Page 37 of Sub-Divided

Whereupon Nicky cocked her head and winked. “We’ll just have to see, won’t we?”

Within minutes Josie had a cute whiskery cat face, which she knew would look adorable with the kitten fetware costume she’d bought in Denver. She planned on seducing Max with the outfit later on.

She began to paint her grandmother’s face as a pixie but a half hour later she admitted defeat. Sighing she handed a packet of cleansing wipes over to her grandmother. Nicky wiped the mess—which resembled something contrived from a nightmare—from her face.

“Okay, so I agree it’s difficult!” Josie conceded.

Nicky chuckled as she wiped the green remains from her forehead. “Practice makes perfect but no more practice today because here come our first customers. Hello!” she called over to Cadence and the children.

“Hiya Nicky, Josie, how are you both?” Cadence ushered the children to the table and told them to decide which face they wanted.

“Yeah, I’m good thanks, and you?” The two younger women stepped to one side to chat while Nicola crouched down with the children to help them decide on their choices.

“How are you liking your work at the Medical Center?” Cadence enquired.

“I love it, I really do. Everyone gets on really well, there is no bickering or backstabbing like the last hospital I worked at,” she enthused.

Cadence giggled. “That’s Corbin’s Bend for you!”

Josie frowned. “How’d you mean?”

Cadence winked and leaned closer. “The spanking dynamic,” she whispered.

“Ah! I hadn’t thought of that, yeah, I guess that makes sense.”

“There was an incident a while back. I’m not supposed to gossip so don’t say anything to Max, you know how these tops share things.” Josie nodded and tucked into Cadence’s side, their heads together. “Well, there was this nurse, Judith, she and another nurse, both married to tops, worked together. They absolutely loathed one another. One day there was something of a catfight in the reception area of the Center. Marcus happened to walk into the middle of the row. He called their husbands; they both came down and took their wives home. Later on they were publicly paddled in the Dome.”

“No! You don’t mean Judith who is on minor injuries?”

“I do. The other couple moved away, she was trouble with a capital ‘T’…”

“Gossiping?”

Both women jumped out of their skins as Marcus interposed his head between the two of them.

“Marcus! Don’t do that, you scared me half to death!” Cadence squealed crossly. The doctor landed a hard slap on his wife’s backside. Josie jumped, startled.

“You know the rules. We shall discuss this when we get home. Hello, Josie, how are you enjoying the celebrations?” He smiled at her. She blinked at the sudden about turn in conversation.

“Um, very much, thanks.”

He nodded and turned to his children, dropping to his haunches to admire their painted faces.

“Sorry you got into trouble, Cadence,” she whispered, one eye on Marcus to be sure he couldn’t overhear her.

Cadence sighed. “It’s my own fault for gossiping. He reminds me of a panther sometimes, the way he comes upon me so suddenly, he’s always catching me unawares like that!”

Josie giggled.

“The children want ice creams and I want to look at a stall over there.” Marcus stood and pointed at a stall strewn with handmade paddles. He held out his hand to Cadence, who groaned dramatically but willingly placed her hand into her husband’s waiting palm. As they moved away, happily chatting with their children, Josie watched them, wondering if she and Max might have a family one day.

As if on cue, Nicky asked, “Do you and Max want children?”

Josie turned to her grandmother with a smile. “Yes, one day but not straight away.” A group of kids arrived and they turned to their young customers, each of whom had trouble deciding on the ‘look’ they wanted; it was turning into a busy afternoon.

Max came over to them as the fair was winding down.

“What have you got there?” Josie asked curiously as he clutched a large paper bag.

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