“I’ll meet you at your apartment’s parking lot. Thanks for helping with the clothes.”
Bart closed her car door and stepped back and she drove away. Then, he got into his car and drove home. She was locking her car door when he pulled in beside her.
“You mind if I change clothes? I’d be a lot more comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt.”
“I do love a man in uniform but I don’t mind. You sure know how to fill out a pair of blue jeans.”
He put his hand at her waist. “I could say the same about you. Where do you want to eat?”
“Probably not Chinese again so soon, but anything else is okay. Except, I want you to know I’m still not eating liver. It’s creepy.”
He chuckled and unlocked his front door. “Then I’ll choose. Let’s go to the Angus Castle.”
She plopped onto his right recliner. “I remember we went there, the whole bunch of us. Your friend owns that restaurant and the food was really good.” She wriggled in his chair. “This is very comfortable. You’d better hurry or I’ll fall asleep.”
He dashed into his bedroom and changed clothes. He hung up his uniform just as Sally had taught him. Funny how she’d ingrained good habits in him without ever seeming harsh. He’d meant it when he’d told Bobby he hoped she’d become his stepmother.
When he got back in his living room, Ellie was lying back with her eyes closed. He leaned over and kissed her. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.”
She smiled and pulled him back for a deeper kiss. When she released him, she said, “This really is a comfortable recliner. I don’t know how you ever leave to go to work.”
“If I get fired for absenteeism, I’ll blame you. You’re the one who picked it out for me.”
She stood and hooked her hand around his arm. “Good thing I’m hungry or you’d never get rid of me.”
“I don’t remember saying I wanted to get rid of you. I know you’re just like my dad, though, and you’re always half starved.” He locked the door behind them.
He guided her to his personal vehicle, a pickup truck. He sure didn’t want anyone saying he used the county vehicle for personal use.
She climbed in. When he was behind the wheel, she fastened her seatbelt but leaned forward. “This is really high, gives you a great view.”
“Better than a Gold Bug?”
She sighed. “I wonder what happened to my little Gold Bug. It was such a nice car. Do you think there are any still around?”
He drove out of the lot. “Yeah, if you want to spend 300 grand on one.”
“You’re joking. No car is worth that. I was really pleased with it though until the tire blew out. That was disappointing.” She looked at him. “I think things worked out though, don’t you?”
“Worked out better for me. I hope you can be happy now that you’re here. Did you ever return to the ravine and see if you could go back in time?”
“No, I never did. Knowing what I do now I think I’m better off here. Having wealth was nice but I have more real friends now.”
“You had a lot of friends before didn’t you? There were the people in the wedding and that former fiancé. There must’ve been others.”
He couldn’t help the sound of disapproval when he mentioned her former fiancé. He didn’t want to share her even with a man in the past.
“I had Mattie and Freddie and lots of acquaintances. I imagine that Mattie and Freddie and my attorney were the only people who really grieved when I disappeared. Oh, and my staff at home. I had some very nice people working for me, especially my personal maid.”
“You said you looked up your disappearance. I imagine that felt surreal. I hope it didn’t make you too sad.”
“Surreal is a good term. I couldn’t help crying but it was like saying goodbye to someone else, not me. I think I’m different now than I was before you found me that day. I have different priorities.”
“I can see changes in you in just the short time you’ve been here. You talk differently and act differently. You seem more confident and sure of yourself. That strikes me as odd since you had all that money before.”
“You’re right. All that money didn’t seem like it was mine. I didn’t earn any of it. I always felt it was a trade for my parents and I’d rather have had them.”
“You’ll be earning every dime now.”
“Don’t forget I have that grant. Although it’s a lot of money, I have to account for every penny. I’m being very careful, except for what I paid Nancy for the clothes I got from her. I was a little too generous but I think it was for a good cause.”
“Bobby was telling me how excited he is that you’ve hired him and his mom. His attitude surprised me because he was so pleased at being able to work for you.”
“What? You think I’m Simon Legree? I do pay a fair wage and even give them lunch breaks you know.”
He pulled into the restaurant parking lot and stopped then grinned at her. “If I know you, you probably even buy their lunch.” He laughed and pointed at her. “Aha, I can see I’m right.”
She sat up straight and pursed her lips. “Nancy furnished our lunch today, so there. I might have bought lunch a couple of times. Sally sent lunch the first day.”
Laughing, he got out of the truck and went around to open her door. “And what are your plans for the future?”
She slid out the truck and they walked into the restaurant. When they were seated she placed her napkin daintily across her lap. Everything she did was graceful.
They each looked at the menu and made a selection. The waitress came and took their orders.
“For your information, Sheriff, we have already made plans for when the apartment and shop are ready. Nancy is going to use the apartment refrigerator to store hers and Bobby’s lunches but one day a week we’re going to have pizza or Chinese food delivered. Unless one of us wants to go out to eat, of course. Nancy and I can’t both go out to eat at the same time.”
“That’s true. Maybe you and I can eat together sometimes.”
She grinned at him. “If there’s not a crime wave in our metropolis, that would be nice.”
Nick Wheeler headed for their table. Bart braced himself to be teased.
Nick sat at the table with them. “Nice to see you, Bart. And you… Miss St. Eaves isn’t it?”
Ellie offered his friend a captivating smile. “Please call me Ellie. All my friends do. May I call you Nick?”
How did she do it? Nick was practically salivating and all Ellie did was smile and lean ever so slightly toward him.
Bart would like to punch Nick for no good reason other than the goofy grin he sent Ellie. “Of course, any friend of Bart’s is a friend of mine. How long have you been friends, by the way?”
She peered into Nick’s eyes as if he were the only one in the room. “Exactly the perfect amount of time, Nick. How long have you and Bart been friends?”
Bart leaned forward and glared at his friend. “Long enough that he knows when to get lost. Isn’t that right, Nick?”
Nick broke out laughing. He stood and patted Bart on the back. “I knew this day was coming and I’m so glad I got to see it.” He was still laughing when he walked away.
“You were kinda rude to your friend. How long have you two been friends?”
“Since grade school. He’s one of my best friends and, trust me, he wasn’t offended. He only sat down at the table to annoy me.”
“Why would he think it would annoy you? I thought he was being nice.”
No, no, no. He wasn’t talking about this now. “Don’t make me explain it to you here, please.”
She settled back in her chair and offered her secretive little smile. “Sheriff, I definitely want you to explain it to me in full.”
Bart was happy to see a couple approaching the table. Good timing. He stood to greet Chip Gordon and his wife, Ariel. He made introductions and added, “Won’t you two join us?”
Chip and Ariel sat down at the square table so that she was next to Elli
e.
Ariel leaned toward Ellie. “I’m so pleased to meet you. Chip said you’re opening a new shop near Margaret’s.”
Ellie’s enthusiasm seemed to burst from her like sparklers on the 4th of July. “Two doors down where the barber shop used to be. I’ll be living upstairs.”
Ariel tilted her head and flicked her napkin across her lap. “I didn’t realize there was living space upstairs.”
“There’s a darling little apartment, very vintage so it fits with my shop. I’ll be selling vintage clothing in the shop and online plus some lovely gift items. In fact, my website just went online today.”
The waitress took Chip and Ariel’s orders.
Bart said, “If we have time after dinner we’re gonna look for her a new laptop and the computer system for her store.”
Chip shook his head. “That vandalism is a headache for both of us.”
Ellie said, “A headache for you two but heartbreaking for me. The apartment was spotless and we were going to start painting the day we arrived and couldn’t even go upstairs because of the mess. Plus, the workmen were almost finished with the shop but now who knows how long cleaning up the mess will take? I’ve been working from Nancy Colgate’s home.”
Ariel said, “Nancy’s a lovely woman, isn’t she? I’m so glad you’ve hired her. She’ll be a real asset to your business.”
“She already is. She had clothes in her attic from 1920 forward. I bought most of them for the shop. We even got them photographed to be loaded to the website. I’ve hired her son, too.”
Chip looked at Bart and then at Ellie. “Are you sure about him? He’s been hanging out with some pretty tough kids.”
Bart smiled at Ellie. “Those tough kids are in jail because they’re the ones who vandalized Ellie’s shop. That’s after they beat up Bobby because he didn’t want to hang out with them anymore.”
Ariel grimaced. “Kirby will let them off easy. Sometimes I’d like to thump that man on the head with a baseball bat.”
Bart grinned at her. “Just don’t let me know about it. I’d hate to arrest you.”
Chapter Twenty Four
At long last Ellie was able to move into her apartment. Bless Bart, he’d had the workmen paint her apartment as well as the shop. The store floors were black and white tile. Pale gray walls accented in pale heather trim was as pleasing as she had envisioned. The gray sofa and heather chairs matched perfectly.
In addition to the sign over the store, she’d had the bee drawing permanently painted on the interior of the window. She feared the green awning outside might keep people from noticing the sign overhead but they couldn’t miss the window as they walked by. The barber shop door was replaced with a beautiful fruitwood door with carving around the glass.
She and Nancy walked through admiring everything. Racks had been installed for hanging clothes and glass display cases for delicates. The new bathroom was disabled accessible—and adorable if she did say so herself. Two dressing rooms were large enough that they each had a small bench seat at one end.
Ellie sniffed the air. “Mmm, still smells like fresh paint, doesn’t it?”
Bobby treated the mailroom as his domain, which Ellie supposed it was.
He was in charge of boxing and shipping orders. “I have this arranged so everything is efficient.”
Nancy said, “I’m surprised there were orders even before the store was open.”
Ellie clasped her hands. “Isn’t it great? Thanks to the website that’s a hit. I thought Dan charged too much, but I see he was worth the cost.”
Nancy examined a card on the largest of the plants. “Hmm, this says a spathiphyllum, also called a peace lily, from Mr. Gordon’s insurance agency. What are we going to do with all these plants? I know they look great, but we’re running out of room.”
Bobby looked at the cards. “This one’s from the bank, well they’re your friends and practically your kin. The Knight Ranch… same there, Mr. Wheeler at the Angus Castle, Margaret’s Couture, and the sheriff.” He sent her a puzzled glance. “No, it doesn’t say sheriff, it only says his name, like it’s personal.”
Ellie refused to respond to Bobby’s last comment, which sounded more like a question. Instead, she turned slowly. “I love this place. My apartment is nice and I believe I’ll enjoy living there.”
Nancy cleaned the front window in spite of the fact it was spotless. “Are the night lights as pretty as we thought they’d be?”
“They’re lovely. I found there’s a way up onto the roof, too. I didn’t go up there because I was alone and figured I’d fall and no one would know for a long time.”
Nancy stopped polishing and stood back to assess her work. “Is it possible to make a little patio up there?”
“No, it’s sloped. I was just exploring. There is a good-sized attic but Bart said it’s not built to support weight. The partitions down here strengthened the apartment floor but didn’t help the attic.”
“I can hardly wait until our grand opening. What are you going to wear?”
“A navy dress with white trim from the 20s. You?”
“I saved a precious red linen dress from about 1930 I can hardly wait to wear. I have shoes that match if they don’t hurt my feet.”
“Won’t we look grand? Great advertising. Speaking of which, Bart asked me to the Country Club dinner dance. I’m going to wear a dress I’ve saved. It’s pink with glass beads in diagonal patterns. I’ll wear a band in my hair with a little decoration on the side.”
“Oh, that sounds lovely and fun. I wish I could see you in it.”
Ellie advanced on her friend. “Funny you should mention that. Chief Deputy Vince Coggins needs a date. Why don’t we go together?”
Nancy took a step backwards. “Me? I-I don’t know what to say. I’ve not been on a date since I went with Bobby’s dad.”
Ellie held up a hand. “No pressure, Nancy. But, I have it on good authority that Vince wants to ask you out but thinks you wouldn’t go. Um, I offered to bring up the idea to you.”
Bobby peeked around the door facing. “Mom, you should go. Coggins is a good guy.”
Nancy’s surprise was evident and she turned to her son. “You wouldn’t mind?”
“Mom, you’re a real pretty lady. I think going out is a good idea if the man is nice. Deputy Coggins is a gentleman and would treat you right.”
Nancy smiled at Ellie. “In that case, I’ll go—if you’re positive he wants to be my escort.”
“I am. I’m sure he’ll talk to you about it. He’ll be so relieved and happy to hear the news.”
Nancy put the fingers of one hand at her throat. “Oh, my, I won’t know how to act.”
“Yes, you will. We’ll have fun.”
The night of the dinner dance, Bart called for Ellie. She had taken extra time with her appearance. When she heard the doorbell he’d had installed for her, she hurried down the stairs.
From the look on his face, every second she’d spent getting ready was worthwhile. “Wow, you look like a million dollars. On second thought, make that a billion.”
“You look good enough to eat yourself, Sheriff. I’m sure glad I get to see you in that tux. Is Vince in the car or will we go by for him?”
Bart guided her out the back door. “He and Nancy are going in his car. I hope that’s all right. We’ll sit together at the dance.”
“I don’t mind having you all to myself.” She linked her arm with his.
“I prefer this arrangement, but one of the reasons for it is less than romantic. If one of us gets called out of the dance, the other one can take both you ladies home. Sorry, but law officers always have to consider such things.”
She hugged his arm to her. “I hope that doesn’t happen. I want you for the entire evening. Look at that gorgeous moon. I’m sure it’s going to be a perfect night.”
Ellie had never been to the local country club. She was curious to see how fancy it would be in such a small community. She was surprised when they arrived.
The large building was metal with stone work on the front.
They found a parking space and Bart stopped the car. “Not the fanciest place in the world, is it?”
She didn’t want to insult him by mentioning how unimpressive the place was. “From the people pouring in I’d say the dance will be well attended. Do you see Vince’s car?”
“I think that’s him pulling in on the next row… Ah, yeah, when he opened the car door I saw it’s him. Let’s wait for them at the front.”
They joined up with Vince and Nancy and found their table for eight. Ellie wondered who else would sit with them. They were seated about halfway around the floor from the small orchestra.
Bart said, “This is great, we can hear the music but still be able to talk.”
Nancy touched Ellie’s arm. “That’s the prettiest dress I’ve ever seen. I can imagine the hours of work that went into it.”
Ellie looked down at the rows and rows of beads. “That’s exactly what Penny said when she saw it. I love your dress as well. You look really good in red.”
Vince wriggled uncomfortably and tugged at his tie. “I warned Nancy that I haven’t danced in a long time.”
Bart shrugged. “Aw, there’ll be all kinds of dancing tonight. Some people appear to walk around without regard to the music. You can’t go wrong, Vince.”
Chip and Ariel Gordon took their seats at the table. Soon, Rick Wheeler and a woman Ellie had never seen before joined them.
Rick said, “This is Patsy Roan. She’s new in town and works at the bank.” He made introductions around the table.
Ellie asked, “Where do you live, Patsy?”
“In the Buena Vida Apartments on Elm Street. They’re not new but seem to be quiet and respectable. Do you live in town?”
Ellie was eager to confide her arrangement. “I live over my shop, The Bee’s Knees on Main.”
Patsy’s face broke into a wide smile. “I know where that is. Your sign is so cute. Is that one of your dresses from the shop?”
“I kept this one for myself but I thought wearing it might advertise my business. I hope you’ll come by Monday when we open. There are gift items as well as vintage things.”
Texas Rainbow Page 15