up in about five minutes, and I’ve got to get myself ready for it since I’m the one taking all the notes now.”
“I know you’ll do a super job with all that secretary stuff,” Petey added, though it sounded to Gaylie Girl for all the world like a hurried afterthought. “I bet Hale’s the best boss in the world to work with. He sure is a great stepfather.”
“No complaints so far. I imagine we’ll tally up the final results around the dinner table when we both get home.”
There was indeed no shortage of things to discuss when the Mayor and his new secretary sat down to their evening meal. The list was so long and involved that neither was paying much attention to their food, and the sautéed chicken breasts, buttered succotash, and rice and gravy that Gaylie Girl had thrown together were lukewarm by the time they both fell to.
“What did Amanda have to say about the engagement when you phoned her up?” Mr. Choppy was saying after Gaylie Girl had brought him up to speed on Petey’s exciting news.
“Surprisingly, she was in favor of it. I think she likes Meta quite a lot. Says she believes Petey’s finally got it right.”
“Let’s all think positively, then.”
Gaylie Girl shot him a skeptical glance with the suggestion of a smile there at the end. “I will, as all good mothers do where their children are concerned. But there’s still going to be Renza to deal with. In fact, I’ve already received an earful.”
Mr. Choppy took a sip of his beer and shook his head sympathetically. “Ah, yes, the feisty Miz Renza. And what did your favorite Nitwitt have to say for herself today?”
“Oh, she pretended to be happy about it all when she first came on the line, but I could sense she was just getting wound up for one doozy of a curveball. And she delivered, I have to admit. She finally got around to the subject of Petey’s divorces. ‘They’re just out there hanging, aren’t they? And not like ornaments on a Christmas tree,’ she said in that syrupy judgmental tone of hers. I just took a deep breath and let that slide.”
“Wise move.”
“Of course, she wasn’t finished. She kept talking about the two of them moving down here together without the benefit of marriage right away. I pointed out that Petey was over forty, and Meta had a big toehold on her thirties. They hardly needed adult supervision and would certainly resent ours. Finally, I changed the subject to our Caroling in The Square project, but I probably would have been better off sticking to Renza’s fretting about our children getting married.”
“Why? What happened?”
Gaylie Girl pushed her rice and gravy around with her fork for a second or two and then managed a plaintive little sigh. “She’s on Denver Lee’s case like you wouldn’t believe. It seems Denver Lee wants to host our next Nitwitts’ meeting and has been calling everyone up telling them about a big surprise she’s got that will make our Caroling in The Square project even more appealing. Although I’m not crazy about Denver Lee’s house, I’m perfectly willing to show up there and listen to whatever she has to say. But Renza is completely territorial as usual and dead set against it. Relentless is her middle name.”
Then Gaylie Girl sat back in her chair and quietly put down her fork. “But enough about all my Nitwitt business. I’m sure we’ll work it out. What’s the Mayor’s official verdict on his new secretary? How did she perform as his Gaylie Girl Friday on her first day?”
Mr. Choppy matched her playful gaze, smiled, and cleared his throat as if he were about to read a proclamation. “The Mayor is officially impressed. Cherish Hempstead would be impressed, too. You did just great, sweetheart. Right after you left the room, all the councilmen commented on how well you kept up and read everything back perfectly. Not to mention, you got all my messages straight, and I’m sure you filed everything properly.”
“So you’d call me
“I know you’ll do a super job with all that secretary stuff,” Petey added, though it sounded to Gaylie Girl for all the world like a hurried afterthought. “I bet Hale’s the best boss in the world to work with. He sure is a great stepfather.”
“No complaints so far. I imagine we’ll tally up the final results around the dinner table when we both get home.”
There was indeed no shortage of things to discuss when the Mayor and his new secretary sat down to their evening meal. The list was so long and involved that neither was paying much attention to their food, and the sautéed chicken breasts, buttered succotash, and rice and gravy that Gaylie Girl had thrown together were lukewarm by the time they both fell to.
“What did Amanda have to say about the engagement when you phoned her up?” Mr. Choppy was saying after Gaylie Girl had brought him up to speed on Petey’s exciting news.
“Surprisingly, she was in favor of it. I think she likes Meta quite a lot. Says she believes Petey’s finally got it right.”
“Let’s all think positively, then.”
Gaylie Girl shot him a skeptical glance with the suggestion of a smile there at the end. “I will, as all good mothers do where their children are concerned. But there’s still going to be Renza to deal with. In fact, I’ve already received an earful.”
Mr. Choppy took a sip of his beer and shook his head sympathetically. “Ah, yes, the feisty Miz Renza. And what did your favorite Nitwitt have to say for herself today?”
“Oh, she pretended to be happy about it all when she first came on the line, but I could sense she was just getting wound up for one doozy of a curveball. And she delivered, I have to admit. She finally got around to the subject of Petey’s divorces. ‘They’re just out there hanging, aren’t they? And not like ornaments on a Christmas tree,’ she said in that syrupy judgmental tone of hers. I just took a deep breath and let that slide.”
“Wise move.”
“Of course, she wasn’t finished. She kept talking about the two of them moving down here together without the benefit of marriage right away. I pointed out that Petey was over forty, and Meta had a big toehold on her thirties. They hardly needed adult supervision and would certainly resent ours. Finally, I changed the subject to our Caroling in The Square project, but I probably would have been better off sticking to Renza’s fretting about our children getting married.”
“Why? What happened?”
Gaylie Girl pushed her rice and gravy around with her fork for a second or two and then managed a plaintive little sigh. “She’s on Denver Lee’s case like you wouldn’t believe. It seems Denver Lee wants to host our next Nitwitts’ meeting and has been calling everyone up telling them about a big surprise she’s got that will make our Caroling in The Square project even more appealing. Although I’m not crazy about Denver Lee’s house, I’m perfectly willing to show up there and listen to whatever she has to say. But Renza is completely territorial as usual and dead set against it. Relentless is her middle name.”
Then Gaylie Girl sat back in her chair and quietly put down her fork. “But enough about all my Nitwitt business. I’m sure we’ll work it out. What’s the Mayor’s official verdict on his new secretary? How did she perform as his Gaylie Girl Friday on her first day?”
Mr. Choppy matched her playful gaze, smiled, and cleared his throat as if he were about to read a proclamation. “The Mayor is officially impressed. Cherish Hempstead would be impressed, too. You did just great, sweetheart. Right after you left the room, all the councilmen commented on how well you kept up and read everything back perfectly. Not to mention, you got all my messages straight, and I’m sure you filed everything properly.”
“So you’d call me
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