An Offer He Can't Refuse (50 page)

'Thank you, Joe." The words sounded faint.

Eve snickered. She couldn't help herself. Joey, straightforward, no-nonsense, unsentimental Joey, was a closet nuptials geek.

Téa started laughing too.

Joey slumped into a third chair, then hid her face behind one of her precious magazines. Her shoulders shook.

It was good to hear them laugh, Eve thought. Despite their father, despite their individual secrets, despite the trouble brewing thanks to their grandfather's impending retirement, they could still laugh.

She picked up one of the magazines and ran her fingers over the cover model's frothy veil. Her life was in shambles, but she could put off thinking about it for a while. She glanced over at Téa, and saw that her big sister was already turning pages, her eyes dreamy, her face glowing with happiness. Definitely mooning over her Johnny now.

"We
do
have a wedding to plan," Eve said. "Let's get started."

About the Music…

It started with a man! My music-major-turned-math-
teacher husband has a huge and ever-growing collection of vinyl albums and CDs. It's an eclectic mix coming out of our stereo speakers, and there was one memorable month when it seemed to be all Dino (Dean Martin, of course) all the time.

Then I was infected by the Rat Pack, convened by Frank Sinatra for what he called a "summit of cool." After that, it was a sweet and easy journey to the other swank artists and forms of mid-nineteenth-century popular music. From space-age pop to swing to exotica, there's something for every crazy-cat bachelor and bachelorette (not to mention hip married couple) in what we think of today as the lounge or martini sound.

Garage sales and grandparent giveaways are a good source for the originals, but remastered compilations on CD are easy to find as well. They're a must-play for those nights when the mood is sophisticated and the man is sexy. Sleuthe out your own favorites, but here are some that especially appeal to me:

Dino: The Essential Dean Martin

The Rat Pack: Boys Night Out

Ultra-Lounge
series (especially Volume 5, which has all vocal tracks)
Cocktail Mix
series
Music for a Bachelor's Den
series

Enjoy with three olives!