“Well, will you look at that,” she said. “It looks like your work is so good that it’s inspiring others. Wait here.”
Rosie hurried back into the store. She came out carrying more of the fabric I had draped across the front of the Second Hand Rose. “I’ll stay here with Georgia. Why don’t you run this down to Pete?”
By lunchtime, the Better Than New Bike Shop was giving the Second Hand Rose some competition in the looks department.
Baby Girl had settled in for her nap and Rosie looked like she was just about to settle into one, too. I decided it might be best if I busied myself in the front of the store where I could keep an eye on the sleeping beauties. I had found some embroidery floss in the back and had a great idea for how to put it to good use. Last week, when Rosie had unpacked those cartons, she’d found two dozen brand new white bibs.
“Will you look at this,” she’d said. “Why would anyone want twenty-four of the exact same things?”
Now I decided the floss could best be used by stitching a tiny flag on one of the bibs. As I was finishing, our second customer of the week walked in. The screen door clapping shut woke both sleepers from their naps. “What can we get for you today?” Rosie smiled.
The young woman stood by the door looking like she wasn’t sure she wanted to come in any further. I put down the bib and picked up Baby Girl to stop her fussing.
“What a beautiful baby,” the lady said, braving a few steps in our direction. “How old is she?”
“She’s brand new,” I answered, “only a couple of weeks old.”
Rosie passed her hand over the pile of bibs. “Do you have a little one at home?”
“Not yet,” the woman smiled. “I have a baby niece though. She’s coming up with the whole family for the long weekend. They want to have an old-fashioned family picnic, complete with the Main Street Fourth of July parade.”
“No better way to spend a holiday weekend.” Rosie was on her feet now. “How can we help you with all your party preparations?”
“I noticed the flags in your window. Are they for sale?”
“Sure are. How many do you need?”
“About twenty of them.”
“And would you like Becky to arrange them in a container, so that you have a centerpiece for your picnic table?”
“Oh, I like that idea.” The lady took a few more steps in my direction.
Rosie smiled. “You’ll probably want a few extras, then, so your table doesn’t look bare after your guests take a flag for the parade.”
“Absolutely.” The lady’s hand was already in her purse. “When will it be ready?”
Rosie turned to me. “Becky, you can get that done in the next hour or so, can’t you?”
“I’ll get right on it.” I said. Before Baby Girl and I got halfway down one of the aisles in search of another container, Rosie called me back.
“Becky, I know you normally only do this by special order, but I saw the light in this nice lady’s eyes when she talked about her baby niece. Do you think you could make an exception to your rule this one time and do one of your special bibs for this lady today?”
I tried to look like I was concentrating real hard. “Rules are made to be broken.” I smiled at the lady.
“Of course, here I am creating more work for you, and I don’t even know if this nice lady wants to include the little one in the family celebration. She may not even be interested in a personalized flag bib.”
“Oh, yes.” The lady reached out for Rosie’s arm. “I do want the bib.” She turned to look at me. “Her name is Jenny, that’s J-e-n-n-y. Could you have it ready later this afternoon, too?”
“I’ll get to work on your order right now,” I answered.
That turned out to be the start of a busy afternoon. We had three more customers that day, but I made sure that when the lady came back her bib and centerpiece were ready and waiting for her.
At closing, I took the time to fill in the open spots in the window display. “You keep that window looking pretty,” Rosie said. “This store hasn’t had this many customers in years. Business is booming, thanks to you.”
I was proud of my work, but I knew it wasn’t just me. My displays were drawing people into the store but once they got inside, it was all Rosie. That woman could sell shampoo to a bald man. “It’s not me, Rosie. It’s us. We make a great team.”
“That we do, Becky. That we do.”
CHAPTER 11
The next morning we weren’t in the store but a few minutes when Dottie sashayed through the doorway. She announced her arrival by letting loose her grip on the door, allowing it to slam shut and bounce against the jamb. Not wanting to open myself to more questions, I busied myself in one of the aisles. Rosie and Dottie kept their heads together for quite some time before digging into the decoration boxes. Dottie walked out with an armload of supplies without stopping at the register. “Don’t forget,” she called over her shoulder. “You come over right after the parade.”
“We’ll be there!” Rosie said.
Before I got a chance to ask where ‘there’ was, a woman came in carrying a baby in one of those portable seats. She lifted the contraption onto the counter. “Is Becky in today?”
Rosie glanced in my direction. “I’m Rosie. Can I help you?”
“My neighbor told me she bought a bib here yesterday. She said that a girl named Becky does them exclusively for your customers. I want to order a set for my Haley.”
I took her order for six bibs, each with a different design. She didn’t ask about the cost and didn’t seem at all concerned about having to wait a couple of days for them. “They will be one-of-a-kinds?” she asked. “My neighbor said that each one was unique.”
I could honestly answer, “I’ve never sold the same design twice.”
Rosie took advantage of the time it took me to write up the order by selling the woman a one-of-a-kind birdbath. Once Rosie mentioned that little Haley looked so smart that she probably would be naming all of the local birds by her first birthday, if only those birds had a reason to visit her yard, I knew to slow down my writing. I carried the “birdbath” out to her car.
As I stood there, squinting into the sunlight while the silver car glided down the street, Dottie yelled over, “It’s looking pretty good, don’t you think? I know it’s not as pretty as yours, but I did a fair job, didn’t I?”
I looked over at the Tick Tock Diner. Dottie had stretched the red, white, and blue cloth across the front of the diner in an uneven pattern of loops. She must have run shy of fabric by the end, because the last couple of feet were stretched straight across. “It looks real patriotic,” I said.
This must have been enough of a compliment for Dottie, because she sent a big wave and a smile my way and went back to tugging on her loops. I went back into the store and started sorting through my short supply of floss. “I might need a couple of other colors to fill that order,” I said. “Do you know if there might be more around here?”
Rosie shook her head. “I dug that stuff out of a sweater pocket. I remember that it ruffled my feathers to think that people don’t even clean out their pockets before passing things on. I was going to toss it away, but I changed my mind. I must have been having a vision of what was to come.”
Rosie got a look on her face like she was having a vision right then and there. She turned on her heels and hurried over to the register. She reached into the cash drawer and handed me ten dollars. “Becky, you go on down the block to the Needles and Notions shop. You buy those threads in every color of the rainbow and anything else you might need, too. And tell Lydie that we’ll be giving her a lot of business. The way word of your work is getting around, you’ll need fresh supplies on a regular basis!”
Rosie sat back down in her chair. She looked tuckered out from the excitement of the floss, so I decided to take Baby Girl with me on my shopping spree. I was surprised to see Sarah walking out of the Needles and Notions shop. “Hi Becky!” she said. “I loved tha
t book. Thanks so much for the recommendation.”
“I’m glad you liked it,” I said. “Do you do needlework, too?”
“No,” she laughed. “My mother decided today would be a ‘girls day out.’ My little brother is away at camp for the week. We’re going to do our regular mother/daughter stuff, you know—hair, nails, and shoe shopping later, but Mom got this great idea that I should learn something that she enjoyed doing when she was my age. I’m sure it will end up in hibernation in the storage closet with the rest of her arts and craft projects, but whatever. I’ll give it a try.”
The door to the store opened and a woman walked out. “I’m sorry that took so long, Sarah. It gave me time to come up with another idea, though. Let’s go to the library now and you can show me a few of your favorite books. I’ll check them out, read them, and we can have our own little mother/daughter book club to discuss them.” The woman caught her breath and looked at me as if she just noticed me standing there.
Sarah said, “Mom, this is Becky. Becky, this is my mom, Mrs. Hanson.”
“Hello, Mrs. Hanson. It’s very nice to meet you,” I said.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Becky. I always enjoy meeting Sarah’s friends. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you at school.”
Before I can answer, Sarah says, “Becky is new in town, Mom. You wouldn’t have seen her at school.”
“Well then, welcome to Watson’s Grove. Who do we have in here?” Mrs. Hanson asked as she bent over the carriage. “What a sweetheart! Look at those beautiful red curls. What’s her name?”
“Her name is Georgia, ma’am.”
Mrs. Hanson stood up and turned toward Sarah. “You could take a lesson from Becky,” she said. “You were complaining the other night there were no jobs in town. Babysitting would keep you very busy and provide the spending money you’re always asking for from your father and me.”
Sarah hesitated a moment, then said, “Mom, maybe you should go to the library ahead of me. Becky and I were just about to discuss a book I’m sure you’re going to want to read. We don’t want to spoil the ending for you. I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”
“Spoiler alert!” her mom giggled. “Thanks for the warning! It was nice to meet you Becky. Sarah, I’ll see you in a few.”
We watched her mother walk down the block, before Sarah said, “My mom and I aren’t best buds. I don’t spend all of my time with her. Last night at dinner, my dad mentioned that we would be spending most of his vacation days next spring and summer touring college campuses. Then they both started rocking nostalgic. They spent the rest of the meal talking about the things we did when I was younger and all the dreams and plans they had for me when I was born. So now a regular old mother/daughter day isn’t enough for Mom. She needs to throw in some of the things she thought we would do together, but never did. Anyway, the book was great. We really should get together and swap some books or book titles. I think we have the same taste in literature. That’s not something I can say about the girls you saw me with at the library.”
“Okay. Have fun today,” I said, as I walked into the store.
I picked out the colors I needed and hurried to the counter. I had already been away from the Second Hand Rose long enough.
“I’m Becky. Rosie asked me to say hi and to tell you we’ll be coming to you for all of our floss needs.”
Lydie nodded. She didn’t smile, but at least her face went from a frown to a flat line. I was ready to pay for my ten hanks of floss and a packet of needles when I spotted the Fourth of July bargain basket. I sifted through the basket and came upon a small music box with a top for stitching. I was looking at the price and wondering if I dared buy it when Lydie spoke her first words to me. “I’ve got six of those music boxes, if you’re interested.”
“I don’t have enough money for more than one,” I smiled.
“Are you the girl that dressed up Rosie’s store?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The ends of Lydie’s mouth curled into a smile. “Maybe we can make a deal. I’ll give you all six of these beautiful music boxes for the price of one—and the sale price at that. And in return you can dress the front of my store for tomorrow’s parade.”
I hesitated before answering. I was worrying about what Rosie might think of this bargain. Lydie decided to add some honey to the pot. “Each box plays a different tune, and if you come back after the weekend to take the stuff down, I’ll throw in three items of your choice from this basket.”
And of course, once again, I was overtaken by the thrill of shopping and piled the music boxes onto the counter next to my floss. When I got back to the Second Hand Rose, I discovered that I had been worrying for nothing. Rosie was sure we got the better end of the deal. She helped me gather things to decorate the storefront, and I set off to complete the first half of my part of the bargain.
As I worked, I thought about Sarah and her family. The closest thing Mama and I ever got to a girls’ day was spring cleaning. Having someone paint our nails would have seemed as strange as feeding chickens in the house. The truth be told, Daddy wouldn’t have put up with us spending money like that. I don’t think I ever saw Mama wearing nail polish. As hard as Daddy could be on me, he was ten times worse with Mama. I couldn’t even picture Mama and me having a little book club together. I was always sneaking a few minutes alone with a book, but I never saw Mama enjoying the luxury of a novel. I wondered if I had spent a little less time with my books maybe Daddy would have been a little easier on all of us.
When I finished, the Needles and Notions looked as pretty as a picture postcard. Lydie was so happy with my work that she had me set her chair out in front of her store. She started to settle in, but before Lydie’s bottom even touched the chair, she sprang back upright. She clutched my arm with one hand and shaded her eyes with the other. “Do my eyes deceive me or is that Miss Lily standing with Rosie?” she asked. “I can’t remember the last time I saw her in town. It definitely was before the tragedy. Poor Lily has endured too much pain for a woman her age.”
As Lydie settled back into her chair, I turned to look up the street. Rosie stood on the walk in front of the Second Hand Rose, waving at a dark car as it pulled away from the curb. Even from my distance, I could see the sadness in her face. I wondered who Lily was, and what kind of tragedy had caused such pain.
CHAPTER 12
The parade didn’t start until eleven, but Rosie wanted to beat the crowd so we could stake our claim on the walk in front of the Second Hand Rose. I carried the chairs out to the curb, parking the stroller between them. Rosie settled into her favorite chair and started slowly rocking the stroller back and forth. She had come to know Baby Girl’s love of motion.
“I’m going to see if Lydie needs some help with her chair,” I said.
“You go ahead, Becky,” Rosie answered. “Georgia and I will be right here, soaking in the excitement of the day.”
As I walked back to the Second Hand Rose after helping Lydie, I spotted Rosie coming out of the store. She was toting a bucketful of flags, but what was worrying me was what she wasn’t toting. I couldn’t see Baby Girl’s stroller through the people, so I sprinted the rest of the block.
“No need to run in this heat. I can carry this myself,” Rosie said.
I was looking at Baby Girl. She was curled up safe and sound in Dottie’s arms. Dottie was gazing down at her with such tenderness that it made me put all my bad feelings about the inquiring waitress aside.
“You didn’t think I left Georgia alone out here, did you?” Rosie asked. “I got to thinking that it wouldn’t be unpatriotic to do business on the Fourth if that business was selling flags. I waved Dottie on over and she sat here with Georgia while I got the flags out of the window.”
I took the bucket from Rosie and placed it by her chair. Before I could take Georgia from Dottie, I heard someone call my name. I looked up and saw Sarah approaching.
“Hi!” she said. “I was hoping I would find you here.” S
he waved a paperback book with its cover on in front of her. “Right after the parade, I have to go with my parents to my aunt’s house for a week. From there we are going to pick up my brother from camp and then we’re going on to Virginia Beach for vacation. I’ll be gone for four weeks, which required a stockpile of books. I started this one on my way home from the store and finished it before I could pack. I thought you might like to read it next.”
“Thanks,” I said as she handed me the book. It was hard to come up with social words when all I could think of was Dottie holding Baby Girl. I had such a need to hold that baby in my arms at that moment.
Rosie put her arm around my shoulders. “Becky, are you going to introduce us to your friend?”
My cheeks started to heat up. “Yes, I’m sorry. This is Sarah Hanson. Sarah, this is Rosie Perkins.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Perkins,” Sarah said.
“Call me Rosie; everyone does,” Rosie answered.
Sarah smiled and nodded.
I waved my arm toward Dottie. “This is Dottie, and you’ve already met Georgia.”
Dottie lifted her chin and said, “I’ve seen you around the diner.”
Sarah nodded again. “I have to go. My parents are all the way at the end of the street. I hope you enjoy the book. I also put an invitation in there. When I get back, I’m having a pool party. It won’t be over the top or anything, just a few friends. My dad will throw some dogs and burgers on the grill for us. We’ll swim, eat, talk, dance, and whatever. It might be the last chance for fun before school starts again. I hope you can come.”
“Maybe,” I said. “Thanks again for the book. I’ll take good care of it and get it back to you after I read it.”
As soon as Sarah walked away, I reached down to take Baby Girl from Dottie’s arms. “Thanks for your help,” I said, as I wrapped my arms around the baby.
“Any time,” Dottie answered. “She’s a little angel.”
Dottie went back across the street, and Rosie and I settled back into our chairs. The flags sold in the flick of a cat’s tail. “All gone,” Rosie said.
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