And she had done so gladly, she thought as Barney and Betty, their adopted dachshunds from Dogs Displaced by Disaster, peeked around the corner. Betty, the black-and-brown dachshund, had the longest nose, while Barney’s was quite small for a weenie. Toots’s heart filled with a big surge of love every time she saw those two. She was fairly certain they were siblings, but she didn’t care where they came from. They fit in with the rest of the canine kiddies as if they’d been here forever.
“I suppose you two want to come along, as well?”
“Woof!” from Betty.
“Woof, woof, woof!” from Barney, who always barked in threes.
“Then, let’s go,” Toots said.
As soon as they heard the word go, all four dogs ran to the back door, their tails wagging so fast, they created a strong gust of air. They thrived on these little excursions because they were going to spend the evening at Dogs Displaced by Disaster with Chester and the other rescued animals, while Dr. and Mrs. Phillip Becker hosted the parade of homes tonight. Besides, they loved seeing the new dogs and cats, an occasional pig, chickens, and sometimes cows and horses. Toots equated these visits to a giant playdate.
“Okay, gang, let’s go see Chester.”
As soon as she opened the back door, all four dogs ran to her Range Rover. Knowing that the dachshunds had a tendency for back trouble, as she’d learned firsthand with Frankie, she’d had a ramp built for them so they could get inside the car with ease. Yes, they were spoiled, and no, she didn’t give a hoot. Coco climbed in first, since she was the queen, then Frankie, with Betty and Barney close behind. Toots replaced the ramp inside the garage, then climbed into the driver’s seat. She’d ordered custom-made car-seat harnesses for their safety. She hoped they would arrive before the end of the year. She didn’t like the lack of protection when she had them in the Range Rover.
“Sit,” she said, cranking over the engine.
All four dogs obeyed immediately.
“Good pooches.”
She was answered with a round of barks. Toots swore the dogs understood everything she said. They were all well behaved and rarely caused a problem. Other than Coco’s believing she was royalty, she had the best of the best. Hell, she’d miss Coco when Wade returned, and Mavis took the little queen when she went home with her husband.
Having known that the separation was going to happen for a while before the big wedding, Toots and Mavis had come up with an arrangement for the dogs to be together from time to time.
A few minutes later, Toots pulled around to the back of Abby’s house, knowing that Chester would most likely be waiting by the back door. Toots swore he knew when she was coming over. His nose must have been on high alert, because she saw him standing by the kitchen door. He knew not to jump out the doggie door when there was a car in the drive. Again, Toots was amazed at just how smart the dogs were. Smarter than some people she knew.
All four of the dogs piled on top of one another, waiting for her to help them out of the car. Coco raked her little paws on the window when she spied Chester. Toots laughed. “Okay, little Miss Royalty, out you go.” She placed the dog on the ground, then scooped the three dachshunds in her arms and lifted them out of the car. Like little troopers, the four dogs marched up the steps, then waited for someone to open the door. Toots took the box containing the old book out of the car, then climbed up the steps and tapped on the back door.
“Be right there,” said Abby.
Chester jumped up and down, his tail wagging ninety miles per hour. Abby grinned when she saw them. “Sorry, the door is locked. A precaution with the twins.”
After Abby unlocked the door, Toots hugged her daughter. “Understood. Now, where are those perfect little humans? Nana Tootsie has missed them. Oh, here.” She held the box out to her daughter. Abby tucked the box under her arm.
“Oh, Mom, Chris just put them down for a nap. They had their snack, and of course they plastered one another with peanut butter, so Chris bathed them and put them down for a while. Maybe they’ll wake up while you’re here.”
“Nonsense! Never wake sleeping babies. I’ll see them later. They need to rest when they can. Their little bodies tire out easily when they’re that age.”
“Tell me that at six in the morning, when they have enough energy to wear out a bear! Come on in. I want you to see the living room. Charlotte is here doing a little last-minute fluff. It really looks festive. I just love Christmas. I can’t wait to see what kind of turnout we have.”
Picking up on her daughter’s excitement, Toots whispered, “Does Charlotte ask you to refer to this room as a parlor?”
Abby looked at her. “No, of course not! Why would you ask such a question?”
Whispering, Toots told her about Blanche. “She’s so mean. I swear, when I’m finished with her services, I’m going to tell her what a bitch I think she is.”
“Mother! It’s Christmas! And remember those little pitchers have big ears.”
“I thought you said they were sleeping.”
“I did, but you never know. They could be awake. Shhh.” Abby placed her index finger over her mouth.
Toots nodded, then followed Abby through the kitchen and dining room to the living room, which was not a parlor. She’d never get that word out of her head. Damn that Blanche! She gasped when she entered the main room. “Oh, Abby, this is even more beautiful than I imagined.”
Evergreens draped the fireplace mantel. Candles of various heights in red and green had been placed strategically on the mantelpiece. Hard oak logs were stacked high inside the fireplace, waiting to be lit. In front of the fireplace were urns of deep red live poinsettias. On either side of the fireplace, two huge Douglas firs were decorated with colored ornaments in deep ruby red, with shimmering gold ribbons trailing the length of both trees. On closer inspection, Toots saw that many of the ornaments were handmade. Careful, so as not to knock the tree over, she touched a delicately crafted cardinal.
“Is this sweetgrass?” Toots asked Abby.
“Yep. I had a little lady from Mount Pleasant make them. They’re dyed with crushed poinsettia leaves.” Mount Pleasant was known for its sweetgrass basket making. It was one of the oldest crafts of African origin in America, and Toots had dozens of the baskets in her home. So well crafted, they were almost a luxury now, as many of the old basket makers had died, and many of them had not passed the art form down to the next generation.
Toots continued to admire the well-crafted birds. “How many of these do you have?” she asked.
Abby laughed. “Enough to decorate both trees.” She fanned out her arms, pointing at the huge trees behind her.
“Next year, I’m going to do this.” So engrossed in inspecting the tree’s unique ornaments, Toots didn’t pay much attention to the other details in the large room, until she heard someone clearing their throat. She turned around, expecting to see Chris. Instead, she saw a gorgeous, very tall woman with a smattering of gold ribbon trailing from her hands.
“You must be Charlotte,” Toots said, extending her hand. “Your work is awesome. Better than Blanche’s, to be honest.”
Scrunching the bunch of gold ribbon next to her chest, Charlotte held a hand out. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.” Charlotte was so soft-spoken that had Toots not been standing directly in front of her, she wouldn’t have heard what she said. She had tactfully avoided commenting on Toots’s remark about Blanche. Good manners, Toots thought, then mentally chastised herself for having made the indiscreet remark aloud in the first place. She needed to brush up on her social manners. Especially tonight, she thought as she imagined Charleston’s finest and nosiest as they paraded through her home.
Abby looked at the box still tucked under her arm. “Oh, this is something I thought you might want to see. Mother found it in a box of . . . my husband’s father’s things.”
Toots raised her eyebrows at Abby’s explanation. She could’ve said, “Father-in-law” or “Stepfather,” but hadn’t. Too much to explain,
what with Phil being Abby’s latest stepfather, and truly, it didn’t matter.
“Oh, well, of course I’ll take a look,” Charlotte replied, smiling. Her entire face lit up when she smiled.
Toots thought Ida might want to see this girl. She was stunning. Definitely worthy of a Seasons ad. Ida had taken the cosmetics line a step further when she’d introduced her skin-care products to the younger generation. Sales had skyrocketed, and Toots would bet the bank that those who used her products would age very nicely. She, Sophie, and Mavis had all started using the miracle cream. They could easily subtract eight to ten years from their age, which made them in their early to midsixties. Toots liked that very much. As did all their husbands.
Abby carefully removed the old book from the box. The leather was dry, and there were many cracks in the cover, but all things considered, it wasn’t in too bad shape. Toots watched her daughter as she carefully turned the pages in the book.
“Mom, look at this! It’s from”—Abby held the book up closer—“the eighteenth century! It says, The Book of Life and Death. Good grief, this is a fantastic find. Charlotte, have a look.”
Abby gave Charlotte the old tome and watched as she turned the pages with the utmost care. She laid the ribbon on a chair cushion, then continued to skim the pages. Suddenly, she stopped, her face turning as pale as a whitewashed fence.
“Miss Abby, do you mind if I take a few minutes to read through some of this writing?”
Abby shrugged. “Sure. You’re finished here. All I have left to do is turn on the lights on the Christmas tree, make sure the lights leading up to the house are on, then get ready. Take all the time you need.”
“Thank you, Miss Abby. I’ll try to hurry. I promised the kids we’d see about a tree tonight.”
Abby had a lightbulb moment. “Charlotte, why don’t you bring the kids here tonight? It’s open to the public. Maybe you’d like to act like a fly on the wall and see what kind of reaction people have to your tremendous Christmas decor.”
“Thank you, but I don’t think so. I . . . I’m waiting to hear from Lamar. We’ve been expecting a Skype call the past week and haven’t heard anything. I want to be home just in case he calls.” She looked down at the book again. “The kids and I were hoping he’d call so he could watch us decorate the tree. It’s been so long since we shared a Christmas together.”
Toots sensed there was more Charlotte wasn’t telling. It wasn’t her place to ask, but she just had to know why the father wasn’t home for Christmas. “Charlotte, tell me if I’m prying, and certainly you don’t have to answer, but why isn’t your husband home for Christmas?”
Charlotte looked at Toots, giving her a sad smile. “He’s in the marines. He’s been in Afghanistan for the past eighteen months.”
Poor girl, Toots thought. “Charlotte, he must be a fine man you’ve married. So many of our servicemen are underappreciated these days. Did Abby tell you what we’re doing with the funds we collect from the parade of homes?”
“No, ma’am,” she said politely.
“Abby Clay, I can’t believe you didn’t tell your friend about our big venture.”
Abby shot her mother a “Stop while you’re ahead” look. “Charlotte has other things to deal with, Mother.”
Okay, Abby calling her “Mother” meant she needed to shut her mouth. “Of course she does. I apologize. Now, I have a zillion and one things to do before tonight. I just wanted to drop the pooches off and bring the book. Are you going to dress the twins in the Christmas outfits I gave them?”
“Of course I am. Amy can’t wait to wear her sparkly red shoes. Jonathan, on the other hand, I think he would be okay wearing his little Thomas the Tank Engine undies. He’s obsessed with trains now.”
Toots chuckled. “He’s such a bright little guy, he’ll be designing one of those high-speed trains in China.”
“I think he’s a bit young for that,” Abby said. “I hear a dogapalooza in the kitchen. I’d best get those canines to Lacy. She promised she would keep them entertained for the evening.” Lacy was studying veterinary medicine and spent as much time as possible volunteering at Dogs Displaced by Disaster.
“Then I will take my leave, even though I missed seeing those little stinkers. When they wake up from their nap, tell them Nana Tootsie will see them tonight.”
“Will do, Mom. Don’t mean to be rude, but those pooches are getting antsy. Coco is squealing.”
Toots blew her daughter a kiss, then turned to Charlotte, who was still looking through the old book. “Charlotte, the invitation stands, if you change your mind.”
She looked up and gave Toots a wan smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Yes, ma’am. I doubt that I can, but thank you again.”
With nothing more to keep her, Toots left through the back door. Abby and the dogs were racing to the buildings where the Dogs Displaced by Disaster offices had been set up. They’d have a blast tonight.
Ten minutes later, Toots returned to find the entire gang, all but Sophie, Goebel, and Wade Powell, at the house she shared with Phil.
“Okay. What’s up?” she asked her husband, who wore an ear-to-ear grin and stopped to give her a kiss.
“It’s a surprise,” Phil said.
“Mavis, Ida, Bernice, do you know anything about this? Robert? Daniel?”
Sure that they’d been instructed by Phil prior to her return, Toots observed as they all made a massive show of zipping their lips.
“We’ve been instructed to keep quiet, Toots. Something I know you find very hard to do, but I think you will find this surprise worth waiting for,” Ida said with her usual air of cattiness.
“One of these days, I’m gonna smack the shit right out of you, Ida. Bernice, would you be so kind as to make us a pot of coffee? The doors open in an hour, and something tells me I’m going to need all the caffeine I can drink before they do. Mavis, please call Jamie and Lucy at the bakery. They’re baking all kinds of desserts for tonight. Ask Jamie if she has extra pralines. My sugar is so low, I may faint, but first I have to smoke.”
Toots found her smokes on the counter, where she’d left them. She would not smoke in front of her grandchildren and wouldn’t even carry cigarettes with her when she planned to be around them, just in case they decided to pry in her purse, something she allowed that Abby didn’t approve of. Chris encouraged them, telling them that whatever loose change Nana Tootsie had, it belonged to them. They all got quite a kick out of this, but still Toots didn’t want the kids knowing she smoked. She’d cut down drastically, but she needed a hearty dose of nicotine right now, before the evening’s festivities began.
Chapter 4
Charlotte stepped off the bus in front of the run-down apartments in North Charleston where she and her three children had lived for the past year. Even though it was still light out, she scanned the sidewalk to make sure no one had followed her. More than once she’d been harassed on her walk home from the bus stop, and so far she had managed to keep the thugs and drunks at bay. Base housing had a waiting list, and, sadly, they were at the bottom. Still.
With three kids, and drowning in medical bills from her mother’s cancer treatment before she had been able to get insurance when the Affordable Care Act went into effect, Charlotte had been fortunate to find a decent job with Ms. Harding’s interior designing firm as soon as they’d returned to Charleston, not long after her mother’s death. She still missed her. Missed her stories. And Roxanna, her eldest, was still grieving. Even though it had been over a year, she still cried when they spoke of her. She’d been quite close to her gramma. Riley was five, and though he remembered Gramma, he hadn’t been as close to her as his big sister had been. Rhonda was just a toddler when her grandmother died, and at three she really didn’t remember too much about their life in Texas before moving back to South Carolina.
When Lamar was once again stationed in South Carolina, Charlotte had been thrilled. This was her birthplace, her mother’s birthplace, and her grandmother’s and great-g
randmother’s, too. The great-great-greats were from Charleston, too, but she’d never heard too many tales about their lives other than that two of them had actually been slaves. It blew her mind to think that any family member had endured such a life, but sadly, as her mother had explained to her, this was still accepted in the South less than two hundred years ago.
It didn’t matter now, she thought as she opened the gate to the courtyard. What mattered most was her current circumstances. After she paid the rent, the electric bill, plus the water and gas, she had just enough money for groceries at the commissary. Lamar’s checks had stopped coming two months ago, and it was getting harder to make ends meet. She’d contacted the human resources people at the base, filled out a dozen different forms, and been told to wait. Well, she was tired of waiting. And more than anything, she was so very worried about Lamar.
She hadn’t told this to anyone, because she didn’t have any real friends. Yes, she did. Miss Abby was sort of a friend. Treated her as though she was a good friend instead of an employee. Abby had asked few personal questions during the time they’d spent together. Charlotte had told her the generic version of her life, but that was it. Her mother had always said it was best to leave personal problems at home. Charlotte agreed. There wasn’t any point in sharing too many details, as things were now.
Maybe when Lamar came home, she would allow their friendship to flourish.
She climbed the three flights of stairs to her apartment and took her last twenty-dollar bill from her purse before stepping inside. Tracy, her sixteen-year-old neighbor, watched Roxanna and Riley when they came home from school. Rhonda stayed with another neighbor, Lucinda, who ran a day-care center from her apartment. It wasn’t ideal—far from it—as there were six little ones crammed into the small apartment, but the kids were well taken care of, fed, and Rhonda was always clean and happy when Charlotte picked her up. When Lamar came home, things would be different.
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