McCann's Manor Read Online Free

actor, the one you were just accusing me of almost marrying?"
    Liz frowned a moment before recognition crossed her face. “Oh, that Wade. Wade, the forever-in-love-with-Kimberly-Dawn, Wade. Of course! I can never remember his stage name! Why did she invite us to his birthday party?"
    Kim smiled, “She wants us to give him readings ... for his birthday present!"
    "Are these paid readings from his sister or free readings from us?"
    Kim continued to smile.
    "I see. Good thing we called—otherwise I would've had to give him a reading with playing cards. This is going to be a really fun time, isn't it?"
    Kim's smile was becoming more of a sneer. “There is more!” she announced.
    "I thought there might be; and it is?” Liz smiled back at Kim.
    "We have just over an hour to find and don our costumes. She is giving a fancy, catered, costume ball in his honor."
    "Well, that figures. All our costumes are in storage."
    "I know that! The question is, do you know where in storage?"
    "Of course, I know exactly where they are—and there's no way of getting to them in time for that party,” Liz said. “If we have to go in costumes, we had better get our buns over to that little costume shop. It's either that, or we had better invent something here because the storage thing isn't going to work at all. Even if we could find them in time, we'd be too hot and gross from digging for costumes in this hundred-degree weather, climate-controlled storage or not."
    "Okay, I don't need a complete dissertation on why it won't work,” Kim scolded. “However, I would be open to suggestions. I think the costume shop has probably already closed for the day."
    Liz crossed her arms, patted her foot on the floor before breaking out in laughter. “Well, if we are supposed to go tell Wade's fortune, we should go dressed as gypsy fortune tellers."
    "But in what?"
    "Look, you go ahead and put on that body suit and wraparound and I will wear that pair of gold harem pants and my black peasant blouse; we'll put on tons of makeup, lots of jewelry and voila , gypsy fortune tellers!"
    Kim slumped again, asked, “Are you sure you want to go to this party?"
    "You already told her we'd be there; no backing out now. Besides, I have a feeling this party might lead to something good for us. Maybe it's the perfect chance for you and Wade to work out your karma thing."
    "We don't have a karma thing, ” Kim said, “so drop that bit right now or I'll kill you and tell Grace you died of heat stroke on the way to storage. I mean it."
    "Okay-okay, enough said. Come on, let's hustle.” Liz started through her jewelry box for gaudy costume jewelry while Kim opened her closet and started pulling out scarves to create a turban.
* * * *
    Kim and Liz arrived at Grace Freeman's ostentatious Lake Austin home at seven-fifteen; not too late to be on time, but late enough for their entrance to make a statement. Parking in the circle drive and handing the keys to one of the teenagers acting as valet, Kim stopped to admire the fountain with its abundance of summer-blooming flowers. Native lantana, black-eyed Susans and a wide range of other yellows, pinks and reds surrounded the fountain with its mustang colts cavorting in stone bluebonnets and prairie grasses.
    They entered the door, looked around, and saw most of the other guests had already arrived and were dressed in various period costumes ranging from Louis XIV powdered wigs and accessories to futuristic extraterrestrial garb. Many of them wore masks.
    Their hostess met them just inside the door. “Liz, Kim, how marvelous the two of you look—perfect costumes,” she said. Looking at the small bags each one of them carried, she said, “You know, I'm sure there are any number of people here who'd love to have readings, if you're so inclined.” Her pale lavender costume seemed unwieldy, with a huge hoop skirt, miles of lace and fairy wings a la Glenda, the good witch of the North. Her dainty figure was accentuated by a