in the bay,” she ordered, trying not to notice the washer tub full of the things. “Willie-Boy, put your shirt on.”
“ I didn’t move much, Phoebe. I just laid down here. I feel fine.”
“ I’m not throwing my crabs back.” Dorie stood by the tub. “Daddy likes crab gumbo. It’s his favorite food ever.”
“ Did he say that?”
“ He said it every time my mother cooked it.”
Phoebe wasn ’t of a mind to compete with a dead woman. Neither was she of a mind to incur the displeasure of Gage Morgan. She reckoned if he was hungry for crab gumbo... “Tote that tub up to the back porch then. Maydean, you got dishes to wash. But first you put on some decent clothes. You’ve ruined a fair good pair of slacks, cuttin’ them off like that.”
“ I ain’t. Everybody wears shorts like this. If you’d buy me a swim suit, I wouldn’ta had to cut ‘em up.”
“ I’m going to buy you something, Maydean. First loose money I get, I’m goin’ to buy you a shroud. Now get up to the house, like I said.”
“ Since I feel so good, can I stay here and keep crabbin’ with Dorie?” asked Willie-Boy.
“ Since you feel so good, I reckon you can take a swat on your behind for not mindin’ me. Dorie too, for coaxin’ you outta bed.”
“ I wish I was home with Ma.”
“ I wish you all were home with your ma,” said Dorie, aiming at Phoebe. “You’re not my boss. My daddy lets me do what I want.”
“ Your daddy ain’t got rightful sense.”
“ I’m going to tell him you said that.”
Phoebe glared at the girl. “I don’t hold with tattlin’.” She also didn’t hold with smelling high, which she did. “I’m goin’ to take a bath. When I’m done, that kitchen had better be spotless.”
~~~~
Soaped from head to toe, Phoebe lay back in the big old porcelain tub figuring just how much of her money to put in Gage Morgan’s big, greedy paw. Like as not, he’d want the whole lot of it.
The way to get ar ound that was to get up some romance. Men didn’t think straight once they were romantically inclined. At least, her brother Joey hadn’t. Soon’s Vinnie had her claws into him, he mooned, moped, thirsted and went off regular meals. All of that and the only thing Vinnie had going for her was a pair of endowments that she displayed by wearing tight shirts.
Phoebe got out of the tub, toweled off and stared at her reflection in the steam-misted mirror hanging on the bathroom door. She couldn ’t go much wrong by knowing what she had to work with—a smart woman used what was available.
Her brain was her best feature. But it was invisible to the naked eye. Gage Morgan didn ’t appear the type to be interested in a brain.
Wet, her hair clung in tight curls to her head. She fluffed it out. There were those who paid money at the beauty parlor to match it in color and style. She had it for free. That was one good point. Her neck was long and creamy, especially on the nape where the sun didn ’t get to it. All things considered, she had a nice neck. That was a second good point. Not counting her knees, her legs were shapely and strong. That made three good points.
Phoebe ’s gaze dropped to her torso. The only failing she had, if a body could call it such, was below her neck and above her thigh. It ought to be a sin for a man to judge a woman by what she had or lacked, from neck bone to thighbone.
She took a big shuddering breath and began to pull on clean jeans and a faded shirt, tying the tail in a knot at her ribcage.
She pinched her cheeks to give them color. Worrying about body parts made her less sure of herself. She didn’t like the feeling.
In the kitchen Dorie and Maydean were playing at doing dishes. Willie-Boy, they said, was watching TV.
On the back porch the crabs were blowing bubbles and warring among themselves. On the path to the welding shed, Phoebe stopped and admired a pair of gulls, wings spread wide, skimming the bay.
The sea gull knew all about its life
“ I didn’t move much, Phoebe. I just laid down here. I feel fine.”
“ I’m not throwing my crabs back.” Dorie stood by the tub. “Daddy likes crab gumbo. It’s his favorite food ever.”
“ Did he say that?”
“ He said it every time my mother cooked it.”
Phoebe wasn ’t of a mind to compete with a dead woman. Neither was she of a mind to incur the displeasure of Gage Morgan. She reckoned if he was hungry for crab gumbo... “Tote that tub up to the back porch then. Maydean, you got dishes to wash. But first you put on some decent clothes. You’ve ruined a fair good pair of slacks, cuttin’ them off like that.”
“ I ain’t. Everybody wears shorts like this. If you’d buy me a swim suit, I wouldn’ta had to cut ‘em up.”
“ I’m going to buy you something, Maydean. First loose money I get, I’m goin’ to buy you a shroud. Now get up to the house, like I said.”
“ Since I feel so good, can I stay here and keep crabbin’ with Dorie?” asked Willie-Boy.
“ Since you feel so good, I reckon you can take a swat on your behind for not mindin’ me. Dorie too, for coaxin’ you outta bed.”
“ I wish I was home with Ma.”
“ I wish you all were home with your ma,” said Dorie, aiming at Phoebe. “You’re not my boss. My daddy lets me do what I want.”
“ Your daddy ain’t got rightful sense.”
“ I’m going to tell him you said that.”
Phoebe glared at the girl. “I don’t hold with tattlin’.” She also didn’t hold with smelling high, which she did. “I’m goin’ to take a bath. When I’m done, that kitchen had better be spotless.”
~~~~
Soaped from head to toe, Phoebe lay back in the big old porcelain tub figuring just how much of her money to put in Gage Morgan’s big, greedy paw. Like as not, he’d want the whole lot of it.
The way to get ar ound that was to get up some romance. Men didn’t think straight once they were romantically inclined. At least, her brother Joey hadn’t. Soon’s Vinnie had her claws into him, he mooned, moped, thirsted and went off regular meals. All of that and the only thing Vinnie had going for her was a pair of endowments that she displayed by wearing tight shirts.
Phoebe got out of the tub, toweled off and stared at her reflection in the steam-misted mirror hanging on the bathroom door. She couldn ’t go much wrong by knowing what she had to work with—a smart woman used what was available.
Her brain was her best feature. But it was invisible to the naked eye. Gage Morgan didn ’t appear the type to be interested in a brain.
Wet, her hair clung in tight curls to her head. She fluffed it out. There were those who paid money at the beauty parlor to match it in color and style. She had it for free. That was one good point. Her neck was long and creamy, especially on the nape where the sun didn ’t get to it. All things considered, she had a nice neck. That was a second good point. Not counting her knees, her legs were shapely and strong. That made three good points.
Phoebe ’s gaze dropped to her torso. The only failing she had, if a body could call it such, was below her neck and above her thigh. It ought to be a sin for a man to judge a woman by what she had or lacked, from neck bone to thighbone.
She took a big shuddering breath and began to pull on clean jeans and a faded shirt, tying the tail in a knot at her ribcage.
She pinched her cheeks to give them color. Worrying about body parts made her less sure of herself. She didn’t like the feeling.
In the kitchen Dorie and Maydean were playing at doing dishes. Willie-Boy, they said, was watching TV.
On the back porch the crabs were blowing bubbles and warring among themselves. On the path to the welding shed, Phoebe stopped and admired a pair of gulls, wings spread wide, skimming the bay.
The sea gull knew all about its life
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