Another Saturday Night and I Ain't Got No Body (A Page Turners Novel)

by Marts, Jennie

  “That’s fine and dandy,” Edna snapped, “but how did you end up in her life in the first place? How did you all get from some magical computer game to cooking steaks at Miss Maggie-I’ve-Never-Seen-Her-Hair-Messed-Up-Like-That-Before’s?”

  Maggie blushed again and self-consciously raised a hand to flatten her mussed hair at the same time Jeremy slid his hand up and re-mussed her dark tresses.

  “I had known Maggie before, as Kynsya in the game. When I met her in person, she took my breath away.” He turned to Sunny and shrugged as he said, “No offense.”

  “None taken,” Sunny replied. “Our Mags is a stunning beauty.”

  Maggie glared at her as Jeremy continued his story. “I found out that night that she was a lawyer, and it didn’t take much digging to find her firm and her email address. I am fairly skilled with a computer.”

  “Yes, we know you somehow eke out a living playing little games on your computer,” Edna scoffed.

  “He doesn’t just play the games,” Maggie spoke up in Jeremy’s defense. “He designs the games and runs his own company. As a matter of fact, he designed and patented Call To Action.”

  “Really? I love that game,” Piper said, finally interjecting into the conversation. “All the kids at my school play it.”

  “Thank you.” Jeremy nodded to Piper. “It’s always good to know when one of my games is well-received.”

  “One of?” Cassie asked.

  “He’s designed several popular games,” Maggie said proudly. “He’s really quite brilliant.”

  “So that still doesn’t explain…” Sunny said and gestured to the two of them.

  “Right,” Jeremy said. “So I started to email her at work, then that progressed to a lot of text-messaging, then nightly phone calls. After a few weeks, she finally agreed to go to lunch with me.”

  “So that’s why you’ve been so devoted to that Blackberry lately.” Sunny grinned. “Here we thought you were working on a big case.”

  “A big case of tall, dark and handsome,” Edna said.

  “It was just lunch,” Maggie said and pulled a face at Edna. “But then that lunch led to some dinners and then to a movie…”

  “And then your boys go out of town, and you plan a special date, and four of your closest friends show up in the middle of it,” Cassie finished. “Oh, Mags, we’re sorry. We had no idea.”

  “It’s okay. It’s been fun having a secret dating thing, but it’s also killing me not to be able to talk to you guys about it.” Maggie slid her hand down and clasped Jeremy’s hand.

  “I really like him,” she stage-whispered to them. Turning to Sunny, she said, “Sunny, I hope you’re okay with this. I know you went on a date with him first…”

  Sunny held up her hand to ward off any more of Maggie’s comments. “I’m totally fine with this. In fact, I think it’s wonderful.”

  Maggie’s face broke into a broad grin, and she looked up at Jeremy as he squeezed her hand. She turned back to the group of women and said, “So just exactly why the hell are all of you over here?”

  And there she was. That was more like their Maggie.

  “Something happened last night, and I wanted to have everyone together so I would only have to tell it once,” Sunny said. “But now that we’ve interrupted your dinner, I feel bad. We can go, and I’ll fill you in tomorrow.”

  “Nonsense,” Jeremy said, already moving into the kitchen and pulling down extra plates. “We have plenty of food. We’ll split up the steaks, and we have a huge pasta salad, and a full loaf of bread. We’re happy to share.”

  “Those steaks do look good,” Piper said.

  “And they are getting cold,” Cassie said.

  “I’ll get the drinks,” Edna said and opened the cabinet door to pull down glasses.

  “Is this okay with you, Mags?” Sunny asked her friend, who stood in shock as the book club took over her dinner date.

  “Sure, it’s fine,” Maggie said, breaking her daze. “We can’t eat that whole chocolate cake by ourselves anyway.”

  “There’s chocolate cake?” Piper asked, her hands deep in the silverware drawer.

  Maggie laughed, and with a sigh, pulled out a kitchen chair and plopped down at the table.

  Through the course of the meal, Sunny filled them in on the events of the night before.

  “You mean Hank was actually in your room?” Cassie asked, when Sunny finally wound down.

  “And he attacked you?” Piper asked.

  “Oh, honey, you must have been so scared,” Cassie added.

  “Terrified,” Sunny agreed and nodded her head. Just talking about it brought forth the familiar tears, and Cassie passed her a napkin to dab at her eyes.

  “So how did you get away from him? Did he hurt you?” Cassie scooted her chair closer so she could take Sunny’s hand.

  Sunny squeezed her friend’s fingers and took a deep breath. “No, he didn’t hurt me. But I think he would have if Jake wouldn’t have shown up and cold-cocked him.”

  Piper gasped. “Jake saved you?”

  “Yes, he literally did. He threw Hank against the wall and punched him into unconsciousness.”

  “Wow. I like this guy,” Jeremy said. Maggie gave him a look as he said, “Well that’s what I would have done.”

  “Worse than hurting me,” Sunny continued, “was that he hurt Beau. I thought he had killed him at first.”

  “Oh, no,” Cassie cried.

  “Beau’s okay. Hank drugged him with Benadryl-laced cupcakes, so he wouldn’t bark or growl at him.”

  “That bastard!” Piper said, with a maliciousness that surprised them all.

  Sunny turned to her as Piper said, “Well, there’s just no reason to hurt your dog.”

  “You’re right, honey,” Sunny assured her. “And Beau is fine. He got a nice long nap out of the deal. The main thing is, Jake had also called 911, and the police showed up and arrested Hank.”

  “I showed up right after the police got there, but Mr. Knows-Where-the-Hide-a-Key-Was had already taken care of the dirt bag,” Edna interjected.

  “Don’t worry. Edna still got her two cents worth. She went up to Hank as the police took him out and kicked him square in the family jewels.” Sunny smiled at her neighbor with pride.

  “Rotten son of a bitch,” Edna said.

  “Way to go, Edna.” Piper reached across the table to give the older woman a high-five.

  “Damn-straight,” she said and smacked Piper’s outstretched hand.

  “You should have called me. I would have come over,” Cassie said. “Did Edna stay with you again last night?”

  “I would have,” Edna huffed, “if Mr. I’m-Sleeping-on-the-Sofa hadn’t kicked me out.”

  “Jake slept over?” Maggie asked, her right eyebrow raised.

  “Yes, on the sofa,” Sunny said, “and he didn’t kick you out, I did.”

  “Hmmm,” Maggie said.

  “You know her back gets worse if she doesn’t sleep in her own bed,” Sunny explained.

  Maggie chuckled. “So long as you were just thinking of her.”

  “I wasn’t really thinking at all,” Sunny said and the room turned serious again. “And Jake was great. He really did sleep on the sofa, after he carried Beau all the way up the stairs and put him in my bed so I wouldn’t be alone.”

  “Aww,” Piper said.

  “So was he there this morning?” Cassie asked.

  “Yes, and this part can’t leave this room.” Sunny looked at each one in turn.

  “Do you need me to leave?” Jeremy asked.

  “No.” Sunny sighed. “You’re in this now, so you might as well stay.”

  Her fellow diners leaned forward as Sunny told them, “Jake made me breakfast this morning, and he set the table with pancakes, scrambled eggs, and his FBI badge.”

  “His what?” Edna’s fork dropped from her hand and clattered to the floor. The rapid clicking of toenails on hardwood sounded as Maggie’s dog Barney raced under the table an
d gobbled up the piece of steak that had been en route to Edna’s mouth.

  “He’s an FBI agent working undercover to track Walter’s killer,” Sunny said.

  “I thought he was Walter’s grandson,” Maggie said.

  “And he is also Walter’s grandson.” Sunny popped the last curly noodle of pasta salad into her mouth and pushed her plate away.

  By now, they had finished eating, but their plates still sat on the table. The steak juice congealed into greasy pools as the group sat transfixed in shock as Sunny filled them in on the conversation she and Jake had shared that morning.

  She explained about his sudden arrival, his odd online dating profile, the bloody shirt, and his whole involvement in Walter’s case.

  “Aren’t you going to get in trouble for telling us all this?” Piper asked.

  “No,” Sunny answered. “I asked him if it was okay if I told you guys, and he said with the way everyone’s been meddling in the case, he’d rather have us working with him than against him.”

  “Huh,” Edna said, thoughtfully. “So Mr. Shows-Up-Mysteriously-in-the-Night is really working with the Feds?”

  “Yep.”

  Edna looked perplexed as she chewed on the side of her bottom lip.

  “Well, I think it’s cool,” Piper said.

  “So do I,” Jeremy chimed in, only to get another bracing look from Maggie. “Well, I do.”

  “The cool part about it is that now I know he’s investigating Walter’s death, not the cause of it,” Sunny said. “You should have seen his face when I told him we thought he had murdered Walter.”

  “I bet,” Edna said. “But I’m still not sold. Just because he works with the Feebs doesn’t mean he’s absolved of the crime. Maybe he just knows more about how to pull off a murder and not get caught.”

  “Feebs? Really, Edna?” Sunny gave an exasperated eye roll. “How many crime shows do you watch each week?”

  “Hey, those crime shows can really teach you a thing or two,” she said, huffing in her defense. “I’m just saying I’m not ready to fully trust this Mr. Long-Lost-Grandson yet.”

  “Well, I am,” Sunny said. “I believe him. You guys weren’t there this morning when he told me all of this. I looked into his eyes, and I believe him.”

  “And you like him,” Maggie said.

  “And I like him.” A smile crept across Sunny’s face. “I really like him.”

  Sunny looked around the room at the faces of her closest friends and confidants. Maggie wore her usual skeptical look. But it was hard to accept it, when Jeremy sat next to her, his long arm stretched around her back, and his fingers tracing circles along her shoulder.

  Ever the romantic, Cassie nodded encouragingly at Sunny, as if she could see her future with Jake shining brightly. Piper’s blonde head was bent forward, strands of hair falling across her eye as her fingers worked the keyboard of her phone, Sunny’s love life already accepted as she moved forward in her teenage world of friends and texts.

  Edna stood and cleared the table, a thoughtful expression in her eyes. Sunny figured she was processing the information of the night as she stacked plates and collected napkins.

  “You all will have more of a chance to get to know him this weekend, because I am having a Bayou Barbeque on Wednesday night in honor of our latest book.” They had just finished The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, and Sunny told them she had been formulating the idea of doing a southern barbeque for their book club similar to Vivi’s birthday party at the end of the book. Sunny had visions of fried okra, pecan pie, and Cajun shrimp sizzling on the grill. Not that she knew how to make fried okra, or anything Cajun, but that’s what cookbooks were for.

  “I thought it would be fun to have the book club bring their families.” Sunny looked pointedly at Maggie and Jeremy. “And/or a guest of their choosing.”

  “I’m free Wednesday,” Jeremy said. “What should I bring?”

  “She said of our choosing,” Maggie said. “I haven’t chosen you yet.”

  “Oh, yes you have.” Jeremy picked up Maggie’s hand and turned it over to lay a quick kiss on her palm. “You just haven’t realized it yet.”

  A goofy grin crossed Maggie’s face for just a moment before she put her scowl back in place. “Oh, all right, you can come,” she snapped.

  “Because…” he said, a devilish look of anticipation in his eyes.

  “Because I choose you,” she grudgingly said.

  “Yes!” He fist-pumped the air, then turned back to Maggie. “Because honey, I chose you the moment that door opened, and I saw your beautiful smile.”

  Maggie tried to keep a straight face, but the beautiful smile he had been talking about broke free and her face lit up like a ray of sunshine.

  “Ugh. I think I’m going to vomit,” Edna said. “That’s enough of this mushy crap for me.” She closed the dishwasher and rubbed her chest as she let out a loud belch. “I’m ready to go home. That pasta salad made me gassy.”

  Maggie and Jeremy walked the others to the door, and Sunny reminded them all about the barbeque on Wednesday night. “Everyone should come around six, and I will call you each this week about what to bring.”

  Maggie touched Piper’s arm and quietly said, “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to Drew about Jeremy. I haven’t told the boys yet, but I will before the barbeque this week.”

  “Sure,” Piper said. “I’m happy for you. He seems like a great guy.”

  “Thanks, honey.” Maggie pulled the young girl into her arms and buried her face in Piper’s shoulder to conceal the broad grin on her face. “And yeah, he is a great guy.”

  27

  “Pass the salt.”

  “Matt, you can’t put salt on Cajun shrimp. It’s already spicy,” Sunny admonished.

  “Matt puts salt on potato chips.” Cassie plopped down on the chaise lounge behind her husband. She ribbed him good-naturedly as she threw her arm around his shoulder and absently rubbed his back.

  The scents of grilled meat and vegetables filled Sunny’s backyard as the Page Turners and their families milled around.

  Cassie had spent the last twenty minutes rearranging Sunny’s buffet table so it would flow. She’d switched the plates and cutlery to one end next to the napkins, then had Matt bring out an extra card table that she laid a flowered tablecloth across. She filled the table with colored cups and a large pitcher of lemonade. Bright yellow slices of lemon floated amidst handfuls of ice cubes, and droplets of condensation beaded the glass of the pitcher, rolling down the curves as if caressing a woman’s figure.

  The back door slammed, and Jeremy emerged carrying two Diet Cokes and a BBQ spatula under his arm. The smile that lit up his face was only outshined by the similar one playing across Maggie’s. He advanced on her, stopping to pick up a red Solo cup filled with ice from the drink table, already knowing she preferred to drink her soda with a glass of ice rather than from the can. He set the drinks on the table next to where Maggie was stretched out on a chaise lounge. Her white shorts and turquoise halter top offset her tan skin. Her flat black sandals had a round abalone shell and matched the shell at the center of her top that rested in her ample cleavage.

  “En Guard!” Jeremy pulled the BBQ spatula from his arm pit and wielded it like a sword. “I am here to slay the mighty dragon for m’lady,” he said in his best Old English imitation. “Dost thou fair maiden like her dragon meat rare, medium, or well-done?”

  Maggie shielded her eyes from the afternoon sun as she looked up at the tall, lanky man. His mussed dark hair, boyish grin, and blue eyes shining behind his glasses made her heart do a little flip, and she smiled. “Wow. You are such a nerd.”

  “Yes, I know.” He grinned back. “But I am a nerd willing to grill dragon meat and feed it to you on a plate, so how do you want it?”

  “Medium-rare, hold the scales,” she said and grinned wryly at him.

  “Ahh. Dost thy lady have a touch of nerd-dom herself?” he teased.

 
; “Evidently so,” Maggie said. “Now, go cook.”

  He gave her one more pose, swooshing the spatula in a zee motion to mimic Zorro, then stuck the BBQ tool between his legs. With a last nod and a ‘m’lady’, he galloped to the grill where Jake was laying thick pink hamburger patties across its surface.

  Meeting Jake this afternoon, Jeremy had been a little intimidated by his FBI status– and the fact that Jake actually lived out the adventures Jeremy only dreamed and invented imitation digital worlds about. But Jake’s easy manner and laid back attitude put Jeremy at ease, and they soon joked and bantered with each other like old college buddies.

  Jake took one look at Jeremy and his BBQ spatula stallion and dropped his head in shame. “Really, Dude?” Jake asked. “The only thing you’re missing is the sound effects,” he said and mimed the coconut clapping horseless knights of Monty Python.

  * * *

  “Haven’t seen you smile like that in a long time,” Sunny said as she pushed Maggie’s legs aside and sat on the end of the chaise.

  Sunny wore her curly hair in a haphazard knot on top of her head. Her feet were bare and her toenails sported a glossy bubble-gum pink polish.

  “I’m glad to know I’ve still got that smile,” Maggie said.

  “Who knew it would take an elvin-filled video game and a tall, cute nerd to find it again?” Sunny teased.

  Maggie laughed. “Who knew?”

  * * *

  Drew watched his mom flirt playfully with Jeremy and shook his head as he watched the guy brandish his barbeque spatula sword. Dude.

  He had been surprised when upon returning from three days of hot, exhausting soccer camp, his mom had sat him and his brother down and explained she had been seeing someone.

  “That’s cool,” Dylan had said, shrugging his shoulders. “Do we have anything good to eat? I hope you went to the store while we were gone.”

  Dylan wandered into the kitchen, the discussion about his mom’s love life accepted and dismissed as he opened the pantry to a fresh array of Pringles cans and Hostess boxes.

  “Thanks, Mom,” he called back into the living room where Drew still sat, eyeing his mom with suspicion.