this healthy stuff. I think it makes me sick.”
Sophie chimed in, “I was just getting used to the bad stuff when you started feeding us this crap.”
Clapping her hands to gain their attention, Mavis said, “Ladies, stop it right this very minute! I love all three of you and want you to be around for a very long time. Eating healthy gives us some assurance that we’ll all be around a little while longer.”
“Yeah? What if some of the healthy food we eat kills us? Didn’t I just hear on the news where a bunch of people died from eating peanut butter?” Sophie asked.
“That was just a one-shot incident. Peanut butter isn’t all that good for you anyway,” Mavis claimed matter-of-factly.
“I never thought in a million years you would be advising us on what to eat. I’m happy you’re taking charge of your health, Mavis, just don’t run it into the ground. I’ve managed to survive this long eating junk food, and I suspect I’ll be just fine even if I don’t eat whatever it is the FDA is recommending these days,” Toots said.
Sophie jumped in. “I don’t trust them either. I think they’re just another branch of the government that accepts bribes from the highest bidder. Let’s not forget Thomas.” Thomas was Ida’s last husband, who’d passed away from eating poisoned meat, or at least that is where Ida believed that the E.coli infection originated. “They don’t care about tainted meat or rotting peanuts any more than Coco does.” The small dog growled upon hearing her name. Sophie flicked the dog a bird.
“Sophie, that’s not a very nice thing to do.”
“Do you really think she knows what flipping the bird means?” Sophie raised her perfectly sculpted brows, waiting for Mavis’s answer.
Mavis hesitated a minute as though seriously contemplating Sophie’s question. “She may associate it with something negative, I can’t know for sure. She’s a very smart animal. She knows more than you think.”
Toots chimed in, “I agree with Mavis. Not about flipping off the dog, but I think animals are much smarter than we give them credit for. Look at Chester, Abby’s dog. I think he understands much more than we’ll ever know. He certainly looks after her.”
After much chatting about animals and what constituted a healthy diet, the foursome gathered their plates and utensils and took them inside to the kitchen before heading upstairs, intent on removing the mirror from Ida’s ceiling.
The buzzing of Toots’s cell phone stopped them all dead in their tracks. She looked at the caller ID before answering. “Abby! What is my favorite child up to?”
“As far as I know, I’m your only child, unless you’ve been keeping secrets from me,” Abby said playfully.
Toots’s heart raced. If she only knew. “It’s nice to hear your voice, that’s all. Why aren’t you out pounding the pavement?”
“Remember the new owners appointed me editor in chief? I have to send all my little worker bees in search of the next cover story. Though I must admit, I do miss the excitement of the hunt and the deadlines.”
Toots should have known better, but with Abby at the helm, she felt sure The Informer could turn into a much better tabloid, maybe even better than The Enquirer or The Globe. “You can still write stories, can’t you?” Toots questioned, hoping she hadn’t jumped the gun. She knew how much Abby loved her job. Had she taken Abby’s passion for her career away by purchasing the paper just so Abby could hang on to her job? Time would tell.
“Yes, that’s why I’m calling. You’ll never believe in a million years who I’m going to interview.”
Toots thought for a moment and came up blank. “I haven’t a clue, so you’ll just have to spill the beans.”
“Are you sitting down?” Abby asked.
“No, the girls and I are headed upstairs to remove that hideous mirror from Ida’s ceiling.”
“Why don’t you let that construction company you hired take care of that? You
Sophie chimed in, “I was just getting used to the bad stuff when you started feeding us this crap.”
Clapping her hands to gain their attention, Mavis said, “Ladies, stop it right this very minute! I love all three of you and want you to be around for a very long time. Eating healthy gives us some assurance that we’ll all be around a little while longer.”
“Yeah? What if some of the healthy food we eat kills us? Didn’t I just hear on the news where a bunch of people died from eating peanut butter?” Sophie asked.
“That was just a one-shot incident. Peanut butter isn’t all that good for you anyway,” Mavis claimed matter-of-factly.
“I never thought in a million years you would be advising us on what to eat. I’m happy you’re taking charge of your health, Mavis, just don’t run it into the ground. I’ve managed to survive this long eating junk food, and I suspect I’ll be just fine even if I don’t eat whatever it is the FDA is recommending these days,” Toots said.
Sophie jumped in. “I don’t trust them either. I think they’re just another branch of the government that accepts bribes from the highest bidder. Let’s not forget Thomas.” Thomas was Ida’s last husband, who’d passed away from eating poisoned meat, or at least that is where Ida believed that the E.coli infection originated. “They don’t care about tainted meat or rotting peanuts any more than Coco does.” The small dog growled upon hearing her name. Sophie flicked the dog a bird.
“Sophie, that’s not a very nice thing to do.”
“Do you really think she knows what flipping the bird means?” Sophie raised her perfectly sculpted brows, waiting for Mavis’s answer.
Mavis hesitated a minute as though seriously contemplating Sophie’s question. “She may associate it with something negative, I can’t know for sure. She’s a very smart animal. She knows more than you think.”
Toots chimed in, “I agree with Mavis. Not about flipping off the dog, but I think animals are much smarter than we give them credit for. Look at Chester, Abby’s dog. I think he understands much more than we’ll ever know. He certainly looks after her.”
After much chatting about animals and what constituted a healthy diet, the foursome gathered their plates and utensils and took them inside to the kitchen before heading upstairs, intent on removing the mirror from Ida’s ceiling.
The buzzing of Toots’s cell phone stopped them all dead in their tracks. She looked at the caller ID before answering. “Abby! What is my favorite child up to?”
“As far as I know, I’m your only child, unless you’ve been keeping secrets from me,” Abby said playfully.
Toots’s heart raced. If she only knew. “It’s nice to hear your voice, that’s all. Why aren’t you out pounding the pavement?”
“Remember the new owners appointed me editor in chief? I have to send all my little worker bees in search of the next cover story. Though I must admit, I do miss the excitement of the hunt and the deadlines.”
Toots should have known better, but with Abby at the helm, she felt sure The Informer could turn into a much better tabloid, maybe even better than The Enquirer or The Globe. “You can still write stories, can’t you?” Toots questioned, hoping she hadn’t jumped the gun. She knew how much Abby loved her job. Had she taken Abby’s passion for her career away by purchasing the paper just so Abby could hang on to her job? Time would tell.
“Yes, that’s why I’m calling. You’ll never believe in a million years who I’m going to interview.”
Toots thought for a moment and came up blank. “I haven’t a clue, so you’ll just have to spill the beans.”
“Are you sitting down?” Abby asked.
“No, the girls and I are headed upstairs to remove that hideous mirror from Ida’s ceiling.”
“Why don’t you let that construction company you hired take care of that? You
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