The Blossom Sisters

by Fern Michaels

  The Dresslers smiled. “Then let’s get you started. We’d like to see a smile, though. How about this, when you leave here, you’re going to look and feel like a million dollars. Can you accept that?”

  Could she accept that? She was here, wasn’t she? She’d just confessed her life story to two strangers. All because some guy called her a fireplug. Was it the word fire that pushed her to come here, or was it guilt and shame? Vanity was probably the answer. She shrugged. “Yes, of course,” she responded.

  Mandy pressed a button on the desk. Mona appeared as if by magic to lead Jill out of the room. Jill turned in the doorway, and said “Woohoo!” Then she laughed.

  Sam and Mandy looked at each other and joined in the laughter. “I think that little confession opened a door that’s been locked for a long time. I’ll see you later, Sam. I have some shopping to do,” Mandy said.

  “Have fun, my dear. I know how you love to shop. Just remember our promise to Miss Jackson that she’s going to look and feel like a million dollars when she leaves here.”

  “I’ll remember, dear. I so hope that young man is worth all this. I’m thinking, Sam, even if for some reason tonight doesn’t end with a promise for the future, Miss Jackson will be able to walk through that door she opened with more confidence than when she walked in here.”

  “I hope we find out the answer at some point in time,” Sam said.

  “I’ll see you when I see you, my dear,” Mandy said as she reached for her purse. This was the part that she liked best, the transformation of the client. She smiled.

  The hours passed in a blur. Twice, Jill dozed off because she was so relaxed. She had a deep hour-long body massage and a wonderful facial, which allowed her to fall asleep. She loved the whirlpool, with the jets pummeling her entire body. She dozed off again during her pedicure, while a technician applied acrylic nails to her fingers and finished it off with a French manicure. She slept for thirty minutes before she was transferred to a bare room, where she got spray-tanned.

  “It will look just like the sun kissed your entire body. The plus to spray-tanning is it will downplay the pinkness of your scars.”

  While she stood with her arms and legs spread to dry, Jill decided this was a day she’d never forget, and she wasn’t even finished yet.

  When the technician announced that the spray-on tan was dry, Jill was taken to still another room, with no mirrors but wonderful lighting. The beautician twirled the chair Jill was sitting on, as she ran her fingers through Jill’s long, curly hair. “Do you have something in mind, or are you willing to leave it up to me? First things first, your hair is way too long. Long hair is not in fashion, and is best worn by young girls. Are you ready for a new look to go with the new you?”

  Jill drew in a deep breath. “I am. I’m not a fancy kind of person, so can you give me an easy-to-care-for, casual kind of look?”

  The stylist, who said his name was Brandon, said, “I think it’s time to get rid of the Shirley Temple curls. How will you feel if I straighten your hair and give it some highlights? I’d also like to thin it out a little.”

  Giddy with what she was going through, Jill could hardly believe her own words when she said, “Go for it, Brandon.”

  Another ninety minutes passed before Brandon turned down the lighting and pressed a button to reveal a mirror behind a wooden panel. Jill gasped as she leaned forward to view her new hairdo. Who was this person? In her wildest dreams, she never thought she could look as good as she did at that moment.

  “You like?” Brandon asked.

  “I love it, Brandon. I really do.”

  Brandon grinned. “Okay, now it’s time for your makeup session. Ready?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Jill grinned in return. Suddenly, she was loving this whole new experience.

  While Jill was being pummeled, scrubbed, rubbed, caressed, sprayed, and painted, Gus Hollister was banging his head on the wall for the fourth time. He had gone to Barney’s to exchange the Jeep for his Porsche, having decided that he was not going to pick up his date in a Jeep. Now, he was exhausted with the effort he was expending to get through to the Blossom sisters.

  Gus threw his hands in the air. “Let’s go through this one more time. I know you’re tired, and so am I. We’ve been at this for hours, and I really have to leave, because I have a dinner engagement, which you all endorsed, by the way.”

  They were on the back porch, with the door to the kitchen closed for privacy. The coffeepot had been filled, then refilled. Everyone’s nerves were twanging from too much caffeine.

  Violet, more hostile toward Gus than her sisters, looked at her nephew. “Nephew, we made a commitment to our staff. What you’re suggesting to the three of us can’t possibly work. If we do what you say, there won’t be enough work for everyone. We just can’t go back on our word. We cannot break a promise; surely you can understand that.”

  “Yes, Aunt Vi. But there will be work for everyone, just less work. I do understand. Will you just stop, close your eyes, and envision the inside of this farmhouse? It’s total chaos, it’s overcrowded, you’re all meeting yourselves coming and going, plus the kitchen as well as the summer kitchen is being used twenty-four/seven, with all the cooking for so many people three times a day. And don’t get me started again on your storage arrangements for supplies. There is not one inch of space available. You need to relocate. Granny, there is all of Shady Pines. Why aren’t you all working out of there? There is an industrial kitchen at Shady Pines, and that’s what you need. Read my lips, a fully equipped industrial kitchen.”

  “Because we live here, that’s why. We started here, and it just naturally followed that we would continue working here,” Rose said defensively.

  “What that says to me is you three took the easy way out. Everyone else has to shuttle back and forth while you three call the shots. I’m not trying to demean you, it just doesn’t make sense from a productivity standpoint. Shady Pines has to be around fifty thousand square feet and is virtually empty except for the one wing that’s occupied. At one time it was a thriving operation, now with just caretakers watching over the property. I know, I know, all the rules and licenses are in effect. Will you all just think about the space, about having everything in one place? It makes more sense for the three of you to take the golf cart over in the morning and back again at the end of the day. You need to scale back and just do an eight-hour shift instead of this round-the-clock nonsense.

  “As much as you all don’t want to admit it, you aren’t getting any younger. Believe it or not, you’re actually getting older. Just like everyone else on God’s green earth. Why in the name of everything that is holy do you want to work everyone to an early death? You’re a family, all of you, so that means you need to enjoy each other’s company, make all the things you haven’t been able to do—either for health reasons, lack of money, or whatever else—work for you. This is the time when you should be enjoying your lives and still be productive, but not to the point of obsession.”

  Iris looked up at her nephew. “But you said you wanted us to do away with some of our projects. We need all those projects to keep earning the money we’ve been earning. More so now that we’ve added to our staff.”

  “I looked at your books, ladies. They are robust. You paid out outrageous bonuses none of you need or even want for that matter. I can see a salary of some sort, absolutely. I can see vacations twice a year for as many days as you all decide on. You can take bus trips. Hell, I’ll even drive the bus for you, and I’m sure Barney will agree to do it, too. I’m going to get my bus driver’s license. You’re obsessed with making tons of money and forgetting to live your lives. I’m tired, and I’m sorry if I’m not coming across to your satisfaction.”

  “I understand everything you’re saying, Augustus. You are making some valid points. Perhaps we could arrange a meeting with everyone, and you could give a PowerPoint presentation. Would that work?”

  “It would, but I want you to close up shop for a week or ten da
ys. We can hire people to help us move Initial B Enterprises to Shady Pines. What we’re doing now, what I set up for you all, was just supposed to be temporary. I told you that at the time, and you agreed. You said you all wanted the new staff to feel like they belonged right off the bat. We assigned jobs, but it’s around the clock, with no real routine. People, especially elderly people, and I mean no offense, need to sleep at night; they don’t need to work shifts. It’s unsettling. They don’t need pressure and deadlines. The bottom line is that you have too many irons in the fire. We need to whittle back and go with just your moneymakers. As an example, the fortune cookies. You could corner the entire market here in Sycamore Springs and even the outlying towns. You can hire delivery boys from the college. Think about how much easier it will make your lives.”

  The sisters looked at one another as Gus droned on and on. Finally, Rose said, “You need to go home now; it’s getting late, Augustus. You certainly don’t want to keep the young lady waiting. We will talk about all of this tonight, and, by tomorrow, we’ll have an answer for you, one way or the other. We appreciate your concern for our well-being, and we know your heart is in the right place. Will that work for you?”

  Gus sighed. “It will work if you talk and discuss it all with an open mind. I just want you to remember one thing: Money can’t buy happiness. You all found happiness and fulfillment. And made a lot of money in the bargain. You don’t need more sacks full of money to continue. Being more than comfortable financially, being happy, and having the companionship of each other should be your top priorities from here on in.”

  “You’re forgetting our overhead, nephew,” Violet snapped.

  “No, Aunt Vi, I am not forgetting it. If you operate out of Shady Pines, you can take many tax deductions. It has to be a legitimate operation from the get-go. That’s what I’m trying to drive home to you all. You can do this. You really can. But you’re going to have to make concessions for the well-being of all of you, not just you three.

  “Okay, I’m leaving now; you have a lot to think about. I’m here for you and will do whatever I can to get you all on the right road, because I love you and care about you.”

  Rose stretched out her arms to her grandson. She hugged Gus, and he hugged her back. He turned to see if Violet and Iris would do the same. He was thrilled when both his aunts smiled and held out their arms.

  Gus whistled for Wilson, who came on the run.

  “Call us,” Rose said. “Go to the men’s room and call so we know how it’s going. Good luck tonight.”

  Gus laughed. “Didn’t you say the exact same thing to me when I went off to my first prom?” The sisters laughed.

  It was five-thirty when Gus climbed into his reclaimed Porsche for the trip home. An hour and a half to stop for flowers, get home, feed Wilson, shower, shave, dress, then drive around the corner to pick up his date for the evening. He couldn’t decide if he was dreading or anticipating the evening. He started to whistle. Whistling is a good sign, he thought. Maybe the dinner would go well, and he and Jill Jackson would actually become friends of a sort.

  Hope springs eternal. That’s what his grandmother always used to say. She probably still said it, for all he knew.

  Gus felt so good, he continued to whistle. He had a feeling that he had finally gotten through to his grandmother and aunts with the last round of discussions. But he was no fool. He knew things could change on the turn of a dime.

  Chapter 21

  GUS TOOK SO LONG TO SHOWER, SHAVE, AND DRESS THAT Wilson started prancing around thinking he was going for a ride again, his favorite thing to do. “What do you think, Wilson? Too much gel in my hair? My aftershave too strong?”

  Wilson pawed the tiled floor and let loose with a short bark that meant, let’s move already.

  Gus stretched his lips in front of the mirror to make sure nothing was stuck in his teeth. What the hell is wrong with me? He was acting like he had just marched into puberty. Teeth okay, not too much gel, aftershave minty but faint. His khakis held a sharp crease, his loafers had a nice shine, and his pale yellow shirt was perfectly ironed. By himself. His tie matched the shirt perfectly. His khaki jacket was fairly new and finished off his attire. He was good to go.

  Gus checked his back pocket to make sure his wallet was where it belonged. His keys were on the kitchen counter, as were his cell phone and the flowers he’d bought on the way home. Gus hung up his wet towel, exited the bathroom, and headed downstairs, Wilson bounding ahead of him. The time was six-fifty. It would only take him two minutes to drive around the corner, park, walk up to Jill Jackson’s door, and ring the bell.

  After picking up his keys and cell phone from the kitchen counter, Gus checked the front door to make sure it was locked; it was. He turned the two lamps on in the living room. He made sure there were two night-lights in the kitchen that would start to glow as soon as dusk fell so that Wilson could find his water bowl and the bowl of dry dog food he always left when he went out and left Wilson home.

  “Okay, big guy, I’m outta here. Answer the phone, fold the laundry, and, if you have time, make my bed. Get your rabbit and settle in. I won’t be more than a few hours. I’ll leave Wheel of Fortune on for you. Here’s a Pop-Tart—make it last—and a chew bone. You got all that, Wilson?”

  Woof.

  Gus couldn’t believe the butterflies jumping around in his stomach when he got into his car and turned on the engine. He looked over at the bunch of spring flowers wrapped in layers of green tissue paper. He shrugged. He remembered the horror of his first date, when he was a teenager and he’d taken his date to a fast-food joint. He’d been so nervous he couldn’t eat, even though he was starved. His grandmother had warned him to check his teeth to make sure nothing was stuck in them. To this day, nothing had ever been stuck in his teeth. She’d told him to chew slowly and not wolf his food the way he always did at home. The horror was he’d obeyed all his granny’s advice, and the girl whose name he couldn’t even remember had gobbled her food, then ate his.

  He hadn’t been this nervous with other dates, or with Elaine. What was there about Jill Jackson that had him in such a tizzy? Guilt. That’s what his Aunt Vi would say.

  Gus pulled into Jill Jackson’s driveway. It was a pretty little house, with flower beds and a flower-lined walkway. In the center of the front yard, there was a huge sycamore tree that he knew would shade the entire front of the house when it was in full leaf. He looked down but couldn’t see even one weed. The bushes were pruned, the lawn mowed. He didn’t know how he knew, but he suspected that the backyard held flowers and shade trees. She probably had a terrace or a deck with nice outdoor furniture, where she would sit going over her legal stuff.

  Gus sucked in his breath and rang the doorbell. He stepped back and waited, the flowers moving back and forth in the early evening breeze.

  The door opened and Gus said, “I’m here to see Jill Jackson.”

  He heard the musical laugh, then his face turned beet red. He blinked, then blinked again. He couldn’t think of a thing to say, so he thrust the flowers forward. Who is this person standing in front of me? Fireplug, my ass. He could feel the heat on his face and neck. He thought he was going to strangle himself.

  “I guess this is where I’m supposed to say, I clean up good. Come in, Gus, and I’ll put these flowers in water. They’re so pretty. Thank you. I love flowers.”

  “Yeah, me, too. I mean, I like flowers outside. I don’t pick them, I just like to look at them. You look different!” Gus blurted.

  Jill laughed again. “Listen, I need to tell you something. Isaac Diamond’s office called this morning. It seems he had some kind of accident and is in the hospital. The firm doesn’t know if your wife is going to stay with them, or if she’ll go with another firm. That means things are at a standstill. Do you have any questions? Because, if you do, I’d like to get them out of the way now and not discuss business over dinner.”

  Gus shook his head as he listened to the words, but they really didn’t
signify anything to him. He didn’t want to think about Elaine or her lawyer. He was concentrating on this beautiful creature standing in front of him. And to think, he’d called her a fireplug. His face and neck started to heat up again.

  “You look great!” Gus blurted.

  “Yeah, I know.” Jill laughed. She twirled around in her high heels and the bright yellow dress that flirted with her knees. “I’m vain.” She giggled again. “You look nice yourself.”

  Gus Hollister fell in love at that moment. He risked a glance at his watch. At 7:04, he, Gus Hollister, fell in love with Jill Jackson. The date and the time were now engraved in his mind forever and ever. He could hardly wait to tell his grandmother and the aunts. He watched as Jill positioned the vase of flowers on the kitchen counter. He wasn’t sure, but he thought she probably sat on the stool on the other side of the counter to eat or have coffee. The flowers would be directly in her line of vision. The thought pleased him.

  “You ready?” he asked, his voice husky at what he was feeling.

  “I am. All I have to do is lock the door and walk out.”

  “Turn on a night-light and the outside light. It will be dark when we get home.”

  “Good point,” Jill said lightly as she fit the key in the lock.

  Gus held the car door for her, watching how gracefully she got into the bucket seat. He also admired a generous slice of leg when her dress hiked up. He saw the puckered skin on her upper thigh, but it wasn’t registering. She showed no embarrassment, but the moment she was settled, she tugged at the dress.