Chapter 90

"That was pretty good," Jackie said. "Did you see the way she was bouncing around in "Goin' to the Twist and Shout? I didn't know she did stuff like that.

"She's working on a new album," Mike said. "She says she want to do something a little rocker than her usual torchy stuff."

"You should have been here for the show she gave back in July," Kirsten said. "That was a lot better."

"Yeah, I'm sorry we missed it," Mark said. "That must have been something to see."

"You were right," Jackie said. "This is pretty good party. I'm glad you talked us into coming. I didn't think it would be as much fun."

"You get people into costumes, and they get a little crazy, sometimes," Kirsten said. "Especially if they get loaded up a little."

"Speaking of getting loaded up a little," Mike said. "Is everybody ready for another round? I've given up on trying to get a waiter over here. I'm willing to fly."

"Yeah, sure," Mark said.

"I really shouldn't," Jackie said. "But what the hell?"

"Might as well get me one, too," Kirsten said.

"All right," Mike said. "I'll be back in two shakes of a goblin's tail."

"I didn't know goblins had tails," Kirsten giggled.

"I can't get over some of these costumes," Jackie said. "I feel so dowdy. I feel like I should have done something a little more flashy."

"You did great," Kirsten said. "If it'd been too dowdy, I'd have told you so."

Mark shook his head. "I recognize a lot of people," he said, "But there's some people here I'd never figure out in a month. Like, who's the hula girl with John Pacobel?"

Kirsten and Jackie looked a couple of tables over, to where Pacobel was dressed like Little Lord Flauntleroy. "Must be his latest squeeze," Jackie said. "She's going to explode out of that top if she breathes too deep."

"She looks familiar," Kirsten agreed. "But, I can't put a name with her. Of course, I feel like I'm going to explode out of this top if I breathe too deep, too, but with this damn corset, I can't."

"Can't explode out of there, or can't breathe?" Mark smirked. He was starting to feel a little lightheaded.

"You've got the dirty mind of a fighter pilot, Gravedigger," Kirsten said. "They're going to have the costume contest in a little while, and you ought to go up there."

"Yeah," Jackie said. "You should."

"Hell, I'm outclassed in this place," Mark said. "But I'll do it if you want me to."

The floor was crowded, and it took Mike time to work his way up to the punch table. Worse than the crowd, there were a lot of people that he knew, and he had to stop along the way and greet many of them. The first stop came at a nearby table, where he recognized John Pacobel, sitting with the hula girl. "Hi, John, how's it going?" he stopped and said, stealing a look at the cleavage of the hula girl. There was quite a bit of it. He took another look at the hula girl, trying to look at the face, rather than the boobs. All of a sudden, he recognized who Pacobel's date was. "You enjoying yourself, Heather?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, slurring her voice a little, making Mike realize that there was someone else the punch was sneaking up on. "This is a great party. I didn't expect anything like this, not in Spearfish Lake."

"We like to do it right," Mike said. "It does get better as the evening goes on. I've got to get to the punch table. See you guys around."