Bunco Babes Gone Wild

by Maria Geraci

  “Oh, it’ll take off all right. I may not be very smart when it comes to men, but I know a good business opportunity when I see one.”

  Earl came shuffling up. “Did I hear someone mention me? I thought I heard someone use the word smart.”

  “I was just telling my sister about our proposal.”

  “Don’t forget,” warned Earl, “The bran muffin recipe is included in the deal. Without that, it’s a no-go!”

  Frida looked stupefied. “You want my bran muffin recipe in exchange for putting up the money for the expansion?”

  Earl narrowed an eye at her. “That gonna be a problem?”

  “No, no problem,” Frida said quickly. “As a matter of fact, you can have any recipe you want.”

  “I’m not greedy. Just the bran one will do,” Earl said congenially.

  “Then we have a deal,” Frida said. Ed put his arm around her and pulled her against him. Frida looked happier than Georgia had ever seen her.

  And why shouldn’t she be? Frida had everything in life that mattered. A husband who loved her. Friends who supported her.

  Georgia had been wrong.

  It was the Frida Hamptons of the world who really had it all.

  Zeke stepped up to the mic. “I have an announcement. Rusty 1 found the fishbowl with the money in the kitchen. We have both Persephone and Alex in custody. We’re hoping they’ll confess and tell us where the cash from Black Tie Bunco is stashed so we can put this whole caper behind us.” He signaled the band. “As far as the Whispering Bay police are concerned, everyone’s free to go back to partying.”

  “Does this mean we can leave town?” Ted asked.

  “Sure,” said Zeke.

  “Thank God,” said Spencer. “Georgia? Are you coming?”

  “Spencer, after everything that’s happened, I can’t believe you still want to marry me.”

  “Of course I do, babycakes. So, what’s it going to be?”

  Georgia glanced around the room. It seemed that once more everyone was holding their breath. She looked at her sister, who was clutching Ed’s hand like she was going to squeeze it off. Ed looked like he didn’t mind though.

  And then she stole a glance at Dave. He was standing on the edge of the crowd, perfectly still.

  “Spencer, can I ask you a question?”

  “Go for it, babycakes.”

  “What do you think of my boobs?”

  “Your boobs?” He said “boobs” it like it was a four-letter word.

  “Yeah, you know, my tits?”

  Someone in the crowd giggled.

  He cleared his throat. “Is this a real question?”

  “Of course it is.”

  “Well,” he began cautiously, “I think they’re very nice.”

  “Just nice?”

  He laughed nervously and lowered his voice a notch. “Georgia, if you want a breast augmentation, just say so. I’ll be happy to pay for it. Big Leslie got one. As a matter of fact, she got one before we were married, then she got a lift after Little Leslie was born. I know a top-rate plastic surgeon at UAB.”

  She took a deep breath. “Spencer, I’m really honored by your proposal. The fact that you’ve asked me twice, especially considering, well, all that’s happened recently, I can’t tell you how much it means to me. But the truth is I don’t think we’d be happy together. As a matter of fact, I know it. The only place I could be happy with you is in the big brick house on the hill.”

  Spencer looked confused. “Where else would we live, babycakes?”

  Georgia winced. Did he not get it? “Spencer, I’m sorry, but I don’t love you. I thought I did, but I was wrong. And the thing is, you don’t love me either. Well, maybe you love my mind, but that’s about it. I want to be loved for all of me.” She stole a glance at Dave, who grinned at her. He also looked like he wanted to kiss her, which was really very distracting.

  Spencer’s face turned red. “I don’t know what you think you’ve found here in this godforsaken town, but it’s time to get back to reality. You have a job, Georgia. We have a company to run.” He paused. “Is that it? Do you want a share of Moody Electronics? I’ll go as high as twenty-five percent, but not a lick more.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “Are you trying to rob Spencer Jr. and Little Leslie of their inheritance?”

  “What? I’m not trying to rob anyone of anything. I just don’t want to marry you, Spencer.”

  “Okay, okay.” He shoved his hand through his hair. “But this doesn’t change anything else. Does it? You’re still my CFO, right?”

  Georgia sighed. “Spencer, I really don’t see how I can go back to work for you. Not after everything that’s happened.”

  “Why not?” His voice bordered on the hysterical.

  “Because I’ve let our personal relationship interfere with our business one and it will never be the same. Besides, I need a change from Moody Electronics.”

  “It’s that damn John Ambrose, isn’t it? What’s he offering you?”

  “He hasn’t offered me anything. I haven’t even spoken to him,” said Georgia. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Wait a minute. Did you get that contract from Valley Tech or not?”

  “I’m going to fire that idiot Crystal. What has she told you now?”

  “You didn’t get the contract, did you?” she demanded.

  “Not yet,” he said, sounding like a little lost boy. “But I will. Once Valley Tech sees that you’re back on the team. For some reason John Ambrose thinks the company is unstable without you.”

  For someone with an IQ of 140 she really was the world’s biggest dummy. “You lied to me.”

  “Stay strong, Georgia!” someone in the crowd yelled. Georgia glanced over at the Babes and gave them a shaky smile.

  “I didn’t lie to you,” he said, looking around the crowd for the first time. “Let’s discuss this in private,” he hissed.

  “Sorry, Spencer, but you proposed in public, so we’re going to do this in public.”

  He didn’t look happy, but he realized he had no choice. “I didn’t lie to you,” he whispered fiercely, “not exactly. I was embarrassed that I couldn’t get the Valley Tech contract on my own. There, are you happy now?”

  “Of course I’m not happy. Why didn’t you just tell me that to begin with? I would have gone back to Birmingham to meet with them.” He didn’t say anything. It suddenly dawned on her that Crystal hadn’t gotten anything messed up. Well, maybe a little messed up, but she’d been right when she’d told Georgia that the people from Valley Tech had left midweek. “That story about John Ambrose staying in Birmingham over the weekend was all a hoax, wasn’t it? You always had every intention of going to the Alabama football game. What happened? Did Crystal tell you she spilled the beans? Is that why you came running down here with an engagement ring? To fix the collateral damage?”

  “Sugar,” he pleaded. “Have a heart. I haven’t missed a Bama game since I got out of diapers. Big Leslie understood that. That’s why we got married in February. After the season was over.”

  Georgia covered her face with her hands. She started to shake.

  “Babycakes, don’t cry.”

  “Cry? Spencer, I’m laughing at what a total idiot I’ve been!”

  The blood drained from his face. “Does this mean you’re not coming back to work for me?”

  “No, Spencer, I’m not. Wait, make that a hell no, I’m not. Not now. Not ever.”

  He looked incredulous. “I gave up last week’s football game for you!”

  Ted Ferguson piped up. “There’s still tomorrow’s game.”

  “See, Spencer, life isn’t all bad,” Georgia quipped.

  “Isn’t there anything I can say to convince you to keep working for me?” He braced himself as if expecting a set down.

  She thought about it a minute.

  “Are you still going to donate all that money you promised to the rec center fund?” she asked.

  He visibly gulped. “Of
course.”

  She pulled a business card from her purse and scratched out the Moody Electronics line and her title. Beneath it she wrote, Georgia Meyer. Independent Business Consultant. She handed the card to Spencer.

  He read it and frowned. “What’s this supposed to be?”

  “Exactly what it says. I’m going into business for myself. I’ll be happy to consult from time to time for Moody Electronics. My fees are a bit steep, but since we have some history together, I could probably cut you a special deal.” She smiled. “As a matter of fact, I’ll give you a free piece of advice right now.”

  He leaned in eagerly.

  “Don’t call your next girlfriend babycakes.”

  Spencer looked speechless.

  Ted tugged him on the elbow. “C’mon, Moody, if we don’t go now we’ll miss the plane!”

  This was enough to jolt Spencer out of his stupor. He and Ted practically knocked each other down to get out the door.

  “Are you really going to start your own business?” Frida asked Georgia.

  “Yup,” Georgia said. “I just decided tonight. What do you think?”

  Her sister gave her a big hug. “I think it’s great!”

  “It’s a risk. But this way, I can be my own boss. Set my own hours. Live where ever I want.”

  Frida stilled. “Does this mean you might stay here? In Whispering Bay?”

  She smiled at Dave. “I’d say there’s a pretty good chance of that happening.”

  Georgia couldn’t help herself. She gave Frida a hug. And then she gave Ed an even bigger one. “Thank you,” she whispered in his ear.

  “For what?”

  “For showing me what’s really important in life and for being there for my sister when she needed you. I don’t think I could have picked a better husband for her.”

  Ed looked like he didn’t know what to say.

  Pilar’s voice boomed over the mic. “Will Dave Hernandez please report back to duty? We have walls we need chipped down!”

  “I think that’s my cue,” said Dave.

  “Hold on,” said Georgia. “I have something to say to you too.” Her throat began to spasm. Damn it. This wasn’t the time to start going into pseudo-anaphylactic shock again.

  She cleared her throat. “I don’t know if you heard, but I’m planning to stay in town.”

  “I heard.”

  “That’s partially because of you. I mean, I do have my sister here, and that’s a big reason to stay. But you’re also a big reason.”

  He started to say something, but she interrupted him. “But I’m not going to make the same mistake twice. I waited five years for Spencer to propose. In the end, it was for the best, because, after all, he wasn’t the right one.”

  Georgia glanced nervously around. All eyes were on her again. She hadn’t meant to make this public, but then, all the people she cared about in the world were here. Why shouldn’t they be a part of this too? If she tanked, she’d need them to pick her up again.

  “You told me that you’d know when you met the right one. And . . . if you don’t think I’m the right one, then I want to know now, so that I don’t waste any time. But if I am the right one, well—”

  “Georgia, is this your crazy way of telling me you’re in love with me?”

  She gulped. “I know I’ve only known you two weeks and that isn’t enough time to really know someone well, but, remember when I told Spencer I could only be happy with him living in a big brick house on the hill?”

  Dave nodded.

  “That’s when I knew you were the one for me. Because I could be happy living with you anywhere. Even in a trailer. Or a tent. And I have to tell you, Dave, I’m just not a tent kind of girl. But if that’s the only place we could be together, I could make it work.”

  He smiled. And it nearly knocked the breath out of her because it was the most beautiful thing Georgia had ever seen. And then he did something else that knocked the breath out of her.

  He got down on his knees. “I didn’t plan to do this tonight, but what the hell.”

  “Oh my God,” Frida whispered.

  Oh my God was right.

  “I went back to Tampa to square away my business, but I went back for something else too. To ask my mother for this.” He reached inside the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out a ring. It was a diamond. It wasn’t four carats. It probably wasn’t even one. She mentally took back what she’d just thought about Dave’s smile. This ring was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

  “How many times is this gal gonna get proposed to?” Earl asked.

  Everyone shushed him up.

  She thought about doing the universal choke sign, but she was afraid someone might actually do the Heimlich on her and she wanted to hear every single last word of this.

  “This was my grandmother’s ring. I promised my mom a long time ago I’d only ask her for it once.”

  Georgia could feel the tears spill down her cheeks. Which was odd, because she really wasn’t a crier.

  “I knew the second you aimed your cell phone at me you were the right one. Georgia, will you marry me?”

  She brushed the tears off her face. “I guess this means you love me too?”

  “I knew somewhere deep down you had to be smart.” He slipped the ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit. She pulled him off his knees and kissed him hard in front of everyone.

  The room broke out in wild applause.

  “Ahem!” Pilar’s voice came back over the mic. “Are you two finished? Can we go back to the party now?”

  Georgia laughed. Dave grabbed her to kiss her again. “Hold that thought,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “To tell the Babes all about my proposal.”

  He grinned. “Georgia, we’ve just gotten engaged in front of half the town. Don’t you think they were watching?”

  “Well, yeah, but they’re going to want all the details,” she said, blowing him a kiss as she ran off.

  Because it is a truth universally acknowledged that when a woman gets a diamond engagement ring, she must show it off to her closest friends.

  a cognizant original v5 release october 08 2010

  Dear Readers,

  I’d like to introduce you to six real live Bunco groups. They’ve been kind enough to share some of their recipes and Bunco tips with me. Bunco groups vary in age, geographical location, number of members, and even the way they play the game. But one thing I’ve discovered is that all Bunco players have a few things in common. They love to eat, they love to laugh, and they love to get together with their fellow friends.

  LOUISVILLE BUNCO MOMMAS

  LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

  Rae’s Chicken Enchilada Salad

  Put this on a salad, sandwich, in a crescent ring

  if you want to get fancy, or pasta. Yum!

  2 cups cooked and chopped chicken

  ¼ cup black olives, chopped

  1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

  1 can (14 ounces) chopped green chiles, undrained

  ½ cup mayonnaise

  1 tablespoon Pampered Chef Pantry Southwestern Seasoning

  Mix (or other Mexican seasoning)

  Dash of lime juice

  ½ cup salsa

  ¼ cup sour cream

  Crushed tortilla chips

  Mix all well. Add to whatever you like and enjoy!

  LOUISVILLE BUNCO MOMMAS TIPS

  Our bottom line is Bunco is an excuse to get together. We throw some dice around, indulge in fabulous food, imbibe fine wines or other adult concoctions, talk our ears off, and call it Bunco!

  Do not take Bunco or life too seriously! You can learn a lot from Bunco, and the most important life lesson is to roll with the dice, but always make it fun!

  DIVAS WITH DICE!

  JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA

  Jell-O Shots

  Jell-O shots are the mascot of our group

  and are there 90 percent of the time.<
br />
  We all love them and they are easy to make.

  1 large (6 ounce) box of Jell-O

  16 ounces boiling water

  6 ounces cold water

  10 ounces vodka

  Mix the Jell-O with the boiling water until it is fully dissolved. Add the cold water and vodka. Pour the mixture into either shot glasses or paper cups. Place in the refrigerator to cool for at least 3 hours.

  Please remember to drink responsibly!

  These go great with tortellini pasta and dips.

  Pesto Dip

  1 (8 ounce) tub whipped cream cheese (see note below)

  1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

  4 ounces prepared pesto

  Mix all the ingredients together and chill.

  Note: You can use 1(8 ounce) block of cream cheese but the whipped is easier to mix.

  Tomato Bruschetta Dip

  1 (8 ounce) tub whipped cream cheese (see note above)

  1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

  4 ounces of your favorite bruschetta sauce

  Mix all the ingredients together and chill.

  Quick Tortellini Appetizer

  For a quick appetizer, prepare a package

  of frozen tortellini, toss with a tablespoon

  of olive oil and serve with your favorite dips.

  DIVAS WITH DICE TIP:

  Sometimes it can be rather hard to hear over all the chatter and good times so we have a cow bell to indicate the round is over. We also have our very own Diva (a special dice “doll”) that travels around the room. Every time you roll a Bunco you get the Diva. At the end of the game whoever has the Diva gets a special surprise. Our Diva is very fashionable and has been known to change her attire based on the time of year. For example, during the March of Dimes campaign, she wore a “With your help, there’s hope”T-shirt to help promote the cause.