“How’d I do, ladies?” Lola cackled.

“You didn’t miss a beat, Lola. It was perfect. No pun intended, but I do think you set the stage for future events. How about a good stiff drink? I’ll dump these cucumber sandwiches and bring us some homemade pizza.”

“Put lots of pepperoni on mine,” Lola said.

“Garlic and onions on mine,” Cady said.

“What about Atlas?” Mandy asked.

“Tomato sauce isn’t good for dogs. Just bring him some dog biscuits.”

“I’m thinking that young man, who by the way looks like a pumpkin, is going to print his interview verbatim. Mark my words. I think it’s safe to say we’re on a roll now, sweetie. The paper is giving me the entire front page of the Lifestyle section on Sunday. Everyone reads the Sunday paper. Monday morning should prove interesting.”

Cady laughed.

Mandy demanded to know what was so funny as she set down the heavy tray she was holding. She dropped to the floor, where Cady was sitting next to Atlas. “You’re supposed to drink beer with pizza,” she grumbled.

Cady handed Atlas a dog biscuit. He looked at it, then at Cady and Lola. He walked away, his tail swishing indignantly.

“That dog of yours has turned into a gourmet, Cady.”

Cady chomped down on her slice of pizza, wondering if Lola was going to eat anything. Cady watched as Lola devoured a slice that had ten circles of pepperoni on it.

“I think that’s the best pizza I ever ate,” Lola proclaimed. “When I finish this drink, I’m going to take a nap. What are you going to do, Cady?”

“I’m going to work on the scrapbooks. Then again, I might go into town to do some shopping. You keep telling me my wardrobe needs to be updated.”

Lola looked horrified. “You’re going to buy off the rack? I already have a call in to my designer, Danielle. She arrives on Monday with her seamstresses. By the end of the week, my dear, you will have a wardrobe like no other. What do you think, Mandy, should we put in a call to Mona to come, too? Cady needs a fashionable hairdo. Yes, yes, let’s do that. I want you looking like a force to be reckoned with when this town sees you for the first time.”

In spite of herself, Cady felt excited at the prospect.

5

Pete Danson hung up the phone, a frown on his face. His Saturday meeting with Lola Jor Dan had just been canceled and rescheduled for Monday afternoon. He continued to frown as he recalled the curt words of the secretary named Amanda. He told himself the rescheduled appointment didn’t mean the movie star wanted to cancel his legal services. Damn, he would hate to lose the robust yearly retainer Ken said came with representing Lola Jor Dan.

He told himself that a rescheduled appointment wasn’t anything to worry about. People hated seeing a lawyer almost as much as they hated going to the dentist. He hoped he wasn’t kidding himself.