It's A Sweet Life Part 10

How her smile brightened his soul.

They were dangerous things to feel because he didn't want to fall for her. He knew it would be way too easy to fall for her.

And the last thing he wanted to do was bring any additional misery to her life when she already had so much to deal with on her plate.

"No," Allan said, following him to the doorway of his room. "You have something on your mind, say it."

"I said never mind."

"There's nothing wrong with helping her out."

"I didn't say there was."

"Then why are your panties in a twist?"

He took a deep breath and turned to face Allan. "I don't want to lead her on. I don't want her to come to rely on us so much that it hurts her when we leave."

They stared at each other in silence for a few moments. Allan eventually shrugged. "Fair enough," he softly said before going to his own room and shutting the door behind him.

Ben collapsed on his bed. He didn't want to admit what he knew he already felt. That I'm worried it's going to hurt me a h.e.l.l of a lot more when we leave than it will hurt Libbie.

Chapter Ten.

Four days before Halloween, while Libbie struggled with the pain, fatigue, and fibro fog accompanying another cool front that had gripped the region, Mandaline came into the shop for her daily order. "So, it's almost the big day. What are you dressing up as for the trick-or-treaters?" she asked Libbie.

Libbie let out a little snort. "A baker."

Mandaline's eyes widened. "What?" She emphatically shook her head. "No. Absolutely not. You have to do something different."

"It is different. I'm willing to bet I'm the only person dressed up as a baker."

Mandaline rounded the counter and stuck her head through the door. "Grover, do you mind if I borrow Libbie for a few?"

"Naw, take her. We've been trying to get her to rest today and she won't sit down for a minute."

Mandaline grabbed her wrist and led her from behind the counter. She handed the check to Jenny. "Here, you take this, I'll take her."

"Mandaline, what are you doing?" Libbie protested. "I need to work."

As one, Grover, Ruth, Jenny, and Charles all yelled, "Go!"

Mandaline's triumphant grin lit the store. "There. You've been given your marching orders." She released her friend, grabbed her boxes, and said, "Come on. Follow me. This won't take long."

After throwing a glare back at her traitorous staff, Libbie followed her out the door and across the street. Glad for the sweater she'd pulled on earlier, she pulled the front closed and crossed her arms in front of her. According to the weather reports it was supposed to warm up for Halloween, something she felt thankful for.

In Florida, weather this time of year could fluctuate wildly. It could be humid and in the nineties one day, and a cold front could drop the temps into the low thirties the next. The fluctuation in the barometric pressure, temperature, and humidity played an evil role in her pain levels. And she had no control over the weather.

"Where are we going? And what do you have up your sleeve?"

Mandaline didn't look back. "We're going to dress you up for Halloween and I won't take no for an answer. You're about my size. I have a whole storage tub full of costumes."

When Mandaline inherited Many Blessings, the business as well as the building, she'd moved from her run-down rented mobile home into the apartment over the shop, where Julie had lived. Libbie had donated pastries and desserts for the wake for Julie, whom she'd considered a good friend. Julie had even been the one to suggest the name of her bakery. Since Julie's death, Libbie had been over to Mandaline's a few times for both dinners and after-hours social gatherings.

Other than occasional dinners with Grover and Jenny, it was the sum of her social life, before Charles and Ken moved in.

Sachi, Mandaline's friend and employee, was working behind the counter when they entered the shop. Mandaline set the boxes on the counter. "We'll be right back."

"What's up?"

Mandaline hooked a thumb Libbie's way. "Can you believe she wasn't going to dress up for the Halloween thing?"

"Hey," Libbie grumbled. "I was going to be a baker."

Sachi let out a laugh. "Just go with it, hon. You know darn well that when Mandaline sets her mind on something, there's no changing it. Don't worry, she'll do right by you."

Mandaline led Libbie through the back and to a narrow set of stairs leading to her apartment. The funky, welcoming decor ranged from an antique secretary cabinet to a '50s mod chair, a '70s couch, an Ikea television and bookshelf unit, and a s.h.a.ggy green '80s area rug. Her small kitchen table was a linoleum and aluminum throwback to the early '60s, with four mismatched chairs from at least four different decades. Most of the furniture had belonged to Julie.

Mandaline had once confided to Libbie that she didn't have the heart to change it yet, if ever. Except for the secretary cabinet, the rest of her furniture had been secondhand or c.r.a.ppy discount pressboard stuff she'd sold or donated when she moved in.

They continued to the bedroom, where in one corner she had large blue plastic storage tubs stacked nearly to the ceiling.

"Excuse the mess," she said. "All three of us are crammed in here while they finish the house renovation. I'll miss the twenty-foot commute in the mornings, but I'll be glad to have a whole house to ramble around in with the guys."

After consulting with the handwritten duct tape labels, she went for the second from the top without collapsing the entire stack. "Here we go."

Mandaline pulled the lid off the tub and unceremoniously upended it, dumping the contents onto her neatly made king-sized bed.

"Um...wow." Libbie couldn't make heads nor tails of the conglomeration, but apparently Mandaline knew exactly what she was looking for.

She began rooting through the pile, grabbing a few items and holding them up. "Here they are. This will be perfect. Your guys will love it." She shoved the items into Libbie's arms, grabbed her by the shoulders, spun her around, and began marching her toward her bathroom.

"My...what? Did you say my guys?"

"Duh. The gay' cousins." Libbie could practically hear Mandaline's finger quotes around the words. Mandaline gently pushed Libbie into the bathroom and pulled the door shut behind her. "Put those on and let me see how you look."

"They are gay," she called through the door. "How many times do I have to tell you that?" She held the items up, wondering if she could even pull it off. She was broader across the shoulders and hips than Mandaline, and a few inches taller. Knowing she couldn't emerge from the bathroom without the costume on for Mandaline's inspection, she slipped off her sweater and started working on her other clothes.

Mandaline snorted from the other side of the door. "Yeah, suuure they are."

"I'm not saying I don't wish they weren't gay, but they've been nothing but gentlemen." She left her socks on to keep her feet from getting chilled on the tile floor as she kicked off her sneakers and dropped her pants.

"I didn't say they weren't gentlemen," Mandaline replied. "Don't forget what I said. Wish big and dream hard, little lady."

Libbie pulled the skirt up and was pleased to find it fit. "I'm going to freeze my a.s.s off in this."

"No you won't. The weather will warm up enough for it. If I didn't think so, I'd be putting you in something else."

She pulled off her s.h.i.+rt and bra and pulled on the black sequined push-up bra and peasant blouse. When she opened the door, Mandaline let out a whistle. "Perfect." She handed Libbie a pair of flat sandals. "Try these."

Libbie leaned against the bathroom doorway and pulled her socks off so she could try them on. They fit perfectly. When she straightened, Mandaline handed her a pair of hoop earrings, and a jingly bracelet.

"That goes on your ankle, by the way," she said with a smile as she made the bells on the anklet tinkle. "They won't be able to resist you."

Libbie stared at her reflection in the long mirror hanging opposite the bathroom door. "Unless you have a magic spell that can grow me a p.e.n.i.s, I'm sure they will."

Mandaline snorted. "You could wear a strap-on under the skirt, but not only will you not need it, it might scare the kiddies trick-or-treating." She c.o.c.ked her head. "Make sure you wear your hair down."

"Down? Why?"

Mandaline rolled her eyes. "You really are out of practice in the how to catch a man' department, aren't you?" She handed her a scarf. "Tie this around your head like a hair band. It'll look beautiful with your hair."

"Do I get extra points for difficulty for going after gay men, or do I get a handicap for my score?" Libbie snarked back.

Mandaline let out a sigh. "What I wish I had was something to fix your self-confidence." She hugged Libbie. "Just this once would you please go with it and don't fight it? I wouldn't lie to you and send you out in something I didn't think flattered your figure."

Libbie blinked away the tears that wanted to flow as she hugged her friend. "Thanks," she said. "I appreciate this. I'm sorry I'm sounding so ungrateful."

"You're not ungrateful. Your ex and this d.a.m.n fibro have just done a number on your head is all. That rat b.a.s.t.a.r.d is lucky I'm not into throwing hexes." She held Libbie's hands as she stared into her eyes. "So what if your thighs and b.u.t.t aren't model-perfect? Guess what? Neither are mine. Most guys like their women to be real and not stick figures. You have beautiful curves. Any guy not willing to take you the way you are isn't worth your time. But trust me, these guys are worth your time."

Libbie decided Mandaline's overall message was valid, even if she disagreed with her friend on the most salient point about whether or not the men were gay. "Thank you. And I appreciate this, really."

"You'll wear it?"

Libbie sensed how much this meant to Mandaline. The least she could do was be gracious. "Yes, I will."

Mandaline let out a pleased little squeal that brought a smile to Libbie's face. "Great! I also have a black crocheted shawl I'll loan you, too, just in case you need it. It'll look perfect with the outfit. I'll dig it out of my closet while you're changing back."

By the time Libbie reemerged from the bathroom with the costume in hand, Mandaline had found the shawl as well as a cloth Publix bag to stash everything in. She took the clothes from Libbie, handing her a zip-top baggy for the jewelry, which was then added to the bag. Mandaline proudly presented it to her. "There you go. One s.e.xalicious Gypsy-in-a-bag, ready to wear."

"I really do appreciate this. I'm sorry I'm being so snarky."

"Sweetie, I understand. No, I don't know what it's like being in pain all the time. Frankly, I don't see how you manage to do everything you do. I don't know if I could function as well under the circ.u.mstances. But you're my friend and I know I've been remiss in saying this to you, but I appreciate all the love and support you gave me after Julie..."

She sniffled and pasted a smile on her face that Libbie knew all too well from her own experience. "Julie really loved you as a friend, and I know you loved her back. I just feel blessed to have you in my life."

They hugged again, the last of Libbie's reluctance to dress up dissolving in a wave of grat.i.tude. "Thanks, Mandaline."

"I mean it. Anytime you need an ear, come see me. Please?"

Libbie nodded as she stepped back and shouldered the bag. "I will. I promise."

"Good."

Libbie made it back to the bakery a few minutes later. As she walked through the kitchen, Grover, Ruth, Jenny, and Charles all turned her way. "What's in the bag?" Grover asked.

Libbie smiled. "Mandaline fixed me up with a costume."

"Ooh, what is it?" Charles asked.

"Nope. It's a secret." She smiled. "Y'all will just have to wait and see."

"Well," Grover said, "since you're going to have Charles and Ken here to help you out Halloween night, you mind I don't come? Louanne asked if I'd come over and go trick-or-treating with them for the twins."

"Of course I don't mind, as long as you bring those little girls in for cookies."

He grinned. Next to Libbie, Grover's twin four-year-old granddaughters were the center of his life. "We can do that."

Libbie went upstairs to stash the bag in her bedroom. Galileo, disturbed by her arrival, followed her into the bedroom and jumped onto the bed, his tail in the air.

"Mwrao."

"Mwrao yourself, buddy. You've got a whole bowlful of chow in there."

He settled onto the blanket, kneading it with his front paws, his loud purr filling the room. She reached out and stroked his head. "Maybe I should get you a Halloween outfit." She let out a laugh at that thought.

Likely, he'd pee on her bed in retaliation over the indignity.

Chapter Eleven.

Libbie examined the trays of treats laid out on the work tables after they closed the shop on Halloween afternoon. With Charles and Ken helping, they had the cookies decorated, bagged, and each one tagged with an It's a Sweet Life business card tied to each little bag with an orange ribbon in plenty of time. She took a deep breath and realized she could relax, unlike the previous year, where she'd nearly been in frantic tears and still decorating cookies on Halloween morning.

They've been a huge help.

She went upstairs to take a hot shower and change clothes. The men had remained mum about their costumes, as had she. It amazed her how, in just a little over two weeks, the men had become such a large part of her life. They ate together almost every night, either in her apartment or theirs.

Not to mention Galileo had taken to Ken as well as he had to Charles.

Definitely another point in their favor.

Mandaline had eased up a little on her teasing over the past few days, but she still left Libbie's shop every morning after reminding her to wish big and dream hard.

Libbie closed her eyes as the hot water sluiced over her body. Fortunately, the weather had warmed up, which did help somewhat with her pain levels. Unfortunately, the change in barometric pressure negated some of those gains.