One of the Boys by Merline Lovelace

to get there in time for the hose-laying competition.” His grin widened at her blank stare. “Eglin’s got a good chance to win this year,” he told her solemnly.
    â€œOoo-kay.”
    Shaking her head, Maura went to get dressed. The August sun would make the humidity unbearable, so she pulled on a sleeveless tank top in emerald green and paired it with a gauzy calf-length skirt in a swirling pattern of cool greens and blues. She tugged a brush through her hair, then caught it up in a wide plastic clip. Some cheerful bangle bracelets, hooped earrings and blue sandals completed her quick ensemble. A dab of lipstick, a few strokes of blusher, and she headed back down the hall.
    â€œAll set. Do I need a hat?”
    â€œIf you mean that monstrosity you wear when you and Lisa go wading, no, you don’t need it. We’ll get you a visor or something if the sun bothers you.”
    â€œHonestly, Lisa, I don’t think your father approves of my wardrobe.”
    Slipping on some oversize sunglasses, she followed the two of them out into the dazzling sunshine. Lisa gave her bright, colorful plumage an admiring glance.
    â€œI think you look great.”
    â€œSo do I,” Jake said to her as he backed out of the driveway. “I’m getting used to rainbow colors and feathers. I don’t think I’d even recognize you if you showed up at work in a plain blue suit one day.”
    â€œI don’t own one, so you don’t have to worry about it,” Maura told him grandly, then settled down beside Lisa to enjoy the drive.
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    The Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival turned out to be a combination of country fair and arts and crafts show. Held each year on a large, cleared area of the Eglin reservation just north of the main base, it attracted thousands of people from all along the coast and from Alabama and Georgia, as well. A long line of cars was backed up, waiting for parking.
    Eventually Jake, Maura and Lisa joined the throng of people meandering past crafts booths and food stands. Organizations from the base and surrounding towns all hawked their wares, filling the air with sizzling scents and humorous incentives to try their products. Loudspeakers announced the ongoing entertainment at the pavilion. High school bands and glee clubs performed at intervals, adding to the cheerful din.
    After a couple of hours spent admiring the local crafts, including an astonishingly professional series of seascapes and delicate gulls carved from drift-wood, they’d worked up an appetite. Maura sampled the barbecued shrimp and a spicy steak on a stick.Lisa opted for a slice of pizza and a sticky sweet German crumb cake.
    â€œSave room for the pièce de résistance,” Jake warned, herding them toward a crowded booth.
    â€œAha!” Maura guessed. “The ubiquitous mullet.”
    â€œRight. And if you’ve ever tasted anything as scrumptious as this before, I’ll eat your straw hat.”
    When they finally worked their way to the front of the line, an aproned Pete dished up heaping platters of fish, fries and hush puppies.
    â€œHere you go. The Shriners always serve the best mullet. We have a secret-batter recipe. It’s more tightly guarded than the Stealth!”
    â€œI didn’t know you were working here today,” Jake commented as he passed plates to Maura and Lisa.
    â€œYou don’t think I’d miss this big event. And the chance to see all the pretty girls.”
    Winking at Lisa, Pete teased her unmercifully about how much she’d grown in just one summer. With the line pressing them from behind and platters of hot food in either hand, they exchanged a few more words and settled at one of the scattered picnic tables.
    â€œThe hat’s safe,” Maura declared a short time later, licking her fingers. Although the fish tasted a little gritty at first, its succulent, tender flesh was deep-fried in a seasoned batter and melted in her mouth.