© 2004 by (the) Night Hawk

Kelly
=====

(Inspired by Mike C, based on characters in his novel: “James”
Characters and situations copyright by Mike C, 2002)

Chapter 29
__________


Todd was at it early Friday morning.  He had left with Ami and
Cara shortly after the sun had come up, and they were at the
studio before 8:00.  Todd had quietly slipped out of bed leaving
his two lovers to embrace each other in sleep as he dressed, ate
with Ami and Cara, and driven to the studio.  Vanetta had come
down when she heard the door open and helped Todd as he worked
on the gymnasts’ make-up.  Then the girls had gone into action.

Robert came down at 9:00 and had breakfast with Vanetta before
he headed out the door to get a loaner van from Eric.

Kelly and Laura had slept late after their special day out at
the spa and when they arrived at the studio, they found Ami and
Cara switching poses nearly as fast as the CrossTrain outfits,
and Todd had already gone through four A-12 magazines.  Vanetta
had been helping Todd out with the girls’ makeup and hair.  Todd
had said it was important that they look natural, so very little
was needed in that department other than liner and charcoal to
help define their faces.

When Kelly and Laura arrived at 10:00, Kelly took over
adjusting makeup and hair.  Todd knew he should have waited for
her, but he was eager to get this job done.  There were so many
things happening in their lives right now that he felt a bit
pressured to complete this extensive assignment.

By 11:00, Todd had shot six of the magazines and called for a
break.

“You girls are starting to look tired,” he said to Cara and Ami.

“We’re fine, we can keep right on going,” said Cara as she
stripped out of another outfit.  Todd stopped her and replaced
the A-12 on the back of his ‘Blad’ with the Polaplus and shot a
picture of her in the buff, leaning against the vault.

Both Ami and Cara had changed in front of Todd so many times
already this morning that it felt stranger to be dressed than
nude, and Cara casually waited to see the results of the instant
photo.

“Shit, Cara.  You look wasted!” said Ami.  “Your face looks all
drawn	and your eyes are lifeless!”

Cara looked	at the photo, and sadly nodded.  “I think a break
would do me good,” she finally said.  “And some carbs!”

Kelly laughed	at them and told them to take a leisurely shower,
and when they were done, she would have something full of energy
to boost them back up again.

As the two gymnasts left the bay, not bothering to dress, just
slipping on Ts, Kelly turned to Todd.  “They don’t look that
bad, Todd,” she said looking at the picture.  “How did you
manage this?”

Todd smiled and showed Kelly the exposure meter. 
“I	deliberately overexposed her by two F-stops,” he said.  “I
don’t want them getting worn out, and they’d keep on working
till the job was done.  I want them to take a break!”

“You’re a good man, Todd Ayres,” she said as she kissed him on
the cheek.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Kelly and Laura had arrived home late the night before and
found Todd asleep on the sofa, static on the TV screen, a half
naked girl cuddled up on each side of him, their arms wrapped
around him.

“I told you those schoolgirls in those little uniforms would
steal his heart,” said Kelly to Laura.  Both of them giggled.

“Should we let them sleep?”  Laura asked.

“I don’t know,” said Kelly.  “I wouldn’t want Ami and Cara to
be stiff tomorrow.  Todd’s going to be doing their CrossTrain
shoot.”

Laura giggled and using just her hands made some suggestions to
Kelly, who in turn started to giggle.

They moved behind the sofa and Laura started to stroke Cara’s
waist and breasts, while Kelly stroked Ami’s cheek, neck, slowly
moving her way down to Ami’s nipples, which were now puckered.

Both Cara and Ami moaned softly in their sleep and cuddled
closer to Todd, their own hands dreamily stroking the body
between them.

Kelly had to bite her hand to stop from laughing as a very
visible tent was starting to appear in Todd’s shorts!

Laura just smiled and continued to stroke Cara until her moans
became more pronounced, and she started to squirm on the sofa. 
Kelly bent over and gently nibbled on Ami’s ear, which caused
Ami to turn and start to reach for her lover.

Both Ami and Cara were still asleep and responding to
unconscious stimuli, and as they turned towards each other,
hands started to grope.  They found each other’s hand right in
the middle, on top of Todd’s erection!

Ami’s eyes popped open with shock.  Her hand was on something
she had never felt before, and then she realized what it was!

Cara, for her part, was content to stroke the unusual growth
till Ami whispered,  “Cara!  Look at what you’re doing!”

Kelly and Laura had dropped to the floor behind the sofa, out
of sight, and were struggling not to laugh.  Todd managed to
stay asleep throughout the entire exchange.

“Oh my God!” whispered Cara, her eyes as big as Ami’s.

“Well, take your hand off of it before it explodes or
something!” whispered Ami, carefully removing her hand from
Cara’s.

“It’s big isn’t it?” asked Cara.

“You’re asking the wrong girl about that,” said Ami.  “You’re
the one who’s seen one before.”

“This is definitely bigger,” Cara said.

Todd moaned in his sleep now that his hard on was no longer
being fondled.

“Quick,” said Ami, “let’s get to bed before he wakes up!”

“That’s not really fair to Todd,” Cara said.  “We did this to
him.”

“He’ll live,” said Ami.  “Besides, Kelly and Laura should be
home soon and they can take care of him.”

With that the two gymnasts sprinted to their bedroom.

And Kelly and Laura had taken care of him.  Though both very
sated from	their day at the spa, they couldn’t let a good
erection go to waste.  They moved around to kneel in front of
their fiancé, and as Kelly undid his shorts, Laura pulled his
erection free and engulfed it with her mouth.

Todd moaned louder now, still deep in sleep.  Kelly shook her
head in wonder, and then bent forward to help Laura out, or more
precisely, get her share of Todd’s very potent baby making juice.

Between the two of them, it didn’t take long before Todd
climaxed, a load that was equally shared by his lovers.  This
time, when he climaxed, his eyes opened and he smiled at the two
beauties kneeling in front of him.  He pulled them both up to
sit beside him on the sofa, kissing them both deeply and with
passion before asking how their day had gone.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Laura was busy scrambling eggs in the studio kitchen, while
Kelly made a big pitcher of juice full of raw vegetables
including lots of red beets.  Vanetta finished the call she was
making and came to see if she could help.

Robert returned shortly after 11:00, just in time to join the
group for a drink of the concoction from the juicer.  He told
them that he had picked up a courtesy van, another luxury
model.  He could get used to this kind of life!

Toasted scrambled egg sandwiches	with fresh sliced tomatoes on
top were served to, and devoured in quick order by, Cara and
Ami.  Robert hadn’t even given them a second glance when they
entered after a long refreshing shower;	wet hair combed back,
and wearing clinging Ts to their still damp bodies, nipples
prominently visible.

Robert was scheduled to pick up his ‘band’ at 12:00, and had
been told by Meg that the “Williams Sisters” would try to be at
the studio by noon.  He had spent a better part of the night
calling friends who had horses trying to find the best tack shop
in town.  The problem was that most of them shopped out of town,
and he knew that Todd and Kelly supported local business first. 
His dad had suggested a number of stores that combined would
provide him with what he needed.  Of course they were all
advertisers in his paper!  But Robert had a list in hand, an
afternoon with which to see how the boys of the band mixed with
the sisters and a lunch to look forward to.  Next week he would
sit down with the two gymnasts and review their progress through
their final year of high school, as he was quite serious about
his teaching duties.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Harry had traded shifts so he could have the morning off, and
had loaded Meg and the girls into the car for a visit to
“Muriel’s Place.”

The girls were excited, though not for quite the same reasons
as their parents.  They knew that this place they were going to
look at was important to their folks, and they also knew they
would be expected to help out, but what really had them excited
was they were getting new clothes today!

Like Laura, neither Sam, Jen or even Kat would ever think to
complain, but they had grown up wearing discount clothes from
the seasonal sales racks.  Today, Laura and Kelly had promised
them designer name clothes, and the teacher they were supposed
to meet today was taking them out for lunch and then to buy
costumes to wear when they sang!  Their mother had warned them
not to ask for anything, but they had seen what their older
sister was wearing, and how excited Todd had been when they
sang.  He had applauded the loudest and with the most
enthusiasm, not giving a damn what any of the neighbors might
think.  He was a hot looking guy, and Kat especially felt a bit
jealous of her older sister.  But, she was happy for her as
well.  The last year had taken a lot out of Laura, and now she
positively glowed with life and love.

Harry pulled into the big empty parking lot at the apartment
building, and for a while, he and Meg just stared at it.  The
brick had been sandblasted and then coated, giving the building
a rich look.  They took a tour around the outside first,
checking the lawns and gardens, while Harry mentally calculated
how long it would take him each week to keep the grass trimmed. 
Todd had said they could contract it out, but Harry was looking
forward to riding a rear-bagger and keeping the lawns as sharp
looking as any golf course he had ever seen.

Meg was looking at the windows and the doorways, doing her own
calculating.  Then Harry, spinning the keys around on his
finger, marched to the front door.  With a flourish he opened it
and ushered his family inside.

Meg gasped when she saw the hallways and the common room on the
first floor.  Instead of laying down tile, the builder had taken
a lot of effort to pattern a motif on the floor out of polished
and grouted stone.  She understood that most of the first floor
apartments were designated and built as handicapped units and
she could see that this would make life much easier for anyone
in a wheel chair.  Cleaning it would be no problem, she thought,
wondering what the other floors looked like.

In the main lobby, just across from the entrance there was a
sign welcoming visitors to “Muriel’s Place” and a picture of an
elderly woman.  There was grace in her features and the lines of
age said more about laughter and happiness than it did about
becoming old.  She didn’t need to see the photo credit at the
bottom of the picture to know it was one of Todd’s portraits.

Before risking the chance of falling in love with their brand
new apartment, Meg, with clipboard in hand, insisted on a
complete checklist of all the chores listed in the contract. 
She and Harry had decided on what they would subcontract, and a
family discussion on sharing of work amongst the three sisters
still living at home had followed.

Necessity had made Harry a handyman.  He was good with plumbing
and wiring, and often Lew would help him on jobs he couldn’t do
on his own.  Talking with Lew after the family meeting, Harry
and Meg were surprised to hear that Lew and his wife wanted to
apply for an apartment.  Harry had mentioned retiring after his
25 years were in, and Lew - who was close to 30 years of service
- had expressed a bit of envy.  Since his accident, Lew had been
looking for something, anything he could do besides ride a
desk.  There wasn’t much of a future for Lew except learning to
love to watch television.

Financially, Lew and his wife were going to be reasonably
comfortable, owned their home, and their two kids had long ago
finished school and were living on their own.

Lew had always been Harry’s friend.  When Harry had joined the
force Lew had been his training officer, and a few years later,
the two had been teamed up as partners.  Their friendship had
been strong since they first met.  Now, nearly 25 years later,
they were closer than most couples.  It had nearly devastated
Harry when the drunk had rammed Lew and forced him to a desk
job.  Hell, when Laura was born, Lew was the only choice to be
her godfather.

Lew had suggested on the phone that if he and Sally could
qualify to rent at the new place, Lew would be more than happy
to help Harry out, and he’d gladly do it for free, just to have
something to do.

Harry had promised to talk about it with Todd and Kelly. 
Technically, Lew wasn’t severely handicapped, and Sally was a
few years younger and still working at Mercy Hospital as a nurse
practitioner.

Harry and Meg read over the terms of the contract again after
the phone call, and it appeared that they would have complete
autonomy on running the building except for a few basic
regulations.  They could technically do it, but Harry felt that
if they took it on, he would still feel better asking Todd first.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

As Meg counted off windows and checked access, Kat, Sam, and
Jen were riding the elevators up and down, checking out the
plush pile carpeting in the halls on the upper floors.

“I could vacuum this hall in 30 minutes,” Kat said to her
sisters.

“If we went along with you,” said Jen, “we could probably dust,
and clean the windows at the same time.”

“Don’t forget there’s three floors of carpeting and one of
marble,” said Sam.

“Two hours then to do all four floors, and the main floor isn’t
marble,” said Kat.  “It’s some kind of polished stone.”

“Okay, whatever,” sighed Sam.  “My point is, between the three
of us we could do the entire building, vacuuming, dusting and
washing the windows in about two hours.  Mom said the contract
called for doing this once a week, but if we do it twice a week,
it will never get so dirty that we have to work hard at it. 
What do you think, Kat?”

“I think you might be on to something, Sam,” said Kat, “but how
about this?  We do only one floor a day.  That means we’d only
be at it for half an hour per day between the three of us, and
three out of the four floors would be done twice a week while
the remaining floor will alternate to the first day of the
following week.  That way, we can do all the normal stuff we
want to do, get our homework done and still have time to perform!”

Both Jen and Sam nodded their agreement to Kat’s suggestion. 
They walked down the stairs on the end of the building closest
to where their own new apartment was going to be.

“Damn,” said Kat.  “We have to remember there are two
stairwells.  We’ll need to maintain them as well.”

“Kid’s play,” said Sam.  “Jen and I can do those with dust mops
when we finish the hall.  We’ll take a stairwell each, and meet
you back at the main floor.” 

That settled, the girls decided to tell Mom and Dad they had
made up their minds!

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

The Williams gathered at the “Manager’s” apartment, obviously
designed by the builder for his own family.  There was a
separate office and a giant utility room with access to the
apartment and the hall, already set up with utilities and
shelving.  The master bedroom was large, easily 16 feet wide
with a large window that looked out on the gardens.  A walk in
closet made Meg sigh.  There were two bathrooms in the
apartment, one attached to the Master bedroom and another
located between the other two bedrooms.  All brand new fixtures
as well, not a single mark on anything.  The other bedrooms also
had windows facing the gardens at the rear, and both were larger
than the ones at their house.

The living room was large, but the windows to the outside world
opened up to the main front lawn and part of the parking lot,
though it did have sliding patio doors and a raised 8 x 12 foot
patio deck, the only one of its kind in the entire building. 
Flooding would not be a problem as the building’s main floor was
three feet above ground level.

The open plan kitchen, filled with all new appliances, made the
entire apartment seem larger.

Meg looked at Harry and the girls looked to both of them. 
Harry was looking around slowly nodding as he took in all the
possibilities.  Sam and Jen ran for the bedroom they had already
tagged as theirs, hollering, “Dibs!”

Meg knelt down on the brand new carpet in the living room
feeling the quality texture, then sat on the floor looking at
the walls, mentally planning where she would put her pictures.

Harry smiled.  “Do we need to take a vote on this,” he asked Kat.

Kat looked lovingly at her father.  He had been so good to
them, and finally understood what Laura had said to her.
 “Daddy,” she said.  “The twins and I have decided, and if you
and Mom want this, we’ll do the bulk of the cleaning.  We’ve
already figured out how to do it so that it won’t disrupt our
school work or interfere with anything else.”

Harry listened to his second eldest daughter explain the way
they had figured to vacuum and dust and clean windows.  He was
impressed.  Harry had always tried to teach his girls to think
for themselves and to be creative and this would take a big
burden off of Meg.  They would figure out how to manage the
common room for the tenants, but Harry figured they would want
to take care of much of that themselves.  He had seen places
like this before, and lonely seniors would rather watch TV
together than by themselves in their own apartments and he could
already see card games and board games being played through the
daytime.

Harry called his troop together, and helped Meg off the floor. 
“Well, mother?” he asked her.  “The final word is yours.”

Three young heads were bobbing up and down enthusiastically,
and Meg smiled and gave Harry a kiss.  “Let’s go home and start
packing,” she said. 

“Maybe we should stop at the studio first,” he said, “and give
them our answer.  Besides, we’re supposed to be dropping the
girls off there so they can meet with the teacher and the boys
in the band, and I believe there is a small matter of some
second hand clothes for the girls…”

“Daddy!  Those are designer clothes!” said Sam. 

“I can hardly wait to see if there’s anything in my size,” said
Jen.

“If Laura said there is,” said Kat, “you know there is.  Laura
has never lied to us.  Besides… we’re also going to be getting
stage costumes today!”

“Well, just don’t you be letting all these fancy clothes be
getting to your heads now girls,” Harry gently said.  “You’re
still the same girls.  Clothes don’t make the person, their
actions do.”

Meg smiled at him, putting her arm through his as he started
locking the doors.  “So,” she said quietly, “how is Annie these
days?”

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Vanetta called Kelly away from her work putting fresh makeup on
the girls to take a phone call.

“Kelly, you better talk to him.  He doesn’t want a model, and I
haven’t a clue what he’s talking about!”

“Kelly Jennsen speaking.”

“Miss Jennsen?” said a deep male voice.  “I’m David Klassen,
executive producer of Miami Blue.  Have you seen our show?”

“I’m afraid not, Mr. Klassen, but then I don’t watch much
television.  Should I be watching it?” she asked with a laugh.

He laughed as well.  “It would make my job a bit easier,” he
said, “but the basic premise is a cop/private eye/action
adventure show set in sunny Miami.  Our demographics are
straightforward.  The show is geared to a male audience age 18 –
35.”

“That’s very interesting, Mr. Klassen, but what does this have
to do with our company?”

“Well, we’ve been renewed for a fourth season, which is pretty
critical to a series if it hopes to get into syndication.  Five
years, and we are set for residual checks for a long time to
come.  But the network thinks there are too many muscle men in
the show and want to add a female.”

“Uh, Mr. Klassen, we don’t represent actors, just models, and a
show geared to your market, you have no females in it?”

Dave Klassen sighed.  “I told you it would be easier if you
were familiar with the show.”  Then he laughed.  “Yes, Miss
Jennsen, we have lots of females on the show.  After all, it’s
part of the appeal for our market.  Lots of pretty ladies in
bathing suits to give the show color, but the main characters
are all male.  Miami Blue is set on the waterways of Miami. 
Lots of boat chases, fancy stunts, you know the style.”

“Ah, yes.” said Kelly.  “Bad guys get chased by good guys
except instead of on a highway, you use the water.  But I still
don’t understand what that would have to do with our agency.”

“One of our tech consultants was at Brookhaven a while back,
it’s a little island off the…”

Kelly interrupted.  “Yes, I know Brookhaven, Mr. Klassen, and I
think I know what you’re after.  Your consultant was there for
the testing of the new wing on the IC boat, and he happened to
spot one of our models driving it.  Have I got that right?”

Dave laughed.  “Yes, exactly!  I’ve seen the pictures of
course, but my tech guy said they don’t compare to what that
young lady can do with a boat.  Now, nothing against IC boats,
Miss Jennsen, but we don’t use family cruisers on our show
except to run into or over them.  We use powerful speedboats and
cigarette boats when we’re chasing drug smugglers or bank
robbers.  The network wants us to add a female detective to the
squad, but trying to find an actress who can properly drive a
boat is impossible.  We thought since you represented her,
perhaps we could get her as a stunt double.  Our cameras are
just too good now to use a man behind the wheel, and
surprisingly, for all the female race car drivers we have
available, we can’t seem to find one stunt woman who can make a
boat stand on its nose, which according to my tech consultant
your Sara Douglas can do.”

“Hmm… what kind of money are we talking Mr. Klassen?”  Kelly
asked.

“Ah, right to business.  Good.  We’d be willing to offer her 10
grand per week during shooting.”

“For how many weeks?”

“We shoot 20 weeks out of the year,” Dave replied.

“I’m sorry Mr. Klassen, I can get double that for her just to
be a demo driver for IC or for Regan Boats.  Perhaps you’d be
better off teaching an actress how to drive a boat.”

Vanetta snickered, which earned her a smile from Kelly.

“Well, can she act?” he asked.  “Does she present well on
camera?” 

“For $25,000 you can do a week of tests with her,” Kelly said.

“That’s a lot of money, Miss Jennsen,” he said.

“She’s worth that and a whole lot more.  Call Regan’s and ask
about how she tunes her own boats.  Wouldn’t it be worthwhile to
have someone who could get her hands dirty and know what part
she was holding and make it look like she was totally at ease
with it?  Or is the network not interested in trying to capture
reality?  I should also add that Ms. Douglas is a licensed light
aircraft pilot as well and flies as well as she drives a boat.”

Dave thought it over for a minute.  Hell, his male stars
couldn’t drive their own boats and they got 200 grand per
episode.  “Deal,” he said.  “How soon can we set this up?”

“Let me give you back to Miss Clarke, who will finalize the
paperwork with you and I will contact Ms. Douglas and arrange
for a week, say the first week of September?”

Dave chuckled.  “And if we like her, I’m sure you’ll be ready
with a contract.  Right, Miss Jennsen?”

“Mr. Klassen.  I’m shocked.  I thought you would like to deal
with professionals.  If you like the test and you run her
footage through your screening group and her TVQ is high, we’d
be willing to let you have her for one season at $50,000 per
episode.  She won’t receive residuals from the first three
seasons, so if season four boosts your ratings, we would want
$100,000 per episode for season five and $150,000 per episode
for season six if it goes that far.”

“Thank you, Miss Jennsen.  We’ll see how the test goes and if
all works out well, we’ll let our lawyers do the rest.”

“One more thing, Mr. Klassen,” Kelly said.  “I know how much
the actors on “Friends” and “ER” make per episode, so, please
don’t think you’ve managed to slide one by us.  This is an
opportunity for Sara to gain some national exposure at what she
does best, so it works in both our interests to make sure she
comes off as knowledgeable and capable, and not a dumb blonde or
window dressing.  If we are clear on that, we will work with you
to give you and the network what you need.”

After a moment of silence, a subdued Dave Klassen said, “Thank
you for your candor, Miss Jennsen.  I will give you my word that
if Miss Douglas works out, that she won’t be a dumb blonde or
just window dressing.”

Kelly nodded to Vanetta who took over the line again and
arranged for a time and contacts plus flight and accommodations
for Sara’s time in Miami.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Kelly called Sara on another line and told her the good news.

“Miami Blue?” screamed Sara.  “I love that show!  Man!  I’d
really get a chance to drive one of their babies?  Triple
Mercury 150 outboards?  How much do I have to pay them to let me
fly one of those?”

Kelly was laughing as she explained to Sara that the producers
had seen her work and wanted to do a screen test on her, and she
might land the role of the new mechanic savvy detective.  Kelly
held the phone away from her ear as Sara squealed.

“I’m glad you aren’t too excited by this, Sara,” said Kelly. 
“Vanetta’s arranging for you to fly down and a place for you to
stay.  If you want to take somebody with you, that’s up to you,
it’s all covered.  If nothing else, you’ll get chance to play
with the boats and have a nice vacation in Miami and get to roam
the sets.”

Seeing Vanetta hang up from her dealings with Mr. Klassen,
Kelly said, “I’ll pass you over to Vanetta now, Sara.  She’s got
the details and can answer any questions you have.  By the way,
you are still coming to the company party next weekend, right?”

“You bet, Kelly!” said Sara.  “Most of us have arranged to get
away from what we’re doing.  Hell, with everybody all over the
place now, it will be more like a reunion for us!  Love you! 
See you next weekend!”

Kelly smiled as she hung up the phone and Vanetta took over. 
It was time for a smoke!

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Though Cara and Ami weren’t tired, they didn’t mind the break
either.  Todd had shot off two more A-12 mags, and they were
running out of poses.  Todd had suggested they redo some of the
more ambitious ones in other outfits, just to cover all the bases.

They were sipping on mineral water listening to Kelly retell
the tale of Sara’s good fortune when the Williams family walked
in.

Todd looked up and saw the smile on Harry’s face, and grinned
back as he got up to shake his hand.  Laura was up giving her
mother a hug as Kelly introduced the younger sisters to Robert.

“I take it you like the building?”  Todd asked.

“The whole family loves it,” said Meg.  “I’m curious about the
picture in the lobby.  Is that Muriel?”

Kelly smiled and said it was.  Todd had taken it on Muriel’s
100th birthday.

Robert had tried to explain to the girls that he had a great
lunch planned for them, but Laura saw the look in their eyes. 
She asked him if he could wait a few minutes longer and let the
girls have some fun first.

Robert looked at Vanetta who winked at him.  “Sure, why not? 
We have all the time we need, right?” he asked as he looked at
Harry.

“As long as you have them home by supper time,” Meg said.

Cara and Ami grabbed the hands of Kat, Sam, and Jen and
practically raced them to the storage rooms!

Laura laughed and said to Kelly, “I remember when I used to get
so excited by clothes.  I guess you were right, Kelly.  After a
while, you realize it’s just something to wear.”

“Maybe you could take your mother back after the girls are done
and see if there’s anything she would like?” suggested Kelly.

Meg tried to protest, but Laura was having none of it.  “Let
the girls check out the hot new styles, Mom.  Then we can look
at the swanky stuff in peace.”

Meg blushed, but nodded.

Robert introduced himself to Meg and Harry, and told them what
his plans were for the girls, along with assurances that this
project would not interfere with their schoolwork when summer
was over.  “After all,” he said, “there’s nothing more important
than a good education.”

Todd offered Harry a beer, but Harry said he had to work the
afternoon shift.  “I’ll be glad when I can say goodbye to that
job,” he added.

“So?” asked Kelly, “are you going to take it?”

Harry smiled at her.  “We’re going over to your lawyer’s office
right after we leave here.  I only have one question that I
really need an answer to.”

“And that is?” asked Todd.

“We have an older couple that are interested in moving in, but
they aren’t seniors, at least not for a little while.  You met
Lew the other night.  It’s him and his wife.  She works at Mercy
Hospital, but Lew, he’s my oldest friend.  He’s coming up on his
30 year mark, and though he can’t run too great any more, he can
still walk, so he’s not exactly handicapped either.”

“You don’t have to explain, Harry,” said Todd.  “Look at the
contract.  You and Meg will have full control over who rents
there or not.  Kelly and I are not going to interfere at all!”

Harry let out a sigh of relief.  He would have hated to turn
down his old friend.

Robert went back to his desk and called the boys telling them
he would be running a half hour late, but the lunch was worth
waiting for.

Harry and Meg sat down to join Kelly, Todd, and Laura for tea. 
Vanetta finished the New York report and she and Robert joined
them.  Kelly offered to make lunch for them, but Meg and Harry
said they would be moving on soon.  They were going to stop at
Steve’s, and then Harry had to get ready for work.  Vanetta
brought out a new tin of Belgian chocolate cookies.

“We keep these on hand,” she said as she unwrapped the gold
foil from the box, “but you’ll rarely see any of our models eat
them!”

Kelly laughed and said, “Well, we do have to watch our figures!”

They sat quietly discussing Muriel’s Place but could hear
sounds of laughter coming from the back of the studio.  It
sounded like the younger Williams girls were enjoying themselves.

Harry looked at the gymnastics equipment and asked Todd about it.

“I’m doing a new clothing catalog for CrossTrain Sports,” Todd
said.

“Cara and Ami are the models for it,” said Laura.  “They were
world class, medal winning competitors, but with the Olympics
still two years away, they were unlikely to make it to the
finals.  Both of them have sustained minor injuries over the
years, and continued competition would have caused more
problems.  Now, Ami is Todd’s apprentice, and Cara works in the
office part time for Vanetta and as a personal assistant for
Kelly.”

Harry looked at Todd for a minute; something was clearly on his
mind.  Finally he said, “I’m almost willing to bet that when
they signed on to model, they thought that was all they had,
right?”

Todd laughed.  “Well, I’d been thinking about taking on an
apprentice for a while.  Sometimes the work is too much for me
to do all by myself, and when Ami asked about a future in
photography…”

Harry nodded.  “I thought as much,” he said with a smile.  “Is
there anyone who comes close to you two who doesn’t end up
better off than before?”

“I can think of a certain man in your jail right now who might
beg to differ,” said Todd.

Harry laughed a big booming laugh.  “No, I guess Mr. Labadie
wouldn’t think so!”

“But all those with good hearts would,” said Meg with a loving
look at her husband.

Twenty minutes later, they were subjected to a parade of young
fashions displayed by the Williams sisters.  Grown up designer
clothes for teens.  It was clear to see by the beaming smiles on
the three girls that they thought they had hit the mother lode. 
There was nothing like this in the stores in Charlotte!  At
least not in any stores they had ever seen, and none of their
friends had clothes like this!

The adults were expected to applaud each time another of the
sisters came out in a new outfit, till finally, Laura followed
the girls into the storage area and reminded them that they had
an appointment with Robert and the boys in the band.  The
clothes would still be there next week and more arrived all the
time, and not to be too greedy.

“Sorry, Laura,” said Kat.  “But you know what it’s like.  If I
never have to see another pair of Wal-Mart discount jeans again,
it will be too soon.”

Laura softened her tone a bit.  “I know, Kat, and I promise
you, those days are gone.  I’m making good money now, and if
nothing else, I’ll take care of you guys, but you do have an
appointment to buy some clothes.”  Laura laughed.  “Doesn’t that
sound silly?  All these clothes and yet Todd and Kelly are going
to buy you stage outfits?”

“Are you sure we can have these?” asked Samantha, clutching a
pile to her chest.

“Yes, Sweetheart, but put them back on their hangers and I’ll
get you proper garment bags to put them in.  Then when you guys
are gone, I’m going to see if I can’t find something for Mom.”

Cara and Ami helped the girls put the clothes back on the
hangers and into the garment bags and after they had replaced
all the clothes they had decided against, they were set to go.

“And it’s time for us,” said Ami, “to get back to work!”

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

The girls left with Robert, after giving Todd a hug and thanks
and they gave Kelly a kiss as well as big hugs and thanks. 
Kelly smiled, her eyes moist, and reminded them that every week
there was more coming, and she would make sure that items in
their size would be put aside.

Laura added that she would take them shopping for new shoes
next week.

“Now, Mom, how about we see what there is for you!”

Meg was hesitant, till Kelly laid her hand on Meg’s arm.  “Do
it, Meg.  It will make me happy.”

Meg blushed and then kissed Kelly on the cheek and left with
Laura.

Kelly and Todd worked on Cara and Ami’s makeup again, repairing
any damage, and taking their time.  Todd had said he was sure
that he had more than enough good shots, and now would rather
have the girls pick out uniforms that they themselves liked. 
They would wait until Harry and Meg left before they started the
quick change routine again.  They weren’t exhibitionists.

Harry was looking at the poster of Laura and Kelly in their
Star Trek underwear, when he felt Vanetta standing beside him.

“What do you think of your daughter as a model, Harry?” she
asked.

Harry chuckled.  “It’s hard to imagine that the girl in that
picture is my baby,” he said.  “This is a very … provocative
picture.”

“Yes it is,” said Vanetta calmly.  “Do you like it?  I think
it’s one of the best of the recent shots Todd has done.”

“It’s kind of hard for me to say that I like it,” Harry
answered truthfully.  “I guess I never expected to see my baby
look so …”

“Sexy?” asked Vanetta.

Harry laughed, and blushed a bit.  “Yeah.  She does look sexy
and it’s hard for me to separate my feelings as her father, from
those of a Star Trek fan.”

“She’s not nude,” said Vanetta.  “Nor does she look cheap.  I
think you should be proud of the beautiful daughter you have.”

Harry turned his head to the side still looking at the
picture.  “You know what I’m proud of, Vanetta?”

“What’s that, Harry?”

“Not that I have a beautiful daughter because to me, she’s
always been beautiful, but she survived, and she looks so happy.”

Vanetta slipped her arm through Harry’s.  “She is happy, and
she hasn’t forgotten the lessons you and Meg taught her.  None
of this is going to her head, her ego is stronger than when I
first met her, and she’s more self confident, but she’s still a
good person with a level head on her shoulders.”

Harry put his arm around Vanetta’s shoulder.  “Thanks,
Vanetta.  I think that’s because she’s around good people.”  He
gave her a quick squeeze then went back to the kitchen just in
time to see Meg walk out with a bag full of clothes and wearing
a Versace pant suit.  He whistled as he saw his darling wife.

Kelly and Laura insisted on putting a touch of makeup on Meg
before she and Harry had to leave.

As Laura walked them to the door, Harry pointed out the photo
poster to Meg and said, “That’s our baby girl.  Doesn’t she look
beautiful?”

Meg smiled and said, “and she looks so happy.”

Harry hugged Laura, told her he loved her and then they were
gone.

Laura locked the door behind them and Cara and Ami stripped and
changed into new outfits.  Kelly, Vanetta, and Laura cleaned up
the kitchen and then Vanetta went back to work while Kelly sat
back and had a cigarette watching the gymnasts do their stuff
before she returned to her desk.

Laura booted up her computer and decided to do a few more
lessons on line.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

“Annie”
=======
A special by: Dream Painter
___________________________

Laura shut down the computer before her with a resounding and
loud oath.  “Damn!” she swore.  All the heads in the immediate
vicinity lifted from their individual work.

“What’s up, Sweetheart?”  Kelly said looking up from her work.

“Ah, nothing.  I just have to run down to the school and pick
up some paper-work” Laura groaned.  “Everything is supposed to
be online now, but I still have to pick up worksheets from just
this one professor.”

“Yep,” said Vanetta, “there’s still some who accept work
online, mostly through their TA’s, but still expect you to show
up to pick up the specific assignments.”

“Hey, Honey,” she said to Todd who was hovering over Kelly at
that particular moment, “can I take the Tracker?”

“You have a set of keys, Sweetheart.  There’s no need to ask.” 
Todd said reassuringly as he looked up from the screen of
Kelly’s computer.  He and Kelly were reviewing some earlier
shots deciding on how to do the first month’s layout for the
magazine.  But Laura hadn’t quite gotten used to not having the
Honda and felt she should ask first.  Within minutes she had her
purse on her shoulder, and her keys in her hand.

“Don’t forget to turn on your cell,” Vanetta called to her as
Laura made her way to the door of the studio.

“I won’t, I promise.  Miss me!” and with that Laura made her
way to the parking lot and over to Todd’s Tracker. 

She had liked the Tracker ever since that day in the park when
she had given Todd the mind wrenching blowjob in broad
daylight.  Laura giggled to herself as she adjusted the seat and
clicked the seatbelt into place.  Turning the key she remembered
his gasping reaction, again she giggled.

She looked at her watch.  Damn, it was almost 4:00.

“If I take a short cut, down by the old train depot, and the
cotton gin, I’ll get there sooner,” she thought to herself, so
rather than the usual right turn out of the business center, she
made a left. 

A native of Charlotte, Laura knew just about all of the
shortcuts in town, despite the fact that many were in some of
the seedier neighborhoods.  Slipping the Indigo Girls into the
CD player she never gave it a second thought.  Cranking up the
volume and singing to each tune, she rounded the curve to the
old rail district.

To her left were the rusted remains of cotton baling equipment,
machinery of unimaginable uses with a dull red patina; to her
right, the boarded up World War II train depot and processing
station, tall weeds rising up past the windows.  She noticed the
parched dead grass between the rails and ties as she braced
herself to glide over the tracks.  It was then that the Indigo
Girls stopped in mid verse.  After a cough and a sputter the
drone of the motor in the Tracker suddenly and abruptly halted. 
There wasn’t so much as a light lit on the dashboard.  Laura
tried turning the key.  Nothing, not even a click.

“Damn,” she said to herself softly then looked over at her
purse.  Laura dug out her cell phone.  Turning it on she quickly
scrolled through the phonebook.  Daddy, House, Kelly, Todd,
Studio…  “No, I don’t want to disturb them, they were all so
busy when I left.”  She scrolled through the various names
again, “Daddy!  I’ll call Daddy!  He’ll know what to do!” and
she immediately pressed the ‘send’ button.

After a couple of rings Laura heard the familiar voice of her
father, “Williams.”

“Hey, Daddy,” Laura said.

“Hey, Pumpkin!”  Officer Williams answered with genuine surprise.

“Want to rescue a damsel in distress?” she asked tentatively.

“Sure, Sweetie.  What’s up?”  Harry asked.

“Well,” Laura said hesitantly, “I’m sort of out on Slocum Road,
just past the gin across from the old train depot and the
Tracker is deader than a doornail.”

“Laura Williams, that is no place for you to … haven’t I told
you a million times that…oh never mind.  I’ll be there as soon
as I can,” Harry snorted; none too happy, but glad his ‘little
girl’ had thought to call him.  “Stay in the Tracker and don’t
open the doors for anyone but me, you understand,” he said firmly.

“Yes Daddy, I promise, I won’t talk to any strangers,” Laura
giggled only to hear him groan on the other end of the line. 
“See you in a bit,” she said as cheerfully as possible and hit
the ‘end’ button on her phone. 

Laura tossed the phone onto the passenger’s seat to settle in
for a wait.  She mentally calculated how long until her rescuer
arrived.

Within minutes Laura was bored.  After the last six months, she
was used to doing things and being on the go.  Not sitting,
waiting, stuck on a railroad crossing.  She sighed heavily,
played a few games of blackjack on her cell, losing four out of
six games until at last she tossed the device back into her
purse.  That’s when she heard the rattletrap Ford Bronco grumble
over the tracks beside her, (the same railroad tracks she hadn’t
managed to cross), in a cloud of red dust.  It rattled forward a
hundred feet before the driver threw the vehicle into reverse.

Laura fidgeted nervously remembering her father’s words.  The
driver’s side door of the Bronco flew open and out strode a
small but muscular woman.  Her long gray and auburn hair was
flying about her head in the afternoon breeze. 

“You okay in there?” the woman yelled through the closed window.

“Yeah, I’m okay, my Dad’s coming to rescue me,” Laura replied
through the closed window.

The woman from the Bronco nodded in understanding then strode
back to her vehicle.  She was nearly there when she turned back
returning to the Tracker. 

“You know, if you don’t mind my saying so, you picked just
about the worst possible place in Charlotte to break down!”  She
yelled to the closed window, “You got any water in there?”

Laura shook her head ‘no’. 

“You want some?” asked the stranger.  Laura, feeling a bit on
the helpless side, nodded yes.  The woman opened the back of her
Bronco, revealing about eight Styrofoam coolers.  Opening up one
of the coolers nearest the back door she extracted two sport
bottles of water and returned to the Tracker.

“You know, you’re going to have to open the door or lower the
window to take this water, don’t you?” the stranger yelled
through the glass to Laura. 

Laura reluctantly opened the door and stepped out onto the
dusty gravel paved road.

The strange woman offered her a sports bottle of water, saying
softly, “easy girl, it’s cool … relax … I’m not going to bite
you, I promise.  You called someone?  Somebody’s on the way?”

Laura nodded, “Yeah, my Dad’s coming,” she said softly suddenly
feeling shy.

“I think it would be a good idea if we waited here with you
until he arrives?” the strange woman said.  “Just to make sure
everything is okay.”

Laura nodded yes then said softly, “We?”  Not seeing anyone
else in the colorless rusted Bronco.

“Yeah, me and Bubba…  Yo, Bubba!” the woman called back towards
her vehicle.  Suddenly an enormous black and tan German shepherd
dove out through the driver’s side window.  “Meet Bubba, I’m
Annie…and you are…?”

“…Ah…  I’m…ah…Laura” Laura stammered trying to smile while at
the same time trying to shove the shepherd’s nose away from her
crotch.

“Hey, Laura,” Annie said calmly, softly, “This really isn’t a
very good side of town, Bubba and I will just hang here for a
while ‘til your Dad shows up, okay?  Around here there really is
safety in numbers…Bubba!  Cut that shit out!!!”  Annie sighed,
“Just like a man,” she grimaced.  “Hey, are you hungry?  I’ve
some great stuff in the truck.”

“Hungry?” said Laura, somewhat bewildered by her new found
protectors, “ah… no… ah… maybe, whatcha got?”

“Lets see,” Annie said while stepping again to the back of the
Bronco, “I got potato salad, macaroni salad, coleslaw, ribs… oh,
I know!  Here, try some of this, sun dried tomato dip; my
signature dish!” 

Annie posed as though for an adoring crowd and grinned at Laura
while her long auburn hair flew madly about her face and
shoulders. 

She pulled a white plastic tub from one of the coolers along
with yet another bottle of water and a bag of pita chips from a
paper bag nearby.  “Here, munch on this!  Bubba, heel!”  Annie
ordered the dog, slapping her left thigh.  The shepherd stepped
up close and hung tightly to her thigh.  She offered Laura the
bag of chips and tub of dip along with another bottle of water.

Laura dunked her hand into the bag grabbing a chip, and then
scraped the chip across the tub of pink dip.  Hesitantly biting
into the mixture and with a full mouth she said, “Damn, this is
good!”

Annie couldn’t help but laugh at Laura trying to speak with her
mouth full of chip and pink cream cheese.  “It’s different, but
it’s good!”  Annie conceded.  “I’m making a delivery… have a
catering business…  I don’t think they’ll miss one pound out of
twelve at the spa.  I won’t charge ‘em for it, no biggie.” 

“Oh, hell!”  Annie said grimacing as she looked up and saw the
squad car pull up behind the Tracker.

“Hey ‘ossifer’ Wil-liams, don’t you have better things to do
than write tickets to innocent young girls with car trouble??” 
She glared at Harry as he stepped out of the squad.  Laura
whirled around, her mouth still full of dip and chips to greet
her father. 

“Hey, Daddy!”  Laura said happily.

“Hey, Pumpkin, hey, Annie, Bubba,” Harry said raising his hand
to the brim of his hat.

“Your Dad?”  Annie asked under her breath.

“Yep,” Laura replied. 

Annie emitted an audible groan.  “Don’t it just stand to
reason,” she muttered.  “Try and be a Good Samaritan, and it
turns out to be Harry’s kid.”  Raising her head and her voice,
Annie said, “Yeah, well we were just leaving Harry, good to see
you again,” Annie said as she turned towards the truck, “Oh,
Harry, did you guys know there’s suppose to be a big wing-ding
at the Carson’s place the end of the week…  Louis Carson’s?”

“Ah, no Annie, we hadn’t heard anything about it.  Are you
going to do the party?”  Harry said with a familiarity that
somewhat startled Laura.

“Me, hell no!  I stopped doing parties for him since he stiffed
me 2K a couple of months back.  No, Gerald’s are doing it, but I
happen to know they plan to clear out around midnight and Gerald
told me they ordered a hell of a lot of booze.  You know Carson,
he’s always got another party going on in the back… might be
worth your while if nothing else to set up a check point… just a
thought Harry,” Annie said smugly.

“Thanks for the tip, Annie, I’ll mention it to the Chief.” 
Officer Williams then turned his attention to his daughter.

“Bubba!  Yo, Bubba!  Get your ass over here, you’re gonna get
ticks!” 

Something had drawn the shepherd’s attention to the other side
of a ditch near the dead Tracker,

“Bubba, come!”  Annie ordered.  “Its not just a figure of
speech.  Damn it, dog, I’m gonna turn you into a rug if you
don’t get your fuzzy butt over here!”

Annie gracefully jumped the ditch to stand beside the dog. 
“Oh, hell,” she said calmly.  But in the quiet of the area both
Harry and Laura turned their head as they heard her swear.

“Ossifer Wil-liams?”  Annie called as she tugged at the
shepherd’s heavy leather collar, “Lookie what Bubba found.  I
think you might wanna see this.” 

Reluctantly Harry parted from his oldest baby and made his way
through the weeds, “Now that’s not what I’d call your regular
Saturday Night Special, eh Harry?  I say it’s a hmmm… lets see,
a Glock 9mm?”

“Damn it, Annie, who’s the cop here, you or me?”  Harry said
good-naturedly.

“Hey, I’m just a caterer who is outta here!”  Annie tugged the
shepherd back towards the Bronco.

“Annie, you know I’m going to have to ask you some questions
about all this,” said Harry as he stood in the weeds preparing
to call in a report on the radio hanging on his belt.

Annie opened the driver’s side door and Bubba bounded into the
Bronco.  “Don’t ask me, ask Bubba, he’s the one that found it!”
she yelled to Officer, (Ossifer), Williams.  “Nice meeting you,
Laura!  Harry, you know where I work.”

Within seconds the old Bronco disappeared down the road.

Laura looked at the cloud of dust in a complete state of
confusion, and then to her Father who was busy calling in a
report, finally to the tub of dip she held in her hand.  The
label on the side of the white plastic tub read:

Sun Dried Tomato Dip
“A Woman’s Place Catering”
121 South Harvard Street
Charlotte, NC
Call (704) 555-8470 for your Catering Needs
Annie & Bubba Prince Proprietors

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Laura sat on the passenger’s side of the squad car next to her
Father as they drove back to the studio from the college.  Soon
after Annie had left, the forensics team had arrived to pick up
and examine the pistol that Bubba had found.

When the tow truck arrived, Laura instructed the driver to
return the dead beast to the dealership.  The driver of the
truck owed Harry a couple of favors and loaded the Tracker up at
no charge.  TKO could easily afford to pay the towing bill, but
it was more a matter of pride that Harry was able to help out
his ‘little’ girl.

Laura called the studio to let her lovers know she had been
delayed.  Explaining to them that the Tracker had broken down
and she was going to take advantage of this opportunity to spend
some quality ‘dad and daughter time’ with her Father.  Todd had
been concerned, particularly when she told him the area of town
she had broken down in but he seemed to understand Laura wanting
to be with her Dad for a bit.  She didn’t see him as often
anymore, something that Todd vowed to himself to set right.  It
was quite clear that Harry loved his kids and they in turn
adored him.  Besides, Todd had enjoyed the barbeque with the
Williams family.  Family was important.  Chuck had reminded him
of that!

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

“Hey Daddy, where’d you meet…ah?”  Laura began.

“Annie?  Oh, Annie used to have a restaurant over on the east
side… you know… where they were rehabbing all those old
storefronts.  I’m the one that closed her down.”  Harry replied
nonchalantly.

“What?”  Laura looked at him aghast.

“Well, actually it was the judge that shut her down, but yeah,
we had to close her down all the same.  Shame too… a nice little
place from what I heard.  Served beer, wine… frou-frou ‘girlie’
food.  As a matter of fact, that was the name too…  A Woman’s
Space…  your Mom loves her coleslaw.  I pick up a tub of it
every time I’m out that way,” Harry said.

“Mom’s not making that great coleslaw anymore?”  Laura was
surprised.

“Your Mom hasn’t made coleslaw for years, Pumpkin.  That
‘great’ coleslaw is Annie’s!”  Harry chuckled.  “Hell, I guess
I’m the one that convinced Annie to go into the catering
business in the first place… guess it was, I don’t know, a year
… a year and a half ago.”  Suddenly he got quiet.  “The same day
your uncle Lew got hurt.”

“Okay, Pumpkin, we’re here,” Harry pulled police cruiser pull
into the parking lot at the studio.  He leaned over to give his
baby a kiss on the cheek.  “And the next time you decide to take
a short cut… stay the hell off Slocum Road.”  Wagging his finger
he gave Laura a stern look that took her back to her childhood,
and reminded her that her Father was making a point that should
be remembered.

She leaned in to return the kiss on his cheek and said softly,
“’K Daddy, I will.  No more Slocum Road for me!”  She giggled as
she unlatched the seat belt and slid from the passenger’s side
seat.  Laura waved to her Father as he pulled out of the drive
and into the industrial complex.

As she entered the studio Todd was already on the phone with
the dealership and chatting away with a mechanic.  “No problem
Ed, we’ll just pick it up tomorrow, no hurry.”  Laura gave him a
wave and a quick peck on the cheek as he chatted.  She then
bounded up the steps to the kitchen where Vanetta and Kelly were
sitting at the breakfast bar each sipping a bottle of mineral
water.

Laura leaned over to Kelly and gave her a soft kiss on the
cheek. 

“Well, it sounds like you’ve had a pretty exciting day.  Are
you all right, Sweetheart?”  Kelly asked with genuine concern.

“Yeah, thanks.  I am now,” Laura said.

Laura dug in her purse for a few seconds completely
preoccupied.  “I have just met the most amazing woman!”  She
said to both Kelly and Vanetta as she pulled the white tub of
dip from her purse.  She looked at them both them and
continued.  “And you both have to try some of this!”

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Kelly was reading the label as she dunked her 20th chip into
the dip.  “This really is good!  You said she caters?  What
luck!  Our company barbeque has just been expanded by all the
off duty police officers from your Dad’s precinct.  The caterer
I have can’t do the extra food.”

“Huh?” said a perplexed Laura.  “Just buy some more meat and
potatoes,” she said.

“Can’t, Laura,” said Vanetta.  This caterer is strictly
kosher.  A lot of our New York people can’t eat anything but,
and a kosher caterer can’t mix foods or serve pork or shellfish.”

“Wow,” said Laura.  “I don’t know if she caters anything that
big and what if she’s not available?  This would be awful short
notice.”

“Well,” said Kelly reading the label again, “let’s give Annie
Prince a call and see if she’s interested.  It’s the least we
can do after she saved your beautiful butt!”

Kelly dialed the number but as she did, a frown crossed her
face.  She looked at the container again as the phone rang on
the other end.  “I …” and she stopped mid sentence when the
receiver was picked up and a male voice answered.

“Hello?” inquired a distinctive southern voice.

Kelly seemed confused.  “Ah, is this ‘A Woman’s Place’?” she
asked.

“Yez’m, but Mizz Annie ain’t in right now.”

“Ah, is this Bubba?”  Kelly asked, and then had to wait for the
laughter to stop.

“No Ma’m.  I’s Jacob.  I helps Mizz Annie.”

Kelly was still shaking her head.  Something was out of place. 
“Er, could you have Miss Annie call me please?”  Kelly asked.

“Lemme get a pencil first,” said Jacob, then he said, “Iffin
you can hold on a minute, I think Mizz Annie is jus’ commin’ in
now.”

Kelly waited as she heard Jacob telling somebody that the
person on the phone thought he was Bubba.  He started laughing
again.

“Hello?” said a female voice.  “This is Annie.  What can I do
for you?”

“This is Kelly Jennsen, I just tried some of your sun dried
tomato dip.  You gave a package to a friend of mine about two
hours ago.”

“I did?” asked Annie.  “Oh, that must be Laura!  She made it
back in one piece then.”  It was a statement, not a question.

“Yes, she did.  Thank you very much for staying with her.”

“No problem,” said Annie.  “Is that what you called about?”

“No, I’m sorry,” said Kelly.  “I seem to be addlebrained right
now.  ‘  A Woman’s Place.’  Wasn’t there a restaurant by that
name?  Closed down about a year ago?”

“Yeah, sorta,” said Annie.  “ It use to be ‘A Woman's Space,’
but I changed it to ‘A Woman's Place,’ after Laura’s daddy shut
me down and I went into the catering business. ”

“My God, what on earth for?” asked Kelly.  “I only had the
chance to eat there once and the floors were clean enough to eat
off of.  I went back about a month later and it was gone.”

“Well, it wasn’t for health reasons,” Annie said.

Laura, growing restless with Kelly’s confusion, picked up
another phone and punched into the same line.  “Hi, Annie?  This
is Laura.  You’ll have to excuse the girlfriend.  She’s had a
hectic day.  Daddy brought me back and I had to share your
fantastic dip with her.  Turns out that a party she’s planning
is going to have more people arrive than the caterer can handle,
and she needs someone to fill in.”

“Well, why in the hell didn’t she just say so?” asked Annie.

“I think it’s because just when she dialed the name of your
business brought back some memories,” said Laura.  “Anyway, I
told her that you were probably too busy and that this was awful
short notice, but your signature dip, it’s a hit here!”

Annie took pride in her food, and her tone mellowed instantly. 
“Okay.  I can understand people having a rough day.  What day,
how many people and why the hell can’t the other caterer just
increase their staff.”

Kelly spoke again.  “I’m sorry, Miss Prince.  You’re right.  It
just caught me off guard and it has been a very busy day.  The
caterer doing the company BBQ is strictly kosher.  Beef and
salmon only.  We had to order the beef a month in advance, and
we just can’t get enough this close to next weekend to feed
everybody that’s now coming.”

“I don’t do kosher,” said Annie.  “Too much hassle for too
little business in Charlotte.”

“I understand perfectly,” said Kelly.  “I don’t need more
kosher.  That was mostly for our friends from New York.  It was
easier to go all kosher than mix and match, but the guest list
has grown from 200 to over 300.  I need some good food for all
these people.”

“What day next weekend?”  Annie asked.

“Saturday, at Carowinds Park,” said Kelly.

Annie whistled.  “Pretty fancy,” she said.  “Okay.  I don’t
come cheap, but I won’t hold out for a ransom either.  Good food
for a fair price.  That’s what I do.  How many people do you
want me to prepare for?”

“I’d say 150,” said Kelly, “but to be on the safe side, make it
for 200.  We can always donate the leftovers to one of the
shelters in town afterwards.”

Annie liked the sound of that.  This woman might be stressed,
but her heart was good.  “How about this,” she said.  “I can get
a pig slaughtered this week.  Get it all dressed and marinated. 
I’ve got a giant pig roaster, and we can cut off what people
want right on the spot.  Start early enough in the day and he
should be ready by suppertime.  If you like, I can also do up
slabs of ribs, maybe a giant kettle of sweet corn as well?  How
are you set for taters?”

“Annie, you’re a life saver,” said Kelly.  “Baked potatoes I’ve
got covered, nearly 500 Yukon Gold, but I like the idea of sweet
corn, fresh from the pot.  We’d like to start eating around 4:00
if that’s possible since the party will go on into the park
afterwards.  Figure out a price and give me a call back and I’ll
get a certified check to you the same day.”

“Well, Miss Jennsen,” said Annie, “it looks like you’ve just
hired yourself a caterer.  I’ll have the price by Monday, along
with a complete menu.”

“Thanks, Annie, and please, call me Kelly.”

“Okay, Kelly, I’ll talk to you soon.”

Laura said goodbye as well and hung up the phone.

“I nearly peed myself when you asked if you were talking to
Bubba Prince,” she said.  “I’ve met Bubba.  He probably weighs
as much as you, and has a permanent fur coat!”

Kelly rolled her eyes.  “Can you help me get my foot out of my
mouth now?” she asked.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Cara was smiling from behind her computer monitor.  She adored
Kelly.  Loved her actually, though it would always be her
secret.  Laura was great, like the kind of big sister every girl
dreams of, and Vanetta had shown a real interest in teaching
Cara how the world of advertising worked.  She loved them all,
in different ways.  She couldn’t remember being as happy as she
had been since she arrived in Charlotte.  Ami was her soul
mate.  Cara was positive of that!  The love they shared, in all
forms, was perfect.  She didn’t even get jealous of Ami’s
infatuation with Todd.  On some level, she understood.  Ami was
a lot like Todd, and they seemed to share a special bond, but
neither Laura nor Kelly had given the slightest hint that they
were upset or jealous, so Cara wasn’t either.  Besides, she had
her own infatuation with Kelly whose deep brown eyes seemed to
reach into Cara’s very soul.

Every night, when Cara applied lotion to Kelly’s body, it was
with love and reverence.  Kelly’s body was so beautiful, so
flawless, and Kelly was so casual about allowing Cara to caress
her anywhere.  Kelly probably knew, Cara decided, but Kelly also
treated Cara as if there was no one else in the world that she
would entrust this special job to, and always treated her with
love and spoke lovingly to her.  It would crush Cara if she ever
had to give up the life she had now.

Ami and Todd were in the darkroom.  It had been a long day by
the time the last photographs were taken, and Cara and Ami had
showered, but it was like the two of them couldn’t wait to see
the results.

It was six o’clock when the green eyed monster showed up.

To be continued…



  
Kelly 29