Maddie gave a quick, tight shake of her head. “Wrong time of year anyway.”
“Oh, I don’t know, women rent them all year long.” Tina straightened the bonnet’s ties. “So, what brings you here?”
Pulling a check from her pocket, Maddie extended it to her. “My second payment.”
Tina held up her hands. “No need.”
Baffled, Maddie drew her eyebrows together. “I don’t understand.”
“Your account’s paid in full.”
“That can’t be.” Then she thought of her silent partner. “Don’t tell me J.C. paid it off!”
“Actually, I can’t tell you anything.”
Maddie stared at her.
Tina’s face scrunched in apology. “The person who paid said I had to keep it anonymous. I really thought you’d know who it is.”
“Well … narrowing it down can’t be too difficult.” Maddie ran through the abbreviated list. J.C., Samantha, possibly Emma. Realizing Tina still felt uncomfortable, Maddie tried to recover. “Hey, it’s a good thing. I’m just surprised and overwhelmed. I love the costumes. I have two more tea parties booked for this weekend.”
The worry didn’t leave Tina’s face. “You sure you’re okay with this? I wouldn’t have agreed otherwise. I thought it was a nice surprise.”
“It is a nice surprise,” Maddie insisted. She held up the check. “This can go a long way toward increasing the accessory inventory, which is something I’ve really wanted to do.”
Not completely convinced, Tina gave her a halfhearted smile. “In the future, if you still want us to supply costumes, I’ll check with you first on anything to do with your account.”
Wishing she hadn’t made Tina feel bad, Maddie reached out to hug her. “Of course this is where I’ll always order my costumes. They are perfect and so is the way you’ve handled things. Now, don’t think about it for another second, okay? Or I’ll feel terrible.”
Tina’s face cleared. “In that case …”
“Come over later for some lunch,” Maddie told her, walking toward the door. “I made some killer chicken salad.”
“You don’t have to twist my arm,” Tina replied.
Once out on the sidewalk, Maddie’s smile disappeared. What had J.C. been thinking? She wanted … no, needed to make the shop succeed. The start-up money was one thing, but he couldn’t bail her out every time she made an investment in the business. What would happen when he was gone and she had to handle things on her own? The thought pierced her very being. Tears blinding her vision, Maddie rushed the rest of the way to her shop, hating that she had to confront J.C.
J.C. dashed up the stairs, eager to get home. Since the night of the campout, when he realized how lonely he was in the empty apartment, he had developed a new appreciation for everything Maddie did for them. And he resolved to put the past behind him. Maddie was nothing like his ex-wife. It had been unfair to compare them.
Shedding his jacket and briefcase in his own apartment, he could hear Chrissy’s chirpy voice and the far quieter replies from Lillian. Inhaling the scent of what he guessed was roast chicken, his stomach rumbled.
“I’m winning!” Chrissy announced as he walked into the Carters’ entry hall.
Glancing her way, J.C. saw that she and Lillian were playing checkers. “Watch out.” He winked. “Mrs. Lillian’s pretty cagey.”
Chrissy scrunched her nose at him, then grinned.
He followed his nose to the wonderful aromas in the kitchen. “Smells delicious.”
“Just roasted chicken and potatoes.” Maddie didn’t turn around, adding black olives to a bowl filled with lettuce and sliced tomatoes. “And this salad.”
“Do you want me to set the table?”
“Chrissy already did it.”
J.C. glanced toward the living room. “Did Chrissy give you a hard time about it?”
“No. She sets the table every day, it’s one of her chores.”
J.C. had barely been able to get his niece to attend school. He wished Maddie would turn around so he could see her face. Sharp beams of late-afternoon sunlight lit her strawberry-blond hair. Wanting to reach out and touch the soft waves, instead he wandered over to the refrigerator and grabbed a root beer. “What kind of salad dressing do you want?”
“I made a vinaigrette.” She finally turned toward him. “Will you tell Chrissy and my mother that we’re ready?”
Her face was so expressionless, he started to ask if anything was wrong, then he remembered that Lillian and Chrissy were close by. They were just finishing their game of checkers when he walked back into the living room. Chrissy hopped up and rushed into the kitchen while he offered his arm to Lillian.
“Thank you, young man,” she said with old-fashioned gentility.
“My pleasure.” When they reached the table, Chrissy was filling the water glasses.
As had become their habit, he blessed the food. Passing the salad around, Chrissy chattered about her day. Lillian picked the black olives from her salad and gave them to Chrissy because they were one of the child’s favorites.
Maddie offered the carving knife and fork to him. He sliced some white and dark meat, severing a drumstick for Chrissy. She remained a live wire and Lillian smiled at the child’s silliness. But Maddie was unusually quiet. Not silent, just quiet. Maybe she’d had a rough day in the shop. Orders sometimes went amiss and even in Rosewood customers could be cranky.
“Can I have chicken salad in my sandwich again tomorrow?” Chrissy asked.
“If that’s what you want,” Maddie replied.
“It’s yummy.” Chrissy turned to him. “Maddie puts dried cranberries in it and it’s really good.”
“And she uses roasted chicken instead of boiled,” Lillian added. “That makes a big difference.”
He glanced at the roast chicken they were having for dinner.
Maddie nodded. “It’s easier if I coordinate the sandwich fillings to what we’re eating for dinner.”
“I’m so hungry I could have eaten a plate of boiled cabbage,” he replied.
She smiled, but it was a small, reserved smile.
“But I’m glad it’s chicken.” He stabbed a bite. “How did things go in the shop today?”
Shrugging, Maddie reached for the potatoes. “Fine.”
“Nothing out of the ordinary?” he persisted.
A strange look entered her eyes and her lips thinned to a line. “No.”
He glanced over at his niece and Lillian. Whatever was on Maddie’s mind would have to wait until later in the evening after both had been tucked in bed.
By the time they had eaten and Chrissy reluctantly surrendered the book she was reading, J.C. was anxious to find out what was the matter with Maddie. He tried to think of all the possibilities, but came up blank. He waited what he hoped was long enough for Maddie to get her mother settled in for the night. Chrissy was asleep, so he left only a few lights on, propping open his apartment door so he could hear if she woke up and needed him.
Maddie sat alone in her living room. The television was off and she wasn’t reading as she often did.
“Lillian asleep?”
“Yes.” She looked up at him. “Have a seat.”
Choosing the closest chair to her, he hoped she wouldn’t dance around the problem.
“J.C.,” she began. Knitting her hands together, she pressed until the tips of her fingers whitened. “I went to Try It On today.”
He waited.
“The costume shop,” she explained.
“And?”
She glanced down, then pressed her fingers even tighter. “It was a very kind gesture, but you can’t keep funding everything.”
Baffled, he drew his eyebrows together.
“The costumes,” she continued. “I know you paid the outstanding balance in full.”
J.C. blinked.
“Tina told me.”
“Maddie—”
“It’s not that I don’t appreciate the thought, but I have to
know if the Tea Cart can succeed without a benefactor.” She looked pained, upset. “I have to think of the future.”
Of the dozens of possibilities that had run through his mind, this one hadn’t even made it to the list. “Before you go on, I didn’t pay off the costumes.”
“But …” Her mouth remained open, then she bit down on her lower lip. “I was sure it had to be you.”
“Nope.”
Her eyes darkened. “Then who?”
He wanted to know, as well.
“I’m sorry, J.C. I just assumed …” She shook her head, short rapid nods. “I can’t imagine …” She exhaled. “I feel terrible. I’ve been worried … well, anyway, sorry.”
“You really don’t have anyone else in mind?” The happiness he’d been feeling the past few weeks drained at an incredible rate.
Slowly she shook her head.
Immediately, J.C. thought of Owen Radley. The man had the money … and definitely the motive. Seeing the remorse in Maddie’s eyes, J.C. wanted to discard the thought, wished it away, but it stayed, planted so firmly he knew it was all he would think about. Not even the gray in Maddie’s eyes softening to blue could chase it away.
Unable to leave the Tea Cart, Maddie called Samantha who agreed to come over. Two tables of women had come in just after the shop opened and were lingering over their tea and scones. Normally, Maddie would have been delighted with the early business, but she had hoped to have the place to herself so she and Samantha could talk.
Lillian sat at her usual spot, crocheting. Every single day at least one of the ladies in her Sunday school class came by to visit.
The bell over the door jangled and Maddie was relieved to see Samantha. Dispensing with the usual niceties, she waved Samantha over.
Sam sniffed the air. “Is that the cheesecake kind of filling you put in some of the pastries?”
Maddie pulled her behind the counter.
“I was just asking,” Samantha muttered. “Don’t I even get tea?”
Grabbing the hot water, Maddie dumped in some of the blend she’d prepared for the last customer. “It has to steep, okay?”
“Silly me. I thought that’s what we did here—drink tea and—”
“Sorry,” Maddie apologized. “Of course you can have some tea. It’s just …”
The teasing left Samantha’s eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. But I do need to ask you something.”
“Shoot.”
“Sam, did you pay off my account at the costume shop?”
“What gave you that idea?”
Maddie tried to temper her impatience. “I really need to know.”
“No, I didn’t pay anything at the costume shop.”
“You’re sure?” Maddie persisted. Samantha wasn’t just her best friend, she was also one of the few people who knew about her payment arrangement at Try It On.
“I think I would remember something like that!” She scrunched her brow. “Oh, I bet it was J.C.”
Maddie shook her head. “I already asked him. His expression matched yours—clueless.”
“Did you just insult me?”
“Funny.” Maddie sighed. “Sam, somebody paid my account in full.”
Samantha started to speak.
But Maddie cut her off. “No, Tina won’t tell me. Whoever it was said they wanted to remain anonymous.”
Samantha scratched her head. “And you’re absolutely positive it wasn’t J.C.?”
“He wants to know who did.”
A knowing look settled across Samantha’s face. “I bet he does.”
Samantha and her happy endings. “It’s not like that.”
“Uh-huh.” Then her expression changed to a frown. “Do you suppose it was Owen?”
“Owen?”
“Think about it. He has the money. It wouldn’t even put a dent in his wallet. And the weird way he’s been acting ever since you opened the shop …”
“That’s too weird even for him. Besides, how would he know about my account at the costume shop?”
Samantha’s expression remained somber. “I’ve always heard that rich people have their fingers in every pie. At the least, they know everything that’s going on. Your birthday tea parties are being talked about all over town. If I remember right, the last time he came in before Chrissy’s party, you didn’t have the costumes. And we know he showed up that day and must have seen them. It doesn’t take a genius to make the next leap in logic. Try It On is the only costume shop for hundreds of miles.”
“It’s ridiculous. I told him in no uncertain terms that our relationship is completely in the past. What would he gain from this?”
“A way to worm into your life.” Samantha still looked worried. “I didn’t want to say anything, but I’ve been asking around about Owen. Since I was gone from Rosewood for years, I didn’t have any idea what he’d been up to. Apparently, he’s spent just about as much time away from here as I did. And I got the same answer from everybody I asked about whether he had married, gotten engaged. There hasn’t been anyone in his life since you two broke up.”
Maddie frowned. “He must have kept it quiet. And maybe the woman lives somewhere else, somewhere he travels to.”
“That’s not the impression I got.”
Noticing that one of the customers was trying to catch her attention, Maddie had to leave the speculation unfinished. Several new customers came in, so Samantha pitched in and helped. Still, it took a while to prepare the new orders. As Maddie was arranging heart-shaped sandwiches on the last plate, Emma stopped in.
Samantha noticed, too, and guided Emma to a table situated away from the other customers.
Maddie hurried, delivering the plate of sandwiches and refilling a few cups. Not wanting to look as though she was pouncing on Emma, she slowed her rapid steps. “Hi. Do you want to start with tea?”
“No. Samantha said you needed to talk. What’s up?”
Maddie cringed. “Sam didn’t need to say anything.”
Emma looked concerned.
“Guess I’ll just spit it out.” Maddie took a deep breath. “Emma, did you pay off my account for the costumes? Or make some kind of arrangement with Tina so I didn’t owe anymore?”
“You mean someone paid it off?”
Maddie’s heart sank. “Then it wasn’t you?”
“You know what? I bet J.C.—”
“He was the first person I asked. It’s really got me baffled.”
“Tina must know—”
“Sworn to silence. I already made her feel bad about not being able to tell me.” Maddie held up her hands, ticking off each name on progressive fingers. “It’s not J.C. or Samantha or you.”
Sam jumped in with her suggestion. “I told her I thought it was Owen Radley.”
Emma frowned. “I’ve heard a lot about him.” Not being a native of Rosewood she didn’t automatically know everyone. But there was something in her tone …
“Like what?” Maddie asked.
Emma fiddled with the salt cellar. “Seth did some business with him. Even though the Radleys have a lot of money to spend, Seth doesn’t want to work for him again.”
“Owen’s been acting weird ever since Maddie opened the shop,” Samantha confided.
Maddie sent her friend a pointed gaze.
“Well, he has!” Samantha insisted. “They went together in high school and college, even got engaged. When Maddie wouldn’t put Lillian in a nursing home, he gave her an ultimatum—her mother or him. Now he acts as though he still has a claim on Maddie.”
Worry stirred in Emma’s eyes. “People like that can be dangerous. You both know what I lost …” The memory of her murdered husband and child chilled the air. “And that the guy who was after me nearly killed me here in Rosewood. I don’t want to scare you, Maddie, but you never know what drives some people.”
Maddie hated that she had caused Emma to think about that terrible time in her life. Good grief, she was talking about someone payin
g a bill, not committing murder. Clearly, she had overreacted. “Emma, I used to know Owen really well. I don’t believe he would hurt me or anyone else. If anything, he’s just a lot of hot air.”
The worry didn’t leave Emma’s face. “I hope you’re right.” Briefly she closed her eyes, then swallowed. “And I didn’t mean to scare you unnecessarily. But please be careful. I wish I could have been warned.”
Maddie took Emma’s hand. “I’ll be careful. I promise.” She made herself smile brightly. “Maybe I have a secret admirer or benefactor. I should be grateful instead of making a fuss. Now, I’m going to get tea for all of us. I’ve got some of those apple tartlets you like, Emma. Be right back.”
Maddie brought the tea and pastries, checked on her customers and kept her smile in place. All the while she wondered. The pit in her stomach told her this wasn’t over. What worried her was that her intuition was usually right on. And now it was saying trouble.
Chapter Fifteen
J.C. reworked his schedule so he could take the day off. Chrissy had a school project—to collect aquatic bugs. It was a good opportunity to connect with nature and strengthen her faith. When Chrissy invited Maddie, Samantha offered to take care of the Tea Cart so that she could join them.
Although they’d had a fair-size rainstorm earlier in the week, the sun was bright, the day clear. With underground springs from aquifers populating the land, it was easy to find creeks and streams for Chrissy’s school project.
His SUV handled the hilly terrain, still they bumped along. But he didn’t mind when Maddie occasionally pitched near him.
“There it is!” Chrissy sang out from the backseat.
J.C. parked and Chrissy practically flew out of the vehicle. He opened the back cargo door and started unloading everything they had packed, which was quite an assortment.
Chrissy held up her list importantly, checking the first item. “Everybody wore safe shoes.” She glanced at them.
Maddie stuck out one foot clad in an old running shoe.
Chrissy looked pointedly at J.C., so he extended his waterproof hunting boot.
She checked the box on her project list. “Forceps?”
J.C. held up three pairs of tweezers.
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