He rushed back over to Moira and sat beside her, pulling his chair a little closer to hers.
I could see Trevor being involved to impress Moira but why was she making up things for the column? What was in it for her? Did she just like to watch the mayhem she created? This wasn’t like Moira or Trevor. I hoped they hadn’t fallen into the wrong crowd at school.
I finished making their drinks and brought them over. While they were eating and drinking I dashed to the back room to call Jules. I doubt Moira had been to the paper yet because she appeared to be in too good a mood, scribbling over the notebook like she had new tales to tell.
When Jules picked up I told her the pair were here if she wanted to talk to them. I didn’t want a scene so I went to the front of the shop and turned the sign to closed. It was almost the end of the day anyway. With no other customers and the prospect of new ones low I wasn’t losing out on much business.
“You’re closing early again?” Trevor asked.
“Yes and no. The gig is up,” I said.
Confusion crossed his face but Moira’s eyes widened.
“The gig? We have no idea what you’re talking about,” Moira said.
She slowly dug in her back pack for another book which she used to cover the notebook they’d been writing in.
I stared down at the notebook, now with only a corner peeking out from under a science book. “Really?”
“We really don’t know,” Trevor said.
I almost believed him except he’d been hunched over with her writing the messages down, at least some of them, the day before. I definitely didn’t believe Moira. Guilt settled on her face despite the smile she flashed. She squirmed in her chair and I saw a slight tremor in her hand as she reached out to grab her drink for a sip.
“I think Moira knows exactly what I’m talking about.”
Jules burst through the door. The stern look on her face, directed at Moira, made the girl flinch. Jules stood with hands on hips and simply said, “Why?”
Moira shook her head. I thought she was going to deny knowing what we were talking about again but she sighed and slumped back into the chair.
“I just wanted to have a little fun. Valentine’s Day is lame. We wanted to spice things up.”
Trevor’s face fell at the lame comment. Guess he was falling for her. Good grief.
CHAPTER NINE
“In my office, Moira,” Jules said and gestured toward the door.
Jules opened the door and Moira stuffed her things back in her back pack and followed Jules out, head down, bag dangling from her arm. When the door swished shut I turned the lock and focused on Trevor.
He was hunched over in his seat staring at me with guilt in his eyes. “I don’t know why I went along with it,” he said before I could ask.
“But you did go along with it. Didn’t you know it was wrong?”
He shrugged. “Yeah but it’s Moira. I kind of like her and she thought it was cool to see how many people would hear the gossip. Sort of like an experiment.”
“Really? That’s what you’re going with?”
“Please don’t tell my dad or Eli.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and fixed Trevor with a stare. It wasn’t my place to discipline him. And I thought he felt bad for his participation in the gossip.
“I won’t say anything but I think you should. Come clean.”
“I’ll think about it,” he said. “Do you need help with anything right now? I can help you close up.”
I felt bad for him especially since Moira declared Valentine’s Day lame when it was obvious he had feelings for her. Had he been gearing up to ask her out? I guess now I would never know.
He got out of his chair and grabbed his and Moira’s empty dishes. He took them to the back and loaded the dishwasher. He wiped down all the tables and the counter. Then he came back with the broom and swept the entire front of the store before moving onto the back and behind the counter. With all of the tidying being handled I balanced the cash and prepared the bank deposit. I would put it in the safe and drop it off at the bank in the morning.
“I think that’s everything,” he said.
“Looks like it. Thanks for your help Trevor.”
“It was the least I could do.”
He looked like he was going to apologize again but I stopped him. “It was a big help. Let’s go. I have to see Jules and I think you have something to tell your dad.”
I put the bank deposit in the safe then I set the dishwasher going, grabbed my purse and we headed to the front. I locked the door behind us as we left.
Moira was just leaving Jules’ store when we got outside. She didn’t look like she’d been crying so Jules hadn’t been too hard on her. Or maybe Moira didn’t cry easily. It didn’t matter as long as she knew what she’d done was wrong.
Moira and Trevor walked off together and I went inside Jules’ store.
“Hey, I just saw Moira leave,” I said.
Jules was at the back going through papers, tossing things in the trash. Secret admirer messages I assumed. She would have to print something to explain why there were no messages there. And she’d have to find something to replace that space in the paper.
“Yes, she says she feels bad.”
“Says? You don’t believe her?”
Jules kept angrily tossing things in the trash, vaguely looking at them as she did so. After one piece she reached in and took it back out again. “I don’t know. It was a stupid thing to do. I think she’s just sorry she got caught. Didn’t think the adults would figure it out.”
“Trevor said it was an experiment.”
“That’s what she said too. Some experiment. It could have ruined lives. And I would have helped!”
“Not you.”
“No, but my paper. It’s reminiscent of Fannie’s days at the paper. I don’t want anything like that to happen ever again. The paper shouldn’t be used for bad. It should only be used for good.”
I sank down on the sofa in the office. “I agree. But you stopped it so it won’t happen again. Did you fire her?”
Jules sighed. “No, I gave her one last try. She’s on probation.”
“Are you going to tell her parents? Trevor asked me not to tell his dad.”
“I said if she didn’t tell them I would.”
“Good call. I should have said that to Trevor but I did say he should tell him. Hopefully he will.”
“I’d like to put all that behind us. What’s up?” Jules asked.
“I think I figured out what to do for Valentine’s Day.”
“Great. Spill.”
“I’m going to need your help with makeup. And I need to stop by Reva’s cafe and then I want to go shopping for a dress.”
“I’m intrigued. What is it?”
“I’ll fill you in on the way to Reva’s. I want to make sure she’s available for what I want. According to Eli he should be back in a few days, if the trip doesn’t go long. He said there was always that possibility if the fish were biting.”
“Let me finish up here and we can head over to Reva’s.”
Jules tidied up the rest of her desk, shut off the office light and we walked to the front of the store. She locked it as we left and I filled her in on my idea on the way to the cafe. It was a little thing but something I thought Eli would like. He wasn’t big into the whole it’s Valentine’s Day we have to prove we love each other thing so my idea should be perfect.
When we got to Reva’s Jules was beaming at me. “I think it’s perfect.”
“It will hinge on Reva though,” I said. “I can’t pull it off otherwise.”
We pushed through the doors of the cafe and were greeted with the smell of pies and fresh bread baking. The dinner hour had started so the place was bustling. I didn’t spot Reva right away so we walked to the kitchen.
I saw her through the window in the door sitting in her office.
We went into the kitchen and marched to her office. The color drained fro
m her face when she saw us. She looked from Jules to me and then back at Jules again.
“I talked to him, I swear. He’ll never do it again.”
I didn’t like the look of fear on her face. I never wanted to be that person that people shied away from.
“That’s not why we’re here, Reva.”
“It’s true. I’m watching him like a hawk now.”
“Calm down, we believe you. I wanted to ask a favor,” I said.
She eyed me suspiciously and I suddenly felt like mob muscle.
“What kind of favor? If I say no will you tell about Derrick?” she asked.
“Of course not! You can say no if you want but I’m hoping you’ll say yes.”
“What is it?”
“I’d like you to cater a dinner for two for me. I’ll pay you whatever your catering costs are. The dinner will be in my home two days from now.”
“Two days! That’s not a lot of notice,” she said but I saw her mind working, her eyes darted to a cookbook on her bookcase. She was already thinking about what she would make.
“Please. It’s a special celebration for Eli and me.”
The fear left her face and she smiled brightly. “Your first Valentine’s Day as an engaged couple! It should be special.”
“That’s why I need your help,” I said.
I could cook but I wasn’t great at it. I wanted something different, something delicious, something I didn’t have to slave over all day since I would be at the Coffee Cabana most of the day. All I wanted to do was show up and eat a fabulous meal with Eli.
“It will have to be something spectacular,” Reva said. She put a finger to her lips, deep in thought.
“I will let you work out the details. How much notice do you need if I don’t need you to cook that day?”
“Why would you not need me?”
“If Eli isn’t back by then. He’s supposed to be but I’m not sure yet.”
“If you know by the morning let me know. If it is after that we will figure out what to do with the feast.”
“Thank you so much, Reva.”
She stood and looked like she was about to hug me but she stopped. A serious look came over her face. “Thank you for letting me deal with Derrick myself.”
I nodded and Jules and I left with a promise to stay in contact with Reva about the dinner. She had my cell phone number if she needed to ask anything.
“Where to next?” Jules asked when we were outside again.
“I need a stunning dress for the occasion.”
With the dress shop out of commission since the owner killed Carl Jefferies we needed to go to nearby Sabina to shop. The drive would do me some good, clear my head. Help me think about the case and the celebration. Odd that I would think about them at the same time but there were only so many hours in the day. A girl needed to multi-task.
We arrived in Sabina and found a shop with gorgeous dresses on display. My thoughts had turned to Mildred’s disappearance again and I wondered if she was okay. I hated not knowing where she was. Kidnapping seemed the most likely explanation but there had been no ransom yet and it had been more than three days since she’d vanished.
“You’re thinking about Mildred, aren’t you?” Jules asked.
“That obvious?”
“You had a sad yet determined look on your face.”
“I just wish we knew what happened.”
“We will. You’ll figure it out. Right now you need to think about your fiancé.”
We went into the shop and the owner breezed over with a bright smile. “Can I help you ladies with anything?”
“She needs a dress for Valentine’s Day. It’s a dinner with her new fiancé.”
The woman clapped once. “How wonderful! I’m sure we’ll find something perfect for you.”
The woman dragged me off to a rack of long gowns near the back of the store. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go formal for the evening. I had told Jules to make sure Eli was wearing a suit not a tuxedo. But I did love the way a long dress felt against my legs. The right style made me feel pretty which was hard to do.
“Since it is a Valentine’s Day celebration I think you should consider red.”
She pulled out a blood red gown with a cinched in waist and sweetheart neckline. On the hanger it looked beautiful; on me I suspected it wouldn’t look good at all. But I’d learned never to judge a dress by its hanger so I nodded.
“I can try that one on but I’d like to see others as well.”
I wanted to remember this night for the rest of my life. That meant the perfect dinner which was already being taken care of and the perfect dress. One that would make Eli’s jaw drop when he saw me in it.
The woman pulled out some other dresses in various colors. Pink, purple, fuchsia. I wrinkled my nose at the fuchsia. Not even when I was in high school could I pull off that color. I didn’t know any woman who could. I liked the style of the pink and the purple dress was a maybe.
“Why don’t I set you up in a dressing room and you can start trying them on?” she suggested.
“That would be great, thanks.”
She plucked out one more dress from the rack and raced to the back of the store putting me in the first dressing room.
Jules wandered over. “Find anything yet?”
“She picked out a few and put them over there.” I pointed to them hanging on the wall in the dressing room. “Stay close. I want to know what you think of them.”
“Sure. We’ll find you a great one. Do you want jewelry too? I can look for a necklace for you. Maybe some earrings.”
I wasn’t used to wearing all the fixings but I nodded. Go big or go home, right? It wasn’t every day Eli saw me all dolled up and I wanted the works. I was getting my hair done, if Joseph agreed, Jules was doing my makeup. And I was about to start stuffing myself into dresses to find the perfect one.
I entered the dressing room and ditched my jeans and top. I grabbed the first dress which happened to be the pink one. I wiggled into it barely getting the material over my hips. The style was nice but the size was not. I wouldn’t be able to breathe if I could even get the zipper up my backside.
I stepped out of the dress and hung it back up, switching it to the other side of the room as my first in the discard pile. Next I pulled out the fuchsia dress. About to send it directly to the discard pile I shrugged and tried it on anyway. As I suspected the color was horrible on me though the style and size were okay.
I shrugged out of that one and tried on the purple. I was saving the red one for last because I liked it the best and hoped it would look good on me. If none of these worked I wondered if we’d find anything for me. How many shops did Sabina have for dresses? I might have to try all of them if we couldn’t find anything here.
The purple one hugged my hips a little too tightly and didn’t hug enough in the breast area. The color was okay and I liked the length. I shrugged out of it and put it in the reject pile. I eyed the red one not wanting to try it on just yet. What if it didn’t fit? What if the style was all wrong for me?
I know we’d just arrived but I was starting to panic that I wouldn’t find a dress. I’d finally figured out what to do for Eli and this could ruin it. Sure I would pretend and make the best of it but I wanted the perfect dress for what I hoped would be a perfect evening.
A knock sounded on the door making me jump. “Are any of those working for you? I found some others for you to try.” She tossed three more dresses over the top of the door.
“Three of them don’t work for me. I haven’t tried the red one on yet.”
I pulled the other dresses into the room. Another pink one, a lighter purple one and a gold one. I put the gold in the discard pile right away since it wasn’t a Valentine’s Day color. I wanted to be in the spirit of the holiday down to my clothes.
The new pink one and lighter purple dress were okay but I didn’t love them. If pressed to pick one I could get away with either of them but I wanted something that wou
ld stop Eli in his tracks. It was time to try on the red one and hope it was the one.
I pulled on the silky material loving the feel of it against my skin. The straps draped my shoulders perfectly. The neckline showed just enough to be tantalizing but not too much. The material fell to my ankles in a skirt that flared slightly. I couldn’t help it. I twirled.
Expresso Messo: A Cozy Mystery (Sweet Home Mystery Series Book 6) Page 8