Thirty and a Half Excuses
Page 5

I stared at her in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
She leaned in close, lowering her voice. “You can read them, child. Find out what their yards look like and make suggestions.”
My eyes widened. “That doesn’t seem right, Aunt Bessie.”
Tsking, she walked into the shop. “There’s no sin using the gifts God gave you.”
I had always trusted Aunt Bessie, but she was suggesting that I purposely try to have visions. I usually did everything in my power to not have them.
I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. It was going to be another hot day. Opening in the fall had seemed like a good way to ease into the business. But it sure didn’t feel like fall with this heat wave. The forecast was for a high in the low nineties. I worried it would keep people from buying their autumn foliage.
Our fall hours were nine to six, and the official ribbon cutting ceremony had been set for eleven, so we had a couple of hours to prepare, which was a good thing since Violet was all a tizzy. The mayor and several members of the city council were coming, but the more important guests were the Henryetta Garden Club. Little did I know that Violet had been wooing them for over a year.
Even though our official opening was later in the morning, several customers showed up when we opened the doors at nine. Violet had done a great job with marketing and promotion, and the whole town was talking about our store. Our location helped too. We’d taken over an abandoned floral shop on the edge of the town square that came with a parking lot and a dilapidated greenhouse. Joe had spent the past several weekends working on the greenhouse, and it looked amazing. I understood why he wanted to be there for the grand opening. He was almost as much a part of the nursery as I was.
Mike’s parents arrived at around 10:45 with Violet’s kids, five-year-old Ashley and nineteen-month-old Mikey. They saw Violet and squealed, running across the parking lot to her. She squatted and scooped them in her arms, kissing each one of them on the cheek.
I stood next to a chrysanthemum display, my heart bursting with envy.
“How many kids do you think you want?” Joe had snuck up behind me, his gaze on my niece and nephew.
My mouth parted in surprise. We’d never discussed children before other than the generic we both want a family someday. We’d barely begun skirting around the idea of something permanent. I hesitated, worried I’d scare him off if I told him three or four. “How many do you want?”
He draped his arm around my shoulders and looked down into my face with a grin. “A houseful.”
“Me too.”
He planted a kiss on my nose. “Just one more reason we’re perfect for each other.”
“Ewww…” Ashley groaned. “Aunt Rose is kissing her boyfriend.”
Joe held me close and winked at her. “So what’s new about that?”
Ashley giggled. Joe dropped his hold on me and chased her around the building, trying to tickle her.
Days like today filled me equally with contentment and the want for more.
A crowd began to gather, and I stood by the corner of the building. While most of the citizens of my town preferred for me to keep to myself, there were a few exceptions, like my best friend Neely Kate. As soon as she jumped out of her car, her face lit up.
“Look at you! You’re a small business owner now!”
Neely Kate had gotten married a couple of months earlier, a big event that had matched her larger-than-life personality. The wedding was beautiful, just like I’d seen in a vision. She’d planned on quitting her job after her honeymoon, but then her boss, Jimmy DeWade, was arrested for murder and two counts of attempted murder—on me—and Neely Kate had to take over his position. She hated every minute of working in the courthouse, but thankfully, she didn’t blame me for it. She had reason to: I was the one who discovered that her boss was a murderer.
I put my hands on my hips, allowing a little excitement to override my anxiety. “I think we’re ready.”
She spotted Joe over by the greenhouse, and her mouth turned up into a wicked grin. “I see your man is here.”
“He’s just as much a part of this as I am. Heaven knows he’s put in enough time and manual labor.”
She nudged my shoulder and winked. “I bet he got paid back with a different kind of manual labor.”
“Neely Kate!” I laughed, then shook my head with a pretend scowl. The garden society ladies were beginning to arrive, and I had enough strikes against me.
“I won’t be able to stay long, but I had to come wish you good luck.”
“Well, be sure to get a piece of cake before you go. I ordered a sheet cake from the Piggly Wiggly bakery, and they put our logo on top.”
Neely Kate smirked. “You didn’t use Ima Jean’s bakery?”
“She was gonna charge twice as much.” I had to pinch pennies where I could.
She shook her head, puckering her mouth in mock sympathy. “You’ll pay for that and more, in ways other than money.”
I had a feeling she was right.
Several minutes later, the mayor arrived and Violet showed her first signs of nervousness, running her fingers through her hair and tugging at her skirt. She hurried over to Neely Kate and me, glancing over her shoulder. “Do I look okay?”
“You look beautiful, Violet.” Neely Kate beamed. “He’s bound to notice.”
I turned my confusion to Neely Kate. “Who are you talking about?”