Part 9 (1/2)
Lillian hesitated, then said, ”Tell me about the argument.”
”I honestly don't know what you're talking about. If someone thought we were fighting, they were mistaken.”
”How interesting,” Lillian said.
”You don't believe me?” Polly said. ”Do you honestly think I'd kill her to get control of the chamber? You must be joking.”
”Polly, I want you to look at me. Does it look like I'm kidding?”
Suddenly the realtor stood, and I could see her face for just a second. ”Lillian, I don't think you're serious about selling this place at all.”
”Perhaps you're right,” my aunt said. ”Thanks for coming by, though.”
”My pleasure,” Polly said as she fled the room, and then the house. I waited for Lillian to come back, but after a minute I couldn't stand the suspense. I swung the door open and walked out of the pantry.
Lillian came back into the kitchen, a tight smile on her lips. ”That was interesting,” she said.
”I can't believe you let her sit there and talk about our family that way,” I said.
”Jennifer, the only way I was going to get her to talk was by egging her on. I kept expecting you to break out of the pantry any second and hit her with a can of peas.”
”They were green beans, actually,” I said. ”You did a good job holding your temper in.”
”When you've been married as many times as I have, you get good at certain things, and holding your tongue is one of them. It's a shame you couldn't see Polly's face when I asked her for her alibi.”
”That was slick, I'll give you that,” I said. ”How did she look?”
”Like I'd just stepped on her tail,” Lillian said. ”I might not have any proof she did it, but Polly certainly didn't do anything to encourage me to take her off our list.”
”So it's lunch with Luke next, right?”
Lillian nodded. ”It's set for one o'clock, so that will give us time to open the card shop and sell a few things first. Are you ready to go?”
I followed her out as she locked up, then I rode to the shop with her in her Mustang. Her last one had been wrecked, though not by Lillian, and I thought she'd try something different, but in the end, she'd gone with a nearly identical vehicle, down to the color of the carpet and the convertible top.
As she drove to Custom Card Creations, I said, ”Does the entire town really think you're carrying my business with your checkbook?”
Lillian laughed harshly. ”Jennifer, you can't believe one tenth of what that woman says.”
”You didn't answer my question,” I said.
”Who cares what they think? You and I both know that you're making it on your own. Does it really matter what the local gossip is?”
”It does to me,” I said. ”I'm still a little sensitive about the fact that you don't take a salary from the shop.”
She glanced over at me. ”Are you kidding me? I use more supplies than you'd ever have to pay me. I'm getting the bargain here, not you.”
She pulled into a s.p.a.ce near the shop, but not directly in front of it. As I started to get out, I saw that Lillian was staying in her seat. ”Aren't you coming?”
”If you don't mind, I think I'll take the morning off. I want to do a little snooping before my lunch with Luke.”
I glanced at my shop, then back at Lillian. ”I can come with you, if you'd like.”
She laughed. ”Jennifer, I know you'd regret every second away from this place. Go on, run the shop, and I'll see you at lunch.”
”Are you sure? I don't want you taking any chances without me,” I said.
”Jennifer, I was watching out for myself long before you came into this world. I'll be fine.”
”You'd better be,” I said. ”Who else could I afford to hire if something happened to you?”
She drove away, and I opened the card shop for business. Lillian had been right: I was exactly where I wanted to be. While I found a great deal of satisfaction in digging into the lives of the folks in Rebel Forge and helping unearth the truth, my first love was making and selling cards.
STENCILS AND STAMPS.
A terrific way to jazz up your greeting cards is through the use of stencils and stamps. Most specialty craft and hobby stores carry a wonderful selection of each. Be creative with your ink to make the additions jump off the card. I like to shade the stamps and stencils I use with specialty marking pens. The results are beautiful, and all you need to do is color between the lines! Don't worry if your pen strays now and then. It just adds to the charm of your card!
Chapter 7.
The door chime announced a customer, but I was just as happy to see my best friend, Gail, walk into the shop. ”Hey, Jen. Any chance you could take an early lunch?”
”Would you believe it? I've got plans.”
”Don't tell me you've got a hot date,” she said.
I shrugged. ”No, but Lillian and I are going to Hurley's, and I can't get out of it.”
Gail s.h.i.+vered. ”I don't know how you can go back there, especially so soon.” She picked up a card, studied it a second, then put it back. ”Listen, I wanted to talk to you about last night.”
”It's okay, Gail, you don't have to apologize. After all, it's not your fault the guy didn't show up. Believe it or not, I had fun, anyway.”
She bit her lip, a sure sign there was something she had to tell me, but didn't want to.
”Go on,” I prompted her.
”What?”
”I know you've got something to say, and it's not exactly news you're glad to share. I won't get mad, I promise.”
Gail laughed, but it was weak. ”You know me too well. Okay, here goes. Reggie's not sure it's such a great idea that you move into the cottage.” She expelled the words in a rush, and refused to make eye contact as she did.
”Yeah, I kind of got that impression last night. Helena thought it was a wonderful idea, though. Gail, is, he giving you grief about this?”