Thirty-Four and a Half Predicaments: Rose Gardner Mystery #7 (36 page)

“Then I’m goin’ to order it. And I’ll let you tell Violet it’s coming.”

“Scared?” I chuckled.

“No sense pushing my luck now that she’s toleratin’ me.”

I shook my head even if he couldn’t see it. “I can handle Violet.” I pulled into the parking lot and parked in a space on the side of the building. “And speaking of my sister, I’ve gotta get goin’.”

When I walked into the nursery, Violet took one look at me, then shot a glance toward the clock.

“I’m on time, Vi,” I said, plopping my bag on the counter.

She lifted her eyebrows but didn’t comment. Okay, she’d told me to be there at 9:40 and I’d shown up at 9:42. She bent down and pulled out her purse, looping it over her elbow. “At least you remembered.”

I would have offered a retort if I hadn’t almost forgotten, but Violet read between the lines and shot me a teasing grin.

Anna stood on the other side of the store with a watering pitcher in her hand, eyeing us with interest.

Violet glanced at Anna before returning her gaze to me. “I like this girl, Rose Anne Gardner. So please don’t corrupt her.” I started to protest, but then she winked. “Bye.” She waggled her fingers as she walked out the door.

Who was this woman who claimed to be my sister? She’d told me she was going to change and from all appearances, she was making great strides. I hated being at odds with her, so I only hoped this phase would last. I watched her climb into her car, wondering what had finally pushed her into making the effort. Could the thought of irreparably harming our relationship have been enough of an incentive?

I heard the clink of a knick-knack moving on a glass shelf and turned to look at my sister’s new employee. Anna eyed me with a seriousness I hadn’t expected. Then I realized she’d taken Violet’s words to heart.

“Don’t listen to Violet. She was just joking around.”

She nodded and gave me a meek look, her shoulders slumped, but I saw a determination in her eyes that belied her body language. There was a story there. I was curious, of course, but I could hardly begrudge someone else for choosing to keep a secret. Especially when I had so many of my own.

“Violet tells me you’re new to Henryetta,” I said, moving around behind the counter and opening my bag.

“Yeah.”

“Where are you from originally?”

“Mississippi.”

“Do you have family here?”

“No.” The force behind the word told me to back off.

I pursed my lips in surprise. It still struck me as strange that anyone would move to Henryetta without an honest-to-God reason for it, but she was apparently not in the mood to discuss it. “Well, I hope you like it here in Henryetta.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, going back to her watering task.

We only had a few customers over the next hour, but Anna greeted each one with a bright smile and sunny disposition. It was enough of a contrast to make me question whether she held a grudge against me, although for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why she would. But her helpfulness gave me plenty of time to work on my landscape designs. I considered scouring the recently discovered journal, but I was paranoid enough not to want random strangers to see the book. I had begun to price out the designs when the door tinkled, and I heard a voice that made my shoulders tense.

“Well, hello, Rose,” Hilary said, gliding through the door. “I didn’t expect to see you here.” She lifted her eyebrows as she scrutinized me. “But I have to say the apron doesn’t suit you. You seem more at home in the muck and dirt.”

Anna was restocking a shelf a few feet away and her mouth parted in worry as she looked at Hilary.

I was going to be nice to her if it killed me. “Good morning, Hilary. I’m surprised to see you here.”

“I just got finished with my doctor’s appointment. Before I went home, I thought I’d spend a few dollars to help keep your
business
—” she glanced around with disgust, “—afloat.” She waved her hand. “Supporting local stores and all that.”

“How generous of you,” I said with a sweet smile. “If you decide you’d like to get a job like the rest of us, I hear they’re hiring at the Stop-N-Go.” So much for my resolve to be nice.

She laughed and began to peruse the shelves. “You’re so cute.” But her tone suggested otherwise. She rubbed her small baby bump. “In any case, my appointment went well. The baby’s heartbeat is strong and I’m about to enter my second trimester. Before you know it, Joe and I will know if we’re having a boy or a girl.” She gave me a dazzling smile, and despite the malicious intent behind her litany, I could see happiness in her eyes. She really did want this baby.

I wasn’t sure what she wanted me to say, so I bit my tongue.

“Where’s Violet?” she asked, looking around.

“She’s at a doctor’s appointment.”

“Oh?” she asked in surprise. “At the Henryetta Family Clinic? I didn’t see her there. She must have been in an exam room.” She shrugged. “Isn’t that funny? I could have just asked her at the doctor’s office.”

“Asked her what?”

She beamed. “To decorate the nursery. Since I’ll be finding out the baby’s sex soon, I’m eager to start planning the room. I hear Violet has a fabulous eye.”

“
What?
” Had she lost her mind?

But she’d gotten exactly the reaction she’d hoped for. “I have connections with
Inviting Arkansas
magazine. I’m sure I can get them to do a spread on my nursery and how Violet is an up and coming decorator. Her business will start booming.”

Oh my word. She was right. Based on what Violet had told me,
Inviting Arkansas
was
the
high society state magazine and the Simmonses were in it often. The exposure could bring enough money to keep both of our businesses afloat.

An evil glint flashed through Hilary’s eyes. “You wouldn’t want to get in the way of your sister’s success, would you, Rose?” Rather than waiting for an answer, she turned and pretended to look at the merchandise. “Violet picked out all of this, didn’t she? She really does have good taste. It’s too bad she’s wasted here in Fenton County.”

Anna had been silently watching our exchange, but when Hilary began to prowl, she moved around a display stand, keeping her distance.

Smart girl.

Hilary turned her attention to Anna and stopped in her tracks, looking puzzled. I wondered if she kept close enough tabs on the nursery’s doings to know if we’d hired employees in the past. My back stiffened as I prepared to come to Anna’s defense, but Hilary moved on. She walked around the store, looking less purposeful now, as if Anna had somehow thrown her off her game. After she’d made a circuit around the shop, she spun around to face me. “Tell Violet to give me a call. She has my number.”

My mouth dropped open as she abruptly left the store.
Violet had her number?

I looked up and Anna held my gaze for less than a second, then returned her attention to the outdoor thermometers she was shelving. “She seems evil.”

“Yeah,” I murmured, but part of me wondered. Hilary was scared; I could feel it in her desperation to get Joe back. And while part of me felt sorry for her, part of me had begun to fear her. When a wild animal was scared, it was unpredictable and dangerous. I had a feeling Hilary was no different.

But even more unsettling was the carrot she was going to dangle in front of my sister, and the insinuation that there was already some sort of groundwork between them. I told myself not to jump to conclusions. Hilary loved to create drama and trouble. I needed to talk to my sister.

It was close to twelve-thirty before Violet returned to the store. I’d already sent Anna to lunch. Violet was a lot less perky when she walked through the door, her gaze down. Without saying a word, she walked around the counter and picked up her apron. “Thanks for covering,” she finally said as she pulled the loop over her head.

I stared at her for a good three seconds before I snapped out of my surprise. “What did the doctor say?”

“What?” she asked absently while tying the apron.

“The doctor? Didn’t you have an appointment at the Henryetta Family Clinic?”

“Oh.” She gave me a smile, but I could recognize a fake smile on her even when no one else could. Too many years of both of us trying to placate Momma. “Everything’s fine.”

“Then what took so long?”

“The waiting room was full. It took me over an hour and a half to get in.”

She was lying.

Hilary said she’d been there all morning and hadn’t seen my sister. Of course, Hilary was no stranger to lying, but what purpose would it serve in this situation? And I couldn’t ignore how oddly Violet was behaving.

“Violet, are you sure everything is okay?”

“Everything is
fine
,” she snapped. There was fire in her eyes when she lifted her gaze, but I saw fear there too. What in the world was going on?

“Hilary stopped by to see you.”

“Oh?” she murmured, rummaging through a stack of papers.

“She wants you to call her.”

“Okay.” Then she looked up. “Did she say why?”

She didn’t deny having her number. “She wants you to decorate her baby’s nursery.”

Her head snapped up. “What?”

“She said she thinks she could get
Inviting Arkansas
to do a story on the nursery decor.”

Hope lit up her eyes, but resignation replaced it just as quick. “Well, Hilary can take her nursery and shove it up—”

I squared my shoulders. “I think you should do it.”

“What?” she asked in disbelief. “Have you lost your mind? That woman tricked Joe into getting her pregnant and she’s doin’ her level best to not only ruin his life but yours too.”

I grabbed her shoulders. “Violet, listen to me. This is huge. It could save both of our businesses.”

She shook her head. “We don’t need her help.”

I gave her a soft smile, then lowered my voice. “We
do.
We’re hurting financially. I’m totally living off Mason right now, but for all we know, he could lose his job soon. The district attorney’s as crooked as a dog’s hind leg. The landscaping business won’t start bringing in money for a few months, and even then it’s gonna take some time for it to turn a profit. This job could mean the difference between losing everything and flourishing.”

She shook her head again. “Joe won’t let us lose it all. He’ll put in more money.”

“Violet, I don’t want him to put more money into it. We’re friends now, but we can’t have him keep dumping money into our business.”

“So you want to jump into a partnership with the spawn of Satan?” she asked in horror. “How is that any better?”

She was right. But still… “I saw the look of excitement in your eyes,” I said. “You want to do it.”

“I won’t deny I’m tempted, but you come first, Rose. I won’t betray you again. I swear it.” The look in her eyes told me she meant every word.

“Violet, I think you should consider the opportunity. Talk to her and hear what she has to say. Then if you like, you and I can talk it over before you make a final decision.”

“I won’t hurt you again, Rose.” Tears filled her eyes. “I don’t want to lose you.”

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. “Vi, you have no idea how much that means to me. But I’m tellin’ you that I want you to hear her out first.”

“Okay.”

I kissed her cheek and looked into her eyes. “And I promise you that you won’t lose me. We’ll still be sisters no matter what.” Even if it turned out Daddy wasn’t my real birth father, it wouldn’t change the years we’d clung to each other as little girls. We had a bond that couldn’t be broken. It wasn’t determined by blood.

She squinted. “What’s goin’ on?” Just like I could pick out a fake smile, she could read me too.

“I’ll tell you about it later.” I glanced at the clock and untied my apron, tossing it on the stool. “But now I’m late for an appointment.”

“What kind of appointment?” she asked as I grabbed my coat.

“An appointment with the truth.”

There were far too many secrets in this town and it was time to clear this one up, no matter how bad it hurt.

I pulled into the parking lot of Big Bill’s Barbecue right at one. The lunch crowd had begun to thin a bit, but it was still as packed as a tin of sardines. It didn’t seem like the best place to hold a personal conversation, but maybe Hattie wanted plenty of people around. She didn’t know anything about me or even if I were telling the truth. For all she knew, I was a serial killer.

There was a chill in the air, so I tightened my red scarf and headed for the door, but before I could even make it to the sidewalk, a car door opened and a middle-aged woman got out. I relaxed when I saw how closely she resembled the photo in Dora’s yearbook.

“Rose?”

I smiled, my stomach a bundle of nerves. “Yes.”

“I’m Hattie.” She was shorter and heavier than me, and her light brown hair was streaked with gray. She looked wary.

“Thank you for meeting me. I know you don’t know me.”

“I do. Kind of. I kept track.”

I sucked in a breath. “You know about me?”

“I was Dora’s best friend. Of course I kept track of her baby.”