by Debby Mayne
“It’s a very good deal, and you know it.” She stuck her hand out.
He shrugged. “I reckon you’re right. It’ll make the missus happy, and that’s priceless.”
“You bet it is.” Pamela glanced over her shoulder at Bethany, winked, and turned back to Howard. “If you want to claim what’s left, you’ll need to pay now. There’s quite a crowd still working their way in this direction.”
Howard chuckled and extracted three one-hundred dollar bills. “Here ya go. Now maybe Bethany and her nice fella wouldn’t mind helping me pack this stuff up in those boxes over there. I’ll get Claude to help me load it in the minivan my wife insisted we get to haul the grandkids around when they visit.” He snorted. “We only see ’em once a year, so I might as well get some use outta that bus.”
Pete watched Pamela’s earbobs bounce as she flitted from one person to the next in the community center while Andy stood next to the birdcage he’d propped on the chair by the door. If he’d been Andy, he probably wouldn’t have taken such a chance being that close to where Murray could escape for good. Given the parrot’s history, it could happen.
Bethany couldn’t remember a time when she’d been so exhausted. Strange thing about it, though, she didn’t realize how much her feet hurt until she got home and sat down.
She flopped back on the couch and wished she’d taken a rain check on dinner with Pete. At least they were going to Bert’s Barbecue and not The Fancy Schmantzy. She wouldn’t have to dress up.
After resting for a half hour, she managed to pull herself up off the couch and head for her bathroom to get ready. By the time she combed her hair and reapplied her lipstick, the doorbell rang.
She opened the door to Pete’s grinning face. Just the sight of him energized her.
“Ready?” he asked.
She raised her palms. “As ready as I can be after such a long afternoon. Aren’t you exhausted?”
He slowly nodded. “I have to admit, I am. I’m not used to talking to so many customers.”
“Me neither. I worked a little bit of retail during the holidays when Ashley was little, and that just about did me in, but in a way, today was worse.”
Pete looked at her but didn’t say anything. Even after he helped her into his truck and got in on the other side, he remained silent.
She sighed. “Part of my exhaustion is emotional. Watching people walk away with things I’ve had in my house for so long took a lot out of me.”
“I can imagine.”
“I know Naomi and Pamela think it was the best thing to do, but I’m not so sure Charlie’s mom would appreciate it.”
Pete reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Belva was a smart and kind woman. I’m sure she’d be happy to see you happy.”
“That’s true.” Bethany leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “I promised Gina I’d help her with the wrap-up tomorrow, and then Sherry has asked me to help her with her wedding plans. This promises to be a busy week for me.”
She glanced at Pete, who didn’t comment. However, she could tell something bothered him.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He nodded. “Oh, yeah. I’m just fine and dandy.”
Chapter 27
The next few weeks were a whirlwind for Bethany. Between getting together with friends and garden club meetings, she had little time to relax. To her continued surprise, she found her involvement invigorating, even though it was exhausting.
“Having fun?” Naomi asked after the garden club meeting.
Bethany nodded. “Yes, very much. In fact, I think I might be catching the gardening bug.”
“Good girl.”
“I might even try to resurrect my mother-in-law’s gardens.”
“Just remember, you don’t have to do it all at once. Start with one small garden, and after you’re comfortable with managing that, enlarge it. Once you have that one like you want it, move on to the next.”
Bethany agreed. “I thought I’d start with a few flowers on either side of the front sidewalk.”
“Petunias will look mighty pretty there. They’re easy to grow, and they come in a variety of colors.”
“I like petunias, but I also think some vinca would be pretty.”
Naomi shrugged. “Then do petunias and vinca. They’re both pretty hardy, and they look nice together.”
If someone had told Bethany a few years ago she’d be talking about gardening, she would have thought they’d lost their minds.
Gina had said the same thing—that once she moved to Bloomfield and started attending garden club meetings, she suddenly had the itch to plant some flowers. Her small flower bed had grown into a massive explosion of color that took over practically her entire front yard. She’d even gotten Lacy involved by having her plant some things in pots on the porch. Gina called her daughter the future president of the Bloomfield Garden Club. Pamela and Naomi gave Lacy so much attention, there was no doubt in Bethany’s mind Gina was right.
“Did you hear a single word I just said?” Naomi had her hands on her hips as she stood in front of Bethany, scowling.
“Um, was it about planting both vinca and petunias?”
Naomi snorted. “Naw. I asked you when you last saw Pete.”
“Oh.” Bethany’s cheeks flamed. “I haven’t seen him much since the festival.”
“And why not?”
Bethany shrugged. “I’ve been too busy.”
“Then forget about planting flowers. You need to work on cultivating your relationships first. The flowers can be planted any time.”
“But—”
“No buts, young lady.” Naomi shook her finger at Bethany. “You need to decide whether you like Pete or you don’t, because if you don’t, there are plenty of women who will.”
Bethany gasped. She’d never even thought about that. “I do like him. It’s just that . . . well . . .”
“You’re afraid, right?”
“Sort of.”
“Either you are or you’re not. There’s no in between.” Naomi took a step back. “Make up your mind quickly, or you just might completely miss out on the opportunity.”
“If he’s that fragile, I’m not interested.” Had she just said that?
“Well!” Naomi took a step back, clearly stunned. “I guess you just told me.”
Bethany sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, she meant it. She liked Pete quite a bit, but she wasn’t willing to risk what they had by pushing too hard.
Pamela approached them. “Have you two had enough mother-daughter time? I don’t want to interrupt anything.”
Naomi snorted. “Since when?”
Instead of her usual retort, Pamela turned to Bethany and smiled. “How would you like to chair the yard-of-the-month committee?”
“Oh, don’t do that to her,” Naomi said. “My daughter needs to make friends, not enemies.”
“Whatever are you saying, Naomi? Who says that job involves making enemies?”
“You know good and well how competitive people around this town are. If the award goes to Andy again, Winnie will get mad. And if Winnie gets it, Sylvia won’t speak to her.”
“Did I hear someone say my name?” Winnie asked.
Pamela nodded. “If Andy or Sylvia wins yard-of-the-month, will that make you mad?”
“No, of course not. I’ll be happy for either of them.”
“See?” Pamela said sweetly as she looked at Bethany.
Winnie laughed. “But I’ll know if that happens that someone got the yards mixed up. Anyone would have to be blind not to see that my yard is prettier than either of those.”
“See?” Naomi said in a mocking tone. “What did I say?”
Pamela scowled. “Oh, stop it, Naomi.”
Bethany wanted to do more for the garden club, but she wasn’t sure bei
ng in charge of such a controversial committee was the place to start. “Can you give me another job?”
“Yeah, like I said, don’t stick her with something that’ll win enemies right off the bat,” Naomi said.
Pamela made a face at Naomi but quickly switched to a smile when she looked back at Bethany. “Sure, sweetie. Give me a few days, and I’ll come up with something.”
“Give her something good,” Naomi ordered. “Like maybe the chairperson of the bake sale.”
“I don’t know.” Pamela showed off her black-and-white striped fingernails as she tapped her chin. “We had problems with it last time, and besides, Helen’s always been in charge of the bake sale.”
“That’s right,” Helen piped up from behind. “I have been, and I’m ready to move on to something else. Just because I have a bakery doesn’t mean I need to run that stup . . . I mean the annual bake sale.”
Pamela lifted her arms and let them slap her sides as she lowered them. “Okay then, it’s settled. Bethany, you’re in charge of the bake sale. Helen, you’re the chairperson of the yard-of-the-month award.”
“I’m already the cochairman, along with Elsie,” Helen reminded her. “At least for the time being.”
“Okay, so you are. You get to keep your job.” Pamela walked away, mumbling. “It’s been a long day. I’m going home now.”
Once Bethany was alone with her mother, she relaxed. “The first thing I need to do is get acclimated with the dynamics of the group.”
Naomi grinned. “All you need to know is that if you want something, you have to make Pamela think it’s her idea.”
“Is that what you do?” Bethany asked.
“Afraid so. I tried to fight it when she first got elected president, but I don’t have time for pointless battles I can’t win, no matter how much energy I put into them. So I’ve learned the fine art of finessing my whims to make them hers.”
The fact that Bethany was still learning from her mother wasn’t lost on her, but one thing bugged her. “Do you ever feel as though you’re being deceptive?”
“No, I would never do anything I thought was deceptive. In fact, I think making Pamela happy is an honorable thing.”
Bethany narrowed her eyes as she held her mother’s gaze. “But the two of you still argue quite a bit.”
Naomi chuckled. “Of course we do. She’d be suspicious if I didn’t put up a good fight every now and then. That’s how I keep the peace. I let the steam out in small puffs rather than let it explode all at once.”
The following Saturday evening, Pete stopped off at his parents’ house to check on them. His mom had supper waiting for him when he arrived.
“Smells good,” he said as he bent over and kissed her on the cheek. “But I don’t want you to think you have to cook for me every time I come over.”
“You’ll know something’s wrong if I don’t,” she said with a smile. “C’mon, let’s dig in. Your dad’s starving.”
“He didn’t have to wait for me.”
“Oh, yes, he did.” She gestured toward the dining room. “It wouldn’t be polite to start before our guest of honor arrived.”
When Pete walked into the dining room, he saw his dad sitting at the head of the table, staring at the big baked chicken on the platter in front of him. His dad glanced up, grunted, and reached for the knife.
“Before you carve the chicken, let Pete say the blessing,” his mother said.
Pete didn’t look at his dad before bowing his head. No point keeping his dad waiting too much longer.
For the first few minutes, their conversation centered on food and the plumbing business. “Our end-of-year profit looks good,” Pete said with pride. “Even after the new hires, we have more to invest back into the business.”
His dad placed his fork on the plate, steepled his fingers, and took a deep breath. He glanced over at Pete’s mom. “Should I tell him now?”
“Tell me what?”
“I wish you hadn’t done that, Frank.” His mom nodded. “But now that you’ve opened your mouth, you don’t exactly have a choice.”
Pete’s dad took a deep breath, slowly let it out, and blurted, “I’m thinking about starting another business.”
“Another business?” Pete frowned. “But why?”
His mom looked worried. “I told you it might not be a good idea to bring that up tonight, Frank.”
“I don’t see why now’s not just as good a time as any to let our son know what I’ve wanted to do all my life.”
“It’s not—” she began before Pete held up his hands.
“Dad, I would like to know all about it.”
His dad gave his mom a cursory glance before turning back to Pete. “As you know, I’ve always had a passion for trains. Last time your mother and I went on vacation, we stumbled upon this really cool model train shop. I felt like a kid again.”
His mother nodded. “It took forever to pull him out of there.”
“It was a store?” Pete asked. “As in a place where they sell model trains?”
“Yes, that’s what’s so cool about it. They sell everything related to trains—train cars, tracks, tunnels, magazines, remote controls . . . everything.”
Pete had always known of his dad’s passion. The only presents he’d ever gotten excited about were train related. And he’d subscribed to a model train hobby magazine for as long as Pete could remember.
“How profitable can a niche business like that be in such a small town?” Pete asked.
“Very. Train enthusiasts will travel a long way to see something new.” His dad leaned back in his chair, cut a glance at his mom, and finally settled his gaze on Pete. “It’ll be good for business all over Bloomfield. But there is one caveat.”
“I wish you wouldn’t discuss this now,” his mother pleaded.
Pete frowned at her. “Please, Mom. I’d like to hear what Dad has to say.”
His dad leaned forward and looked Pete in the eye. “I’ll need some startup capital, and the only place I know to get that is from the plumbing business.”
Pete’s spirits fell. Sprockett Family Plumbing was doing extremely well, and they finally had enough money to replace their fleet of trucks. However, if his dad’s business turned into a money drain, all the plumbing in the world wouldn’t be able to plug it.
“Frank, maybe we should consider talking to someone at the bank.”
Pete couldn’t let his dad go outside the family when they had the capital he needed. “No, Mom, what Dad wants to do makes more sense. We have the money, and it’s all in the family.”
“But what if—?”
“No matter what, this is something Dad obviously wants, so I think we should find a way to make it happen.” Pete’s chest tightened, but he knew what he was saying was important to his dad.
When Pete turned back to face his dad, he saw more respect than he’d ever seen before. “Thank you, son. I think you’ll be pleased once I get started.”
Pete softly sighed. He’d planned to give his crew the good news they were getting new trucks soon. Now that would obviously have to wait.
“Why don’t I come to your office on Monday, and we can discuss some of the details?” Before Pete could reply, his dad added, “And perhaps you can give me some advice on the business side. I don’t think it’s any big secret that you’re the businessman in the family.”
“Frank . . .” Pete’s mom looked at his dad with love. “I’m sure you’re a fine businessman.”
“I refuse to continue trying to fool anyone into thinking I am.” Pete’s dad turned toward him. “And you of all people could probably see right through to the fact that I hated the plumbing business.”
Pete wasn’t about to participate in this conversation. So he just sat there and listened.
His dad’s expression intensified as he leaned fo
rward. “But I’m passionate about trains. I figure the business angle can be learned, and between you and Abercrombie, I’ll learn how to run a train shop.”
“Abercrombie?” Pete asked.
“Yes, that’s the name of the guy who owns that train shop I was telling you about. He said he’d give me all the information I need to get started, as long as I don’t compete in his area. Apparently, there’s a brotherhood among train shop owners, and they like to help each other out by sharing business info and referring folks to each other. They even have an advertising co-op.”
Pete had to admit his dad’s enthusiasm might carry him in the business. “It sounds like an interesting venture.”
“I’d like to include you, son—that is, if you’re interested. I can’t think of anything more fun than a father and son running a train business together.”
Pete didn’t know where he’d find the time to participate, but with his dad so excited like this, he wasn’t about to turn him down. He nodded. “It does sound like fun. I’ll do what I can.”
His dad leaned back and grinned. “This has to go down as one of the best days of my life.” He grinned at Pete’s mom. “See? I told you there was nothing to worry about.”
Chapter 28
Have you talked to Pete lately?” Naomi asked as she and Bethany walked toward the back of the church. “I saw him come in here, but he darted out so fast, I couldn’t catch up with him.”
“No, I haven’t had much time to chat with him since the festival.” Bethany had wondered if she’d said something to make him mad, but she wasn’t about to tell her mother for fear Naomi would try to fix things that might not be broken.
Naomi looked worried. “Maybe one of us should call to make sure he’s okay.”
“I’m not calling him,” Bethany said.
Naomi reached for her cell phone and turned it on. “Then I will.”
“No, don’t.” Those words tumbled from Bethany’s mouth before she could catch herself. “I mean, we don’t need to bother him if he’s busy.”