Sweet Saboteur

by C A Phipps

  When their mom sickened, money became an issue. From a thing of joy, the garden was elevated in importance. Violet and Ruby’s domain on weekends, they kept it healthy and abundant. During the week, Scarlett would also pull a few weeds as she collected produce for their meals.

  This regime suited them since Scarlett’s least favorite thing was working in the garden, dirt under nails was an issue, and the other’s weren’t particularly good cooks. She’d long ago realized that it was because neither of them could be bothered.

  Baking was another matter. Having a mom doing that for a business, it made sense that they all learn the ropes and were adept enough so they could help out when the need arose. Those values had undoubtedly come in handy because it turned out that the necessity which had been relatively infrequent, now turned out to be constant and ongoing.

  Scarlett filled her basket with firm potatoes and carrots, then added fresh peas and herbs. It wasn’t a grand meal, but it was wholesome and filling, which were the most important things. George slipped between the raised gardens and rubbed against her legs.

  Initially, he was happy to stay at the house, curled up in the makeshift bed in the corner of the kitchen for hours. Now he strolled into town every day to wander the streets, sometimes with them and other times on his own. Concluding that he was searching for Mable and would eventually stop doing it, they’d given up stressing about it. Besides, he was always home for his meals.

  “I’ll get your dinner soon,” she told him. With no one coming forward to take him, truth be told Scarlett was getting used to having George around. Not all cats were created equal, and George had a personality that was both intriguing and charming.

  When she got back to the kitchen, Ruby was there looking bemused. “Sam’s doing a great job out there. I didn’t know you’d asked him to come.”

  “I didn’t. He was here when I got home and said he doesn’t mind. It must have been Violet.”

  Ruby washed her hands to begin shelling peas. “I feel like I should be embarrassed, we really do need the help, right? “

  “I know exactly what you mean, so I asked him to stay for dinner.”

  Ruby’s eyes widened. “Really?”

  Second-guessing herself was a habit Scarlett wasn’t fond of, but the worry was second-nature from the time things started to go pear-shaped several years back. It came back with a vengeance at her sister’s shock. “How could I not?”

  “Of course, you had to. It’s just that we haven’t had anyone inside here for so long. Apart from Olivia and Daisy.”

  Scarlett nodded. “I was thinking about that when I collected the vegetables. Maybe if we get things fixed, we could change that.”

  Ruby smiled delightedly. “You know, I’d like that. We get on just fine, but having visitors would be a welcome change.”

  Scarlett truly hadn’t given that much thought before. Naturally, her sisters would enjoy company, they’d already missed out on so much, and truthfully she wouldn’t be opposed to having some fun. She shouldn’t have let things get to this stage. There was more to life than paying bills. That was such an alien idea, she almost laughed.

  Her burst of positivity continued with imagining having dinner parties. After all, people you considered friends wouldn’t care at all about their sad decor. For the first time, Scarlett saw that she really did need to lighten up—just as her sisters said. Ruby and Violet worked as hard as she did and deserved a better life than the regimented one they’d adopted.

  “How were the kids?” Scarlett asked as they worked side by side.

  “Great, but they asked some pointed questions, as they do.”

  “What kind of questions?”

  “They wanted to know about the poison situation and who would run the library now. I told them the sheriff will find the culprit, and the town committee will appoint someone after the funeral. I wasn’t sure when that would be, but I really do hope Cozy Hollow gets a new librarian as soon as it’s decent to do so. The kids get through books so quickly now, I’m struggling to keep up with the demand.”

  Ruby was proud of her group, and Scarlett smiled. “Perhaps you could take the bus over to Harmony Beach and get books from there?”

  “Good idea. I’d been thinking along those same lines.” Her mouth turned down. “It’s only a forty-minute trip, but I might not have the time if we’re fixing up the house.”

  “I wish we didn’t have to do it, but we can’t have the place falling around our ears,” Scarlett said apologetically. “Or Arthur using us as an example.”

  Ruby shivered as she usually did hearing the mayor’s name. “We’ll figure something out.”

  “Maybe we should sell.”

  Scarlett spun around, dropping potato peelings on the floor. She hadn’t heard Violet come in and didn’t like her tone one bit. “And where would we live? If we don’t buy a house together, then any money we get from the sale would need to be split in three ways. That won’t be enough to get apartments, let alone a house each.”

  “It was just a suggestion.”

  The issues over the last few days had perhaps reinforced Violet’s feelings of being trapped. Scarlett hated that look. “I promise I’ve given it plenty of thought. If you don’t want to live together anymore, then maybe we’re looking at this all wrong?”

  Violet dropped into a chair. “Most of the time it’s fine, but one day I’d like my own space. I keep imagining us as three old spinsters living here with a house full of cats.”

  Ruby picked up George, from where he lay at her feet, rubbing her cheek against him. “Looks like we’re on our way.”

  Violet snorted. “The way he’s been catching mice around here, I guess George isn’t a bad way to start.”

  “And he is very snuggly,” Scarlett added. “Do you think he was this way with Mable?”

  Ruby nodded. “I know for a fact he was. Mable allowed him free reign of the library and treated him like her child, and he was devoted, following her wherever she went as a dog would.”

  “It’s a shame he has nowhere to go—I mean with a family who really wants him,” Violet finished awkwardly.

  Ruby hugged him tighter. “I think he was meant to be with us. He’s no problem living here, and as Violet pointed out, he’s a great mouser. He can stay, right?”

  “It’s another mouth to feed.” Scarlett began, but the corners of Ruby’s mouth drooped again, and Violet gave her a warning look. “But maybe we do need a man around the house.”

  Immediately the mood shifted.

  Violet grinned. “As long as he knows who the boss is.”

  Ruby giggled. “Scarlett?”

  “Who else?” Violet agreed.

  Scarlett snorted, and then they were giggling like schoolgirls.

  “See, if we separated, you’d miss all the fun,” Scarlett teased.

  Violet wiped her eyes. “Please! I’d hardly call this fun.”

  “Then, why are you laughing? Besides, it’s Scarlett’s job to keep us in line,” Ruby winked.

  “You mean when we’re not baking, child-minding, or dog-walking?” Violet answered with mock disdain.

  Ruby nodded. “Of course. We all have a role.”

  “What’s yours, then?” Violet demanded.

  “I’m the peacekeeper,” Ruby said smugly. “You’re the fixer-upper, and Scarlett is the boss.”

  “Seems about right,” Violet admitted.

  Scarlett shrugged. “I wouldn’t have to be bossy if you two weren’t such delinquents.”

  Ruby placed George gently on the floor and turned to Violet. Her sweet smile became pure devilish. “Let’s get her!”

  With a squeal, Scarlett ran out the back door and got as far as the garden before her sisters tackled her to the ground.

  “Get off me, you brats.”

  And that’s how Sam found them—rolling around the grass like football players, laughing hysterically.

  “Sorry to interrupt, ladies,” he scoffed. “I’m going to start around th
e back. Maybe you should take this fight elsewhere?”

  “The least you could do is help me,” Scarlett complained good-naturedly.

  He grinned. “You mean you don’t enjoy the whole ganging up thing you’ve got going on there?”

  “Precisely.”

  “Are you sure, because it looks to me that you’re perfectly in control.”

  Since Ruby was sitting on Scarlett’s stomach, the observation caused them to start giggling again. Sam left to fetch his ladder, his shoulders shaking.

  “That was embarrassing,” Scarlett said, pushing Ruby off. They got to their feet, twigs, and leaves attached to hair, clothing, and in Violet’s case having to pull one from her mouth.

  The state of them suddenly reminded Scarlett of the car that came too close for comfort. She’d make sure to tell Nate next time she saw him. Or was it too important to wait?

  “Sam didn’t bat an eyelid at your dishevelment,” Ruby informed her. “I think he likes you a lot.”

  Brushing herself down, Scarlett shook her head. “Don’t be silly. He pays us all equal attention.”

  “Keep telling yourself that,” Violet grinned.

  “Let’s get dinner cooked before he finishes.” Scarlett didn’t want to discuss the paramedic with them. She did like Sam, but what kind of like it was she couldn’t be sure of because, busy with life, she’d never allowed herself to know how it felt. A few dates back in high school and several since then did not make her an expert in men on any level.

  Violet gripped her stomach. “I’m starving.”

  “You’re always hungry,” Ruby ducked out of reach.

  When they’d calmed down once more, they walked arm and arm up the lawn, and Scarlett’s heart was full of love for her crazy siblings. Their mom would have loved to see them getting on so well. It wasn’t always easy to live and work together, but Scarlett couldn’t think of any other people she would want to share her life with in this way.

  Coming around the corner, Sam set up his ladder. As appealing as it might be to simply watch him in action, there were plenty of other things that demanded her attention. Less embarrassing things that didn’t require her to delve into how he made her feel.

  Chapter Eighteen

  It was one thing for Sam to turn up and wash the house down, but Olivia’s plan worked better than anyone could possibly have imagined.

  The sisters cleaned up after Sunday breakfast, intending to start sanding the house when they heard a car pull up. Then another. And another. When they opened the front door, vehicles of every description greeted them. Not just in the driveway—the whole yard was full of them!

  Sam stood in the middle of the lawn directing the men and women who poured out. There were patrons of the café, other Cozy business owners, parents of the children Ruby babysat, and coached, plus the owners of Violet’s canine charges.

  Everyone carried some piece of equipment—buckets, brushes, tools, ladders, and hammers. Scarlett and her sisters could only stare.

  Sam climbed the few steps. “Ready for your working bee? Should I explain to them what needs doing?”

  Scarlett gulped. “I don’t know what to say.”

  When he kept smiling along with everyone else, Violet hissed, “Don’t you dare say no.”

  Scarlett gulped. It certainly had been her initial intention to do so, but the people before her looked genuinely happy to be there. “T-t-thank you all for giving up your time,” she stuttered, her face suffused with heat. “Go ahead, Sam. I’m sure you’ve got a better idea of the process.”

  “I have painted one or two houses in my time,” he winked at her.

  She managed to laugh as it struck her that she knew very little about him. Dinner last night had been lovely, and he came from a town on the other side of destiny. That was it. What did he like to do outside of work? Did paramedics paint houses on their days off?

  “It’ll be okay,” he whispered. “Take a deep breath and let me handle this.”

  She had no choice. By the time she thought of a reply, Sam was off to set up scaffolding under the windows with the assistance of several men who launched into sanding them.

  “We’re doing this area first, so we can get the cracks bogged with filler as soon as possible,” he called to her.

  Next, he issued orders for Nate and a couple of others to replace boards on the left side of the house that were beyond repair. “Everyone else can split into teams for painting what you can inside and stripping wallpaper.”

  “What?” Scarlett tried to get her mind around the situation. Wondering what so many people could do without getting in each other’s way, she hadn’t envisioned them working on the inside of the house.

  Olivia slipped through the women and climbed the steps with a basket of something hidden under a cloth. “Close your mouth, dear. All you need to focus on is some sandwiches at lunchtime. I’ve brought ham and chicken to put in them.”

  The sisters stared at each other for a moment.

  Then Violet grinned. “I know it’s hard for you, Scarlett, but how about you try to run with it? We can hardly tell them to get lost, can we?”

  “We all know that this was never going to be achieved any time soon if left to the three of us,” Ruby noted practically.

  Scarlett was torn. “But, we hardly know some of these people.”

  Violet shrugged. “No one held a gun to their head to get them here.”

  “Don’t look at me, dear,” Olivia smirked.

  “Still . . .”

  Ruby tugged on her arm. “Let’s get the food prepared. We have a lot of mouths to feed.”

  Food was something Scarlett was good at, and there seemed no point in debating what was happening to the house, so she followed her sisters inside. They were hardly at the kitchen when Daisy came through the back door carrying a bucket and a scraper.

  “Sorry to trouble you. Could I get some hot water and detergent?”

  “Hi, Daisy.” Violet flicked on the kettle, and Ruby pulled out the detergent from under the sink.

  “We’ll have the wallpaper off quick as a flash,” Daisy gave Scarlett a reassuring smile, leading another four women inside. “Which room shall we start on?”

  But Daisy wasn’t asking Scarlett. She spoke to Olivia as if she were in charge of this aspect of the makeover, and her aunt pointed to the room next door.

  “You ladies take the lounge, and the rest of us can do the bedrooms.”

  Scarlett could only watch with a feeling of powerlessness. She didn’t want anyone in her bedroom but didn’t want to sound ungrateful when everyone was being so generous.

  Again, Ruby took her arm and led her to the counter. “It’ll be okay.”

  “If another person says that,” she muttered, “I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

  Soon there was the chatter of women working inside and the sound of hammering and men’s voices outside. The house hadn’t had this level of noise for years.

  There was nothing for it, but to make sandwiches from the bread she’d baked earlier that morning and that Violet was cutting. “I hope we’ll have enough,” she whispered to her sisters.

  “We have plenty,” Ruby assured her.

  She seemed delighted by this turn of events as if she were enjoying an enjoyable social event and not a working bee.

  “Men can eat an awful lot,” Violet reminded them.

  It was true. When people came into the café, men were never satisfied with one thing. Scarlett knew they would need more than a sandwich. “Scones.”

  “Pardon?” Ruby queried.

  “When we had no food, mom would make scones remember? Savory or sweet, they’ll help fill them up.”

  “Good idea. You do that, and I’ll make the sandwiches.” Violet nudged her out of the way.

  “I’ll make cupcakes too,” Ruby offered.

  “It would be easier if we did this at the café,” Scarlett pondered as they all tried to fit in the same space.

  “Hah! As if you’d
leave all these people here without you.”

  Violet was right. She had a good rapport with people in the shop, but having them in her home caused a level of anxiety that was difficult to deny. Instead, she made the scones at the table, and before long, they were baking alongside Ruby’s cupcakes. Luckily, they had several oven trays.

  Watching the plates of sandwiches grow, she felt happier. No one would starve. She covered them with damp tea towels to keep them moist, then went to check on her bedroom. It was empty. Relieved, she heard voices coming from Ruby’s room. It sounded as though people were having fun, and she relaxed a little.

  * * *

  Everyone worked extremely hard, and by lunchtime, the crew appeared to be relishing the idea of a break. With very few chairs and tables, the men fashioned some from crates and lengths of wood. Scarlett covered some of the planks with tablecloths while Ruby and Violet brought out plates of food which emptied in seconds.

  “For goodness sake, sit down and take a break. I’ll take over here for a while.” Olivia took the coffee pot from Scarlett and motioned with her head towards the house.

  Sighing, knowing she had no chance of stopping the whirlwind of Olivia, Scarlett took a mug of tea and sat on the back step. Making so much food often made her hunger fade, which meant she could people watch.

  “Great sandwiches,” Sam called out from across the lawn. Scarlett raised her mug in a salute. Her mom would have been delighted by this day. She loved to have people around. To feed them her delicious food and know that they enjoyed it. Like Lilac Finch, it gave Scarlett the same incredible pleasure.

  “Is there any more juice?” Daisy stood in front of her waving an empty jug. “I can get it.”

  Scarlett was already on her feet. “I think so. I’m closer, let me check.” She went inside with every good intention, but suddenly her curiosity won out, and she carried on through to the sitting room. The walls in here, and from what she could see of the hall, were now totally bare. The place had definitely needed a facelift, but never in her wildest dreams had Scarlett imagined it happening all at once. What they’d already achieved today would have potentially taken the three of them months, as Violet had said. If not years.