Dusted to Death Read Free Page B

He’s a good friend, a really good friend .
    Just a good friend?
    Well, he’s not family, so what else would he be?
    What else, indeed? And what about that kiss?
    Ignoring the nagging voice in her head and the memory of the kiss, Charlotte opened her eyes and loaded up the tray to transport the food to the picnic table.
    True to his word, Louis had returned from his overnight assignment in plenty of time to “fire up the grill” as well as purchase the small wading pool for the little ones.
    Again, Charlotte glanced out of the window and smiled. While the twins splashed in the pool, Davy and Amy, much to her surprise, seemed to be really having fun playing badminton.
    At that moment, Davy swung his racket and missed. Like a streak of lightning, Danielle, Daniel and Nadia’s four-year old, swooped in behind him and scooped up the shuttlecock off the ground. When Davy held out his hand for it, Danielle shook her head and said something that Charlotte couldn’t hear.
    Just behind Charlotte, Carol laughed. “Guess that’s one way to try and force them to play with her.”
    “Yeah, poor little thing. She thinks she’s too old to play with the twins, but Davy and Amy think she’s too young to play with them.”
    “Maybe they’ll take pity on her.”
    “Humph! I doubt that. But—” Charlotte picked up the tray and headed toward the back door. “Maybe I can distract her—get her to take pity on the twins,” she said over her shoulder. “The twins crawl around after her like little lapdogs.”
    “If anyone can, you can,” Carol quipped. “Do you want me to bring that pot of chili?”
    “Yes, please.”
     
    Later that night when Louis parked the car in the driveway, Charlotte opened the door and walked slowly to the porch. In the distance she could still hear the sounds of fireworks popping, and though the night air wasn’t exactly cool, it was cooler than the afternoon had been.
    She paused at the bottom of the steps and looked up into the sky. “That’s strange,” she murmured. “I’ve never seen that many stars out in a long time. And they all seem to be centered right over our neighborhood.”
    Though Louis chuckled, he didn’t comment.
    “By the way, thanks for the ride home,” she told him. Though she’d ridden to the levee with Hank and his family to watch the fireworks, Louis had offered to take her home to save Hank an unnecessary trip.
    “You’re welcome. I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted,” Louis said as he followed her up the steps onto the porch. “But it’s a good exhaustion,” he added.
    “I feel the same way.” Charlotte headed for her front door. “All in all, it was worth it. And the fireworks this year were fantastic. I have to say that, except for the heat, this day was about as perfect as they come.” She unlocked the door.
    “Yeah, well, don’t forget the mosquitoes.”
    “Speaking of the bloodthirsty critters, either step inside or say good night.” When he stepped inside, Charlotte quickly closed the door. With a grin she turned to face Louis. “Funny, I didn’t hear anyone else complaining.”
    Louis laughed. “That’s because the little ones didn’t stay still long enough for a mosquito to land, and their parents were too busy chasing them to notice.”
    “And because their parents had the good sense to spray them good with mosquito repellent before we left,” Charlotte pointed out.
    “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Go ahead. I know you’re dying to say I told you so.”
    Charlotte shrugged. “If the shoe fits. I did warn you to spray yourself down. And speaking of mosquito bites, if you’ve got some of that green rubbing alcohol, using it on the bites will help with the itching. Either that or some Benadryl cream.”
    “Well, unlike some people I know, I don’t happen to keep that kind of stuff on hand, so guess I’ll just suffer.”
    Charlotte laughed. “Is that a hint?” Without waiting for his reply, she said, “Hang on a minute, and