Thirty-Four and a Half Predicaments
Page 78

“But he brought me to you.”
“Like I told you last June, Rose, he was a broken man.”
The rest I knew. Momma brought Violet to Aunt Bessie and Uncle Earl’s farm and convinced Daddy to get back together with her. She stayed long enough to claim she’d given birth to me, and then the four of us went back to our unhappy home.
Aunt Bessie let out a small gasp. “I’m not sure why I didn’t suggest this before, but if you want to know more about Dora, you should talk to her best friend.”
“What?”
“She and Hattie were really close. I’m sure she can tell you all kinds of things about Dora.”
“Hattie? Do you know her last name?”
“No. But I know they went to school together.”
“Thank you, Aunt Bessie. That helps more than you can know.” I hung up and turned to Neely Kate. “We have to go out to the farm.”
“Why?”
“Dora had a best friend, Hattie, but Aunt Bessie doesn’t know her last name. They went to school together, so she’s bound to be in Dora’s yearbooks. And I know exactly where they are. We can also try to look for the second journal.”
“I thought you said that would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“It will be. I still need to try.”
“Okay. But don’t we need to get Muffy first?”
“Yeah. I guess it’s later than I thought.”
Bruce Wayne was working outside when we pulled up to the nursery. He had a large bag of potting soil slung over his shoulder and he looked up at us and waved.
Neely Kate got out of the car and stared at him. “Ding dong. When did Bruce Wayne start getting so buff?”
“Huh.” I studied him, thankful he’d turned his back to us. He’d be horrified if he knew what we were discussing. “I guess all the landscaping work has given him a workout.”
As I got out of the car, a woman came out of the nursery carrying a paper coffee cup. She wore a threadbare tweed coat and a pair of jeans. Her face was dark-complected, and her hair was jet-black and fell around her head in tight ringlets that stopped at her shoulders. She stopped next to Bruce Wayne as he tossed the bag of soil on top of a pile next to the greenhouse. He gave her a shy smile as he took the cup from her.
“Oh, my stars and garters,” Neely Kate murmured. “He likes her. Is that Violet’s new employee?”
I studied them for a minute. The woman watched as he took a sip and then handed the cup back to her before bending down to pick up another bag. Then he turned back to her with a dreamy look in his eyes. Neely Kate was right. Even though I’d never met her, I’d seen her working in the shop in a vision. “Yeah, she must be. I think her name is Anna.” I thought about going over to introduce myself, but then I decided otherwise. “Let’s let them talk for a moment,” I said, grabbing Neely Kate’s arm and tugging her toward the front door. “I don’t want to interrupt them.”
She groaned. “But Violet’s in there.”
“Suck it up and deal with it,” I said as I reached over to pull open the door. I wasn’t excited about seeing my sister right now either. But then I realized she hadn’t been back to the nursery since the day of her miscarriages. “Oh, my word, Neely Kate. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinkin’.”
Anger filled her eyes. “Don’t you dare apologize. It’s like I told you. I don’t want you to handle me with kid gloves. I want to pretend that everything is normal.”
I closed the door and looked into her eyes. “But it’s not normal. Nothing’s normal. You have every right to be upset or angry or any other emotion you feel.”
Her anger burned brighter. “You don’t know what I’m going through, Rose Gardner, so don’t you dare preach to me about what I should or shouldn’t be doin’ or feelin’!”
I nodded, properly chastised. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her anger had been replaced with contrition. “No, I’m sorry for yelling at you.”
I gave her a tear-filled smile. “Don’t be. That’s what makes us work. We’re not afraid to tell each other how it is.” My chin quivered. “I have no idea what to do or say to make you feel better, but I’m trying.”
She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a hug. “I know and I love you for it. Don’t give up on me, okay?”
I leaned back and searched her face. “Give up on you? What are you talkin’ about? Did you whack your head on something when I wasn’t lookin’?”
She laughed. “No.”
“Neely Kate,” I said, turning serious. “I’m not goin’ anywhere. If anything, you should be runnin’ from me. You’re the one hurtin’ right now and my family drama’s taking center stage.”
“We all have our family secrets, Rose. Some are just buried deeper than others.” Something in her voice made me think she wasn’t talking in the abstract.
“What’s that mean?”
She forced a smile. “Let’s go say hi to Violet.” She pushed open the door and called out, “Hey, Violet.”
Muffy tore out of the back room, barking up a storm as she plowed into my legs. I bent down and picked her up, rubbing the back of her head. “Hey, girl. Did you miss me?”