The Angel Tasted Temptation

by Shirley Jump

  "It was a clever idea," Jerome said. "Using Larry. I especially liked the moving parts."

  "You mean the way he made a fool out of me?" Larry squeaked.

  "The moving arm, the opening and closing mouth. Incredible idea," Jerome said. "Looks like he's really drinking No-Moo Milk."

  "That's the effect I wanted. And the buyers really liked the image push we were giving it. That's where the big orders came from."

  Jerome paused, his hands on the back of Kenny's chair. "So you solicited orders from customers using an unapproved ad campaign?"

  Travis shrugged. "I knew I'd never be able to sell you on it, if I couldn't prove it would work."

  "Well, I can't say I like your methods," Jerome said. "But the results, I can't argue with those. I like the idea, I like the billboard and I like the sales." He gave a short, quick nod. "We're going with it."

  "Are you nuts?!" Larry shouted. "Did you see what he did to me?" He grabbed a Polaroid photo of the billboard off one of the desks and waved it around. "Did you see this? I'm bald!"

  That had been the graphic designers and Brad's idea. They'd had a lot of fun doctoring the photo of Larry from the annual report. Quid pro quo, Travis thought.

  Jerome rolled his eyes. "Yeah. And you look a hell of a lot better that way, too, instead of with the hair dye of the month."

  "It's not a hair dye. I'll have you know these are quality follicle enhancers," Larry said, patting his head.

  Jerome snorted. "Larry, get used to being bald. Because you're going to be that way in all our ads from here on out." He picked up the sales report from Kenny's hands and scanned the paper. "If these early sales figures are any indication of No-Moo's potential with the lactose-intolerant market, then you're going to be busy for a long time."

  "But—"

  "Don't but me. You were the one behind this product, remember?" Jerome gave his cousin a knowing grin. "And now you've got a hell of a team to take it to the next level. With Travis as the new Director of Marketing, I'd say we're set. He's in charge of all ad campaigns from now on and you," he pointed at Larry, "answer to him." With that, Jerome left the room.

  "But I'm bald!" Larry screamed, clearly not hearing the news about his demotion.

  Kenny rose and crossed to Larry. "Don't worry, Lar. Delia's friend told me she actually prefers men with a little acreage up top. She thinks Patrick Stewart is the sexiest man alive."

  Larry paused as he took that in. "Really?"

  "Yep. And now you're famous. She's going to want you bad, man."

  Larry's chest puffed out like a bantam rooster's. "I am famous, aren't I?"

  Oh God. There 'd be no living with him now. Travis may have saved three jobs, but in the end, he'd created a monster.

  Cordelia's Change-Is-in-the-Air Fish and Chips

  1 cup flour

  1 cup beer

  2 egg whites, whipped to stiff peaks

  9 ounces haddock or cod, cut into serving sizes

  2 pounds potatoes, peeled and julienned

  Vegetable oil, for frying

  Salt

  When you want a taste of a new place, start with a bite of what they eat there. As you know dear, the food can be the very thing that teases your senses and begs you to stay, even when you're resisting what your heart wants.

  Put the vegetable oil into a deep pan and heat it until it reaches 300 degrees. Cook the potatoes in the oil for 5 or 6 minutes, until they're soft but not brown, then remove them and drain. Yes, we will finish them. Have patience.

  In a bowl, mix the flour and beer, then fold in the egg whites to create the batter. Dip the fish in the batter and fry about 6 to 8 minutes until golden brown. Finish the chips (I know, you call them "French fries") by frying for about two or three minutes.

  Drain on paper towels (do worry about your arteries; you only get one heart, you know), then sprinkle the fish and chips with salt and serve with tartar sauce.

  Taste the new world awaiting you ... and take a giant leap forward into it!

  Chapter Thirty

  As soon as Travis left, Meredith changed out of her cow costume and into the clothes she'd left at the shop that morning. She poured herself into work, not knowing what else to do. She'd solved the dairy dilemma, but the one with Travis was going to take more than a Holstein and a couple cookies to fix.

  Now Meredith, Maria and Candace were in the front part of the shop, going through a box of fall decorations and making a list of what needed to be replaced before the Thanksgiving season came. Cordelia Gershwin had stopped by for her morning cup of tea ... and never left.

  "Cordelia, I think you have customers waiting for you to open your shop," Candace said, looking out the window.

  Cordelia took off her little pillbox hat, toying with the bobby pins that had held it in place. Then she pursed her lips and shook her head. "No. I'm not going over there today."

  "Are you sick?" Maria asked. "One of us can cover for you if—"

  "No. I'm not sick. Not in the traditional sense." Cordelia's face softened and she turned to Meredith, clasping her hand. "You inspired me, young lady."

  "Me? What did I do?"

  "You started a whole new life for yourself and you did it with strength and conviction."

  Meredith snorted and tossed the bent paper turkey in her hand back into the box. "I ran away, screwed up everything and now I'm just barely putting the pieces back together."

  "No, that's not it at all." Cordelia shook her head. "You left, but you brought all the best parts of you with you from Indiana to Massachusetts. You didn't abandon your roots, you just... expanded them." She smiled. "And look at the tree you're turning into."

  Meredith blinked. "Tree?"

  Maria and Candace had stopped working and come around to form a human circle around them.

  "Okay, so my metaphors aren't the best," Cordelia went on, "but my point is you did what I've been wanting to do since my Richard died. I've been stuck here, doing the same thing I always did because ..." at this, she paused and glanced out the window, her eyes misting and filling with memories. "It was easier."

  "It's okay," Candace said, draping an arm over Cordelia's shoulders. "We like having you as a neighbor. And you can stay our neighbor for as long as you want."

  "I love you girls, you know that, right?" Cordelia said, taking in their faces one at a time. "And that's why I'm doing this." She put her hat on the counter, then reached into her little bag and withdrew a key on a small round silver ring and placed it into Candace's palm. "I'm closing up shop and giving you the key back."

  "But, but—" Maria sputtered.

  "No buts. It's time for a change for me. If Meredith can put on a cow suit and take on Boston, then I think I can put on my walking shoes and see England."

  Candace stared at the key. "Who'll run your shop?"

  "No one. I'll sell off the inventory to a friend of mine who's been begging me for years to let him add it to his store. Then I'm on the next plane across the world. And for you girls, well, let's hope a new adventure moves in next door."

  Maria and Candace stared at their neighbor, as shocked as if she had just told them she was the president of the local nudist camp.

  "Now what about you?" Cordelia asked, turning to Meredith.

  "Me?"

  "When are you going to go for it with that sexy hunk of a man I've been seeing you with?"

  "Ms. Gershwin!" Maria said, laughing. "I don't think I've ever heard you talk like that."

  "What? I'm not dead, dear. I can still appreciate a good man. And a woman who's in love even if she refuses to believe it."

  In love? Her? That would be impossible. Meredith had done everything in her power not to fall in love with Travis Campbell.

  And yet, she thought of the way she felt when he kissed her. Not the hard, hectic kisses on Castle Island, the ones he'd given her to prove a point but the ones where he'd cupped her jaw with his hand and captured her lips with a tender, almost reverent touch.

  She'd complai
ned about him putting her on a pedestal. And yet he hadn't really done that at all. He'd simply been showing her how he felt. He was in love with her, as he'd said earlier today.

  In love with her. The words hummed inside her, scary and joyous all at once.

  "I'm not in love," Meredith said.

  Maria and Candace each arched a brow of disbelief.

  "I can't be. I came here for a change from my old life, not—"

  "Were you in love with anyone in your old life?" Cordelia asked.

  "No. Not at all."

  She smiled brightly. "Then I'd say this is a change."

  "Well... yeah, but..."

  Cordelia put one hand on her hip and pursed her lips. "What do you want, Meredith? A billboard to drop on your head?"

  A billboard. The mention of the word brought to mind the one Travis had shown her. The one he'd risked his job for... and his life, considering he'd gone to her brothers for help. He'd done it for her.

  "Uh-oh," Maria said, looping an arm through Candace's. "I know that look."

  "What look?" Meredith asked.

  Candace nodded. "Yep, it's happening. I think it's the chocolate in this place."

  "No," Maria said, shaking her head, "it's the pasta in these neighborhoods. It'll get you every time."

  "What are you guys talking about? All I've eaten since I got here is seafood. Travis took me for steamers. And shrimp and lobster. No, wait, he still owes me a lobster."

  He still owed her a lobster. It was a debt he hadn't paid and one she could collect on, any time she wanted. She looked around at the three women who were far wiser than she and realized that she was in the right city, but in the wrong place.

  "I need to go," Meredith said. "I... Well, I don't even know what I want to say to him, but at least I'll tell him I want the lobster. We'll start there." She smiled and felt the joy of it run through her heart.

  As Meredith left the shop, Maria turned to Candace and Cordelia. "Looks like we'll be paying a visit to the JCPenney bridal registry soon."

  Candace laughed. "Hey, I'm a frequent shopper there."

  Cordelia swung her little purse in her hands. "I'll have to send my gift airmail, because I'm off to England." She gave them each a tender hug and a light kiss on the cheek. "Take care of yourselves and the little place next door."

  As Cordelia left, Maria and Candace looked at each other. "Well, who knew?" Candace said.

  "Oh, come on, you did. Didn't you?"

  "I had my doubts there for a while, but I figured it was just a matter of time. Meredith is bound to find a happy ending, considering she's surrounded by them."

  Maria picked up the key to Cordelia's shop and turned it over and over in her palm. "I wonder who's going to move in next door?"

  "As long as our new neighbor likes chocolate—" Candace began.

  "We'll all get along just fine," Maria finished.

  Rebecca's What's-All-the-Fuss Crunchy Baked Cod

  1 pound cod fillet, cut into four pieces

  2 tomatoes, sliced

  1 lemon, sliced

  1 cup fresh bread crumbs

  Salt and pepper

  2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

  2 teaspoons vegetable oil

  I swear, when a crisis hits, my mother is like a tornado warning system. The entire neighborhood is put on alert that "Rebecca is going through an event." Meanwhile, Ma is running up and down the street like a panicked chicken.

  The best thing to do is to bake something easy and quick. Ma's going to need the sustenance anyway, because she'll keep going until her Nikes wear out. So, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

  Place the cod fillets in a baking dish, then arrange the tomato slices and lemon slices on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the bread crumbs, parsley and oil, then crumble all that on top of the fish. Pop it in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

  Now, if only dealing with my mother could be that simple.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  If an alligator had crawled into the pond at Boston Garden, the public reaction wouldn't even have come in a close second to the pandemonium at Rebecca's house when the cab pulled up in front. Since Momma had taken Rebecca's car back, Meredith had hailed a taxi for the ride to Cambridge.

  She paid the man, and he took off fast, probably because it looked like an asylum on the loose on Rebecca's street. Aunt Gloria was running back and forth between the two houses, waving her hands, her hair a mess, her bright turquoise pants set making her look like a bird of paradise run amok. "My baby is having another baby!" she shouted. "Quick, call the ambulance!"

  Momma came out onto Rebecca's porch, a cordless phone in one hand. "Gloria, you're not doing anyone any good out here. You need to get in there and help Rebecca." She started dialing again. "Where are those boys?"

  "Vernon and Ray Jr. aren't back yet?" Meredith asked, heading up the stairs. She tried not to let the worry that Rebecca's baby was coming so early show on her face.

  Momma let out a sigh. "They're having a little trouble saying good-bye to the cow. And Jeremy already left on a business trip this morning, so that leaves just us women."

  Meredith smiled. "I think we're capable."

  Momma nodded. "You're right. You come in here and help me with Rebecca. Gloria's no good in a crisis."

  Meredith was already a step ahead of her mother and halfway into the house. Rebecca was on the sofa, laying back, a hand on her belly. "Is all that commotion out there for me?" She managed a weak smile.

  "I'm afraid so. Your mother wants to call an ambulance."

  Rebecca shook her head. "I'm okay. Really. The contractions are still pretty far apart, just ten minutes. The doctor said I can get a ride to the hospital because it's not far from here. Why don't you drive me in, before my mother calls out the National Guard?"

  "Sounds like a plan." Meredith slipped an arm around Rebecca's waist and helped her cousin to her feet. She wobbled a bit, breathing hard, then managed to put one foot ahead of the other.

  "I'll ride in the back," Momma said, hurrying into the house. "I can't drive in this city. These people are insane. I barely made it home alive this morning."

  Before they could take a single step, Aunt Gloria came rushing into the house. "Oh, baby! Are you okay? Do you have the overnight bag? Did you call Jeremy? Do you want me to take Emily? Oh! Emily! Where is she?"

  "At school, Ma. Don't worry."

  "Someone has to go get her." Aunt Gloria ran a hand through her hair, displacing the blond strands into an Einstein-like frazzle. "Uh ... what was our plan again?"

  "You get her at school, and—" Rebecca paused to breathe through a contraction, then couldn't go on.

  "I’ll get her, Gloria," Martha said. "You go with your daughter."

  "But..."

  "No buts. This is what you need to do." Momma gave her younger sister a little push toward the door and then grabbed Aunt Gloria's coat, swinging it over her shoulders.

  "But you don't know where to go and someone has to call the school and—"

  Momma grabbed Aunt Gloria's shoulders and gave them a little shake. "Your daughter needs you now. So listen to me. Pull yourself together and go be her mother."

  Aunt Gloria's vision fixed on her sister's, then she drew herself up and stopped panicking. "You always were the bossy one, weren't you?"

  "We all have your strengths." Momma grinned.

  "Okay." Aunt Gloria drew in a breath. "Directions to Emily's school are behind my phone. Rebecca and I will call the office from the car and let them know you're coming."

  Momma smiled. "There. That's the family spirit." She gave her sister a quick hug, then pulled back.

  Rebecca let out a low moan. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I do need to go to the hospital."

  "Oh! Oh yes! Now, shoo," Aunt Gloria said, waving at Meredith and Rebbeca. "I'll get the door. And the suitcase. And the—"

  Seven hours later, Maria, Candace and Meredith had been dubbed godmothers to Jackson Hamilton, w
hose six-pound, four-ounce perfection had completely won over all three women as well as his grandmother and great aunt. Rebecca and Jeremy, who had flown back just in time to see his son born, were firmly ensconced in the hospital room with their new baby. Aunt Gloria and Uncle Mike were busily plunking change into the pay phones and spreading the news.

  Before she left, Meredith peeked in on Rebecca one last time. Jeremy lay on the bed curled against his wife, marveling over every toe and finger on the newborn in their arms. The look on the faces of Rebecca and Jeremy was one of such complete joy that Meredith felt a stab of envy so sharp that it could have been a knife in her heart.

  She leaned her head against the wall and took in a deep breath. She'd thought she could come here and leave behind the things that had seemed to be keeping her from living the life she wanted. Things like family. Commitment. Relationships. She'd purposely sought out the complete opposite.

  And where had it left her?

  As empty as a deflated balloon.

  She knew exactly where she needed to go to fill that empty place in her heart. Meredith didn't walk out of Mount Auburn Hospital.

  She ran.

  She paused outside the house. There was one more bridge to repair before she went forward with her own life. Meredith climbed the stairs to Aunt Gloria's house and saw her mother inside the living room, sitting on the couch.

  Meredith let herself in. "Hi, Momma."

  "Meredith! How's Rebecca?" Her mother was folding a basket of laundry that looked like it had already been haphazardly done by Aunt Gloria.

  "Rebecca's great and the baby's going to be just fine, even though he came a little early." Meredith sunk into the chair opposite her mother and reached for a T-shirt, spreading it on the ottoman before her and neatly pressing each sleeve back, then either third of the shirt before flipping up the bottom half, turning it over and giving the front a final smoothing. Just the way her mother liked it