The Lure of White Oak Lake (19 page)

“Okay, tea.” Betsy walked back into the room with two cups and handed one to Jaclyn and one to Morgan.

“Aren’t you going to have any?” Jaclyn asked as she sniffed at it. The scent was delightful compared to the foul smell on her wrists and hands.

“I already had some at the house,” Betsy said quickly. “Drink up, it’s good for you.”

Morgan took a sip. “Delicious.”

“Drink all of it. It’s for your immune system.” Clarice stared at Morgan until she took another sip and continued until Morgan had swallowed down half the cup.

“Do promise me you’ll drink all of it,” Betsy said to Jaclyn. “I worry about you. I don’t think you’re taking care of yourself like you should.”

“Oh…okay.” Jaclyn lifted the cup to her lips and took a drink. It was actually very tasty, and she drank quite a bit until Betsy looked pleased.

“Now we have to go.” Betsy grabbed Clarice by the arm. “I’m sure Morgan’s in a hurry to get the rest of that paste on her bites and probably doesn’t want us watching.” They left in such a hurry that Jaclyn hardly had a chance to say goodbye.

Austin walked back into the den. “I’m going to my room because y’all smell really bad, and that’s saying something because I can’t smell anything right now.”

Morgan set her tea aside and looked up at Jaclyn. “I’m struggling with a big dilemma. I really want you to rub that cat shit on my back, and I really don’t.”

Jaclyn looked at her thoughtfully. “It really does stop the itch.”

C
larice, their potion didn’t look anything like ours.” Betsy thumbed through a magazine that appeared to be full of drug paraphernalia. She slammed it shut when she saw something called a bong shaped like a penis.

Clarice stopped sorting her piles of dried herbs. “I didn’t give them our potion. I told you we have to drink that.”

“Then what was that milky stuff you had me mix with their tea?”

Clarice shrugged and went back to her herbs. “A special blend I like to call love’s spell. It’ll help with the itching, too.”

~~~

“Oh…yes…there…little harder.”

“Turn around, let me do the front.”

“You know…the first time you rubbed my breasts, I thought it would be different, and I was pretty certain I’d enjoy it.”

Jaclyn broke into a fit of giggles. “I’m enjoying it.”

Morgan’s eyes rolled up in her head. “Oh, yeah, right there…oh…yes…that’s…”

Jaclyn began laughing hysterically as she smeared Morgan’s torso and chest with the paste. “This may really be cat shit…are you hungry? I’m hungry.”

“I’m freaking starving all the sudden—oh, right there. I really like your bathroom, the colors are so bright.”

“Thanks,” Jaclyn said as tears of laughter poured down her face. “I pick things up at Target when I go into New Orleans.” Her voice was high as she tried to control her laughter.

“You’ve got a bath rug shaped like a fish,” Morgan cackled, “and it’s blue.”

Jaclyn’s eyes flew open wide. “Blue is my favorite color.”

“Mine too,” Morgan said excitedly.

“I like bean dip, do you like bean dip?”

“Oh, yeah, love it, and corn chips, especially the ones that fold over when they fry them or the ones that get all stuck together.
So
good.” Morgan raised her arms as Jaclyn rubbed the paste along her ribs. “I like cauliflower with cheese.”

“And pancakes. I love pancakes with real butter.”

“I love them, too,” Morgan said and howled with laughter.

Austin banged on the door. “Are y’all crying in there?”

“We’re putting on the paste,” Jaclyn called out.

“Oh, no wonder. I’d cry too if I was in a confined space with that stuff.”

“I don’t really smell anything anymore, and my nose is kinda numb. I feel light as a feather.”

Jaclyn wiped her eyes on her sleeve. “I can’t stop laughing.”

“I know, and it’s making me laugh. What’s wrong with you?”

“I don’t know.” Jaclyn staggered back against the door. “You look so funny right now. I drew a cat on your stomach.”

Morgan looked down. “Aw, that’s cute, too, and he’s starving.”

~~~

“Oh, so good.” Morgan took a bite of pancake, then dipped a chip into the bean dip.

“Uh-huh, uh-huh.” Jaclyn nodded. The kitchen table was strewn with food. She reached into a pickle jar and handed Morgan one before she claimed her own. “I don’t know, but I think it was the tea that made me so hungry, and it made me—” Jaclyn’s eyes flew open wide. “I think we’re stoned.”

“We’re what?” Morgan asked with a giggle.

Jaclyn began laughing, too. “I think we’re fucked-up,” she whispered.

“From the cat shit paste?”

“The tea, Clarice’s tea. She’s like totally herbal.” Jaclyn took the last bite of her pancake and started in seriously on the chips and dip. “I bet there was pot in our tea.”

Morgan laughed and nearly choked. “No, silly, you put the tea in the pot.”

“That’s what I mean. There’s pot in the tea.”

Morgan shook her head. “You’re not making any sense.”

Jaclyn looked confused then. “Your eyes are so dark right now, almost black.”

“Your eyes…are very pretty. Do you want to dance with me?”

~~~

Morgan opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling fan in the den. Slowly, she raised her head and noticed Jaclyn lying nearby on the floor with a bag of Oreos clutched to her chest. She smelled awful, but she felt more rested than she had in years, and she didn’t itch anymore. “Hey,” she whispered and tugged on Jaclyn’s foot.

Jaclyn patted the bag on her chest. “There’s more in the pantry, go get ’em.”

Morgan tugged on Jaclyn’s foot more persistently. “Jaclyn.”

Jaclyn’s hair was a mess as she raised her head up and looked around. “What time is it?”

“I don’t know, but how’d we get here?”

Jaclyn looked panicked and yelled for Austin. He walked out on the landing upstairs. “Ma’am?”

“Are you okay?”

“Are
y’all
okay? You know square dancing really is square. Y’all looked like a couple of dorks trying to do-si-do, and you broke the lamp just for the record.”

Jaclyn looked at it and frowned. “I did that?”

Austin nodded. “You danced with it, remember?”

“Uh…yeah,” Jaclyn said in a whisper.

“I had dinner while y’all were napping, and I cleaned up the kitchen. Whatever Ms. Clarice put in that paste really messed y’all up.”

W
ell, I’m not sure how I’m going to get to sleep tonight since I feel like I could run a marathon right now,” Jaclyn said as she and Morgan swung lazily in the porch swing.

“Do you really think there was marijuana in that tea?”

Jaclyn grinned. “Sweetie, you don’t know Clarice. I’m sure that some of her…goofiness…is just part of her personality, but she’s smoked weed as long as I’ve known her. There are no pain relievers or antacids in her house. She handles all ailments with herbs, and her favorite is weed.”

“I’ve never met a sixty-something pothead,” Morgan said with a laugh.

Jaclyn looked at her in amusement. “How old do you think she is?”

Morgan shrugged. “Early sixties at least.”

“Try seventy-one.”

“Oh, bullshit.”

“I shit you not.”

Morgan sat up straight. “She walks and moves better than we do.”

“Because she’s discovered the fountain of youth in those herbs. Ida and Betsy are the only ones brave enough to go into her house. Betsy says she has all kinds of plants and weeds hanging from strings to dry. Have you noticed her skin? It’s as smooth as a baby’s butt. Whatever she’s putting on her face, I’d like to try. And she has a strict diet. Clarice Minden has never eaten a hamburger. Matter of fact, she doesn’t eat any meat at all except for the rare occasion when she’ll have some wild turkey, and I don’t mean the booze.”

“You have lovely skin,” Morgan said as she ran her fingers across Jaclyn’s cheek. “Don’t do anything to it.”

Jaclyn took her hand and kissed her palm. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, the bites don’t itch, and the bumps are going down. Whatever Clarice mixed up in that jar is a wonder drug. I didn’t think I could go the whole day smelling like that, but the nap enabled me to wear it longer. Thanks for letting me use your shower.”

Jaclyn sniffed at the skin of Morgan’s neck. “You smell good now. The stench didn’t linger.”

The feel of Jaclyn nuzzling her neck sent a jolt through Morgan. “I…should probably go home, you’re turning me on.”

“Is that so bad?” Jaclyn breathed against Morgan’s skin.

“Right now, yes, since I have more spots than a dalmatian. When we make love for the first time, I want it to be perfect.” Morgan’s face colored when Jaclyn drew back and looked at her like she was crazy. “I know that sounds silly, but I’m still covered in bumps that gross me out. I don’t want that to be what you remember.” Morgan sighed as she studied Jaclyn’s face. “I really like you, and I’m glad we talked yesterday.”

“Me too. You have a lot more restraint than I have. I actually find the bumps attractive.”

“Not really,” Morgan admitted with a smile. “I talked about going slow and savoring the moment yesterday, but my mind was quickly changing before I got swarmed by ants. I’m even thinking about putting more of that stinky stuff on tonight, so I can heal faster.”

Jaclyn cocked her head to the side. “Aw, you’d stink for me? No one has ever offered to do that before.”

“You’ve never met anyone like me,” Morgan said with a cocky grin. “You’d be surprised at the lengths I’d go to please you.”

The look of arousal that swept over Jaclyn’s features kept Morgan’s grin in place. Jaclyn swallowed hard and said, “That’s very true, I’ve never met anyone like you.”

Morgan kissed her long and slow, allowing the kiss to make promises before she pulled away and stood. “I’m gonna go home and get smelly.”

“You do that,” Jaclyn said with a sexy smile.

~~~

“Don’t overreact, you say.” Celeste took a deep breath, and Morgan knew she was about to be on the receiving end of a tirade. “You rolled around in fire ants while playing hide-and- seek like a five-year-old, went to the hospital, had this woman rub cat shit all over you, then you drank some drugged-up tea made by a hippie, danced, then passed out. Did I miss anything?”

“It smelled like cat shit, but it wasn’t. At least I hope not.” Morgan looked at her arms. “Whatever it is really did a number on my skin, and the bumps have almost gone down completely.”

“What the hell are you doing down there?”

“Um…you just summed it up, I think.”

“Morgan, this ain’t normal behavior.”

“But I’m having a good time. I feel relaxed for a change. I know it sounds foolish, but—”

“I’ll tell you what’s foolish. It’s getting involved with someone while you’re on vacation, and that’s what you’re doing.”

“Right now, it’s home,” Morgan argued.

“Home? Look clearly at your situation. You’re hiding out in the woods like a wounded animal needing to heal. Stanton asked me again about you the other day. Kevin said when Stanton submitted his preliminary budget for next year, it still accounted for your salary, not what he’s paying Dalton. You know how he is; he cuts every penny he can. That’s why the other departments have muffin carts, and we have a vending machine that has more roaches than snacks. Doesn’t that tell you anything?”

“It tells me that he’s put wiggle room in the budget. If Dalton doesn’t pull through, he has more money to negotiate with someone else for the job. That might not necessarily be me.”

“But he keeps asking about you, and we know it’s not because he’s concerned for your welfare. Have you gotten a hit on any of your résumés?”

“No.”

“Have you sent out any more?”

Morgan had not opened her laptop in days. It sat on the bar between the den and kitchen collecting dust. “No.”

“Then maybe you should be proactive. Email Stanton and ask him how things are going. Keep yourself on his mind.”

“He canned me, remember? I don’t really care how things are going.”

“Morgan, in your situation, you need to consider kissing some ass. Good jobs are scarce.”

“I know.” Morgan felt her frustration rising. She loved Celeste, but she regretted making the call and wondered why she’d done it. Perhaps because she knew Celeste would help her keep her feet on the ground and her head out of the clouds. “How’s Keesha?”

“On my last nerve. She bought a two hundred-dollar flat iron. Two hundred dollars! There was nothing wrong with the old one, and this isn’t for work. Flattened the shit out of her hair, though.” Celeste smacked on something she was eating. “Tell me about this hayseed that’s got you all torn up.”

Morgan felt warmth spread from her head to her toes when she thought of Jaclyn. “I’ve never felt like this before. I know it sounds silly, but just holding her hand makes me feel…complete.”

“Do you hear yourself?”

“Got that off of a greeting card,” Morgan said with a laugh. “She makes me forget the shitty situations that got me here in the first place. Had I met her in Atlanta, I would’ve been just as smitten. She just fits. I don’t know any other way to describe it.”

“Horny.”

“If it was only that, we’d have slept together by now, but I’m trying to take things slow. I am keeping my head in that regard because I want to know if this is something real, and I’m not being driven by hormones. With every minute I spend with her, I’m just drawn to her more. I love her laugh, her smile…I sound just like you when you met Keesha.” Morgan’s imitation of Celeste was flawless. “Her eyes, they’re so damn beautiful. She’s got the cutest little laugh. This is the one, I just know it.”

“Bitch,” Celeste said with a laugh. “You wanna know what ‘the one’ is doing right now? She’s going through our closet looking for stuff to sell on eBay to cover the cost of that flat iron. And guess what? The pile consists mostly of my things,” Celeste said loudly enough for Keesha to hear. “I have to go now because she’s gonna put my shit back!”

“Good luck.”

“You keep your head on straight, girl, remember what’s important. You had a great career that afforded you a lot of things, and you may get it back. You think about that while you’re out there drinking pot and playing in the swamp.”