by Shaw, J. D.
“Thank you.” She retrieved the cash from her purse and handed it to him.
Nathaniel retrieved a black velvet box from under the counter. He placed the pin inside and snapped the lid closed. “You have an uncanny knack for getting your way, don’t you?”
“I suppose that’s true.” Vivienne gave him a little smile. “Which is why you shouldn’t give up hope just yet.”
“Got a magic wand stashed away in your home?” Nathaniel asked with a serious tone.
“What?” Vivienne blinked in surprise.
“You know, like Glinda from the Wizard of Oz?” Nathaniel picked up a pen from the top of the display case and waved it around with a smile.
“Oh.” Vivienne recovered and gave a little chuckle. “Don’t you know the secret?” She teased back.
“What secret?”
Vivienne counted them off. “You need special wands for certain tasks. The ‘good hair’ wand, the ‘this dessert isn’t fattening’ wand, and of course the ‘make the sports game end so it doesn’t interfere with my television shows on later tonight’ wand.”
Nathaniel laughed and for a brief moment the visible tension on his face disappeared. “Can I borrow some of those?”
“Of course, darling.” Vivienne batted her eyelashes as she answered in an exotic accent, much like she imagined a gypsy fortune teller would sound like. “Now that you know the secret, the world will be your oyster.”
The bell over the door chimed as Tristan stepped in with two paper bags from the Monarch Grocery in his arms. “Vivienne, what brings you over to our neck of the woods?”
Vivienne regained her composure. “Hi Tristan. I was visiting with your handsome hubby here and picking up a birthday gift for my mother.”
Tristan gave her a little smile. “I’d almost forgotten what a customer actually looks like.”
Nathaniel reached and took one of the bags out of Tristan’s hands. “The oven is pre-heated for you, just like you asked.”
“Thanks.” Tristan pointed behind him. “I’m guessing you saw the sign in the window?”
“I’m so sorry to hear about your troubles.” Vivienne empathized. “It’s just so unfair.”
“Well, it is what it is.” Tristan sighed. “You want to stay for dinner? Nothing fancy, we’re just having some baked chicken and smashed cauliflower.”
“Nathaniel extended the invitation earlier, but I really need to get home.” Vivienne explained once more. “Joshua made a pot roast and he’d be crushed if I cancelled.”
“You’ve got a keeper with him.” Nathaniel smiled. “Tall, handsome, and he cooks.”
“Does he do the dishes after?” Tristan asked.
“He even pre-rinses the baked on crud.” Vivienne added. “He even knows which dishes are hand wash only.”
“Be still my heart.” Tristan joked back.
“I really wish you guys would reconsider closing your shop.” Vivienne let out a little sigh. “The town just won’t be the same without you in it.”
“No matter what happens, we’ll stay in touch with you.” Nathaniel added. “I promise.”
“I better head out or I’m going to be late for dinner.” She waved goodbye and braved the cold evening air that blasted her as she opened the front door. “You boys be good now.”
“We always are.” Tristan waved back.
* * *
After dinner, Vivienne was nestled in her usual position on the left end of the sofa with a blanket over her legs, the remote on her lap, and a food magazine in her hands. Tommy and Sammy had each made a small nest on both sides of her and purred contently as the national nightly news played on the flat-screen television Joshua had recently splurged on with his tax refund.
“I’m glad you liked it.” Joshua said as he walked in from the kitchen. “It was a recipe my mother made at least once a month growing up.”
“It was delicious.” Vivienne remarked. She had been completely shocked at how tender the beef had turned out. It was lean, moist, flavored with just the right amount of vegetables and spices. “You’ve converted me on the roast front.”
“She used it on venison mostly.” Joshua added. “It really cut down on the gamey flavor.”
“Darling, I love you to the moon and back, but I shall never eat venison.” Vivienne wrinkled her nose in disgust.
Joshua assumed his position on the other end of the sofa, stretched his long legs over hers, much to the annoyance of the cats. Tommy gave a little annoyed grunt but held his ground. Sammy, on the other hand, gave a defiant little hiss and leapt to the carpet. “I’m so sorry.” Joshua apologized to the orange tiger cat.
Sammy ran under the coffee table and gave him the stink eye for ruining a perfectly good nap.
“He’s just got a little temper.” Vivienne looked up from her magazine.
“What happened to that sweet little kitten that came home on Christmas Eve?”
“He’s a surly teenager now.” Vivienne set the magazine down on the sofa arm and gently ran her hand along Tommy’s soft fur. “They grow up so fast.”
Joshua smiled and snagged the remote. He flipped it to the local news were the weather report was in progress. “Snow, cold, and more snow. Don’t you know any other words?” He practically growled at the weatherman on the screen in his fancy suit and brightly-colored silk tie.
“It has been quite a winter so far.” Vivienne agreed. “With Saint Patrick’s Day coming this month, spring is going to have some more ammunition to fight back with.”
“I’m just happy to see all that green around town. I’ve almost forgotten what grass looks like under all that snow.” Joshua added as the broadcast went to commercials.
“I’ll remind you of that in the summer when it needs to be mowed every couple of days.” Vivienne teased.
“Hey, I’ll take mowing grass over shoveling snow and scraping ice any day and you can quote me on that.” Joshua flipped through several channels before stopping on one of the sports networks.
“There’s a planning committee meeting tomorrow night down at the library.” Vivienne reminded him. “Father William stopped in the bakery the other day and asked me to join.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I’m so busy with my own work, but I felt so guilty turning him down.” Vivienne confessed. “So, I ended up just nodding my head and he took that as a yes.”
Joshua reached over and patted her legs. “Well, we’ve talked about you needing to be able to say no to things.”
“I know.” Vivienne pouted. “I was hoping I could think of some way to call him up and tell him I changed my mind.”
“Tell him the truth.” Joshua quipped. “Short and sweet.”
“Easier said than done.” Vivienne sighed. “I might not feel like taking on all the extra work, but it would be great for the business.”
“Vivienne, I don’t know what you want me to say.” Joshua stared at her with his steel-blue eyes.
“I know.” She glanced at the wall clock. “It’s too late to call him tonight.”
“It’s quarter to seven.” Joshua laughed. “Just because the man is a priest doesn’t mean he goes to bed when the sun disappears.”
“You’re not making this easy.”
Joshua laughed and pulled himself closer to her. “If these are our major problems this month, we should consider ourselves quite lucky.”
Vivienne nodded. “You’re right.” After the chaos during the holidays, their lives had finally returned to a comfortable normalcy. There had been no magical beings drawn to the portals, no unexpected spells were cast upon the town, and most importantly all deaths had been of natural causes.
“I might only be saying this because I have cabin fever, but would you feel better if I came along to the meeting with you?” Joshua asked.
“Are you kidding?”
“Not at all.”
Vivienne leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Absolutely I’d feel better.”
�
��Then I’ll come.” He kissed her neck. “But only because Cayuga Cove’s most beautiful woman is supposed to be on the committee.”
They embraced, which finally forced Tommy Cat to jump down from the sofa and join Sammy under the table.
CHAPTER THREE
Inside the community room of the Cayuga Cove Library, librarian Harriet Nettles had decorated the space with bright green shamrocks, rainbows, pots of gold, and dancing leprechauns. Vivienne sat in the second row of folding chairs facing the small podium where Father William was busy going over his talking points for the meeting. Kathy carefully set her expensive Coach purse down on an empty chair to her immediate left to keep a seat open for Joshua. Vivienne smiled inwardly, knowing very well that Kathy was happy to have as much attention drawn to her new purse as possible.
“What do you think of this little bauble?” Kathy asked softly above the general murmur of the assembling crowd, flashing a striking new ring in her field of vision.
Vivienne admired the stunningly gorgeous new piece of jewelry resting on Kathy’s right hand. Three beautiful, round, prong-set emerald gemstones were surrounded by glistening white diamonds all on a sterling silver band. “It’s breathtaking.”
“Isn’t it, though?” Kathy extended her arm outward to catch the overhead fluorescent lighting better. “You can hardly even tell these are a complete fake.”
“Really?” Vivienne pulled her hand closer and marveled at the craftsmanship. “I am very impressed. Did you find that at Meeker’s?”
“Raymond Meeker only wishes his store carried something like this.” Kathy shook her head. “Besides, he’d rather cut off his right arm than sell something that isn’t the real deal.”
“Or charge a king’s ransom for.” Vivienne added. Although Meeker Jewelers was expensive, it was the only fine jewelry store in town. His business thrived on men who needed to buy expensive tokens for their loved ones and their mutual detest at having to drive an hour to shop for a better deal somewhere else. It was a comfortable monopoly that provided him and his family with one of the more stately homes in Cayuga Cove. “I give up.” Vivienne shrugged. “Where did you find it?”
“Faux Real Jewelers.” Kathy replied. “They specialize in high quality costume jewelry.”
“Is that a new store up at the Prime Outlets?”
“No, they’re a company from Florida whose line I am going to start carrying in the store next month.” Kathy smiled. “After her visit to see her grandmother, Alexis told me all about how she modeled the jewelry during a fashion show.”
“You’re talking about Alexis Warner who waits tables at Clara’s?” Vivienne grimaced. “I mean, the young woman who lavishes attention on the men who leave big tips but ignores the women customers.”
“Yes, Vivienne.” Kathy lowered her voice. “Don’t talk too loud, I don’t want her to get miffed and ruin this deal for me.”
“She’s not here.” Vivienne added. “So, you can relax.”
“She’s in the library with a stack of books and some slick looking boyfriend.” Kathy whispered. “But I don’t think they’re getting much homework done.”
“Oh, to be young again.” Vivienne sighed.
Kathy raised an eyebrow in response. “Speak for yourself.”
“We’re in our prime. The world is our oyster. Does that sound better?”
“Yes.” Kathy elbowed her. “I’ll just eliminate the sarcasm from your tone.”
“Naturally.” Vivienne whispered back. “So what does that hoity-toity college girl have to do with your business exactly?”
“As I was saying,” Kathy continued, “Alexis gave me the contact info about this exciting new business she modeled jewelry for. After checking out all the details, I think it’s going to be a great money maker.”
“So it’s all on the up and up?”
Kathy shrugged. “I had to sign a contract that no other competing items could be sold in the store.”
“I can understand that.” Vivienne nodded.
“I also paid a five hundred dollar fee to be an exclusive dealer for this region.”
Vivienne’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“I know it sounds expensive, but this was an option that I choose to enact myself. I am now the only authorized dealer in a one hundred mile radius of Cayuga Cove. No one else will be able to sell the product line.” Kathy gushed. “I also get my business listed in their exclusive directory with a direct link to my shop for online sales. With any luck, it will pay for itself many times over.”
“Well, you know best what it could do for your business.” Vivienne conceded. “I hope it all works out.”
“They sent a demo display case of the jewelry line for me to use in the store to build up excitement until the stock arrives next month.” Kathy finished.
“Have you thought about having a little preview party and inviting some of your more frequent customers?” Vivienne asked.
“That’s not a bad idea.” Kathy grinned. “I’ll ask Alexis if she’ll model again.”
“Mother used to sell gourmet cookware and gadgets years ago. You know, way-overpriced stuff you mostly didn’t need, but people bought it anyway.” Vivienne reminisced. “She didn’t strike it rich, but she made a little extra cash and even got some free products out of the deal.”
“You’re right.” Kathy agreed. “After you’ve eaten the food, had a glass or two of wine, you feel obligated to a least buy something from the hostess for all the trouble she went to.”
“I have three pricey egg separators in my kitchen drawer that proves just how effective that tactic is.” Vivienne groaned.
“How does a Mardi Gras themed preview party on Friday night sound?” Kathy asked.
“Will four days be enough time to plan it?”
“Sure.” Kathy scanned the crowd for familiar faces. “I might even start with word of mouth invites right here.”
Vivienne shook her head. “But even if you mailed the invitations out tonight…”
“Oh Vivienne, who mails invitations like that anymore?” Kathy sighed. “I’ll create an event on Social Butterfly and invite everyone online.”
“Does that really work?” Vivienne wondered.
“Well, people are rather lazy about actually RSVP’ing to an online event, but most will just show up anyway.”
“I see.” Vivienne raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to have refreshments?”
“If Suzette Powell can give me a good deal?” Kathy baited her hook with a grin.
“Her king cake comes from a box mix.” Vivienne protested.
“Exactly.” Kathy teased. “So, when can I schedule a consultation with Cayuga Cove’s most delicious bakery?”
“How does tomorrow sound?”
“How about tonight after the meeting?” Kathy asked.
Vivienne shook her head. Kathy was one of those people who just couldn’t wait for anything. When the idea formed in her head, it was a break-neck race to get it into tangible form as soon as possible, if not sooner. “Well, I suppose we could do it at my house tonight.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t think of inconveniencing you at home.” Kathy interrupted. “We’ll do it at the store tonight so you can see all the demo jewelry.”
“It’s no bother to have it at my house.” Vivienne continued.
“Nonsense.” Kathy cut her off just as Joshua arrived. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Hello ladies. Is this seat taken?” He smiled and pointed at the leather purse doubling as a place holder.
Kathy pulled her purse out of the way and vacated the center seat. “I insist on having a handsome deputy between us.”
Joshua stepped beside her and took his seat between Vivienne and Kathy just as Father William approached the podium to start the meeting.
“Good evening.” Father William’s voice was weak, as the microphone wasn’t yet turned on. There was a sound of scuffling from the rear of the room as Harriet fiddled with the power cords to remedy the situatio
n. A bald man dressed in a nice business suit approached her and from his hands gestures it was obvious he was offering some kind of much-needed assistance.
“This instills confidence.” Kathy whispered to Joshua and Vivienne.
Vivienne shook her head and stifled a chuckle.
Father William looked out at the crowd of assembled residents and used his best sermon voice to command attention. “The Lord works in mysterious ways, but I think even he would get headaches from modern electronics.” He joked.
The crowd reacted with laughter and a few seconds later the sound of feedback let everyone know that the bald man helping Harriet had found the right power cord to plug in. “Ah, much better.” Father William’s voice crackled through the speakers. “Thank you, Harriet.”
Harriet gave him a weak smile. “It was all this very nice gentleman.” She motioned to the bald man beside her. He waved meekly and returned to his seat.
“Who’s that?” Kathy asked Vivienne.
“I don’t know.” Vivienne shrugged. “Maybe one of the vendors coming from Syracuse?”
“He’s kind of handsome.” Kathy whispered back. “I’ve never dated a bald guy before.”
Vivienne poked her gently. “You’re incorrigible.”
“That better mean agelessly beautiful.” Kathy giggled back.
Father William adjusted the microphone and continued. “Now, I appreciate the time and energy you all wish to give to make this year’s ‘Luck of the Irish Carnival’ the most wonderful one yet. In order for that to happen, we need to assign various positions to ensure everything goes smoothly.” He gestured to the crowd. “First, I would like to welcome Mayor Cassandra Pembroke to the podium.”
Cassandra, dressed in a smart navy-blue two-piece business suit, jumped up from the front row and approached Father William. She clutched a paper in her right hand as she stood at the podium. “I am pleased to present the Luck of the Irish Carnival planning committee with a permit to allow the closure of Main Street for Saturday and Sunday, March 15th and 16th during the posted operating hours.”
The assembled group responded with applause as Father William accepted the permit from the Mayor. They posed for a photograph from a reporter for the Cayuga Tribune and then Father William assumed the podium once more. “With the official permits now in place, we are set to nominate group leaders for the festivities.”