Queen Bee (Lowcountry Tales #12)(58)

I thought I had better go lie down.

Leslie left for Las Vegas, and I didn’t hear anything from Sharon over the next three days, so I took a deep breath and called Sharon that night. She answered on the first ring, but I didn’t read anything into that.

“Sharon? Hey, it’s me, Holly.”

“Hi, Holly. What’s going on?”

“Not much. How are y’all doing?”

“Great, thanks.”

“So I was just thinking about Tyler’s birthday. It’s right around the corner.”

“I’m aware,” she said.

Ooooh, boy. I thought. This is not going to go down as I had hoped.

“I’d like to make a cake for him and I wanted to make sure it was all right with you.”

“Of course! By all means. Make him a cake. That’s very nice of you.”

“Well, I’m delighted to do it. So, if you could just tell me how many people you’re expecting at his party so there’s enough to go around.”

“Let’s see. Well, my parents, so that’s two, my aunt and uncle, so that’s four, Archie, me naturally, and of course the boys. That’s eight.”

I was a little stunned.

“What about Tyler’s friends?”

“You mean you’re thinking we should have fifty children running around, screaming and making a mess? No, no. In my family, birthdays are strictly for family only. I would send cupcakes to school, but school is out for the summer.”

“I see. Okay then. I’ll make a cake for eight.”

“With a little extra for my family to take home.”

“Sure thing.” Was she kidding? “What day are y’all celebrating?” It was all I could do to hide the disappointment in my voice.

“Oh, I think Sunday afternoon would be nice, say early dinnertime?”

“Okay, I’ll drop it off after church.”

His actual birthday was Thursday. What in the world was going through her head? What planet was she from? She was all set to deny Tyler a birthday party with his friends when every single child in his class had a party. But Tyler should celebrate four days late with her parents? I was furious. There was nothing I could do. Nothing. Except, I told my bees.





“There’s no fourth floor in the Nobu Hotel,” Charlie said.

“Why not?” I said.

“Because in Asia the number four is bad luck, and in this town they don’t tempt luck!”


Chapter Nineteen



Leslie and Cher

I am telling you that when I got off the plane in Las Vegas I thought I would die from the spectacle of it all. There were slot machines all over the airport and a kind of excitement in the air I’d never felt before. You could see the anticipation in the faces of arriving passengers that they were about to have the vacation of their lives. And win a fortune. And others waiting at gates filled with disappointment.

I spent a little time talking to a guy next to me on the plane, and he said he came to Las Vegas all the time. He said every night he’d see a show, have a big dinner, and then go to the casinos. Every night would be different entertainment, a different restaurant, and another casino. He was meeting his brother there, who was coming from just north of San Francisco. They did this every year without their wives, just the two of them. I thought, Well, why not? But Las Vegas didn’t really hold a lot of appeal for me. Okay, I’d never been there, but gambling wasn’t my thing. I was doing this for Charlie. My sweet Charlie.

And Charlie was excited. He met me in baggage claim and was talking nonstop.

“Kiss kiss!” He kissed my cheeks and continued. “How was your flight? Don’t you look wonderful! Do you have luggage?”

“No, just this roller,” I said.

“Well, did you eat? Are you starving? The Mexican food in this town is AH-mazing! Or would you like sushi? I could always eat sushi.”

“I’m fine, Charlie. I ate.”

“Okay, well then, let’s get a move on!”

He took my roller and I followed him through the terminal and out to the parking garage. He was walking so fast I could hardly keep up with him.

“Charlie! Slow down!”

“Oh, sorry, Leslie. I guess I’m excited to show you everything.”

“Well, so far, even the airport is pretty colorful!”

Charlie stopped at an unfamiliar car, a bright red Toyota RAV4, unlocked it, and raised the hatch door. He put my suitcase in and slammed it shut.

“New car?” I said. Charlie usually drove a luxury car, so I was a little surprised.

“Yeah, a new car for the new me.”

I thought, Oh boy, exactly who is this new me going to turn out to be?

“So the climate here is one of the best things to recommend it. I mean, it’s hot like hell in July, but it’s hot in Maine in July, isn’t it?”

“Yes. And I think it’s pretty dry here, too, isn’t it?” I said.

“Yes, you’ll have great hair here.”

He drove, talking the whole time about all the things he loved about Las Vegas.

“I rented an apartment, too. Wait until you see it. It’s very tiny, but until I get to know the town, it’s very centrally located to the Strip and all that.”