The rest of the evening was
quite pleasant as far as Casey was concerned, once Marcia dropped her attempt
at sleuthing. The only sour note was running into his older sister when they
were on their way back to his car.
Alma was coming out of a
very up-scale restaurant with her husband. She took one look at Casey with
Marcia and stalked over to stand in front of him, looking first at him and then
Marcia, eyebrows drawn together in a fierce frown.
“So you’re hardly moved out
of your home and already seeing other women?”
“If it’s any of your
business,” Casey replied, “I’m not seeing other women. Marcia is a friend. I am
allowed to have them aren’t I?”
“You are still married, in
case you’ve forgotten that. Just because you and Kathy are having a little spat
doesn’t give you the right to step out on her with...“ she looked Marcia up and
down, “a blonde floozy.”
“Now just a minute,” Marcia
said before Casey could rush to her defense, “I’m blonde, yes, but I am far
from being a floozy. I’m an honest working girl and...“
“Working girl?” Alma’s shot
Casey an ‘I told you so’ look.
“Exactly what I said, a floozy.”
“Hang on there, Alma, that’s
not what she meant and you know it. She’s a waitress for one of the best
catering companies in the city, and an actress.”
“Pfft. Then she’s hardly up
to our standards. Go back to your wife, Casey. Apologize, on bended knee if
necessary, and be a proper husband to her.”
Casey clamped his lips together
before he said something he shouldn’t. He was relieved when her husband finally
came over to tell her they needed to get home before the babysitter decided to
charge them overtime.
‘I’ll call you tomorrow and
we’ll talk more,” Alma stated acidly as her husband led her away.
“I can’t wait,” Casey
muttered as he turned to look at Marcia. “I’m sorry; you shouldn’t have had to
deal with that.”
“It’s alright.” She linked
her arm with his as they finally continued on to where he’d parked. “I love
being called a floozy by a self-important, excuse the expression, bitch. I know
she’s your sister but honestly if someone needs to be murdered I’d choose her
over you any day.”
Casey laughed. “So if she
ends up under a car I’ll know who to point the finger at.”
“No, I think I’d be a bit
more direct. A knife to the heart, if she actually has one. And damn I
shouldn’t be talking about her this way, I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about.
She engenders those feelings in a lot of people.” Glancing at his watch he
said, “I should get you home. Morning comes early in these parts.”
“I think it comes the same
time everywhere if you want to get technical. But yes, we do need to end what
was a lovely day all in all. I’ve had fun.”
Casey smiled at her,
touching her cheek for a brief second before pulling his hand back. “Me too,
for the first time in a long time.”
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