Chapter 168: Amy Lejeune, 24, Nurse Practitioner...

Kate Broussard prided herself on setting goals, sticking to her game plan, and achieving success. Her entrepreneurial career began when she took a deep breath and opened Miss Kitty’s.

Against the advice of family and friends, she sold her house and opened the first strip joint in town. With a single-minded devotion, she promoted mothers, teachers, grannies, and, now, younger and younger dancers.

But, she wasn’t so goal-oriented that she had blinders on. No, thanks to Marie and Eulalie Guidry, she looked at life through a wider lens. When she saw an alternative opportunity, she was open to it.

That’s why many Kate-watchers were surprised when she hired 24-year-old Amy Lejeune. Amy was certainly attractive enough, but at that advanced age — well, it seemed to go against the grain. Kate had been hiring younger and younger girls.

In addition, while Amy was married, she didn’t have any children. A son or a daughter — well, they could have figured into Kate’s long-term plans.

Amy Lejeune was an exception to most of the high school graduates in town. She not only went to nursing school and got an advanced degree up in Jackson, but she came back to Sausalito to live.

Her return to the small town hadn’t been for love. She did get married a few months back, but Reggie Lejeune was no prince. He was a decent guy — 40-years-old — and owned a small 1950s-style diner up in Gulfport.

But the town gossips — approximately 100% of the town’s population — agreed that he had married above his class.

The local hospital — Sausalito General — knew how fortunate they were to snag Amy. She had advanced clinical education and training, and could perform many of the same duties as their overextended doctors.

She hit the ground running — she performed physical exams, diagnosed and treated diseases and other health problems. She could also prescribe medications.

Amy was, by Sausalito standards, a whiz.

When Kate Broussard approached her about dancing at Miss Kitty’s, she felt a flurry of responses. Surprised. Flattered. Curious. And — quite interested. She knew, like everyone did, how prestigious it was to go to work for Kate.

But Amy was also smart. Rather than ask the usual question — why me? __ she got a thoughtful look on her face. She studied Kate quizzically. She certainly wasn’t insulted by the suggestion — more puzzled than anything. She wasn’t young, she didn’t have kids. She didn’t need the money, so she wouldn’t be susceptible to pressure from Kate.

And, it was unlike Kate to not have leverage with her girls.

The two of them were downstairs by the bar in Miss Kitty’s. It was around 7 in the morning — three hours before the first mother/daughter show.