Lucky by Sharon Sala Page B

an interest in Lucky Houston. She’d lived long enough in this world to learn that there were few she could trust.
    But something had clicked between Lucille and Lucky. They’d both sensed it. And wasting time was not a luxury Lucille could afford. She had no family and who knew how many years left.
    She’d puttered for hours, dusting things that hadn’t been touched in months, and cooking tidbits of her favorite foods while maligning the cat’s constant presence beneath her feet. But now the preparations were over. The time of waiting was at hand. Lucifer lay curled in her lap,purring in sleep while Fluffy’s arthritic hands absently stroked his silky black fur. For the time, their antagonism was at a cease-fire as the late afternoon sun made layabouts of them both.
    And then Fluffy saw Lucky coming up the street, her long legs making short work of the block and a half to home. Fluffy smiled. She could tell by the length of her stride and the set of her jaw that she’d gotten a job.
    “But where, my pretty?” she muttered to herself, and promptly stood, dumping Lucifer unceremoniously on the floor and anxiously smoothing the front of her dress as she hobbled to the door.
    Lucky was walking on air. Three days in Las Vegas and she had a home, a friend, and a job. It was more than she’d ever dreamed possible when she’d hugged Queenie good-bye and crawled on that bus, leaving Cradle Creek behind and Johnny in his grave.
    “Lucky! Lucky Houston. I’ve been waiting for you.”
    Her eccentric landlady was waving at her from the front door. With a spurt of joy, she started to run.
    “Fluffy! You won’t guess!”
    “You have a job, of course. Now come in. Come in. Tell me all about it.”
    Lucky took the steps two at a time, glad to have someone with whom she could share her news.
    Lucifer darted between her feet as he made for the back of the house, hissing and spitting with every leap.
    “He doesn’t like me much,” she said. “I scared him yesterday when I came headfirst through your window.”
    “Pooh,” Fluffy muttered. “He doesn’t like me much either. Pay him no mind.”
    Lucky grinned and then looked around, suddenly seeing all that had been done in her absence.
    “You’ve been, ah…fixing up the place, haven’t you? It looks wonderful.” As did Fluffy. She was cleaner and much more presentable than she’d been when first they’d met.
    Fluffy smoothed the front of her magenta gown and readjusted the brooch she had pinned at her breast to replace a missing button. She patted her hair and walked across the room with an arthritic sway reminiscent of her runway walk.
    “It needed it,” Fluffy said. Hesitation coupled with loneliness entered her voice. “I cooked. If you like, you could have dinner with me.”
    Lucky smiled and then impulsively hugged her. “It would be my pleasure.”
    “I don’t cook ordinary food. I cook what I like to eat,” she warned. “At my age, diets are a joke. Going without fat or cholesterol is not going to prolong my life. I’ve already outlived every friend I have, you know.”
    Lucky’s eyes misted. Fluffy would hate to know that while her words were defiantly funny, her watery gray eyes gave her away. She was lonely. And Lucky could easily identify with the feeling. Save for her sisters and Johnny, she had never in her life had anyone close to her.
    “We make a pair, don’t we, Fluffy?” Lucky said, kicking off her shoes and wiggling her toes.
    “Why don’t you go change into something comfortable, then come back when you’re ready. I boiled shrimp. It’s chilled and just waiting to be eaten. I made macaroni and cheese too. It’s one of my favorites…oh, and I bought a chocolate fudge pie.”
    The combination of foods Fluffy ticked off on her fingers threatened to stagger Lucky’s constitution, but she wouldn’t have missed this meal for a million dollars.
    “Give me five minutes. I’ll be back barefoot and hungry.”
    Fluffy patted her pocket