Read Online Elaine Orr - Jolie Gentil 04 - Any Port in a Storm by Elaine Orr - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Elaine Orr
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talking grates on a lot of people’s nerves. Mine included .
George grinned. “He’s going to pick up the bean bags from the other side of the HMS Stenner and take them back to Jennifer.”
“Good call,” I said, looking fully at Scoobie. He was in his usual jeans and a t-shirt, though this one had a pirate’s hat on the front. I had expected him to be in a full pirate costume.
“At the library,” he said, in answer to my look. “I figured we’d have a lot of dirty work this morning. Daphne said I can change over there.”
“Hey, Scoobie.” Dr. Welby’s voice boomed, per usual. Scoobie left to help him unload a ladder from the SUV. I assumed it was to hang some of the little flags all over the place.
Lance had ridden over with Dr. Welby, and he sat at the picnic table where George had deposited my box before going to help Scoobie with the ladder. “You look tired,” I said.
“On rare occasions I remember I’m more than ninety.” He smiled. “I’m actually going to take a nap about eleven o’clock, then I’ll be ready for action.”
THE MORNING PASSED quickly, too quickly given all we had to do. By noon there were literally dozens of volunteers setting up a real horseshoe pitch and a plastic one for kids, a large inflated children’s jumping house, refreshment stands, and, of course, the bake sale. Aunt Madge and Harry had set a couple of cinderblocks in the middle of each table, apparently in hopes of keeping the lightweight card tables anchored when the wind came up later.
Ramona had borrowed a couple of huge beach umbrellas from the lifeguard stands so she could do her caricatures without the papers scattering in the wind. Daphne and Joe Regan were helping her pound them far enough into the ground to stay there. I doubted they would. Ramona, however, was ready for anything. She had made a costume that was kind of like an elegant ball gown with artful rips, symmetrical of course, all along the bottom.
Joe had already set up a coffee stand. He was using the back of a pick-up truck, and I wished we had thought to do that for the bake sale. He had skull and crossbones flags plastered on every truck window and another flying from his antenna. He saw me looking at the truck and grinned. “Would me lady like to board my ship?”
“Only if it will take me far away from here,” I said and moved away.
Aretha almost swaggered in, followed by two pre-teens I knew to be her nephews. The bodice of her pirate costume was low-cut and the flounced skirt had numerous tears, showing more leg than she usually displays. She gave me a big wave and yelled across the park. “Jolie! Can you guess what I am?” One of the boys put his hands over his eyes, and the other one threw back his head and laughed.
“I’m not sure I want to yell it across the park!” I hollered back. I assumed she was dressed as a ‘ho,’ and figured Sylvia and Monica would probably need smelling salts. There were two wolf whistles and I didn’t have to guess where they came from. “Ignore them,” I said to Aretha.
She knew I meant George and Scoobie and grinned as she began to walk toward the bake sale tables while her nephews went toward Scoobie and George. I walked toward the pirate ship and listened as Jennifer instructed all of her “game managers” in how to talk to people who tried to butt in line. Jennifer had forgone all effort to look like a pirate and was dressed more like she was going to a formal ball in the late 1800s.
She finished her instructions and I walked up to her. “And you are dressed as..?” I let the words hang there.
“I’m the fair maiden the pirates plan to kidnap,” she said.
“Good one,” I said, and kept moving before I did a major eye roll.
Aunt Madge had made my outfit. She had seen a Talk Like a Pirate Day catalog in my bedroom, and before I could order she placed a simple dark blue dress, complete with white bodice, on my bed. It hit me mid-calf, which let me move around easily.
George grinned. “He’s going to pick up the bean bags from the other side of the HMS Stenner and take them back to Jennifer.”
“Good call,” I said, looking fully at Scoobie. He was in his usual jeans and a t-shirt, though this one had a pirate’s hat on the front. I had expected him to be in a full pirate costume.
“At the library,” he said, in answer to my look. “I figured we’d have a lot of dirty work this morning. Daphne said I can change over there.”
“Hey, Scoobie.” Dr. Welby’s voice boomed, per usual. Scoobie left to help him unload a ladder from the SUV. I assumed it was to hang some of the little flags all over the place.
Lance had ridden over with Dr. Welby, and he sat at the picnic table where George had deposited my box before going to help Scoobie with the ladder. “You look tired,” I said.
“On rare occasions I remember I’m more than ninety.” He smiled. “I’m actually going to take a nap about eleven o’clock, then I’ll be ready for action.”
THE MORNING PASSED quickly, too quickly given all we had to do. By noon there were literally dozens of volunteers setting up a real horseshoe pitch and a plastic one for kids, a large inflated children’s jumping house, refreshment stands, and, of course, the bake sale. Aunt Madge and Harry had set a couple of cinderblocks in the middle of each table, apparently in hopes of keeping the lightweight card tables anchored when the wind came up later.
Ramona had borrowed a couple of huge beach umbrellas from the lifeguard stands so she could do her caricatures without the papers scattering in the wind. Daphne and Joe Regan were helping her pound them far enough into the ground to stay there. I doubted they would. Ramona, however, was ready for anything. She had made a costume that was kind of like an elegant ball gown with artful rips, symmetrical of course, all along the bottom.
Joe had already set up a coffee stand. He was using the back of a pick-up truck, and I wished we had thought to do that for the bake sale. He had skull and crossbones flags plastered on every truck window and another flying from his antenna. He saw me looking at the truck and grinned. “Would me lady like to board my ship?”
“Only if it will take me far away from here,” I said and moved away.
Aretha almost swaggered in, followed by two pre-teens I knew to be her nephews. The bodice of her pirate costume was low-cut and the flounced skirt had numerous tears, showing more leg than she usually displays. She gave me a big wave and yelled across the park. “Jolie! Can you guess what I am?” One of the boys put his hands over his eyes, and the other one threw back his head and laughed.
“I’m not sure I want to yell it across the park!” I hollered back. I assumed she was dressed as a ‘ho,’ and figured Sylvia and Monica would probably need smelling salts. There were two wolf whistles and I didn’t have to guess where they came from. “Ignore them,” I said to Aretha.
She knew I meant George and Scoobie and grinned as she began to walk toward the bake sale tables while her nephews went toward Scoobie and George. I walked toward the pirate ship and listened as Jennifer instructed all of her “game managers” in how to talk to people who tried to butt in line. Jennifer had forgone all effort to look like a pirate and was dressed more like she was going to a formal ball in the late 1800s.
She finished her instructions and I walked up to her. “And you are dressed as..?” I let the words hang there.
“I’m the fair maiden the pirates plan to kidnap,” she said.
“Good one,” I said, and kept moving before I did a major eye roll.
Aunt Madge had made my outfit. She had seen a Talk Like a Pirate Day catalog in my bedroom, and before I could order she placed a simple dark blue dress, complete with white bodice, on my bed. It hit me mid-calf, which let me move around easily.
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