and answered the phone.
Jeff felt like he was picking up a date for the prom when he arrived at Babette’s condo Wednesday night. Except instead of having to face the parents, he had to face an excited group of senior citizens. Rose and Tillie had apparently told all of the women at Sunny Beaches about Babette’s cooking lessons, or maybe about Jeff’s demand that she go dancing, but in any case, Babette’s apartment was overflowing with silver-haired women, all of them fussing over Babette.
“Don’t drink too much,” one warned, fastening a beaded black choker around Babette’s neck as she spoke.
“Watch the guys with cowboy hats. I never trusted a guy wearing a cowboy hat,” came from another. “And I certainly wouldn’t trust them if I looked that good in a dress.”
Babette grinned. “Thanks, Tillie.”
“There shouldn’t be any cowboy hats where we’re going,” Jeff affirmed, and he silently agreed with Tillie. Babette looked very tempting in the black cocktail dress.
“Just use that stuff I gave you, and you won’t have any troubles,” Tillie continued.
Jeff ushered Babette out of the condo and to the elevator, but resolved to ask her about “that stuff” later. Because he knew her so well, he could see the nerves bristling beneath the surface, the way she fidgeted with the straps on the black halter dress and the way she wasn’t looking at him any more than absolutely necessary. She was either very nervous, or very mad. He decided to find out which.
“You look very nice.”
“Thanks.” No eye contact.
“That dress came from one of our stores, didn’t it?”
He noticed her cheek inch up slightly, as though she were fighting a grin, and then she checked it, and said, “It did. When I shot the last Eubanks catalog, Preston gave me a discount card that’s good at all of your stores. I don’t use it too often, but I didn’t have a dress for the benefit, so I took advantage of it today.”
“You bought that today?” he asked, thinking he now knew why she’d almost smiled.
She nodded.
“At which store?”
“Panama City.”
“You drove right past the Seaside store to get to that one. Could’ve just bought the dress there and saved some gas.”
This time, she looked at him directly, and Jeff knew she was secretly pleased that he’d caught on. “Yeah, I could have, but you were at that store. I saw your car. So I kept driving.”
“You’re that pissed at me for taking you dancing?” he asked, as they stepped off the elevator and started across the lobby.
“I’m that pissed at you for trying to make me lose your challenge,” she clarified. “I’m not going to flirt.” She lifted a brow as though expecting him to dispute her. He wasn’t going to. He was simply going to prove her wrong, when he caught her flirting on the dance floor.
Then he realized that he didn’t even have to take Babette to a night club to have her face a flirting challenge. All she had to do was walk through the White Sands lobby. Several men nodded at her on their way into the building. She smiled politely, but then averted her eyes, completely turning away from their interested gazes. Then the valet attendant brought his car, and that guy also smiled a little too broadly at her.
“If you’d have been that nice when I first came in with Sylvia, you’d have gotten a decent tip,” she mumbled when she got in the car.
Jeff chuckled. He wouldn’t catch her flirting with the valet guy; that’s for sure. “He didn’t appreciate Sylvia’s charm?”
“He was too busy appreciating your brunette’s Jag,” she said, and Jeff grinned. At least she was talking to him, even if it was merely because she wanted to fuss.
They pulled away, but not before she snarled at the valet attendant.
“I take it you told Rose and her friends about my proposition,” he said.
“Yeah, last night. I think it was after my third rum toddy.”
“Your girls night out was a drinking party?” he asked, slightly surprised. It was Babette, and if anyone could get the seniors to loosen up, it’d be her.
“Believe it or not, the drinks were Tillie’s idea.”
“Tillie’s the one who said for you to use her ‘stuff’ tonight.”
Babette smirked. “Yeah, she said she had the perfect thing for me to use to keep guys from flirting with me, and therefore keep me from flirting back.”
“Should I try to guess?”
“You could try, but it’d be useless. Unless you were going to guess skunk oil.”
He glanced at her, and