Louise frowned at her. “Watch who you’re calling old. You’re only as old as you act.”
“Which puts us at fifty,” Susan said with a grin.
“I was in bed with a book by ten when I was fifty,” said Carol.
“Old soul,” joked Susan.
“There’s nothing wrong with going to bed with a good book,” Zona argued. Every forty-two-year-old woman went to bed with a book on personal finance, right?
“At your age, you should be in bed with something more than a book,” Susan scolded her. “And doing more than reading.”
Was it Zona’s imagination or was Martin blushing?
“What do you think, Martin?” asked Carol.
Yes, he was definitely blushing.
“I think Zona has plenty of time to figure out the rest of her life,” he said. “Did you say there’s more of that special ice cream you made left, Zona?”
“There is.”
“Stay where you are. I’ll get it,” he said, and made his escape.
“You embarrassed him,” Louise said to her friend.
“He was probably embarrassed because of what he was thinking, and I don’t think it was about Zona in bed with someone,” Susan said to Louise. “That man is crazy about you. When are you going to come to your senses and appreciate him?”
“I’ll be happy to appreciate him,” said Carol.
“He’s your own personal knight in shining armor,” Susan continued.
“Martin is a dear, but I’m afraid he’d hardly qualify as a knight,” Louise said, lowering her voice.
“I think he qualifies just fine,” said Carol. “It stinks that the only woman he can see is you.”
“I’m very seeable,” Louise joked.
Martin came back out with his second bowl of ice cream just as a whiz and a pop sounded from somewhere in the neighborhood. “Sounds like things are about to get lively.”
“Afraid so,” said Carol. “How people manage to get their hands on illegal fireworks and set them off where they shouldn’t is a mystery to me.”
“The police can’t be everywhere,” said Susan.
“I just hope nobody sets the foothills on fire,” Carol said. She stood. “I should get home. Poor Socks is probably cowering under my bed already.”
Susan stood, too. “This holiday is hard on animals.” She stacked some plates. “I’ll load these for you, Louise.”
“Just leave them. I’ll get to them later,” said Louise.
“Many hands make light work,” said Carol, and she took the bowl with the fruit salad.
“I’ll help with cleanup, then I’m going home,” said Gilda, and grabbed some disposable cups.
Ten minutes later the kitchen had been cleaned and everyone but Martin had left.
“I’d better bring Darling in,” said Zona.
“Good idea,” said Louise as she and Martin went to the living room to pick out a movie to watch to pass the time.
