Free The Hot Flash Club Chills Out by Nancy Thayer Page A

crowds across the parking lot to the blue baggage wagons parked near the pay telephones and taxis. Various individuals approached, then passed on to greet someone else. After ten minutes, most of the crowd had dissipated, everyone else off in a car or cab to enjoy the beautiful day. The four friends stood on the dock, backpacks and duffel bags in hand, looking around.
    “She said she’d be here,” Shirley murmured hopefully.
    “Do you have her cell phone number?” Polly asked.
    Shirley was digging through her purse when they heard a squeal, and around the corner zoomed a huge silver SUV. It braked to a halt next to them.
    Out jumped a slender young woman. Her black hair swung in a high ponytail, her eyes were a dazzling dark blue, her nose and cheeks were sunburned, and her smile was infectious. She wore old leather work boots, shorts, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a long-billed scalloper’s cap.
    “Hi, guys! Are you Nora’s friends? I’m Kezia! Sorry I’m late! Everything seems to take just a bit longer now that Joe’s in my life.” She nodded over her shoulder.
    The women peered in the SUV’s window. Happily ensconced in a car seat was the world’s cutest baby, gnawing on a blue vinyl teething ring. Seeing the women’s faces, he shrieked with glee and offered it to them.
    While the women cooed at Joe, Kezia opened the back of her gigantic vehicle and began putting in the luggage. Her long legs were tanned and supple, and she swung the bags up as if they weighed no more than a flea.
    “Can you all squash in?” she inquired. “Sorry, but Joe’s seat takes up a lot of room.”
    “We can manage,” Faye affirmed. “Polly, you sit up front. Shirley or Marilyn can sit on my lap. It’s just a short ride, right, Kezia?”
    “Right!” She slammed the hatch shut and jumped into the driver’s seat. While the older women got themselves in and adjusted, she turned to the backseat to flirt with her little son. “Who’s Mr. Cutie Pie?” Her baby chuckled, blew bubbles, and waved. “Ready? All hands on deck?” With a flip of her ponytail, Kezia faced front and put the car in gear.
    In a matter of seconds, they were bouncing over the uneven cobblestones on South Water and Main Streets.
    “Did you have a good trip?” Kezia called over her shoulder. They scarcely had time to respond when she said, “I’ll bet you did. It’s such a great day. You’ll probably find it a little cooler here than in Boston. We’re always cooler here in the spring, but warmer in the fall. You guys’ll want to get outside today, it’s just so gorgeous. Sometimes we get lots of wind and rain in the spring. We’ll probably still get some crazy weather in June, but today is heaven. B.J.—that’s my husband, Big Joe—B.J. works construction and his crew’s getting a pantload of stuff done with weather like this. He’s actually ahead of time!”
    As Kezia chattered away, the older women stared out the windows at Main Street, with its charming brick storefronts. The windows displayed gorgeous clothing and needlepoint and furniture. The window boxes shimmered with daffodils, lilacs, and tulips. Then the SUV turned up Orange Street and with breathtaking insouciance, Kezia steered her huge vehicle into the narrowest driveway in the universe.
    They clambered out of the car and found themselves in front of a tall, gray-shingled house, with white trim and a neat blue front door that had a brass knocker shaped like a mermaid.
    “Good grief!” Shirley looked up and down the narrow street. “These houses all look alike!”
    “Many of them do,” Kezia agreed, opening the hatch and hauling out the luggage as she talked. “We’re in the Historic District, so most of these houses were built over a hundred and fifty years ago, when the Quaker Society of Friends was centered here. To them, simplicity and plainness were virtues. But don’t worry, you’ll find plenty of ostentatious homes.” Tossing all the luggage over her shoulders,