Naughty or Nice by Fern Michaels

Author:Fern Michaels [Michaels, Fern]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781420136654
Published: 2015-11-18T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

The “parlor” looked like something out of Architectural Digest. Though Toots hated to admit it, Blanche Harding and her team had transformed the room into a historical-holiday dream room to be envied. At the last minute, she’d begged Toots to allow her to add real candles to the trees, but Toots had remained adamant. No fires on her tree. Take it or leave it. Blanche had acted as though Toots was ignorant of certain “historically accurate thangs,” but not everyone could be expected to know as much as she did. Toots had wanted to smack her decorator, had wanted to tell her that the proper way to say “thangs” was “things,” but had decided it wasn’t the time for pettiness. Blanche had left after Toots refused to agree with her dangerous requests.

Phil looked as handsome as ever. He wore a dark gray suit, and his silver tie matched her dress. She’d never been one of those women who wanted “her man” to match, but the tie was perfect. Just the right amount of elegance to let everyone see that they were a married couple who shared similar tastes in clothing. Frankly, she didn’t give a good rat’s ass what anyone thought. She was happy; her marriage to Dr. Phillip Becker was as good as she had thought it would be; and her daughter and son-in-law, who was also her stepson, along with her adorable grandchildren, were all thriving. Life didn’t get any better, she thought.

“So?” Toots said to Phil. “Think we’ll have any crazies visiting our home tonight?”

He laughed. “Toots, if we didn’t, the evening wouldn’t be a success. Of course we will. All those gossipmongers you have been telling me about the past two years are sure to be here any minute.” He looked at his watch. “And it’s time to open the doors.”

Taking a deep breath, Toots unlocked the heavy wooden doors and pulled them aside. A large crowd had gathered on her front steps. She looked at the small table she’d set up at the entry, and the book she’d arranged on top for guests to sign. At the end of the tour, she had an area set up where donations were being accepted. She and Phil had hired a team of waitpersons to keep the desserts that Jamie had made flowing, and to make sure the pralines were in abundance.

If all went according to plan during the month of December, Hope for Heroes would take in enough money to buy much-needed homes for the needy veterans. Since Bernice was such a coupon clipper these days, and Robert counted pennies as though his life depended on it, they’d volunteered to handle the donations. The finances of Toots’s latest charitable effort were in good hands tonight.

The crowd formed a line. Some stopped to sign the guest book; others chose to race through the line to see the “parlor.”

Toots heard bits of conversation as the fine folks of Charleston paraded through the room.

“I would never leave this room if it were mine!” said a young woman.

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