Jane nodded as Dave reappeared and handed Glen a glass of Perrier with lime. Glen smiled his thanks.
“Glen, I’ll be back in a minute. Will you be okay?” Brenda asked.
He nodded that he would. Brenda gave him an encouraging smile and the three women headed toward the house with Emily tagging along.
As Dave and Glen watched them leave, Dave said, “Brenda and Jane couldn’t be any more opposite. It amazes me they’re such good friends.”
“You can say that again,” Glen agreed.
“I like my women just like Jane—bleached blond hair, dynamite figure and a deep, sexy voice. Hell, I even like her sarcastic tongue and that sexy, flowery perfume she wears.”
Glen gave him a scouring look. “I favor women like Brenda. She has that wholesome quality. The first time I saw her, I went into meltdown,” Glen offered.
Dave chuckled, “You make her sound like a Palmolive commercial.”
Dave was still watching Jane as she went up the back steps.
“Down boy!” Glen interjected with a short laugh.
The women disappeared into the house and Dave sighed.
“If we want some of that buffet, we better get in line. It’s disappearing fast,” Glen said to Dave.
“Sounds good to me,” Dave replied.
They went to the end of the serving line.
Glen looked around. “This backyard would be huge if Brenda didn’t line the entire perimeter with animal cages.”
“You better not let her hear you say that. Brenda would really like to let the animals roam, but the neighbors would call the authorities,” Dave said. “Well, at least she keeps the cages spotless,” he added.
“That’s why the yard doesn’t have that muggy animal smell,” Suzy said as she joined them in line.
“What are you doing back so soon?” Dave asked.
“Oh, I’m not much for girl-talk. I want to enjoy the celebration.” She turned to Glen and pointed to the white and peach-colored heart-shaped balloons tied to the bars of the cages. “Guess how many balloons I put up there?
“I don’t know. Fifty?” Glen guessed.
“One hundred and twenty-three. I was trying to make these cages more cheerful,” Suzy said.
Glen grinned and scratched his cheek. “It looks really nice.”
“The place is like a zoo,” Suzy grumbled.
“Well, Brenda’s got quite a variety of animals,” Glen said diplomatically.
“Did you know the wildlife shelter brings her some of theirs?” asked Dave.
“Do you like animals?” Suzy asked Glen.
Glen frowned. “Well, uh…personally…I don’t, but if they make Brenda happy, then I’m happy.”
Suzy smiled and changed the subject. “I hope you can slow Brenda down. Lord knows, she won’t listen to me,” Suzy said. “All that girl does is work—fourteen, fifteen hours a day—then she comes home, takes care of these animals and studies.”
“I know. I think it’s great that she wants to better herself,” Glen said with a weak grin.
“I do too,” Suzy responded defensively. “I’m just amazed she had time to fall in love.”
“She fit me into her schedule between work and studying on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” Glen joked.
“You won’t think it’s so funny when you’re living with her all the time and she does nothing but work.” In a confidential tone, Suzy said, “That’s why the insurance company gives her so many policies as bonuses.”
Glen’s eyebrows raised. “I like an independent woman,” he said quietly.
An animal growled and Glen jumped.
“That’s Katula, the mountain lion,” Suzy said. “She was being starved by some carney troupe when the humane society brought her to Brenda. That growling would drive me crazy, but Brenda likes it. Queen of the Beasts and all that.”
“It probably wants to go to the buffet, too,” Dave added.
“How many other wild animals does she have beside the mountain lion?” Glen asked.
“Haven’t you been here before?” Suzy asked.
“No, I haven’t. I knew she had a lot of animals, but I assumed they were all cats and dogs,” Glen said.
“Heck no!” Suzy said with a chuckle. She pointed to the first cage in the line. “That’s Lady Godiva, a golden retriever who someone tried to stuff into a garbage can. She lived on the streets. Brenda’s trying to civilize her into being a house pet. And next to her are the Rottweilers she’s been trying to breed.”
“The retriever might make a good hunting dog,” Glen said.
“Oh Gawd, does Brenda know you’re a hunter?” Suzy asked.
“Well, I guess the subject never came up,” Glen said.
“The next cage holds my favorites, the birds,” Suzy said, pointing toward it. “They flutter around and chirp all day long. Course, the only one I recognize is the yellow parakeet.”
“The cobalt-blue one is unbelievable,” said Glen, squinting. “His feathers are so bright it almost hurts my eyes to look at him.”
“Watch this,” Dave said.
He picked up a slice of apple someone had dropped on the ground and walked over to a cage containing a Rhesus monkey. It swung on the bars and chattered at Dave, who held out the piece of apple. The monkey snatched it from Dave’s hand and hid in the corner to eat it.
“That’s Sammy. Isn’t he cute?” Dave said, returning to the line. “He lives in the house half the time, so you’ll be seeing a lot of him.”
Suzy tugged on Glen’s arm. It was their turn. Glen moved forward and picked up two plates.
“Are you hungry?” Dave teased.
“One’s for me and one’s for Brenda,” Glen said.
“That’s so sweet,” Suzy said.
The spread before them was a sea of varying shades of peach—shrimp, white asparagus with peach Hollandaise sauce, salmon, sliced peaches, Royale Peach Meringue dessert, peach pudding, peach ice-cream, peach-colored deviled eggs, peach sherbet punch…even the French bread had a peach-colored swirl through it.
“I never would have guessed what half of this stuff is. It’s lucky there are name cards in front of each dish,” Dave said.
Suzy smiled. “Isn’t this beautiful? Brenda asked me to be in charge of the food since all this happened on such short notice. I was lucky to get the best caterer in town. Of course, when I told him to make everything he could peach-colored, he looked at me like I was crazy.”
Glen grinned. “It’s very nice,” he said as he made his way down the buffet line, putting a little bit of everything on one plate and very little on the other. He didn’t want any of that peach-colored stuff. Glen lifted the lid off a heated dish. “It smells good, but I don’t believe I’ve ever seen peach-colored creamed potatoes before.” He placed the lid back on the tureen without dishing any onto his plate.
Suzy frowned.
“Sir, would you like roast beef or ham?” a young man behind the buffet asked.
Glen nodded happily. “Both, please.”