Spring Fever

“Well, Celia!” Bo

“Are you all right?” she whispered, looking around to make sure they couldn’t be overheard. They were early though, and DeeDee and Je

“I’m fine,” Celia said. “Sophie’s fine, too. They may even let her come home today.”

“Oh yes, well that’s a blessing,” Bo

“Why would I cancel our doubles match?” Celia asked, puzzled.

“Oh, no reason,” Bo

“Bo

Her te

As if, Celia thought. She’d met Bo

“I know that,” Celia said, trying to sound reassuring. “But if it’s something that concerns me, don’t you think I should be made aware of it?”

Bo

Tell it, sister, Celia thought. Before I have to choke it out of you.

“I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for all of this,” Bo

“Please just tell me, for God’s sake,” Celia said through clenched teeth.

“And you’re sure you won’t get upset?” Bo

Celia’s hand was just itching to reach out and yank the bitch’s ponytail as hard as she could.

“I’ll be fine,” Celia said, trying to sound soothing. “It’s always better to know than wonder, right?”

“Riiight,” Bo

“The way I heard it,” she said hurriedly, “was that Grady Witherspoon—I guess you don’t know him—he doesn’t really run in our circles? Anyway, he’s retired from the service, the navy, I think, and moved back to town and he’s renting Miss Sallie’s daddy’s farm. He and Gail have fixed up the old homeplace really cute, I hear…”

“Bo

“Right. As I was saying, apparently Grady and Gail were watching television last night; it was after dark, and they heard music coming from the field down by the old corncrib. And he’s had a lot of trouble with the local kids going down there and doing drugs and vandalizing things and so forth. So he got his shotgun and a flashlight and walked down there to check it out. And when he got down there he saw this big old shiny red convertible, and there were two people in it, and they were, uh, well…”

Shiny red convertible? As in that horrible old car of Mason’s? The one Sophie called his fun car? What was it, a Camaro, or a Mustang, something like that?

Celia tried to keep her composure. “What were the couple doing, Bo

Bo

“In the act?” Celia needed to be absolutely sure she understood exactly what Bo

Bo

“As in?” Celia prompted, wishing Bo

“You know,” Bo

*   *   *

Somehow, Celia managed to keep her composure. But her mind was whirling, going a thousand miles an hour.

The son of a bitch! She should have known something was up between him and A

But she’d had no reason to doubt Mason’s faithfulness. He was honest to a fault, disgustingly loyal. Look at the way he kept resisting Jerry Kelso’s perfectly acceptable offers for Quixie. The man just loved a lost cause. She would have to do something about A

“Mason and A

Bo

“That’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard,” Celia said. “I don’t know this Grady person, Bo

Bo

Celia rolled her eyes heavenward. “Well, I hate to think what she spent on it, because Mason took one look at that thing and he was like a man possessed.” She gave a self-conscious little giggle.

“I made the mistake of modeling it in the kitchen.” She rubbed her backside for effect. “All I can say is, thank heaven for throw rugs.”

Bo

“The kitchen floor, the living room sofa, the recliner in his study,” she giggled again. “I think we figured out a new position that La-Z-Boy definitely wouldn’t approve of. And that was just the first floor.”

“But,” Bo

“Well that explains it,” Celia said. “Mason keeps the convertible in the garage at the plant, and he leaves the keys under the floor mat. Anybody who works at the plant could have decided to borrow it. Anybody at all. Who knows, maybe your farmer friend mistook Davis for Mason?” She raised an eyebrow, daring Bo

“That’s true,” Bo

Celia spotted their doubles opponents walking toward them, racquets slung over their shoulders. “Here come the girls,” she said. “Let’s forget all this nonsense and play some te

DeeDee and Je