“What caramel chocolate brownies?” Dad asked.
Uncle Tex turned to Dad. “Loopy Loo’s brownies beat the f**kin’ shit out of your turtle custard sundaes any day.”
“Them’s big words, big man,” Dad threw down the gauntlet.
“Fuckin’ better believe it,” Uncle Tex declared.
“You’re on,” Dad replied.
“I better make the brownies,” Jet mumbled.
I noticed everyone had drifted over, Lee, Eddie and the rest of the Hot Pack.
“You boys have tuxedos?” Daisy asked.
Al their eyes turned to her.
Even Daisy blinked under the force of the Hot Pack Stare.
“Okay,” she gave in. “I’l let you al in with suits.”
“Tuxedos?” Mom asked.
“Formal party, my house, tonight,” Daisy announced.
“Everyone’s invited.”
Mom gasped, then she uttered the immortal feminine words, “I don’t have anything to wear.”
“That’s okay, Trish. I’l take you shopping,” Kitty Sue offered, having missed most of the show and not having any idea what she was letting herself in for. I should probably have warned her but there was no time, Mom was forging ahead.
“Herb, we better go now. We need to get you a suit. I hope we can find somewhere that does one-day tailoring,” she said to Kitty Sue, linking her arm through Kitty Sue’s and leading her to the door. “We need to go somewhere to get logs and blankets. And we need to find a big grocery store. Maybe a Kmart, or better yet, a Target. They have ritzier stuff. Hank needs some stocking up.”
“Logs?” Kitty Sue asked.
“I don’t want Roxie freezing to death during one of your blizzards,” Mom explained.
The bel over the door jingled as they walked out, Dad throwing an eye rol over his shoulder as he fol owed, carrying his latte.
Once they’d gone, Hank curled me so I was facing him and I looked up.
“I gotta go to work,” he said.
I nodded.
“What time’s Daisy’s party?” he asked me.
“Seven o’clock. Come with your bel y empty, I’m havin’ a secret buffet in the kitchen for VIPs,” Daisy answered before walking away.
I put my arms around Hank as he watched Daisy walking away.
“The Rock Chicks have claimed you. You’re stuck now,” he said, looking down at me.
“Funny, I was thinking that about you, being stuck I mean.”
He rubbed his nose against mine, clearly not feeling stuck.
When his head came away I said, “I need to talk to Annette, tel her what’s going on and I need to cal my clients. I don’t think I’l lose any of them. I don’t need to be in Chicago to do my work. After I got that award I recruited clients outside Chicago, in Des Moines and Cincinnati.