with her stick.

"Hold on! Let me get the back door open," Lucy said. The last thing she wanted was to chase the damn thing all over the house.

Jane managed to restrain herself long enough for Lucy to get the door open and take up a spot blocking the way back into the great room.

"Scat! Shoo! Go on!" Jane hollered while she poked the stick in the raccoon's direction.

"What if it has rabies?" Mae asked from behind Lucy.

Lucy looked at the animal. He looked healthy and well fed. "Doubtful. I don't think cake is the food of choice for rabid animals."

The raccoon hissed at Jane but it backed up toward the open door to the outside.

"Ha!" Jane shouted. She advanced on the poor creature like a fencer trying to force her opponent back at the point of a sword.

The raccoon hissed again and stopped backing up.

"You're scaring him," Lucy said.

Jane let out an exasperated sigh and waved the stick at the raccoon again. "It's supposed to be scared."

"Maybe you should back off a little so he can run out the door instead of feeling he needs to protect himself," Lucy suggested.

Jane shrugged, lowered the stick and backed up a few feet.

With the immediate threat relieved, the raccoon decided escape was better than further confrontation. He skedaddled.

Jane hurried to close the door behind him just in case he changed his mind and decided cake was worth the risk.

Mae came back into the kitchen and looked at the remains of the cake.

"I guess Belle must have left the front door ajar," Mae said.

"She can be a little scatterbrained," Lucy said.

Jane wasn't so sure. "What about the lights and the open drawers and the pillows on the floor?"

Lucy shrugged. "Raccoons have been known to do an awful lot of damage."

"I've heard people with cabins up here say they have to keep their doors locked even when they're home because the raccoons learned to open doors," Mae said.

In spite of her words, Lucy had the feeling the raccoon in this case was more of an opportunist taking advantage of a door left open by a human criminal but she didn't see the need in dwelling on it since the person was clearly gone now.

"Well it doesn't really matter. Nothing seems missing and other than the cake nothing's destroyed," she said.

"So? Now what?" Jane said.

"We make ourselves comfortable and wait for Belle," Lucy said. "I'm sure that cake wasn't the only treat in the house."

So they chose bedrooms, put together a snack tray of cheese, crackers and fruit, and settled in on the main deck with big glasses of sweet tea. None of them were ready to venture back into the world of alcoholic beverages after dancing on the bar and getting tattooed.

Jane rattled the ice around in her glass and looked over at Lucy. "So what do you think this big mystery of Belle's is all about?"

Lucy shrugged. "There's no telling. I'm more worried about what I'm going to do for the next forty years than the next two days."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be just fine. Think of this as a chance to figure out what makes you happy, all on your own," Mae said.

"And what about you?" Jane said. "I'd say you're in need of a little overhaul yourself. Or maybe Chip needs one."

"Maybe both of us could use a little shaking up," Mae said. "I feel like I don't have a self of my own anymore. Know what I mean?"

"Of course I do," Lucy said. "Let's make a pact that we'll really use this time away. To evaluate where we've been and where we're going."

When Jane rolled her eyes Lucy turned her best Mom look on her. "You too. Obviously you weren't deliriously happy with your job or you wouldn't have self-destructed yesterday."

"Fine," Jane said. "But could we wait at least a couple of hours? I'm still fighting the last of my hangover."

"Sure, but first we swear by our sacred tattoos that we'll each leave here with a positive plan for change," Lucy said.

"Let's make a ritual promise," Mae said. "Right hands on your tattoos ladies. Left hands in." She put her left hand out.

Lucy put