A Rip Roaring Good Time Read Online Free PDF Page B

here. It wasn't a big deal whether or not he heard what I had to say, he'd told me, but he didn't want to miss out on the conversation with Stone and Lexie. How rude , I thought. I had half a notion to take the batteries out of his hearing aids and not tell him I'd done so.
    Finished with my morning routine, I went down to the kitchen to have some coffee with Lexie. I needed to get rid of the fog enveloping my brain after such little sleep. As expected, she was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup in her hand.
    Lexie looked a bit harried as she sorted through a conglomeration of lists and receipts on the table in front of her. She'd been muttering to herself when I'd entered the room.
    "Good morning, sunshine," I greeted her. She was such a sweetheart, and the thought flitted through my mind that she looked young enough to be my daughter. But then I realized she could've been had I got knocked up at seventeen instead of eighteen. We hadn't seen our own daughter since we'd gone home to Texas for her fiftieth birthday in the late spring. But Regina had been so tied up in some real estate deals she was involved in, she'd hardly had time to visit with us. Reggie, as we've always called her, and her husband, Milo Moore, made a living "flipping houses" in town, whatever that means. Even though their livelihood sounded somewhat sketchy to me, they seemed to be doing well financially, so I kept my nose out of their business.
    "Grab a cup of coffee, Rapella," Lexie suggested.
    "Sure thing, but I'm limiting myself to two cups a day while I'm here. I didn't sleep so good last night. If I tried to keep up with your caffeine consumption, I'd be buzzing around here like the queen bee hepped up on fermented nectar. But if you can handle a boatload of it, more power to you. Speaking of which, would you like a refill while I'm pouring mine?"
    "Yes, please. I need another boost of energy to get all these details taken care of today."
    "Can I help in any way?" I asked. "I have nothing else to do."
    "Actually," she replied with a grin, "I was hoping you'd volunteer."
    "What are all these lists you got here?" I asked as I pulled out a chair and sat down. "I hate to use a cliché, but you need to get all these ducks in a row."
    Before Lexie could respond, a knock at the door startled both of us. After Lexie hollered for the visitor to come in, a young gal about Wendy's age walked in, and danged if she didn't have a fistful of lists in her hand too. Probably a darned good thing I am here to help, I thought. I said, "Good Lord! You gals must have ducks running amok all over the place!"
    They both looked at me like I'd just spoken to them in Mandarin Chinese. Lexie introduced us, and the blonde young gal replied, "Nice to meet you Mrs. Ripple. I'm Wendy's best friend, and I'm helping her mom with the surprise party."
    "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mattie. Just call me Rapella, dear. Mrs. Ripple makes me sound old."
    Lexie invited Mattie to sit down and asked, "Okay, dear, have you got a final count for me?"
    Mattie nodded and replied, "As close as I'm apt to get, I think. I invited all of Wendy's friends who live in the area, of course. I knew the parlor here could handle a pretty big crowd. I factored in the people who definitely plan to come, the people who can't make it due to other obligations, and the people who will be here if at all possible. Then, assuming most guests will be bringing a spouse, boyfriend, or friend, along with them, I'm estimating between thirty-five and forty will be attending the party tonight."
    "Okay. Thanks, honey!" Lexie said, looking at Mattie as she spoke. "That sounds perfect. I ordered enough cake to feed fifty and told the caterer to be prepared to feed dinner to that many as well. I also bought enough snacks, drinks, and refreshments to feed all of Rockdale. I knew the leftovers would not go to waste with the inn full of guests."
    Lexie glanced at me with a smile and continued speaking to Mattie. "Every room