Listen To Your Heart by Fern Michaels Read Free Book Online Page B

got that from between the lines of the article. I don’t think he could compete against a woman. Some men are like that. I know you’re going to give him a run for his money. Do you think maybe you could be a little less picky and give the guy a chance? You aren’t getting any younger, sister dear. That big number thirty is just months away.”
    Josie moved the crockery back to the other end of the counter and then rearranged the stainless-steel utensils in a neat line. “So what’s all this?” she asked, pointing at the simmering pots.
    â€œSome new things I’m trying out for the Brignacs’ Mardi Gras party. You said they wanted something different. I’ll bring a sample over later for Rosie to sniff for her seal of approval. If she likes it, we’ll go with it. If not, I’ll try something else. Whose turn is it to take the food over to the shelter?” Taking their test recipes to the homeless shelter was something they did every day.
    â€œI did it on Friday, so it’s your turn. You were coming down with your cold, remember?”
    â€œYep, I do remember. The pie smells wonderful. Want a piece when it cools off?”
    â€œNo, I do not. These hips have all the extra padding they need. I’m going over to the cottage and start to plan Mrs. Lobelia’s Mardi Gras party. She just wants the standard stuff. I also want to try to get a couple of my newspaper articles written. If I’m ahead of the game, there won’t be as much pressure as last year. I think my first two recipes are going to be the ones you whipped up last week. I particularly like the crabmeat ravigote. It livens up the palate. Then I thought I’d do a robust, gutsy rub of some sort for all kinds of fish. I want to play with the ingredients a bit more. The main thing will be how the fish is cooked. I want it to be robust and sturdy, nothing subtle. If I come up with something, I’ll buzz you on the intercom. Did you think about a new cornmeal recipe at all?”
    â€œI’m thinking along the lines of an open-faced Cajun crab pie with a buttered-down cornmeal crust. I’m not sure of the seasonings. I’m going to try out a few later on. It’ll look good on the packaging if I can get it to fly. By the way, what are you wearing this evening?”
    â€œWhatever I can find in the closet. I’m not sprucing up if that’s what you mean.”
    â€œOh.”
    â€œYes, oh,” Josie said as she opened the heavy metal door. “See you later.”
    Josie looked around the backyard. Was it her imagination, or were the trees greener, the sun brighter? Was the air more fragrant than yesterday? To her eye the sky looked like a turquoise canopy. The birds overhead chittered happily. Did they always do that and she didn’t pay attention? Why was she noticing everything today? What was there about today that was special? She’d cleaned off the cottage porch, screwed the planters back into the wall under the windows and loaded them up with the colorful geraniums and petunias. Rosie was cuddling with her new toy and the Beanie Baby Josie had repaired. Maybe that was it. Rosie was over her funk. Next to Kitty, Rosie was the only thing in the world Josie loved.
    She had a date tonight but she’d had lots of dates. Nothing special there. It must be Rosie. What else could it be?
    The moment Josie sat down at the small secretary, the appointment book open in front of her, the phone rang at the same instant a fax started to come through. She wasn’t able to take a deep breath to relax until well past the noon hour, at which point she slammed the appointment book shut and turned on the answering machine. She pressed the intercom button next to the secretary.
    â€œWhat’s up?” Kitty asked in a harried voice.
    â€œI’ll tell you what’s up. I had to turn on the answering machine. We are booked solid until the end of May. That means we