Like most of the other furnishings in the house, the buffet, the china cabinet, and the table and chairs were beautifully preserved antiques that fit the era in which the house was built.
An ivory-colored, intricately crocheted tablecloth covered the large, oblong table. In the center of the table was a large vase overflowing with zinnias, marigolds, and salvias that Mimi had grown in her greenhouse and arranged herself that morning.
At one end of the table Charlotte had placed linen napkins, crystal dessert plates, and silver forks. At the other end she’d set out two small crystal bowls: one she’d filled with mixed nuts, and the other, mints. She’d purposely left both sides of the table clear for the trays of pastries she had yet to prepare.
Satisfied with the appearance of the table, Charlotte headed back to the kitchen. Though the voices in the parlor were somewhat muted, even in the kitchen she could still hear bits and pieces of the chatter.
On the cabinet countertop were several white boxes from Gambino’s Bakery, filled with assorted pastries. Beside the boxes were four crystal platters.
Charlotte had just finished arranging the fourth platter when the sound of the back door opening gave her a start. With a puzzled frown, she turned to see June Bryant enter the kitchen. In June’s arms was a bulky sack.
“Hi, Charlotte,” June said. “Hope I didn’t startle you.”
“Just a little,” Charlotte admitted, with a forced smile. “I guess I just assumed that the back door was locked.”
June laughed and set the sack down on the table. “It probably should be, but Mimi rarely locks it when she’s home.” She pulled a bottle of wine out of the sack. “I was supposed to have brought these over earlier, but I’ve been running late all day long.” She removed two more bottles. “I figured that the meeting would already be well under way by now, but judging by the noise, I guess they haven’t gotten started yet.”
June pointed at a drawer near the sink. “The corkscrew is in there,” she said. “Just uncork these, if you don’t mind, and put them on the buffet. The bottle of white wine should go in a wine bucket with ice. I think Mimi has one stored in the cabinet beneath the sink. I’d do it myself, but I’m sure that Mimi’s probably having fits wondering where I am.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Charlotte told her.
“Great! And thanks.” June folded the sack, then shoved it into the trash can. “Now—” She dusted her hands and drew in a deep breath. “Guess I’d better get in there before Mimi has heart failure.”
At least the wine problem was solved, Charlotte thought, as she watched June hurry from the room. Charlotte stepped over to the drawer that June had pointed out, and, sure enough, there was a corkscrew inside, along with various serving implements.
“So what about the red wine?” she murmured. “I thought red wine was supposed to have time to breathe.” At least that’s what she’d heard. She inserted the corkscrew into the cork of the first bottle. When she’d twisted most of the cork out, she placed a dish towel over the top of the bottle and finished working the cork out with her fingers. A soft pop sounded, and Charlotte repeated the process on the second bottle. Charlotte was working on the cork of the third bottle when she heard a loud rapping sound in the parlor. The abrupt silence that followed was startling and a bit eerie after all of the noise.
Charlotte raised an eyebrow. Evidently, as June had indicated, Mimi had been waiting for her friend’s arrival before calling the meeting to order.
With a shrug, Charlotte finished uncorking the last bottle and carried the two bottles of red wine into the dining room. As she placed them on the buffet, Mimi’s commanding voice broke the silence in the parlor and carried into the dining room.
“The monthly meeting of HHS is now called to order, and since I don’t see any visitors who need welcoming, we’ll move on to the reading of the minutes and the financial report. I’d like a motion to dispense with both.”
Charlotte heard June make the motion and another voice seconded it.
“Good,” Mimi said. “Thank you. Our next order of business for the day is our presidential election. After the election we’ll take a short refreshment break before tackling the rest of our business. Nominations for president of HHS are now open.”
There were a few moments of complete silence, and then a crisp voice with a no-nonsense tone spoke up. “I nominate Rita Landers for president.”
Almost immediately, a second, more vigorous voice chimed in. “I second the nomination.”
As Charlotte headed back toward the kitchen, she heard June Bryant speak up. “I nominate Mimi Adams for president.”
In the kitchen, Charlotte iced down the remaining bottle of wine in a silver wine bucket, and when she returned to the dining room with the wine and the first platter of pastries, Mimi was talking again. “Are there any more nominations?” A short silence followed; then she continued. “Voting will be by secret ballot. Our vice president, June Bryant, is passing those out now. And since there are no more nominations, we’ll vote. When you’ve finished marking your ballot, give it back to June and she’ll count them.”
A murmur of protest broke out. “That doesn’t seem quite fair, Mimi.” It was the same voice that had nominated the woman named Rita. “We all know that you and June are friends, and besides, she was the one who nominated you.”
“Are you insinuating that I would cheat?” June challenged.
Personally, Charlotte thought that the woman had a valid point, so why on earth was June being so defensive? In spite of herself, Charlotte’s curiosity overcame her common sense. With her ears tuned to the goings-on in the parlor, she made a show of straightening the forks on the table while she waited to hear how the woman would respond to June’s question.
There was a slight hesitation before the woman finally answered June, and even to Charlotte’s ears, she sounded embarrassed. “No, June,” she said. “Of course I don’t think you would cheat. Sorry…” Her voice trailed away.
Charlotte rolled her eyes. June’s intimidation tactic had worked. The woman had given in. The woman might as well have said nothing at all if she hadn’t been prepared to back it up. Instead, all the poor thing had done was humiliate herself. Too bad, Charlotte thought, as she headed back to the kitchen for the remaining platters of pastries.
A few minutes later, when Charlotte returned to the kitchen for the last platter, June was standing by the kitchen table. On the table were two stacks of small square pieces of paper.
“Just counting the ballots,” June said absently, as she thumbed through the first stack. With a frown, she counted the same ballots again. Then, after only a moment’s hesitation, she wrote something down on a notepad.
Charlotte picked up the last platter and carried it to the dining room. When she returned to the kitchen, June was tearing one of the ballots into little pieces. Startled by Charlotte’s return, June glanced up with the look of someone who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Then, with an expression of relief and a tight smile, she picked up her notepad and pen and walked over to the trash can. She dropped the pieces inside, and without a word, she marched out of the kitchen.
Once June had disappeared through the doorway, Charlotte tilted her head
