Page 54 of Life, Love and the Pursuit of Happiness

“But you’re gonna get a dog?”

“Maybe.”

“Good. You can keep it here.”

“Maggie, come here a minute,” Delilah called from inside.

Was I just hustled by a mini con artist?

He went off to help the grandmother.

“What’s in these things, Ms. Jones?” he asked as he hefted one of the boxes off the roof and nearly herniated himself.

“Call me Salome, or Sal,” she said.

Salome? Wasn’t she the babe who danced for a king in the Bible? Delilah said she used to be a Vegas showgirl. Oh, yeah, this babe is going to fit right in here in Bell Cove!

“They’re Avon, honey,” Sal told him.

“Huh?”

“Didn’t Delilah tell you that I was an Avon lady for years, as a side gig, when I wasn’t dancing onstage. You know, ding a ling, doorbell ringing, ‘Avon, calling!’ That kind of Avon.”

He barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. “Well, we have plenty of doorbells here in Bell Cove. It’s a town built on bells, from way back. You should do very well here.”

She smiled at him. “I’m counting on it, sugar. By the way, I have a great men’s cologne, Black Suede, that would suit you perfectly. It’s on sale for only nine ninety-nine.”

“Uh, I’m more into Blue Suede. Like, you know, blue suede shoes,” he tried to joke.

She ignored or didn’t get his jest. “Black Suede is sort of a citrusy/sage scent.”

“I am partial to lemons,” he conceded.

“Black Suede is promoted as a fragrance for the rugged masculine man.”

“Well, hell’s bells, order me a gallon then.”

Another con job, he decided, with a chuckle, as he stored the boxes in the shed for her and then took off in his truck, a little black bottle sitting on the seat beside him, his wallet minus a ten spot. So much had happened in the past few hours that he didn’t have time to think about the amazing night he’d just spent with Delilah. He wanted to go over every little detail in his mind.

In the meantime, he had errands to run. After loading the machines at the Laundromat, he headed for Hard Knocks, the hardware store, where he picked up Delilah’s mini blowtorch and decided to buy a grill and a bunch of related barbecue accessories, which were in a window display. He put the clothes in the dryers and picked up the items on Delilah’s grocery list at a nearby supermarket. Once the clothes were dry and folded at the Laundromat, he went back to the Patterson house to gather his belongings for his move into the motel unit.

While he was there, he mentioned to Mildred Patterson that Delilah’s grandmother and her daughter had just arrived. He also happened to let slip that Salome had a dance background. Some of the other oldies overheard and about suffered heart attacks of excitement at the prospect of a Las Vegas showgirl joining their group. All of them seemed to speak at once, asking him questions, most of which he couldn’t answer, having just met the woman.

“Do you think she can still do a high kick?” Elmer asked him as he finger combed his bald head.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Merrill replied.

“Should we invite her over?” Mildred asked.

“Sure, but you should probably wait until they settle in.”

“She sounds like fun.”

No doubt. “She dated Elvis a time or two, I understand. That should make for good conversation.” Merrill’s loose tongue was obviously enjoying a holiday.

“Wow!” Mildred said, and a bunch of senior jaws plummeted.

Merrill closed his eyes for a moment, fearing he’d witness a mass denture drop.