old guy dropped it off. Guess they’re having a fish fry tomorrow. Hey, there’s some refreshments left here. Try the chocolate cupcakes. They’ve got butter-pecan filling.”
“Sound great, but I don’t have time. I was just trying to find someone to crown the king and queen, since it appears that Gabe got tied up somewhere. I can’t even find Edwin, so can I count on you in a pinch?”
“Sure, can I keep the apron on?”
“You know, I’m beginning to suspect you’re even more of a rabble-rouser than your grandmother.”
“Conflict is good for a body. Keeps the blood moving.”
“That doesn’t sound very ministerial,” I said. “Besides, I remember when your method of dealing with conflict involved a bottle of Coke shaken up and pointed at someone.”
He winked at me. “Let’s just keep that little secret between you and me.”
“Speaking of conflict, I saw Oralee head in here about half an hour back. She and Mr. O’Hara were at it again. Is she okay?”
“Fine.” His voice grew short.
“Mac, what is it?”
“It’s ...” He hesitated. His broad, normally jovial face became somber. “It’s just this thing between her and Mr. O’Hara is starting to get annoying. I talked her into going back to her room so she could lie down for a while. He upset her so badly I was afraid she’d have another stroke.” He picked up a section of newspaper sitting on the counter and started folding it into smaller and smaller squares. “She’s eighty-two years old, Benni. Another stroke could kill her. I wish that O’Hara character would just—” He stopped, took the compressed square, and with a flick of his wrist, tossed it across the room, hitting a large commercial mixer. The look of raw anger on his face surprised me.
“Mac, it’s just a card game.”
He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. “Sorry. I guess I’m a bit overprotective.”
“I wouldn’t let Oralee hear you say that. She’d make you shovel stalls for a week if you dared suggest she couldn’t take care of herself.”
“Well,” Mac said, untying his apron. “Where do I go to crown the royal couple?”
“I’ll let you know if I need you. I’m still hoping Gabe will make it. Besides, the king himself seems to be missing. We can’t have the ceremony without him.”
“Who are the king and queen?”
“Martha Pickering is the queen and I won’t mention the king’s name for fear of incurring your wrath.”
“Not Brady O’Hara?”
“The one and only. You know, except for Oralee, he’s actually pretty popular around Oak Terrace.”
“Isn’t it funny how money has a way of doing that?”
“C’mon, Mac, at these people’s ages? How in the world could the size of his bank account possibly make a difference to any of the people who live at Oak Terrace?”
He looked at me soberly. “You are too naive, Benni Harper. Lust doesn’t end when the Social Security checks start coming in.”
I laughed nervously. “This is getting way too serious for me. I think I’ll leave the worry of human vices to you. I just want to get this dance wrapped up. The only thing I’m lusting for right now is my nice, warm bed.”
“You know where I’ll be if you need me.”
I walked back out into the recreation hall and peered around the crowded room, looking for Gabe, when Edwin rushed up, slightly out of breath, his long face shiny with perspiration. “Chief Ortiz just left a message at the front desk. He’ll be here in ten minutes.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll tell the band to play a few more songs and we’ll start wrapping this up.”
“Good, good,” he replied. “The sooner the better.” Then he hurried off, no groping, no wandering eyes. I wondered briefly what had got his dander up, then decided maybe I didn’t want to know. I joined Thelma and Martha over on the sidelines and listened to them unabashedly gossip about who of the young adults was cheating on who and what two of the more adventurous
“Sound great, but I don’t have time. I was just trying to find someone to crown the king and queen, since it appears that Gabe got tied up somewhere. I can’t even find Edwin, so can I count on you in a pinch?”
“Sure, can I keep the apron on?”
“You know, I’m beginning to suspect you’re even more of a rabble-rouser than your grandmother.”
“Conflict is good for a body. Keeps the blood moving.”
“That doesn’t sound very ministerial,” I said. “Besides, I remember when your method of dealing with conflict involved a bottle of Coke shaken up and pointed at someone.”
He winked at me. “Let’s just keep that little secret between you and me.”
“Speaking of conflict, I saw Oralee head in here about half an hour back. She and Mr. O’Hara were at it again. Is she okay?”
“Fine.” His voice grew short.
“Mac, what is it?”
“It’s ...” He hesitated. His broad, normally jovial face became somber. “It’s just this thing between her and Mr. O’Hara is starting to get annoying. I talked her into going back to her room so she could lie down for a while. He upset her so badly I was afraid she’d have another stroke.” He picked up a section of newspaper sitting on the counter and started folding it into smaller and smaller squares. “She’s eighty-two years old, Benni. Another stroke could kill her. I wish that O’Hara character would just—” He stopped, took the compressed square, and with a flick of his wrist, tossed it across the room, hitting a large commercial mixer. The look of raw anger on his face surprised me.
“Mac, it’s just a card game.”
He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. “Sorry. I guess I’m a bit overprotective.”
“I wouldn’t let Oralee hear you say that. She’d make you shovel stalls for a week if you dared suggest she couldn’t take care of herself.”
“Well,” Mac said, untying his apron. “Where do I go to crown the royal couple?”
“I’ll let you know if I need you. I’m still hoping Gabe will make it. Besides, the king himself seems to be missing. We can’t have the ceremony without him.”
“Who are the king and queen?”
“Martha Pickering is the queen and I won’t mention the king’s name for fear of incurring your wrath.”
“Not Brady O’Hara?”
“The one and only. You know, except for Oralee, he’s actually pretty popular around Oak Terrace.”
“Isn’t it funny how money has a way of doing that?”
“C’mon, Mac, at these people’s ages? How in the world could the size of his bank account possibly make a difference to any of the people who live at Oak Terrace?”
He looked at me soberly. “You are too naive, Benni Harper. Lust doesn’t end when the Social Security checks start coming in.”
I laughed nervously. “This is getting way too serious for me. I think I’ll leave the worry of human vices to you. I just want to get this dance wrapped up. The only thing I’m lusting for right now is my nice, warm bed.”
“You know where I’ll be if you need me.”
I walked back out into the recreation hall and peered around the crowded room, looking for Gabe, when Edwin rushed up, slightly out of breath, his long face shiny with perspiration. “Chief Ortiz just left a message at the front desk. He’ll be here in ten minutes.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll tell the band to play a few more songs and we’ll start wrapping this up.”
“Good, good,” he replied. “The sooner the better.” Then he hurried off, no groping, no wandering eyes. I wondered briefly what had got his dander up, then decided maybe I didn’t want to know. I joined Thelma and Martha over on the sidelines and listened to them unabashedly gossip about who of the young adults was cheating on who and what two of the more adventurous
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