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Now that the important business had been laid to rest (no sprinting competition for Sunday banana pudding), Ida Belle took a moment to introduce the blonde woman sitting at the table.
"This is Fortune. She's Marge Boudreaux's niece. Fortune, meet Moses Murphy. She grew up here in Sinful."
Mo just gaped. Fortune had blonde hair and blue eyes, but she was put together in a whole different way! Now why couldn't I look like her? Tall, slender, elegant? Before the women had a chance to say more than hello, the front bell tinkled.
A male voice shouted, "Is there a Moses Murphy in here?"
Gertie stood and glared. "Carter LeBlanc, where's your manners? You should be ashamed, shouting across the room like that." Her voice was only a fraction quieter than the man who just entered. Gertie pointed to an empty chair at the table. It wasn't an invitation but a command.
Mo turned and watched the handsome hunk of man- yes, he was a LeBlanc- head to their table. She saw the look that passed between him and Fortune when he spotted her. Well, at least he wasn't going to waste. Carter sat in the chair while Gertie made the introductions.
He frowned at Mo. "Tony said you'd be in to see me as soon as you arrived."
"Who's Tony?" Mo questioned.
"The officer who pulled you over for speeding. He also told me about your seat belt and rear-view mirror infractions... and that I was to be your first stop in Sinful." Carter wasn't happy.
Mo sniffed. "I guess he was wrong."
The ladies all lifted their brows and waited for the match to start. "You're awful bossy for a woman who's been driving without a license," Carter warned.
Mo snorted. "I don't need a license to be bossy. Besides, my license was stolen. Did you call the morons in Oklahoma who took it?"
"If by morons you mean the highway patrol, then yes. I called them."
"Good. Are they sending my license? It's the least they can do after the stunt they pulled." Under her breath, she muttered, "Jackasses."
Carter replied, "Yes, ma'am, they already mailed it. To the address on the license. Where are you from? Oh, yeah- California!" He enjoyed riling the bossy, big mouth that gave his friend, Tony, such a hard time. Tony wasn't easily shaken, but this woman rocked his boat... and hard. Carter hid his grin. Tony liked his woman robust and saucy, but Carter wasn't sure he could handle this one. She'd already rattled his cage after one short traffic stop.
Mo rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Gee, thanks. That does me a ton of good. I don't know how I'll ever repay this act of kindness... but I'm sure I'll find a way." She gave him a snotty baring of teeth.
Carter stood. He wasn't finished with Miss Chip On Her Shoulder. "Ma'am, I'd advise you not to drive your vehicle until you can furnish a valid driver's license."
Since her car was parked out front, she started burning, and Carter tossed the gasoline before he left. "And you can buy powder at the local store."
Her jaw dropped in shock. Really? He told him about the whole... Mo flipped her eyes to see Ida Belle and Gertie were nearly sprawled on the table so as not to miss a word, while Fortune struggled to hide a grin.
Ida Belle looked surprised. "Annie always had a tin of powder in her bag. Didn't you learn that lesson?" she asked Mo.
"Well, the weather isn't quite so balmy in northern California, so it wasn't an issue," Mo admitted. "I see now it's a necessity."
"Are you planning to stay?" Gertie inquired, her polite way of asking if Mo's life took the express elevator to hell while she was away from Sinful.
"That's the plan," Mo admitted. It did no good trying to lie to these women. They may have been on opposite sides of the street from Annie when it came to religion, but they were cut from the same bolt of vintage, indestructible, double-knit polyester cloth. They'd be proud to know they were still in style and sometimes now called by the more chic sounding name, ponte, although they might not approve of the adulterated blends.
"What did I tell you?" Ida Belle asked, with a knowing look. "Do you have a place to stay?"
Mo didn't make the mistake of assuming that Ida Belle was offering her home to the granddaughter of a Catholic who took banana pudding out of her mouth. She also didn't take offense. "I've got a room at the Sinful Inn," she said with a bright smile. The look of horror on the faces of all three women spoke volumes... silently.
Oh, my! She really has hit rock bottom.
Well, what can you expect from Annie's family? I guess it's in the blood.
Hang in there! If you hold on long enough, something's got to give, even if you have to shoot it!
Ida Belle stood and patted her head. "Well, you can be proud of one thing. You aren't shaped like a pear, or an apple." With those encouraging words, she headed to the front door.
"If you need transportation, you make sure to give us a call," Gertie offered. Behind her, Fortune was making a slashing motion across her neck. When Gertie turned, Fortune coughed and rubbed her throat.
"Welcome home," Fortune said. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing to say, or not." Then she grinned. "But your arrival just lowered the average age of the citizens from hospice to geriatric." She hopped to catch up with Ida Belle and Gertie, who halted just inside the front door.
Gertie scolded Ida Belle in a voice that could be heard across the cafe. "That wasn't a very Christian thing to say!"
"Well, it's true isn't it?" Ida Belle snapped. "Would it be more Christian to lie?"
Thankfully, Fortune had enough mercy, or more like sense, to push the women out the door. If she hadn't done so, they'd argue there until Francine kicked them out.