Quill introduced herself to Bruce, the mƒitre d (he knew Greg was supposed to be on, but no one had posted a schedule), who bowed and seated her at a window overlooking the grounds. The only other occupied table was several feet away. Quill nodded to the two well-preserved ladies sitting over wine and opened the menu.
-4-
Quill read the menu with professional interest. The dishes were varied, the prices quite reasonable. She'd try the wild mushrooms in pastry. It was a simple dish, and a good test of the saucier. She looked up for Bruce and blinked. Two ladies at the next table were watching her with unabashed interest. "That shade of Hey Sailor Red hair dye won't last in this Florida sunshine," said the widow with the metallic gold shoes and matching handbag. "Waste of money. Cheap looking, too."
"It's natural, Bea. And don't shout so. She'll hear you." The widow in the lavender, pink, and mauve silk jogging suit took a sip of her white wine, set the glass firmly on the dining table, and rolled her eyes at Quill.
Both of the ladies discussing her hair were over forty-five - how far over Quill couldn't tell. Plastic surgery, alpha-hydroxy treatments, and laser resurfacing tended to homogenize people's ages in Palm Beach. She did know they were widows: Both of them had wedding bands with Ritz-sized diamonds on their right ring fingers.
"I don't shout, Birdie," said Bea. "You've accused me of shouting ever since you got that damn miniaturized hearing aid and you're just showing off."
Quill mentally added twenty years to the ladies' ages.
"Pardon me, Bea?" asked Birdie sweetly. "You're mumbling again." She caught Quill's eye, smiled widely, and called out, "Are you here for the classes?"
Startled at being directly addressed, Quill bent forward. "Excuse me?"
"Margaret Quilliam's cooking classes," said Bea with satisfaction. "We've been waiting months to learn from her."
"Since mid-September, Bea," said Birdie. "Six weeks. We've been waiting six weeks, which is long enough, for goodness' sake. When you're our age, you never know if you've got another six weeks."
"Chef Quilliam's my sister.
"You sister!" Bea waved her arms excitedly. The thick gold bracelets on her arms collided with a dull thud. Real gold, then. Quill decided that Bea must be wearing something in the aggregate of fifty thousand dollars around her neck and wrists and in her ears. "May we join you? We'd love to hear what it's like living with a famous chef."
Birdie, who was plump, wriggled out of her chair, pattered to Quill's table and sat down without waiting to hear her demurral through. Bea, rather more deliberately, gathered her gold-trimmed tote bag, gold-rimmed sunglasses and glass of wine. "You don't mind, do you? It's just that there's so little to do here! We're just dying for conversation other than our own."
"Of course not. Please." Quill indicated the empty space next to her with a generous wave of her arm.
Bea deposited her tote bag under the table and sat down. "Bea Gollinge," she said, "and this is my friend BirdieMcIntyre. We're two-thirds of the Lunch Bunch."
"Two-thirds?"
"Selma Goldwyn isn't here." Bea leaned forward. "She had a little fix-me-up scheduled this morning."
"Face peel," Birdie said succinctly. "Upper lip."
"Absolutely refuses to touch the laser," Bea added. "Selma's always been a conservative."
"Which is ridiculous," said Birdie, "because the laser's so much safer. And who are you?"
Somewhat taken aback, Quill introduced herself.
"I demand to know what your secret is," Birdie said. "Tell!"
Quill had few secrets and sometimes thought herself the more boring for it.
"You're looking puzzled. She's looking puzzled, Bea."
"For staying so slim," Bea explained. "I mean - your sister. That marvelous, marvelous food. How can you eat it and not gain weight? Or do you turn it down?"
"I usually don't have time to sit and eat when Meg's in the kitchen. We have a small hotel in addition to our restaurant and that keeps me fairly busy."
"I should think so." Bea dived under the table, remerged with her tote bag, and took a compact from it. The compact was covered with diamonds. Quill wondered if they were real. My first husband was a restaurateur and it ate his life. He spent more time in the kitchen than with me. And had a lot more fun there, too. I don't' know where we found the time to have three kids."
Quill murmured polite wonderment.
"And five grandchildren," said Bea. Her hand dived into the tote once more and reemerged with a fistful of photographs.
"Not now, Bea." Birdie took the picture from her friend's hand and shoved them firmly back into the tote. "And your husband?"
"Oh, I'm not married."
"But engaged to be." Bea took her left hand. "Quarter caret. Nice. What's he in?"
"In? You mean what does he do? He used to be chief of detectives with the Manhattan homicide squad. He's a private investigator now. For a short time, he ws the sheriff in Hemlock Falls. That's where Meg and I are from."
"A detective!" said Birdie. "How exciting. Does he look like Travis McGee?"
Quill smiled. "I think he's better-looking than Travis McGee."
"And he's with you now, dear?"
"He's coming Thursday, for a long weekend."
"I see Mrs. McIntyre and Mrs. Gollinge have been entertaining you." Linda Longstreet settled opposite Quill with a sigh. She was paler than ever, and she shivered in the chill of the air conditioning. "You've been introduced? Mrs. Gollinge and Mrs. McIntyre are on our board of directors, Quill."
"We've gotten most of her life history," said Bea. "And we'll get the rest if you give us half a chance. How are you, Linda? I see that Chef Quilliam must have arrived, since her sister's here in the restaurant."
"Oh, were you among the audience waiting this morning?" asked Quill. "I'm so sorry we missed the souffl‚s. I hadn't drive I-95 before, you see, and it was all my fault."
"You drove the freeway?' Bea said. "My dear, say nomore. Say no more. What an awful experience for you. Bruce! Bring Ms. Quilliam some wine."
"I really think I should eat something first," said Quill.
"Nonsense," Bea said briskly. "Birdie, slice her some of our bread, No, no, you just sit there, my dear."
Birdie bounced up and over to her table, grabbed the bread, and bounced back again. Bruce came over with a chilled bottle wrapped in a napkin. Quill sat rather helplessly and watched. She nibbled at the bread, sipped at the wine, and decided to remain quiet.
Bea tapped her forefinger briskly on the tabletop. "And how are things going, Linda? Everything straightened out after that little contretemps with the plumbing this morning?"
"Well, the plumbing's fixed, but the electrical system's on the fritz again." She picked up the menu, set it down, tapped her fingers against the water glass, then signaled for the headwaiter.
"You don't look fine," said Birdie. "you look worried."
"Harassed," added Bea. "But then, you always looked harassed, Linda dear. You need to slow down. Is Chef Jean Paul throwing hissy fits again? Is that what's got you all in a fidget?" She twinkled at Quill. "Linda's the world's best customer for Maalox, aren't you, dear? I'm so glad I own stock in pharmaceuticals."