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Skip watched him walk out through the sunroom and come back a few minutes later with a good-looking redhead, escorting her the way a cop will hold you by the arm.
As soon as she saw Woody, Greta said, "Oh, my Lord," and looked away.
What was going on here? People watching a naked man… She recognized Robin, dressed this time, wearing jeans and a light sweater, the woman staring at her; but didn't know the guy with the beard and ponytail, scruffy looking, gri
Woody's friend Ginger."
The bearded guy said, "Hey, Ginger, how you doing?"
But not Robin, she didn't say a word or look very happy about this interruption.
"I'm sorry to barge in like this…"
Do
"I just wanted to talk to Woody a minute."
"He's right there go ahead."
Greta said, "Yeah, I noticed," raising her eyebrows in fun.
"I better come back some other time."
Do
Watch." Do
"Mr. Woody, look who come to see you. Over this way, Mr. Woody.
Look, it's Ginger."
"I should've called, I'm sorry."
"Hey, he's waving to you." Do
"Better get out, Mr. Woody. You go
"I can come back tomorrow."
Do
"You sit down. Mr. Woody's about done with his swim. Make yourself at home, I'll get you something to drink." Sounding friendly, but he wasn't, his hand tightening around her arm as she made a move to pull it away.
"I really can't stay. I thought I might have just a minute, you know, to talk to him, but I'll come back some other time. I'm supposed to meet somebody anyway."
The next moment it became scary.
Robin said, "For God's sake, will you sit down."
The bearded guy came over and pulled a canvas chair out for her, saying, "You may as well enjoy yourself. What would you like, sweetheart, a drink?" He had spooky eyes, pale, pale blue.
Sitting down, at least she was able to free her arm of Do
"I don't care for anything, thanks."
He was looking at Robin with his pale eyes, just barely gri
Greta saw Robin look up through her rose-tinted glasses and pause before she said, "Yeah…" dragging the word out in a thoughtful sound.
"I really don't care for anything." None of them paid any attention to her.
"Really."
Robin got up and left without saying a word. Do
They sounded friendly, except for Robin. Then why was she scared? They couldn't hold her here if she didn't want to stay. They weren't going to tie her up. Greta felt herself getting mad. Damn right…
Turned her head and said, "Oh, my God!"
Woody was out of the swimming pool, coming toward her bare naked, shaking his head back and forth, saying, "No no no no no, that isn't what I want to hear. Do
They did seem friendlier. Even Robin was sort of smiling as she kept watching her. When the bearded guy handed her the vodka-and-tonic Greta said, All right, just one, then she was leaving. And the bearded guy said, "One's all you'll need, Ginger." She told him not to call her that. The bearded guy said, "You're a cute girl, you know it? How you feeling?" He kept asking her how she felt and Robin kept watching her. She felt fine. Woody sat next to her saying boy-oh-boy in a terrycloth robe. She felt a little fu
Okay. What offer?" And she realized it was going to take longer than a minute. She could smell marijuana. Now the bearded guy and Woody were singing "On the Street Where You Live" along with the deep, syncopating voice on the stereo, trying to do it with the same timing and inflections as the voice. They were awful but thought they were good. Do
The fu
Heck, everybody was digging in, so Greta said, "Here goes nothing," and took a big bite. Mmmmm.
But when she felt how slimy they were crawling around in her mouth and down her throat, she gagged and all of a sudden jumped up from the table, knocking over wineglasses, wanting so bad to clean out her insides, ran straight to the swimming pool and threw herself at the water.
The light above the door showed Do
He was holding a brown plastic trash bag, folded flat.
"I've been standing here five minutes," Chris said, "ringing the bell."
"Couldn't hear it with the music. Having a jivey kind of evening out by the swimming pool. I happen to go in the kitchen for something..
.." He showed Chris the trash bag.
"Man, you might not believe it, but I'm glad to see you stop by. Get some things straightened out here."
"Where's Greta?"
"Mean Ginger? She's out there."
"What's going on?"
"Man's having a party, entertaining his guests, what he does. Come on in, it's fine."
Do
"The other people," Do
"Friends of Woody's?"
"Old ones. They been doing a little business, now they having some fun. Man, this is the most could happen, you showing up here. I expect you looking for Ginger. She mention she suppose to meet somebody, I figured was you."
"I was coming anyway," Chris said.
Do
"That business with Juicy, huh? That wasn't suppose to been like that." His gaze came back to Chris, calm now, serious.
"The Juice, what I meant for him was to talk to you was all. You understand? Ask you kindly would you mind stepping away from something wasn't any of your business."
Chris said, "Or get my other leg broken."
"No"-Do
"You and the Juice may have to pay for a windshield and new seats,"
Chris said, "but that's something else.
What I want you to tell me right now's where I can find Robin. We'll see how you do with that and then we'll go on from there."
Do
"Like to speak with Robin, huh? How 'bout the Skipper? Like to speak with him too?"
Chris took a moment, looking at Do