Perfect Blend by Sue Margolis

Author:Sue Margolis [Margolis, Sue]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-553-90779-7
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2010-10-26T16:00:00+00:00

FIRST THING the next morning, Amy had a chat with Brian and explained that having interviewed Mrs. B, she needed to go to the school one lunchtime to speak to the kids. “I know it’s the worst possible time of day, but I can’t see any way around it. If it helps, Bel said she’d cover for me.”

“Fine.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m not going to let her loose on the espresso machine, but I’m assuming she can clear tables, slice cake, and stack the dishwasher.”

“She’s worked in pubs. Of course she can, and I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Bri, I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

“Amy, will you just stop fretting? We’ll manage”

“Thanks,” she said. “You’re a really good mate.”

On Thursday morning on the dot of half past eleven, Bel arrived. She was wearing a candy pink polyester waitress dress, very tight, very short, the top buttons undone to her cleavage. A dainty white apron completed her ensemble.

Amy rolled her eyes. “What, no frilly cap, no notepad, no pencil behind the ear?”

“Hi, y’all. My name is Bel”—she strung her name out to three syllables—“and I’ll be your waitress for today. Our specials include deep frah-ed chicken, turnip greens, black-eyed peas, fried catfish, and key lime pie.”

Zelma burst out laughing. “My God, Blanche DuBois has gone into catering.” She kissed and hugged Bel and told her off for being such a stranger … “and so thin.”

“So what do you think of the outfit?”

“All I can say,” Zelma replied, “is that most women wear more when they give birth.”

At that point Brian walked in. He’d been in the kitchen, on the phone to one of the suppliers. His eyes went from Bel’s cleavage to her legs and back again. Not that she noticed. Her eyes were elsewhere.

“Haircut, haircut,” she chanted.

Brian looked self-conscious. His hand darted to his head. “You hate it.”

“Hate it? Of course I don’t hate it. I think it’s great. Very sexy.” Bel had called Brian a lot of things in the past. As far as Amy could remember, “sexy” had never been one of them.

“Really?”

“Come on, you know me. When do I ever lie? So how do you like the outfit?” She did a twirl. “If you think it’s too much, I’ve brought ordinary clothes. I can change.”

Brian seemed unable to take his eyes off her. He didn’t speak.

“Bel to Brian—come in, Brian. I said if it’s all too much, I’ve brought civvies I can change into.”

“No,” he said. “You’re fine. Honest.”

Brian said he would take Bel into the kitchen to show her how to work the dishwasher.

“Oh, by the way,” Amy said to Bel, “the shopping you asked me to pick up is on the top shelf in the cloaks cupboard.”

“Thank you so much. You’re a doll.”

After Brian and Bel had disappeared into the kitchen, Zelma turned to Amy. “Is it my imagination,” she said, “or do I detect a spark between those two? In the past, all they’ve ever done is rub each other the wrong way.

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