me,” Maggie said. After she filled their cups, she dropped the manila envelope in front of Ginger, who opened it and pulled out a copy of the Pelican Penny Clipper . Her eyes widened.
“Agh!” she shrieked.
Trent pulled the paper away from her. His mouth dropped open as he scanned the front page. “What the . . .”
Ginger waved the Clipper in front of Maggie. “What’s the circulation of this rag? Do they get it in Baton Rouge?” Maggie nodded. She couldn’t help but get some pleasure from watching the unflappable Ginger lose it. “He can’t do this. He mentioned Starke Homes and the relocation. It’ll kill our business.” Ginger whirled around to Trent. “Get this Earlie idiot on the phone,” she demanded.
“I’m on it.” Trent was already punching in a telephone number he’d found on the Clipper. Ginger stood up and paced while the phone rang. “It went to voicemail,” Trent said.
Ginger let loose with language so foul it would have made swamp boat pilot Tookie Fleer blush. “Then we’ll flush the rat out of his nest and make him destroy every copy of this piece of garbage. And get Les Robbins on the line. I want him to sue this SOB for character defamation.” She grabbed the expensive designer purse that she’d slung over the back of her chair and marched down the hall and out the back door. Trent sprinted behind her, punching numbers into his phone as he ran.
“Good luck,” Maggie called after them. She picked up the paper that Trent had thrown down and made a note to buy Little Earlie a box of his favorite Coconut Haystacks from Bon Bon.
*
The Pelican Penny Clipper cover story was the hot topic of conversation among the tour guides at Doucet. Vanessa lapped up the attention and pity she received from her coworkers. Maggie grew tired of rehashing every moment of the Ginger-Fox debacle and was glad when the workday ended.
She drove home, enjoying the bright pink, purple, and orange sunset that painted the sky over the Mississippi. When she got out of her car, she noticed a pile of carpet samples next to the plantation dumpster. She recognizedthem as the ones Bibi had been loading into her car. Then she saw Bibi walking toward her with another armful of samples. She was struck by how relaxed and almost happy the intern looked.
“Do you mind if I dump these here?” Bibi asked as she threw the load she was carrying on top of the pile.
“No, it’s fine. But don’t you need them?”
“Ginger might, but I don’t. I quit.”
“Really?” Despite recent events, Maggie was surprised that the put-upon intern had shown such initiative.
“Yep, and get this. I called the Labor Board, and nothing I’ve been doing classifies as an internship. I’ve done the work of an employee and should be compensated for it. So for a change, someone will be suing Ginger instead of the other way around. FYI, you might want to make sure all your stairs are in good shape. Nothing like a ‘fall’ to bring up a lawsuit.”
“Yes, I’ve been warned about that.”
“It was seeing Fox so hurt that made me do it,” Bibi said, her voice emotional. “He’s such a good person. He deserves way, way better than that horrible woman.”
It became clear to Maggie why Bibi had suffered through a year as Ginger’s lackey. Also clear was why she hadn’t quit even sooner. She was in love with Fox.
“I’m packing up my stuff,” Bibi continued. “I’m leaving in the morning. Oh, that Vanessa person is here. She’s been looking for Ginger, who’s probably going at it with Trent in the woods somewhere.”
Maggie was distracted by a strange sound. “Do you hear that?” she asked Bibi.
“Yes. It almost sounds like a baby crying.”
Gopher began barking furiously. “Excuse me, I need to make sure our dog’s okay,” Maggie told Bibi. “It sounds like he’s down by the bayou.”
Maggie trudged through the woods calling the hound’s name. Finally, he came bounding up to her. “There you are,
“Agh!” she shrieked.
Trent pulled the paper away from her. His mouth dropped open as he scanned the front page. “What the . . .”
Ginger waved the Clipper in front of Maggie. “What’s the circulation of this rag? Do they get it in Baton Rouge?” Maggie nodded. She couldn’t help but get some pleasure from watching the unflappable Ginger lose it. “He can’t do this. He mentioned Starke Homes and the relocation. It’ll kill our business.” Ginger whirled around to Trent. “Get this Earlie idiot on the phone,” she demanded.
“I’m on it.” Trent was already punching in a telephone number he’d found on the Clipper. Ginger stood up and paced while the phone rang. “It went to voicemail,” Trent said.
Ginger let loose with language so foul it would have made swamp boat pilot Tookie Fleer blush. “Then we’ll flush the rat out of his nest and make him destroy every copy of this piece of garbage. And get Les Robbins on the line. I want him to sue this SOB for character defamation.” She grabbed the expensive designer purse that she’d slung over the back of her chair and marched down the hall and out the back door. Trent sprinted behind her, punching numbers into his phone as he ran.
“Good luck,” Maggie called after them. She picked up the paper that Trent had thrown down and made a note to buy Little Earlie a box of his favorite Coconut Haystacks from Bon Bon.
*
The Pelican Penny Clipper cover story was the hot topic of conversation among the tour guides at Doucet. Vanessa lapped up the attention and pity she received from her coworkers. Maggie grew tired of rehashing every moment of the Ginger-Fox debacle and was glad when the workday ended.
She drove home, enjoying the bright pink, purple, and orange sunset that painted the sky over the Mississippi. When she got out of her car, she noticed a pile of carpet samples next to the plantation dumpster. She recognizedthem as the ones Bibi had been loading into her car. Then she saw Bibi walking toward her with another armful of samples. She was struck by how relaxed and almost happy the intern looked.
“Do you mind if I dump these here?” Bibi asked as she threw the load she was carrying on top of the pile.
“No, it’s fine. But don’t you need them?”
“Ginger might, but I don’t. I quit.”
“Really?” Despite recent events, Maggie was surprised that the put-upon intern had shown such initiative.
“Yep, and get this. I called the Labor Board, and nothing I’ve been doing classifies as an internship. I’ve done the work of an employee and should be compensated for it. So for a change, someone will be suing Ginger instead of the other way around. FYI, you might want to make sure all your stairs are in good shape. Nothing like a ‘fall’ to bring up a lawsuit.”
“Yes, I’ve been warned about that.”
“It was seeing Fox so hurt that made me do it,” Bibi said, her voice emotional. “He’s such a good person. He deserves way, way better than that horrible woman.”
It became clear to Maggie why Bibi had suffered through a year as Ginger’s lackey. Also clear was why she hadn’t quit even sooner. She was in love with Fox.
“I’m packing up my stuff,” Bibi continued. “I’m leaving in the morning. Oh, that Vanessa person is here. She’s been looking for Ginger, who’s probably going at it with Trent in the woods somewhere.”
Maggie was distracted by a strange sound. “Do you hear that?” she asked Bibi.
“Yes. It almost sounds like a baby crying.”
Gopher began barking furiously. “Excuse me, I need to make sure our dog’s okay,” Maggie told Bibi. “It sounds like he’s down by the bayou.”
Maggie trudged through the woods calling the hound’s name. Finally, he came bounding up to her. “There you are,
Similar Books
