Fat Tuesday Fricassee Read Online Free Page B

like something I could get into. I love MoonPies.” He grinned and rubbed his big hands together. “But they’re labor-intensive, aren’t they? I think it might be hard to make enough for all the people who’ll be here for carnival. Have you got a plan for that?”
    â€œI do.” I wasn’t sure what it was and thought he might be right. MoonPies were complicated to make, but they tasted so good. “MoonPies have been around almost as long as Mardi Gras, you know. I’ve heard so much carnival lore and legend the past few months that I could take a test on it in my sleep—which is where it would have to be.”
    â€œHave you worked out how to make the marshmallow good and sticky? That’s an important part of a MoonPie. The icing has to be just right, too. It can’t be too thick. I’ve had it that way. It’s no good. Are you doing flavors or just chocolate?”
    â€œChocolate, at least right now. We’ll see if we can keep up with making them for more than just the first day.”
    Ollie was a good cook. I respected his opinion. He’d given me so many delicious ideas for sweet and savory foods to go in my biscuit bowls. As independent as I liked to think of myself, I wasn’t sure I would have made it as far as I had without him.
    We’d finally reached our destination. My boyfriend, Miguel Alexander, had been meeting with a client. He hada car—an older Mercedes—and had promised us a ride back to the old diner where I lived and worked.
    It was too expensive to drive the food truck all over the city, and I’d given up my Prius to make ends meet. Taxis, buses, and Miguel’s car were basically my mode of transportation unless I was selling biscuit bowls.
    The dark sky above us looked threatening as the wind whipped up Mobile Bay. The first few drops of rain were starting to fall when Miguel came out of his meeting and saw us.
    â€œGlad you’re here.” He unlocked the car doors. “It looks like that big storm front is moving in from the Gulf.”
    We got into the car just in time as a deluge came crashing down on us.
    â€œWhee!” Ollie laughed as heavy rain pelted the car. “We were lucky this time.”
    â€œHow was your meeting?” Miguel asked me.
    â€œBoring.” I yawned. “How was yours?”
    â€œThe same.” He started the car, windshield wipers slapping against the window. “Mr. Anthony wants my help, but he doesn’t want to plead guilty even though it would mean a lighter sentence.”
    Miguel was a lawyer but also worked for himself. We could empathize with each other’s small business problems. He made more money than me, usually, but my work was a lot more fun.
    â€œYou’ll talk him around.” I pushed back a wing of black hair that had fallen into his face. I loved his wonderful brown eyes and his sexy baritone. He was a wonderful listener, and our relationship was going along pretty smoothly.
    He kissed my hand. “Thanks for the encouragement.”
    I yawned again. “I hate to say it, but I’m getting too old to party all night and work all day. When I was a kid, it wasn’t so hard.”
    â€œYou’re barely thirty,” Miguel reminded me with a laugh. “You’d better start working out.”
    â€œThat’s the ticket,” Ollie said from the backseat. “I work out two hours every day.” He showed us his formidable biceps. “Both of you are spring chickens compared to me, but I could outlast both of you together.”
    Miguel pulled his older Mercedes into the heavy street traffic. As soon as it started to rain, drivers seemed to be divided into two categories—those who drove faster because of the rain and those who drove slower because of it. Either one made the journey to the diner take longer.
    I didn’t mind. Ollie and I talked about making MoonPies and other delicious foods we were going to