“So does this mean she won’t get the hat-and-glove set?” Geren asked with an edge of sarcasm.
“She’ll get one of those, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t plan to give her something else on the sly. In fact, I already bought it.”
“Oh, yeah? Do tell!”
“Uh-uh, you’ll just have to wait and see,” Tempest said, getting in one of the long checkout lines. “Dang, we’re going to be here all day!”
Geren grabbed a National Inquisiter off the rack at the end of the counter.
“You read that trash?” Tempest asked in shock.
“Heck, yeah!” Geren exclaimed, flipping the pages. “They have some good stuff in here.”
“Yeah, right.”
/> “Really, they do. Here’s an article about a famous movie star who had a baby by her cousin.”
Tempest yanked it out of his hand. “Let me see that!”
By the time they checked out, Tempest was hooked. She purchased a copy of every tabloid she could find.
• • •
“Boy, that was so much fun!” Geren admitted, plopping down on Tempest’s sofa in his Santa costume. “I never thought I’d like dressing up like this. In fact, I just knew I would hate it, but I was wrong. I loved it!”
“That’s great!” Tempest unbuckled her black granny shoes and kicked them off in the middle of the floor. Her dogs were barking. “You were wonderful with all of the kids. The real shocker was the batch of cookies you baked. Are you sure you didn’t buy them?” Tempest asked suspiciously.
“Hey, hey now, I told you I baked those cookies from scratch. I worked my kitchen over all afternoon.”
“Maybe now you can work me over,” Tempest said seductively.
“Did Janessa tear into my cookies or what?”
Tempest laughed. “She ate at least ten of those bad boys. I thought she was going to have to waddle out of there.”
“I wonder what happened to Dvontè. He said he was coming through.”
“He’s your boy,” Tempest replied snidely. “Probably out hoeing.”
Geren didn’t know what to make of that comment, so he changed the subject. “Where did all of those people come from? I thought it was just going to be the girls who get counseling at the center.”
Tempest wrinkled her nose, trying to restrain a laugh. “I kind of, sort of, omitted the fact that we have a big community party every year. I thought you might back out if you knew half the neighborhood was coming.”
“You would have been right, too.” Geren pulled Tempest down on top of him on the sofa. “You look mighty sexy in that outfit,” he said, pulling the gray wig off her head so her silky brown hair could outline her face.
“That outfit you have on is kind of turning me on, too,” Tempest replied jokingly. “Especially the pillow stuffed in your shirt. There’s nothing like having something soft and cuddly to snuggle up with.”
“Is that right?” Geren pulled her face closer to his so he could kiss her, but she pulled back from him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Tempest anxiously removed his hat, wig and beard. “I just don’t want a mouth full of synthetic hair.”
“Don’t stop there!” Geren protested. “Take everything off me, and then I’ll take everything off you.”
“And then?”
“And then we’ll make love until the sun comes up.”
“Hmm, are you sure you’re not taking Niagra on the sly?” Tempest teased. “All these nights of endless lovemaking are beginning to arouse my suspicions.”