Thirty-Four and a Half Predicaments
Page 92

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.