arm.
“Otis!”
“I just wanted to let him know that I’m going to try to keep your attention enough that you won’t have to pass your time in the spy cubby.”
Her scowl turned into an embarrassed flush. “Oh,” she said, so lightly that Jeff couldn’t hear her over the music, but her lips and her expression gave it away. She was surprised, and captivated.
“Care to dance?” Otis asked his lady.
“I don’t, I can’t . . .” Rose stammered.
“No problem. I’ll teach.” Otis nodded his goodbye to Babette and Jeff, then ushered Rose through the crowd and toward the makeshift dance floor, where Tillie and her fellow were doing some sort of twirling thing that seemed a little out of control, judging from the way the elderly spectators surrounding them started backing up.
“Oh, I hope they don’t fall.” Babette watched until the two slowed down and apparently got their bearings. “I guess I should’ve probably at least learned where the nearest hospital was before I decided to have this thing.”
Jeff laughed. “A mixer for seniors. Who’d have thought?”
“Well, the Love Doctor, of course.”
“Still getting paid with cooking lessons?”
She held up the tray filled with quiches again, and he took another. “What do you think?”
He grinned. “You’re really good at this Love Doctor thing, aren’t you?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it.
“What?” he asked.
“I suppose if I’m really good, then you’ll be talking to Kitty in a few days.” She waited, as though wanting him to say something, then she frowned.
“Babette!” one of the seniors called, and she turned.
“Wait.” His word was more of a command than that of the other person merely screaming her name, and she pivoted, her eyes focused on him.
“What?”
The words, the possibilities of what was the right thing to say, what was the wrong thing to say, tripped across his brain with the rapid beats of the music. And none of them came out.
“What is it?” she repeated, then she jumped slightly and glanced at her hip. “Oh, hold this.” She handed him the tray and fished her cell phone out of her pocket. “Hello?”
She gave Jeff a knowing nod, and something about it told him he knew exactly who was on the other end of that phone.
“Yes, Kitty, everything is going great. Yeah, I’m at a party.” She covered her other ear when the music picked back up so she could hear what Kitty was saying, and then she said, “Actually, that’s why I’m at the party; he is here. And yes, we were just talking about you.”
Jeff wanted to hit something. He put the tray on a table nearby. No way was he going to stand here and listen to the woman he wanted tell the one he didn’t that she was totally willing to deliver him to her on a silver platter. Wasn’t going to happen anyway. If Babette managed to keep from flirting for the remainder of the time, which he had to admit now she might, then he’d talk to Kitty. He’d keep his word. But talking was it. And then he’d send her on her way, just like Babette would head on her way in five days, without looking back. She may be committed, but to her job, not him, which meant she was also committed to getting him back with Kitty.
“You want to talk to him?” Babette said into the phone.
“Sorry, I’m leaving.” He turned, exited, and didn’t worry when the sound of the slamming door overpowered the music. He had to do something about this Kitty situation, and he was going to put that in motion right now. And he wouldn’t converse via a Dear John, the way she had. He’d do it in person, face to face. So yes, he would talk to Kitty when he had to, but it certainly wouldn’t be the conversation she wanted.
Babette should’ve been on cloud nine as she cleaned up after the party. There were five new elderly couples at Sunny Beaches, and they’d all gotten together courtesy of the Love Doctor. Meanwhile, she now knew how to make four different meals, spaghetti with meatballs, chicken fettuccine, beef stew and seven-layer casserole. Granted, they were all kind of old-fashioned meals and nothing that would give her Rachael Ray status, but they were edible. She hadn’t made any of them on her own yet, but she truly thought she could. Granny Gert had sounded so excited when Babette told her how much she’d learned already, and how much she was looking forward to Granny Gert