Thirty-Two and a Half Complications
Page 106

She gave me a long look, deep sadness in her eyes. “Thanks for letting us come for dinner. If the roles had been reversed, I’m not sure I would have welcomed you.”
I bit my lip. “I know.”
“And you still let us come?”
“We’re sisters, Violet. Till death do us part. The last few months can’t change that.” I paused. “But we’re not the same.”
“I know. Can we talk about this tomorrow?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
I was watching her walk to her car when I noticed an envelope sitting in the wicker chair on the porch, labeled with my name. I picked it up and opened the seal, gasping when I saw the bills inside. I pulled out a small piece of paper and read the note.
Rose,
Only with you am I a man of my word,
S
“What’s that?” Mason asked from behind me.
I crumpled the note in my hand and showed him the envelope. “My money seems to have just dropped out of the sky.”
Mason gave me a long look. “Imagine that.”
Imagine that indeed.
***
The next morning, I called Neely Kate on the way to the nursery.
“I can’t believe you haven’t called before now!” she pouted. “I’ve been dying to know what happened, especially after I heard about the bust down by Pickle Junction. Why do I think you know a thing or two about it?”
“Uh…” I hedged.
“And what do you know about the Lady in Black?”
“What?” I asked in a panic. “Where did you hear about that?”
“It doesn’t matter who told me, Rose. What matters is how it all happened.”
I groaned. “It’s a long story.”
“I expect full details.”
“Okay, soon, but I have to tell you something else first.”
“Okay…”
“I took the pregnancy test. I’m not pregnant.”
“Are you sure? It might be too soon to tell.”
“I’m sure. Once we found out I wasn’t pregnant, Mason hounded me into calling the doctor to find out why I haven’t been feeling well. When they said they couldn’t fit me in until next week, he grabbed the phone and convinced them to see me sooner.”
She laughed. “He can be pretty persuasive when he wants to be. What did the doctor say?”
“It’s a combination of stress and my hormones trying to get back to normal. I’m fine.”
“Well, thank goodness for that, although I confess it would have been fun to have babies together.”
I grinned. “Well, maybe with the next one. But wait a couple of years, okay?”
“Deal.”
I was pulling up to the nursery parking lot and my stomach was in a knot when I saw two cars there—Violet’s and a sheriff’s car. “Neely Kate, I have to go. Violet asked me to meet her at the nursery at eleven. I’m pulling up now and I think Joe is here.”
“Uh-oh,” she said. “Maybe I should take off and come down there.”
“No, don’t do that. I’m fine, but I’ll call you after I find out what this is all about.”
“Good luck.”
There was no sign of Violet and Joe outside, but a teenage boy was standing next to the Christmas trees. He was wearing a black apron bearing our logo.
What in the world?
“Rose,” Violet called from the doorway. “In here.”
I walked through the hole that used to be the front door and I suddenly wondered how Violet had gotten word out that the open house was cancelled. But then again, the way the town liked to gossip, everyone probably knew within twenty-four hours that we’d been vandalized. The place was still trashed but a small area had been cleared and three folding chairs were set up in a circle. Joe stood behind two of them, wearing his uniform.
I took a step back. “What’s going on? Are you here in an official capacity, Joe?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I’m on break to be here. Violet and I have something to talk to you about. Why don’t you come sit down?”
I didn’t want to sit with them, but I was so nervous, and I was afraid my legs would give out. I took a seat while they sat in the opposite chairs. Violet was pale and looked like she was about to throw up.
“Why is there a kid out there wearing our logo? And how did we pay for the trees it looks like he’s selling?” I asked.
“That’s what I need to talk to you about.” Violet took a deep breath. “I figured out how to solve our problems.”
“You and me?” I asked. “Or our business problems?”
She swallowed. “Business.”
I nodded and my gaze swung from one of them to the other. “Okay, but first I need to tell you that I got our nine thousand dollars back. As soon as we’re done here, I’m going to the bank to catch up on our loan payments. At least we don’t need to worry about that anymore.”
Joe’s eyes hardened. “How did you get your money back?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. It just showed up on my front porch last night.”
“And does this have anything to do with the stolen money being returned to Big Bill’s, the Piggly Wiggly, and the bank this morning?”
“It was?” I was stunned. Skeeter was full of surprises.
Violet looked even more nervous. “We don’t need it now.”