All of Me - Leeanna Morgan (the snowy day read aloud .TXT) 📗

“You know their names,” Annie said. “I didn’t know you watched Charlie’s Angels in Ireland.”

“Of course we watched Charlie’s Angels. We’re quite civilized when we need to be.”

“Hold on,” Tess said. “We’re turning left.”

Molly and Sally giggled from the back seat.

Annie groaned. “When can I sit on the seat. My back is killing me.”

Tess glanced down at Annie. “Pull your feet around. You look like one of those contortionists.”

“Easy for you to say,” Annie mumbled. “I’m five-foot-five and I feel like I’ve been squashed into a rabbit hutch.”

“Alice,” Molly piped up. “You could be Alice in Wonderland.”

“And Tess could be the Mad Hatter,” Sally laughed.

“Enough already,” Tess groaned. “Red light up ahead.” She leaned forward in her seat. “We’re in trouble. There’s a police officer further up the road. He’s stopping cars.”

“What are we going to do?” Sally shrieked.

“Sit up and put on your seat belts,” Tess said. “He’s probably checking drivers’ licenses.”

Annie pulled herself onto the passenger seat. “Why don’t you have a big truck with tinted windows?”

“Doesn’t come in a price range I can afford. Now get your seat belt on and stop moaning. Logan’s gone through the checkpoint and he’s waiting for us further up the road. Okay, everyone look intelligent. We’re going for a nice Sunday drive.”

“Yes, Charlie,” Sally said breathlessly.

Molly and Annie burst out laughing.

Tess stopped for the police officer and rolled down her window. “Good morning, officer.”

“Where are you ladies heading?”

Tess looked up into the officer’s eyes are tried to act as though they weren’t stalking some poor unsuspecting bride. “You know, just going for a drive.”

Sally started giggling from the back seat and the officer took a closer look at them. “You ladies wouldn’t have been drinking would you?”

Everyone shook their heads.

He looked at Tess. “Driver’s license, ma’am.”

Annie passed her bag across and Tess fumbled inside for her wallet. “Here it is.” She handed over her license and waited while he checked her details.

“I’m going to hold this Breathalyzer up to your mouth. I want you to tell me your name and address.”

Tess did as the officer asked.

He looked at the reading. “You did fine, ma’am. Have a good day.” He glanced in the back seat at Sally. “You take care, now.”

Tess drove slowly away, flicking her lights at Logan to tell him to keep going.

Annie looked behind her, then wiggled off her seat. “I think the police officer liked you, Sally.”

“I should have asked him for his phone number,” Sally groaned. “I’m not assertive enough.”

“You are when you’re trying to find homes for your shelter animals,” Molly said. “You should think of men as strays. You’d be very assertive then.”

Tess ignored Molly’s stray animal comment and kept a careful eye on where Logan was heading. “Logan’s slowing down. Everyone get down.”

There was a fit of giggles from the back seat and Annie grumbled as she folded herself in half.

“He’s stopped. This is it.” Tess couldn’t hide the excitement in her voice. “We’re here.”

She pulled over and looked around. They were in a neighborhood of nice homes. They weren’t the most expensive properties in Bozeman, but everyone’s front yards were well kept and tidy. Some teenagers were playing basketball in their driveway and a lady was walking her dog.

She glanced at Logan’s truck. “Oh, no. He’s walking toward my car.”

“Are you sure he’s coming this way and not stretching his legs?” Molly asked.

“Of course I’m sure,” Tess whispered. “Stay here and don’t move.” She jumped out of her car and met him halfway between the two vehicles.

Logan looked at her as if he knew what she’d been up to. But that was probably her imagination working overtime. He would have refused to take her anywhere if he’d seen the junior detective team in her car.

She tried to act normal, as if three sets of ears weren’t straining to hear what he said. “Good morning.”

Logan smiled as she walked toward him. His brown eyes traveled down her body and stopped at her neon pink sneakers. “Nice shoes.”

Tess looked down. “Thanks. I bought them so I don’t lose them in my closet.” She looked at the houses on either side of the road. “Which house belongs to the couple we’re looking for?”

“Not so fast. I want you to promise that this information stays between the two of us. Once you get permission from the couple, you can tell your friends who they are and where they live.”

Tess stopped herself from glancing back at her car. This could be a tricky promise to make. Especially since her cohorts in crime were sitting thirty feet away. “I don’t see a problem with telling everyone sooner. They’re my friends. They can be discreet.”

“I’m sure they can. But no promise, no location.” Logan crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Tess tried to outstare him, but it didn’t work. “We only want to help. No one will ever know how we found them.”

“Not going to happen.”

Tess stuck her hands in her pockets. There weren’t that many houses in the street. With all four of them walking up and down and knocking on each door, they’d eventually find them.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Logan started to look suspicious. He glanced back at her car and frowned. “Was that…” He started walking toward her car.

“You probably don’t want to do that.”

Logan kept walking. He stopped when he got to the passenger door. He peered inside.

Annie’s head popped into view, then the rest of her body as she clambered out of the car. Even from thirty feet away, Tess could feel his icy stare cut across the mid-morning sunshine.

“You want to tell me what’s going on?” Logan asked.

A giggle sliced through the feeble excuse hovering on Tess’ lips. Logan opened the back door and Molly and Sally joined Annie on the sidewalk. They stopped giggling as soon as they saw him.

“Oh come on, Logan,” Sally said. “It’s not like you’re the FBI or anything. It was a little deception. The burglary wouldn’t even have made the papers in a big city.”

“We’re not a big city.”

“Exactly,” Annie said. “We care about each other. We want to help make the bride’s wedding amazing. You can’t be angry with us for that.”

Tess walked back to her car and joined her three friends. Under the circumstances, introductions seemed a little late. But good manners had been drilled into her as a teenager, and good manners Logan would get. She ignored his impersonation of Mr. Frosty and gestured to Molly.

“You’ve already met Annie and Sally, but I don’t think you know Molly. Logan, this is Molly. Molly, Logan.”

Molly smiled. Logan didn’t. He wasn’t impressed with Tess’ good manners.

“This isn’t what we agreed to,” he growled.

“I know, but they wanted to help and I didn’t think you’d mind. Too much.” Tess had a feeling her confession might have come a bit too late.

“If you didn’t think I’d mind, there wouldn’t have been three women hiding in your car.”

He had a point. A very valid point. “Okay. So I guess you’re right. I knew you’d freak out if you saw more than one person sitting in my car. But I can’t see what your problem is. We’re doing a good deed for someone, not committing treason.”

Logan looked at each of them. “Fine. But only Tess and I speak to the couple. The rest of you can…hover.”

Molly reached into Tess’ car and picked up her camera. “I can hover.”

“No photos,” Logan warned. “Not until you’ve got permission.”

Sally shook her head. “I never would have believed you were so…”

Tess could have ended Sally’s sentence with the words uptight, stubborn, or pigheaded.

“…straight-laced,” Sally said.

Logan turned around and started walking down the street.

Tess looked at Molly, Sally, and Annie. She didn’t know whether he was leaving them on the side of the road or going to the bride-to-be’s house. She walked quickly along the sidewalk. “Where are you going?”

He kept walking. “I thought that would have been obvious. We’re going to see someone about four bridesmaids’ dresses.”

She turned back to the rest of her friends and waved them forward. There was a bit of a scramble as they grabbed their bags and sweaters out of the car, but within minutes they’d caught up to her and Logan.

“I should have worn my super sleuth shoes,” Sally whispered from behind Tess. “These heels are killing me.”

“But they’re so pretty. Where did you buy them?” Molly asked.

“Macy’s had a sale last month. I couldn’t leave them on the shelf.”

Annie reached into her bag. “I’ve got some Band-Aids if you’ve got blisters.”

Logan stopped. Annie ran into the back of him and bounced back. “Oops, sorry.”

He turned around and stared at Sally’s four inch, bright orange shoes. “We’ve arrived at the house.”

All four women