Page 29 of Alice & Meg: Summer Vacation
Alice
The air around the Flamingo Inn’s pool was warm and thick with the scent of grilled deliciousness and summer.Meg stood over her little gas grill like she was queen of the pool, flipping brats and hot dogs with the kind of authority that only came from decades of feeding bikers.A couple of tables had been pushed together, covered with bowls of potato salad, coleslaw, a heaping mound of tortilla chips, and Meg’s famous smoked salsa.
I had my legs tucked under me in a pink lounge chair, a brat nestled in a soft bun on my plate with way too much mustard, and Wrecker sitting beside me with his plate stacked like it was his last meal.
“Got room for two old ladies?”
Every head turned.
Glenna and Dottie stood at the gate in matching flamingo-print sundresses and giant floppy hats, looking like they belonged in a travel brochure titledGolden Girls Take the Falls.
Greta waved from where she was parked on her flamingo pool float, which, notably, was next to the pool, not in it.She had declared she was waterlogged from the jet boat and needed dry land.But she wasn’t giving up her float.“The more the merrier!”Greta called.
Glenna and Dottie made their way over, their insulated tumblers sloshing suspiciously as they sat down at the big table with the rest of us.Meg, ever the hostess, immediately offered them food.
Dottie patted her stomach.“Oh no, we just had dinner.That diner down the road, Rosie’s?They still make a mean meatloaf.But we can’t say no to a little salsa.”
“It’s the best,” Greta chimed from her plastic throne.“Meg smokes the tomatoes and peppers before doing her magic with them.”
“It’s basically witchcraft,” Clash added and dipped another chip.
“I’m serious,” Raven said, pointing a chip at Meg.“We need to clone you and bring your double back to the clubhouse.Wendy and Carnie hold it down in the kitchen, but girl, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind a break.”
“Please don’t clone me,” Meg laughed and handed Glenna and Dottie a basket of chips.“But I did bring a couple extra jars of salsa from home.”
“Desperate doesn’t even begin to cover it,” Dottie said after taking one bite.“This is better than anything we’ve got at the farmers market.”
Glenna nodded enthusiastically.“I’d pay for a jar.”
Meg waved her off.“You’re not paying.You’re family now.”
That got a few claps and whoops from the table.Glenna and Dottie fit in like they’d been riding with us for years.
“What did you two get up to today?”I asked.
“Oh, we did one of those scenic train rides,” Glenna said.“The ones where they take you through the woods and up along the cliffs.Very relaxing.No risk of having too much fun.”
“Did a fudge tasting too,” Dottie added.“Glenna bought half the shop.”
“I regret nothing,” Glenna mumbled.
“What did you hooligans do?”Dottie asked.
“The duck boat and the jet boat,” Wendy answered, rubbing her shoulder.“Let me tell you, one is scenic.The other makes you question your life choices.”
“Do the duck boat,” Meg said, pointing a chip at them.“Skip the jet unless you want to become one with the lake.”
Just then, Glenna shifted in her seat and winced.“Feels like I’m sitting on something.”She stood and reached under her seat, pulling something out.“What in the world is this?”
She held up a small, purple turtle.Plastic, shiny, and oddly adorable.
Meg jumped up.“I keep finding these!Where are they coming from?I have a handful of them in my purse.”She looked around like she was about to interrogate us all.“Who is turtling us?”she demanded.
Adley, Wendy, Raven, and I all raised our hands.“Not us,” we said in unison.
I turned to Greta, who was lounging on her dry-land float like the queen of chaos.“You?”
Greta shook her head.“Not me.”
