No one ventured a guess right away. They were either not sure who to say, or afraid to embarrass someone. A number of them had rosy cheeks. Blushing.
Josie raised her hand in the air.
"That's probably me," she said. "I haven't had sex in so long, I wouldn't even know what he was doing."
"Josie! I can't believe you said that."
The waitress came back in to take the food orders about that time. She stopped at the entrance. Like she was doing something wrong if she entered. Blossom motioned her in.
The ladies tried their best to regain their composure and give the lady their orders, but they kept giggling among themselves like a bunch of junior high girls.
After the waitress left, Blossom finished the questions.
"Who is the most likely to have the most shoes in their closet?"
That was easy. Piper won hands down with more than a hundred pairs and everyone guessed her. She was full of style. Blossom had seen Piper's closet. All of her Ugg boots were neatly arranged on the top shelf of her closet, like trophies.
Today, she was wearing a white linen shirt and black leggings. With black leather boots. Her brunette hair fell slightly below her shoulders.
"Who is most likely to put their pants on backwards?"
They couldn't come up with anything. Finally, they agreed on Chelsea since she was the newest member and they didn't know her very well, but everyone liked her and were obviously trying to make her feel a part of the group and were thankful that she had volunteered to send out the birthday cards.
Blossom kept asking the questions, until she made sure everyone was picked for one of the questions. Either as the most likely or the least likely.
"Who is most likely to sing in the shower?"
June helped them out by saying, "I'm least likely. I got laughed out of the choir in high school."
"Who is the most likely to cry at a movie?" They chose Bridget. Who they also picked as the one to make the best apple pie. That was easy since she was a professional chef who competed in worldwide food competitions.
"Who is the most likely to win at scrabble?"
"Theodore!" they all shouted in unison.
"Who is the most likely to get lost?"
All of them.
"Who is the most likely to get the final question on Jeopardy?"
Mary Jane raised her hand. "I watch Jeopardy every night. The other night, I got the final question, and none of the contestants got it. I couldn't believe it."
Everyone clapped. Mary Jane beamed from the encouragement.
"Who is most likely to cut their own bangs?"
"I do that," Piper said. Several of the others did as well.
"Who is most likely to have the most grooming items in their purse?"
Several of them squealed and thought it was them.
Blossom had them pull out their handbags and look. June had the most. She also had the biggest bag.
"Who is the most likely to sleep until noon?"
They settled on Olivia.
"I would if I could. But I'd feel too guilty."
Olivia recently moved to the Springdale area from southern Arkansas.
"Here's a good one," Blossom said. "It's appropriate for our book club discussion. Who is the most likely to be a secret spy?"
They all looked around leerily. Trying to figure out who might be a spy in their midst.
Eventually, they decided that Harriet was the most likely spy. Priscilla came in a close second. She was a good guess as well. She had the look of a spy. Mysterious. Blonde hair like Jamie Austen.
The food came and that put an end to the icebreaker. Which went on longer than Blossom had intended.
The Iron Donkey served Cajun cuisine. Two of the ladies ordered red beans and rice. One ordered the shrimp and grits. A couple of them had the house salad. Harriett ordered the fried green tomatoes as an appetizer and passed them around to whoever wanted one. She's generous that way.
After they were finished eating, Piper led the book discussion.
"What was your favorite scene in Deadly Games?" she asked.
The ladies mentioned several. The plane crash was exciting. Jamie competing in the Olympics was awesome. The bathtub races were hilarious.
"Who was your favorite character?"
"Jamie is always my favorite character," Olivia said.
Everyone agreed.
"I love the interaction between Alex and Jamie," Edie said. "They are so funny together."
"Like when Jamie was calling Alex from the plane," Piper said. "She was trying to tell him that the plane was going down and she needed his help, but he kept going on and on about falling and cutting his head on the bobsled run."
Alex and Jamie were hired by Mossad, the Israeli equivalent to the CIA, to go to the Winter Olympic games posing as athletes. To try and uncover a terrorist plot. Alex competed as a bobsledder and Jamie in the biathlon.
"I liked the part where Jamie and Alex were arguing about who was the better spy," Amy said.
"That was a good part."
"There were so many twists and turns," Mary Jane said. "I couldn't put the book down."
"My husband gets mad at me," Olivia said. "Sometimes I get so enthralled in the book that I forget to make him dinner."
The ladies thought that was funny and Piper had a hard time getting them settled again. Blossom was finally able to get their attention by whistling loudly. Which probably didn't go over too well in the adjacent dining room.
"What did you think about what Jamie said about the eyes?" Piper asked, in a more serious tone. "Do you remember?"
The ladies had a confused look on their faces.
Piper explained. "You know how Jamie rescues girls from sex trafficking? Well, she can tell when a girl is caught up in prostitution by looking in her eyes."
"Right. Right. Yes. I remember."
The ladies all voiced their agreement.
"Why is that?" Piper asked. "What I mean is, how can she tell if a girl is a prostitute by looking in her eyes?"
"The eyes are the window to the soul," Edie said.
"I can't imagine what those girls go through. Having to have sex with eight to ten men a day," Harriett said. "Especially if you're forced to do it. Even if you're not forced, it still takes a toll on your body and your emotions. It affects your soul. You can see the sadness on her face."
"I think that's what Jamie means," Piper said. "The girls are sad. Depressed even. They feel hopeless."
Blossom noticed that June was being particularly quiet. She was always the one who talked the least. This time more than usual. She had a weird look on her face.
"June, did you want to say something?" Blossom asked her.
She hesitated. Looked toward the door. Clearly nervous.
She leaned forward and said barely above a whisper, "Did y'all see the young girl who is working behind the bar?"
"No."
"I noticed her when we first walked in."
"What about her?" Piper asked.
"Did you see her eyes?" June said.
"No. Why?"
"She has the look."
"What look?"
"What Jamie is talking about. That look. I can see it in her eyes. I think she's being held against her will. I think she's being held as a sex slave."
A collective gasp went through the room. Then murmuring.
"What are you talking about?"
"How do you know?"
Piper silenced them so June could talk.
"I think someone should go talk to her. See if she's okay."
Collectively, their eyes widened, and mouths gaped open. So wide that they were speechless.
Which might be the first time ever for this group.
Author's Notes:
It's about to get interesting when Harriet goes to talk to the girl.
I'll be posting updates to the story weekly, but if you want to read ahead, the complete book is on patreon. If you can't find me there, message me for the link.