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Authors: Fern Michaels

BOOK: Breaking News
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Suddenly, Abby started laughing. Chris stared at her, thinking she might be hysterical, but then she stopped laughing and just grinned. “If I tell you something, you promise not to turn me in to those cop friends of yours?”
“What did you do, Abby?” Chris asked, a smile as wide as the Pacific on his face.
She poured them each a cup of coffee, then brought the cups to the table. “Remember when you came back to the hospital room, and I told you I had been looking for a Coke machine?”
His eyes twinkled. “I knew it! You were sneaking, weren't you?”
“Let's just say Rag suffered a nosebleed, and his poor little man part, and I do mean little, was exposed for all to see. He made me pee in front of him before locking me in the closet. I just wanted to let him know how it felt to be humiliated that way.”
Chris didn't know whether to laugh or be angry. “It's going to be a very long time before he ever takes a piss in private, Abby. I'm sure he'll take whatever plea deal is going to be offered. Life in prison will be much more tolerable for the cowardly bastard than a death sentence.”
Abby heard Chester scratching at the French doors in the living room. Apparently, he was too good to use his doggy door today. Getting up to let him in, she pulled the doors aside, and the German shepherd raced through the living room, then hopped up on the sofa. Noticing that Chris's tuxedo jacket was tossed over the back of the sofa, she yanked it up before Chester had the chance to cover it with hair. She took the black jacket and folded it across her arm, and something fell from the inside pocket.
Abby bent down and picked up what looked like a ring box. Shocked, she opened it and saw a diamond ring.
Before she could say anything, Chris asked, “Will you?”
Chapter 41
T
he shutters were closed; all the lawn furniture and plants were stored in the gardening shed; anything loose was secured. Toots knew she was as prepared as one could ever be for a hurricane.
Once Bernice had gotten over getting caught in her ongoing lie, things progressed nicely. Their new neighbors were thrilled at the prospect of a hurricane party, both claiming they'd never been in an area where hurricanes were the norm. Toots assured them that they were safe, or at least as safe as they could be, and to enjoy the night ahead.
Wade and Mavis, along with Coco, whom they had discovered hiding in the basement after Mavis realized the little pooch hadn't been there to greet her, hadn't taken their eyes off one another. Apparently, talking about dead people excited them both, and for once, Coco was on her best behavior.
Bernice and Jamie had made enough food and desserts for a small army. Pralines from the bakery, in every flavor, muffins, and cupcakes. Sandwiches with chips and pickles, olives, and peppers were just a few of the items they were going to have at their hurricane party. When Toots saw that their party preparations were ready, she found some booze that had belonged to that cheap ass Leland. She took the rocks glasses from the hutch in the dining room and made a minibar on the kitchen counter. There was beer and wine, but Toots knew she and the girls would hit the hard stuff tonight. With Abby safe at home and Rag headed for a very long term in prison, it was definitely time to celebrate. There was just one thing left to do.
Call Phil.
“Hey, it's me,” Toots said into the phone. “How'd the emergency go?”
“Looks like they're gonna live a few more years, so I guess that's a good thing. What are you up to? How is Abby?” Phil asked.
Toots could hear the concern in his voice and more than appreciated it. He was truly a good guy. “The last I heard, Abby was fine. I was called away on an emergency myself this morning. Seems there's a hurricane headed toward Charleston, and someone had to batten down the hatches.” Toots let her words hang, hoping he'd catch on.
“You're in Charleston?” Phil asked.
“Yes, I am. And the reason I'm calling, we're having a hurricane party. I thought you might want to join us. We've got new neighbors here who just happen to be without electricity, so they've joined us. I thought maybe you could come over before the storm hits.”
Phil laughed. “I guess in all your preparations, you haven't seen the latest report. It seems this hurricane has made a turn and is now headed directly for New York City. I guess the ‘cone of uncertainty' strikes again. We should only get a bit of tropical storm–force winds and some heavy rain. If the party still stands, I can be there in half an hour. By the way, Dr. Carnes called. Frankie is doing fantastic. I'll tell you about him as soon as I see you.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Toots said, grinning. “I'll be waiting.” She clicked off, then went to the kitchen, where everyone was gathered around the table, filling paper plates with food that Phil was sure to disapprove of. Nothing heart-healthy in sight. They spent the next half hour stuffing themselves with the finest pralines in the South and the best country-ham sandwiches money could buy.
Toots clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. “Listen up. It seems that in all of our merrymaking, we have neglected to listen to Jim Cantore from the Weather Channel. I just spoke with Phil, who informed me this hurricane has taken a turn and is currently expected to make landfall in New York City! So, we're no longer having an official hurricane party, but we're going to celebrate the little storm we're about to get. We sure as hell could use the rain.”
Everyone started talking at once. Then Sophie banged her spoon against a glass. “This calls for a toast, wouldn't you all agree?”
They all agreed, and Sophie took the bottle of hundred-year-old scotch and poured a liberal amount into ten rocks glasses that Toots had lined up along the counter like shot glasses. When she finished, she and Sophie passed out the glasses.
“Now, Sophie, what is it we're toasting?” Toots asked, not caring one way or another. They were having a good time, and now more than ever, she truly appreciated the loved ones in her life. Tears filled her eyes as she thought about just how blessed she'd been. Yes, there had been a few rough spots along the way, but she wouldn't change a thing. Life was good.
Just as Sophie was about to speak, the doorbell rang, and Toots had the sudden thought that it was about to get better. “Wait! Hold the toast!” She placed her glass on the counter and practically raced to get the front door.
She pulled the heavy oak door aside, and standing there like a drenched puppy was her new man, or whatever they called them nowadays. In her day, they called them boyfriends. “You're just in time to join us. We were about to make a toast,” Toots said, guiding Phil to the kitchen.
“To what, might I ask?” he said.
“I haven't a clue,” Toots said when she entered her kitchen, a room she truly loved, the room that like no other said “home.” She clapped her hands together a second time. “Everyone, this is Phil, Dr. Phil Becker, the famed cardiologist, and if it weren't for him, my dear older sister, Bernice, wouldn't be here today. I say we toast him!”
Glasses were raised, and introductions made. The rest of the evening was spent telling old stories, learning new ones, and making new memories with the new men in their lives.
Toots realized she'd had a little too much to drink, and seeing that the rain was nothing more than a light drizzle, she stepped outside to smoke. Sophie spied her across the room, where she gave Goebel a healthy kiss, then joined Toots on the wet steps, where they both plopped down, their rear ends soaking up the moisture.
“You know what, Toots?” Sophie asked, then took a drag from her cigarette.
“What's that, Sophie?”
“Life doesn't get any better than this,” she said.
Toots nodded in agreement. Then, as they stood to go back inside, her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. Who would be calling her at this hour?
Looking at the face of her phone, she saw it was Abby. Her heart raced for a moment. The last time she'd received a late-night call, it had been Chris, telling her Abby had been abducted.
“Hello?” she said, instantly sober. “Abby! Are you all right?”
“Mom, are you sitting down?” Abby asked.
“No, but something tells me I should be.” Toots sat back down on the wet porch steps, with Sophie plopping back down beside her.
“Oh, Mom! This is the best news! Chris has asked me to marry him, and I said yes!”
Momentarily stunned, Toots was at a loss for words.
“Mom, are you there?” Abby asked.
“Yes, yes, I'm here. Abby, I don't know what to say except this is the best news I've had in forever! God has answered my prayers. I have always hoped this day would come. You have made me the happiest mom in the world!” Toots exclaimed.
Sophie pinched her. “What is it?”
Toots placed her hand over the phone. “Shut up, Sophie. Chris asked Abby to marry him, and she said yes. We've got a wedding to plan.”
“Abby, I just told Sophie. I think she's dumbfounded.” Toots laughed, her world so perfect at that exact moment, she was afraid to do or say anything else, fearing it would break the spell.
“Mom, Chris wants to speak to you.”
“Hey, old girl, I hope I have your blessing. I know if Dad were alive, he'd be thrilled. I was going to ask Abby to marry me the night of the premiere, but, well, you know what happened. I just wanted to tell you how much I love your daughter, and I will devote my life to making her happy.”
“Well, Chris, all I can say is, this news has made me the happiest woman alive. You both have my blessing. I love you, you know that, right?”
“Oh shit, Toots, don't go getting all mushy on me.” Chris laughed. “Here's Abby.”
“Mom, I just wanted to share my fantastic news!”
“Wait, wait! Have you set a date?” Toots asked excitedly.
“No, but you'll be the second to know when we do. Gotta go, Mom. Tell the other godmothers for me, okay?”
“Sure,” Toots said. “Love you, Abby.”
“One more thing, not to put a damper on my news, but we just learned an hour ago that Rag accepted a plea. He won't see the light of day ever again. And I love you, too, Mom,” Abby said before clicking off.
Toots and Sophie raced inside the house, not caring that their tushes were soaking wet. For the third time that night, Toots clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. “I just received a phone call from Abby, my daughter, for those of you who have never met her. Apparently, she's just accepted a marriage proposal from Chris, my stepson, and no, don't ask, but it's a good thing!”
Mavis and Ida gushed like two old hens. Sophie poured them all another glass of scotch, and they toasted Abby and Chris's engagement numerous times throughout what was left of the evening.
Everyone huddled in groups of two: Sophie and Goebel, Bernice and Robert, Mavis and Wade, Toots and Phil, leaving Ida attached to her cell phone. From this modern-day messenger pigeon they all learned that Dave Thompson was coming to Charleston in three days. It seemed that all the members of AARP at the party were about to fall head over heels in love.
Once again.
Chapter 42
Six weeks later . . .
 
I
da paraded around The Home Shopping Club studio as though she were royalty. And in a sense, she was. For the previous four weeks, Ida, Toots, Sophie, and Mavis had arrived at the studios in Wilmington, North Carolina, at 6:00
AM
each Saturday to tape the progress of Ida's new line of skin care and makeup, which she'd aptly named Seasons, as it was being marketed to women who were a bit, well,
seasoned.
That day, for the first time, they were going to go on the air live. This would be Ida's national debut, and Toots, Mavis, and Sophie would reveal their amazing progress over the past six weeks. The Home Shopping Club would play each taped session, showing the amazing results of Ida's skin-care products. If they were as successful as expected, then she would follow with her line of makeup, which had the same ingredients as those in the skin-care line.
They had arrived at the studios in Wilmington, North Carolina, at 3:00
AM
for the team of experts Ida had hired to do their hair and makeup. Each one would be representing a different product in the line.
Sophie had used the face cream, and her results had exceeded the expectations of the chemists involved, and the marketing firm Ida had hired was begging for free samples.
Mavis, with her sensitive skin, who was more prone to wrinkling beneath her eyes, had used the specially prepared eye cream. Her results had exceeded all expectations as well.
Toots, who had the best skin, was starting to show signs of aging in her décolletage area. A gentler version for this tender area had proved once again that Ida was a true genius in her designated area of entrepreneurial expertise.
“Beauty at Any Age” was the motto touting the line.
All were seated in tall chairs, facing the cameras and surrounded by the bright lights in the studio.
“What if people don't like this stuff?” Sophie asked as her makeup artist applied a touch of gloss to her lips. Their faces would be free of cosmetics in order to show the viewing audience just how remarkable the changes were.
Before Toots could answer, one of the hairstylists spoke. “Are you kidding? We see thousands of products come and go, and none of us have ever seen something that works as fast and as amazingly as Seasons
.
I don't care what their age. If women don't jump on this stuff, they're out of their minds. I think the entire staff has already set aside several bottles of this cream. Frankly, we have never seen anything like it. I think the only thing you will need to worry about is how fast you can produce the stuff.”
Ida listened as the hairstylist practically salivated when she spoke of the line.
“How many units do you have ready?” Toots asked while yet another stylist twisted her auburn hair into an updo.
“We have two hundred thousand units ready for shipping. Depending on today's sales, we're prepared to produce the product on an as-needed basis. I'm hoping to keep the production lines running twenty-four/seven,” Ida said. “I'll break even at one hundred thousand units. Anything beyond that is pure profit. Too bad I can't market this with Drop-Dead Gorgeous.”
“Ida, that's terrible!” Mavis said, though she was smiling. “I've learned a thing or two since I started Good Mourning, and one of them is that you can never say never. Who would have thought when we were sewing those clothes by hand that a year later, I'd have two warehouses doing nothing but sewing? I have to say I never expected to become a wealthy woman. You remember when Herbert came through and said he was proud of me? That's given me more motivation to try other things.”
Mavis paused as her stylist sprayed her hair. “Wade is going to come out of retirement, at least for a while. Since Ida's so busy with her live customers, he's quite good at making the poor souls look almost as nice as Ida can, so he's going to assist me the next time I'm called to do a dressing out.”
“Ugh,” Sophie said. “That's just disgusting. I don't see how either one of you can spend your working hours with dead bodies. Though I do recall that one time when I had to give you two a hand.”
Mavis and Ida both gave Sophie looks that should have killed or, at the very least, kept her quiet, but Sophie, loving to joke, continued with her explanation. “No one even knew I assisted you two, either. I never said a word.”
“Then why are you saying it now, when we're about to appear on national television?” Ida asked. “I think it's rude, and beyond mean. This is supposed to be . . . my day! Why you would want to ruin it is beyond me!” Ida shouted. When she realized some of the camera people were staring at her, she lowered her voice. “If you tell, Sophia Manchester, I promise I will tell Goebel that you . . . you were a lesbian in high school!”
Toots's eyes widened, Mavis's mouth formed a perfect O, and Sophie roared with laughter.
“Oh, shit, Ida, I'm just fucking around. Oops, I mean screwing around. I promised you and Mavis I would never tell, and I won't. If you want to tell Toots, then that's up to you. I was simply remembering that time I assisted you two,” Sophie said.
Toots, more curious than ever, said, “I'm sure eventually one of you will blab. I'm a patient woman, remember?”
The director began to shout to the crew, and an assistant carrying a clipboard, with a headset on, announced, “Okay, ladies, we're about to go live in two minutes. All you have to do is sit there, smile, and look pretty. Our announcer will do most of the talking. Then Ida will tell the audience about each different product as the camera focuses on you. Now, no cussing, okay?” she said with a big grin.
Toots, Sophie, and Mavis nodded, all knowing this really was Ida's moment to shine. And theirs, too, in a sense. They wouldn't do anything to mess this up. Though Sophie and Toots delighted in pulling Ida's chain, they loved her as much as they loved one another. Mavis, sweet Mavis, could always be counted on, no matter what.
“Okay, everyone into position,” the director called. “We're live in ten, nine, eight, seven, six . . .”
The female host of the Saturday morning segment said, “Welcome to The Home Shopping Club. Ladies, you will want to get to the phone when you see what we're about to offer. A new line of skin-care products, Seasons, will revolutionize skin care as we all know it. We only have two hundred thousand units available today, so without further delay, I'm proud to introduce Ida McGullicutty, Seasons founder and the creator of this amazing product.”
“Thank you, Carol. I'm so excited to be here,” Ida said as she'd previously been instructed during rehearsal.
“Each of our models today has used a specific product designated for a particular area. For the past four weeks, these women have allowed us to show them without any makeup, without any touch-ups, as you will see. Let's watch their transformation.”
The television monitors showed Sophie, Toots, and Mavis, starting at week one and ending with live shots of them in the studio. While the camera highlighted each woman's area of application, Ida narrated exactly what product they'd used and how to use it to achieve maximum results.
“Lines are opening, ladies and gentlemen. Each product you've seen comes in a set of three. This product is not offered in stores. The original retail price is two hundred fifty-nine dollars, but today, on The Home Shopping Club, we're practically giving the product away for fifty-nine dollars and ninety-five cents plus shipping and handling. The first hundred callers will receive free shipping. Okay, ladies, time starts now.”
The clock at the bottom of the screen showed thirty minutes. The number of sales was registered on the left side of the screen.
While the viewers saw the amazing progress once again, Carol spoke to Ida live as sales skyrocketed. “Ida, tell us your story. How did you develop Seasons?”
Ida went through her rehearsed lines, telling the viewers how she'd always had an interest in cosmetics. That it was through her natural curiosity and science that she and her team were able to develop these products and that pumpkin enzymes played a big role in the products' success.
“Ida, excuse me. I'm being told that the phone lines in our call center are jammed. We only have twenty more minutes left for this item. If you can't get through, keep trying, as you will not want to miss out on this introductory price.”
Ida looked at the girls, mouthing, “Can you believe this?”
They all smiled when the camera panned back to Carol. Sophie gave Ida a thumbs-up sign, and Toots and Mavis just grinned.
Once again, Ida was instructed to continue talking about the product. “The enzymes in the pumpkin have soothing properties as well. They're good for scars, scrapes, and skin rashes, too.”
Before Ida could continue to promote the many healing properties of her products, Carol broke in. “Ida, I'm sorry to have to interrupt you, but I have just been informed that we have sold out! For those viewers unable to get through due to the overwhelming demand, I've just been told by the producers, we're going to try to feature Seasons again in the near future. Please stay tuned. Up next . . .” Carol announced the host for the next segment and quickly helped Ida and the girls make their way off the set.

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