Blue Dahlia

by Nora Roberts

Chapter Three

  She had a car full of luggage, a briefcase stuffed with notes and sketches, a very unhappy dog who'd already expressed his opinion of the move by vomiting on the passenger seat, and two boys bickering bitterly in the back.

  She'd already pulled over to deal with the dog and the seat, and despite the January chill had the windows wide open. Parker, their Boston terrier, sprawled on the floor looking pathetic.

  She didn't know what the boys were arguing about, and since it hadn't come to blows yet, let them go at it. They were, she knew, as nervous as Parker about yet another move.

  She'd uprooted them. No matter how carefully you dug, it was still a shock to the system. Now all of them were about to be transplanted. She believed they would thrive. She had to believe it or she'd be as sick as the family dog.

  "I hate your slimy, stinky guts," eight-year-old Gavin declared.

  "I hate your big, stupid butt," six-year-old Luke retorted.

  "I hate your ugly elephant ears. "

  "I hate your whole ugly face. "

  Stella sighed and turned up the radio.

  She waited until she'd reached the brick pillars that flanked the drive to the Harper estate. She nosed in, out of the road, then stopped the car. For a moment, she simply sat there while the insults raged in the backseat. Parker sent her a cautious look, then hopped up to sniff at the air through the window.

  She turned the radio off, sat. The voices behind her began to trail off, and after a last, harshly whispered, "And I hate your entire body," there was silence.

  "So, here's what I'm thinking," she said in a normal, conversational tone. "We ought to pull a trick on Ms. Harper. "

  Gavin strained forward against his seat belt. "What kind of trick?"

  "A tricky trick. I'm not sure we can pull it off. She's pretty smart; I could tell. So we'd have to be really sneaky. "

  "I can be sneaky," Luke assured her. And her glance in the rearview mirror told her the battle blood was already fading from his cheeks.

  "Okay, then, here's the plan. " She swiveled around so she could face both her boys. It struck her, as it often did, what an interesting meld of herself and Kevin they were. Her blue eyes in Luke's face, Kevin's gray-green ones in Gavin's. Her mouth to Gavin, Kevin's to Luke. Her coloring - poor baby - to Luke, and Kevin's sunny blond to Gavin.

  She paused, dramatically, noted that both her sons were eagerly focused.

  "No, I don't know. " She shook her head regretfully. "It's probably not a good idea. "

  There was a chorus of pleas, protests, and a great deal of seat bouncing that sent Parker into a spate of enthusiastic barking.

  "Okay, okay. " She held up her hands. "What we do is, we drive up to the house, and we go up to the door. And when we're inside and you meet Ms. Harper - this is going to have to be really sneaky, really clever. "

  "We can do it!" Gavin shouted.

  "Well, when that happens, you have to pretend to be . . . this is tough, but I think you can do it. You have to pretend to be polite, well-behaved, well-mannered boys. "

  "We can do it! We. . . " Luke's face scrunched up. "Hey!"

  "And I have to pretend not to be a bit surprised by finding myself with two well-behaved, well-mannered boys. Think we can pull it off?"

  "Maybe we won't like it there," Gavin muttered.

  Guilt roiled up to churn with nerves. "Maybe we won't. Maybe we will. We'll have to see. "

  "I'd rather live with Granddad and Nana Jo in their house. " Luke's little mouth trembled, and wrenched at Stella's heart. "Can't we?"

  "We really can't. We can visit, lots. And they can visit us, too. Now that we're going to live down here, we can see them all the time. This is supposed to be an adventure, remember? If we try it, really try it, and we're not happy, we'll try something else. "

  "People talk funny here," Gavin complained.

  "No, just different. "

  "And there's no snow. How are we supposed to build snowmen and go sledding if it's too stupid to snow?"

  "You've got me there, but there'll be other things to do. " Had she seen her last white Christmas? Why hadn't she considered that before?

  He jutted his chin out. "If she's mean, I'm not staying. "

  "That's a deal. " Stella started the car, took a steadying breath, and continued down the drive.

  Moments later she heard Luke's wondering: "It's big!"

  No question about that, Stella mused, and wondered how her children saw it. Was it the sheer size of the three-storied structure that overwhelmed them? Or would they notice the details? The pale, pale yellow stone, the majestic columns, the charm of the entrance that was covered by the double stairway leading to the second floor and its pretty wraparound terrace?

  Or would they just see the bulk of it - triple the size of their sweet house in Southfield?

  "It's really old," she told them. "Over a hundred and fifty years old. And Ms. Harper's family's lived here always. "

  "Is she a hundred and fifty?" Luke wanted to know and earned a snort and an elbow jab from his brother.

  "Dummy. Then she'd be dead. And there'd be worms crawling all over her - "

  "I have to remind you, polite, well-mannered, well-behaved boys don't call their brothers dummy. See all the lawn? Won't Parker love being taken for walks out here? And there's so much room for you to play. But you have to stay out of the gardens and flower beds, just like at home. Back in Michigan," she corrected herself. "And we'll have to ask Ms. Harper where you're allowed to go. "

  "There's really big trees," Luke murmured. "Really big. "

  "That one there? That's a sycamore, and I bet it's even older than the house. "

  She pulled around the parking circle, admiring the use of Japanese red maple and golden mop cedar along with azaleas in the island.

  She clipped on Parker's leash with hands that were a lot more steady than her heart rate. "Gavin, you take Parker. We'll come out for our things after we go in and see Ms. Harper. "

  "Does she get to boss us?" he demanded.

  "Yes. The sad and horrible fate of children is to be bossed by adults. And as she's paying my salary, she gets to boss me, too. We're all in the same boat. "

  Gavin took Parker's leash when they got out. "I don't like her. "

  "That's what I love about you, Gavin. " Stella ruffled his wavy blond hair. "Always thinking positive. Okay, here we go. " She took his hand, and Luke's, gave each a gentle squeeze. The four of them started toward the covered entry.

  The doors, a double set painted the same pure and glossy white as the trim, burst open.

  "At last!" David flung out his arms. "Men! I'm no longer outnumbered around here. "

  "Gavin, Luke, this is Mr. - I'm sorry, David, I don't know your last name. "

  "Wentworth. But let's keep it David. " He crouched down, looked the rapidly barking Parker in the eye. "What's your problem, buddy?"

  In response, Parker planted his front paws on David's knee and lapped, with great excitement, at his face.

  "That's more like it. Come on in. Roz'll be right along. She's upstairs on the phone, skinning some supplier over a delivery. "

  They stepped into the wide foyer, where the boys simply stood and goggled.

  "Pretty ritzy, huh?"

  "Is it like a church?"

  "Nah. " David grinned at Luke. "It's got fancy parts, but it's just a house. We'll get a tour in, but maybe you need some hot chocolate to revive you after your long journey. "

  "David makes wonderful hot chocolate. " Roz started down the graceful stairs that divided the foyer. She was dressed in work clothes, as she'd been the day before. "With lots of whipped cream. "

  "Ms. Harper, my boys. Gavin and Luke. "

  "I'm very pleased to meet you. Gavin. " She offered a hand to him.

  'This is Parker. He's our dog. He's one and a half. "

  "And very handsome. Parker. " She gave the dog a friendly p
at.

  "I'm Luke. I'm six, and I'm in first grade. I can write my name. " *

  "He cannot either. " Gavin sneered in brotherly disgust. "He can only print it. "

  "Have to start somewhere, don't you? It's very nice to meet you, Luke. I hope you're all going to be comfortable here. "

  "You don't look really old," Luke commented, and had David snorting out a laugh.

  "Why, thank you. I don't feel really old either, most of the time. "

  Feeling slightly ill, Stella forced a smile. "I told the boys how old the house was, and that your family's always lived here. He's a little confused. "

  "I haven't been here as long as the house. Why don't we have that hot chocolate, David? We'll sit in the kitchen, get acquainted. "

  "Is he your husband?" Gavin asked. "How come you have different last names?"

  "She won't marry me," David told him, as he herded them down the hall. "She just breaks my poor, weeping heart. "

  "He's teasing you. David takes care of the house, and most everything else. He lives here. "

  "Is she the boss of you, too?" Luke tugged David's hand. "Mom says she's the boss of all of us. "

  "I let her think so. " He led the way into the kitchen with its granite counters and warm cherry wood. A banquette with sapphire leather cushions ranged under a wide window.

  Herbs thrived in blue pots along the work counter. Copper pots gleamed.

  "This is my domain," David told them. "I'm boss here, just so you know the pecking order. You like to cook, Stella?"

  "I don't know if 'like's' the word, but I do know I can't manage anything that would earn a kitchen like this. "

  Two Sub-Zero refrigerators, what looked to be a restaurant-style stove, double ovens, acres of counter.

  And the little details that made a serious work space homey, she noted with relief. The brick hearth with a pretty fire simmering, the old china cupboard filled with antique glassware, forced bulbs of tulips and hyacinths blooming on a butcher block table.

  "I live to cook. I can tell you it's pretty frustrating to waste my considerable talents on Roz. She'd just as soon eat cold cereal. And Harper rarely makes an appearance. "

  "Harper's my oldest son. He lives in the guest house. You'll see him sometimes. "

  "He's the mad scientist. " David got out a pot and chunks of chocolate.

  "Does he make monsters? Like Frankenstein?" As he asked, Luke snuck his hand into his mother's again.

  "Frankenstein's just pretend," Stella reminded him. "Ms. Harper's son works with plants. "

  "Maybe one day he'll make a giant one that talks. "

  Delighted, Gavin sidled over toward David. "Nuh-uh. "

  "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio. ' Bring that stool over, my fine young friend, and you can watch the master make the world's best hot chocolate. "

  "I know you probably want to get to work shortly," Stella said to Roz. "I have some notes and sketches I worked on last night I'd like to show you at some point. "

  "Busy. "

  "Eager. " She glanced over as Luke let go of her hand and went over to join his brother on the stool. "I have an appointment this morning with the principal at the school. The boys should be able to start tomorrow. I thought I could ask at the school office for recommendations for before- and after-school care, then - "

  "Hey!" David whipped chocolate and milk in the pot. "These are my men now. I figured they'd hang out with me, providing me with companionship as well as slave labor, when they're not in school. "

  "I couldn't ask you to - "

  "We could stay with David," Gavin piped up. "That'd be okay. "

  "I don't - "

  "Of course, it all depends. " David spoke easily as he added sugar to the pot. "If they don't like PlayStation, the deal's off. I have my standards. "

  "I like PlayStation," Luke said.

  "Actually, they have to love PlayStation. "

  "I do! I do!" They bounced in unison on the stool. "I love PlayStation. "

  "Stella, while they're finishing up here, why don't we get some of your things out of the car?"

  "All right. We'll just be a minute. Parker - "

  "Dog's fine," David said.

  "Well. Be right back, then. "

  Roz waited until they were at the front door. "David's wonderful with kids. "

  "Anyone could see. " She caught herself twisting the band of her watch, made herself stop. "It just feels like an imposition. I'd pay him, of course, but - "

  "You'll work that out between you. I just wanted to say - from one mother to another - that you can trust him to look after them, to entertain them, and to keep them - well, no, you can't trust him to keep them out of trouble. I'll say serious trouble, yes, but not the ordinary sort. "

  "He'd have to have superpowers for that. "

  "He practically grew up in this house. He's like my fourth son. "

  "It would be tremendously easy this way. I wouldn't have to haul them to a sitter. " Yet another stranger, she thought.

  "And you're not used to things being easy. "

  "No, I'm not. " She heard squeals of laughter rolling out from the kitchen. "But I want my boys to be happy, and I guess that's the deciding vote right there. "

  "Wonderful sound, isn't it? I've missed it. Let's get your things. "

  "You have to give me the boundaries," Stella said as they went outside. "Where the boys can go, where they can't. They need chores and rules. They're used to having them at home. Back in Michigan. "

  "I'll give that some thought. Though David - despite the fact that I'm the boss of all of you - probably has ideas on all that already. Cute dog, too, by the way. " She hauled two suitcases out of the back of the SUV. "My dog died last year, and I haven't had the heart to get another. It's nice having a dog around. Clever name. "

  "Parker - for Peter Parker. That's - "

  "Spider-Man. I did raise three boys of my own. "

  "Right. " Stella grabbed another suitcase and a cardboard carton. She felt her muscles strain even as Roz carried her load with apparent ease.

  "I meant to ask who else lives here, or what other staff you have. "

  "It's just David. "

  "Oh? He said something about being outnumbered by women before we got here. "

  "That's right. It would be David, and me, and the Harper Bride. "

  Roz carried the luggage inside and started up the steps with it. "She's our ghost. "

  "Your. . . "

  "A house this old isn't haunted, it would be a damn shame, I'd think. "

  "I guess that's one way to look at it. "

  She decided Roz was amusing herself with a little local color for the new kid on the block. Ghosts would add to the family lore. So she dismissed it.

  "You can have your run of the west wing. I think the rooms we've earmarked will suit best. I'm in the east wing, and David's rooms are off the kitchen. Everyone has plenty of privacy, which I've always felt is vital to good relations. "

  "This is the most beautiful house I've ever seen. "

  "It is, isn't it?" Roz stopped a moment, looking out the windows that faced one of her gardens. "It can be damp in the winter, and we're forever calling the plumber, the electrician, someone. But I love every inch of it. Some might think it's a waste for a woman on her own. "

  "It's yours. Your family home. "

  "Exactly. And it'll stay that way, whatever it takes. You're just down here. Each room opens to the terrace. I'll leave it to you to judge if you need to lock the one in the boys' room. I assumed they'd want to share at this age, especially in a new place. "

  "Bull's-eye. " Stella walked into the room behind Roz. "Oh, they'll love this. Lots of room, lots of light. " She laid the carton and the suitcase on one of the twin beds. But antiques. " She ran her fingers over the child-size chest of drawers. "I'm terrified. "

  "Furniture's meant to be used. And good pieces respected. "r />
  "Believe me, they'll get the word. " Please, God, don't let them break anything.

  "You're next door. The bath connects. " Roz gestured, angled her head. "I thought, at least initially, you'd want to be close. "

  "Perfect. " She walked into the bath. The generous claw-foot tub stood on a marble platform in front of the terrace doors. Roman shades could be pulled down for privacy. The toilet sat in a tall cabinet built from yellow pine and had a chain pull - wouldn't the boys get a kick out of that!

  Beside the pedestal sink was a brass towel warmer already draped with fluffy sea-green towels.

  Through the connecting door, her room was washed with winter light. Rhizomes patterned the oak floor.

  A cozy sitting area faced the small white-marble fireplace, with a painting of a garden in full summer bloom above it.

  Draped in gauzy white and shell pink, the canopy bed was accented with a generous mountain of silk pillows in dreamy pastels. The bureau with its long oval mirror was gleaming mahogany, as was the charmingly feminine dressing table and the carved armoire.

  "I'm starting to feel like Cinderella at the ball. "

  "If the shoe fits. " Roz set down the suitcases. "I want you to be comfortable, and your boys to be happy because I'm going to work you very hard. It's a big house, and David will show you through at some point. We won't bump into each other, unless we want to. "

  She shoved up the sleeves of her shirt as she looked around. "I'm not a sociable woman, though I do enjoy the company of people I like. I think I'm going to like you. I already like your children. "

  She glanced at her watch. "I'm going to grab that hot chocolate - I can't ever resist it - then get to work. "

  "I'd like to come in, show you some of my ideas, later today. "

  "Fine. Hunt me up. "

  * * *

  She did just that. Though she'd intended to bring the kids with her after the school meeting, she hadn't had the heart to take them away from David.

  So much for her worries about their adjustment to living in a new house with strangers. It appeared that most of the adjustments were going to be on her end.

  She dressed more appropriately this time, in sturdy walking shoes that had already seen their share of mud, jeans with considerable wear, and a black sweater. With her briefcase in hand, she headed into the main entrance of the garden center.

  The same woman was at the counter, but this time she was waiting on a customer. Stella noted a small dieffenbachia in a cherry-red pot and a quartet of lucky bamboo, tied with decorative hemp, already in a shallow cardboard box.

  A bag of stones and a square glass vase were waiting to be rung up.

  Good.

  "Is Roz around?" Stella asked.

  "Oh. . . " Ruby gestured vaguely. "Somewhere or the other. "

  She nodded to the two-ways behind the counter. "Would she have one of those with her?"

  The idea seemed to amuse Ruby. "I don't think so. "

  "Okay, I'll find her. That's so much fun," she said to the customer, with a gesture toward the bamboo. "Carefree and interesting. It's going to look great in that bowl. "

  "I was thinking about putting it on my bathroom counter. Something fun and pretty. "

  "Perfect. Terrific hostess gifts, too. More imaginative than the usual flowers. "

  "I hadn't thought of that. You know, maybe I'll get another set. "

  "You couldn't go wrong. " She beamed a smile, then started out toward the greenhouses, congratulating herself as she went. She wasn't in any hurry to find Roz. This gave her a chance to poke around on her own, to check supplies, stock, displays, traffic patterns. And to make more notes.

  She lingered in the propagation area, studying the progress of seedlings and cuttings, the type of stock plants, and their health.

  It was nearly an hour before she made her way to the grafting area. She could hear music - the Corrs, she thought - seeping out the door.

  She peeked in. There were long tables lining both sides of the greenhouse, and two more shoved together to run down the center. It smelled of heat, vermiculite, and peat moss.

  There were pots, some holding plants that had been or were being grafted. Clipboards hung from the edges of tables, much like hospital charts. A computer was shoved into a corner, its screen a pulse of colors that seemed to beat to the music.

  Scalpels, knives, snippers, grafting tape and wax, and other tools of this part of the trade lay in trays.

  She spotted Roz at the far end, standing behind a man on a stool. His shoulders were hunched as he worked. Roz's hands were on her hips.

  "It can't take more than an hour, Harper. This place is as much yours as mine, and you need to meet her, hear what she has to say. "

  "I will, I will, but damn it, I'm in the middle of things here. You're the one who wants her to manage, so let her manage. I don't care. "

  "There's such a thing as manners. " Exasperation rolled into the overheated air. "I'm just asking you to pretend, for an hour, to have a few. "

  The comment brought Stella's own words to her sons back to her mind. She couldn't stop the laugh, but did her best to conceal it with a cough as she walked down the narrow aisle.

  "Sorry to interrupt I was just. . . " She stopped by a pot, studying the grafted stem and the new leaves.

  "I can't quite make this one. "

  "Daphne. " Roz's son spared her the briefest glance.

  "Evergreen variety. And you've used a splice side-veneer graft. "

  He stopped, swiveled on his stool. His mother had stamped herself on his face - the same strong bones, rich eyes. His dark hair was considerably longer than hers, long enough that he tied it back with what looked to be a hunk of raffia. Like her, he was slim and seemed to have at least a yard of leg, and like her he dressed carelessly in jeans pocked with rips and a soil-stained Memphis University sweatshirt.

  "You know something about grafting?"

  "Just the basics. I cleft-grafted a camellia once. It did very well. Generally I stick with cuttings. I'm Stella. It's nice to meet you, Harper. "

  He rubbed his hand over his jeans before shaking hers. "Mom says you're going to organize us. "

  "That's the plan, and I hope it's not going to be too painful for any of us. What are you working on here?" She stepped over to a line of pots covered with clean plastic bags held clear of the grafted plant by four split stakes.

  "Gypsophilia - baby's breath. I'm shooting for blue, as well as pink and white. "

  "Blue. My favorite color. I don't want to hold you up. I was hoping," she said to Roz, "we could find somewhere to go over some of my ideas. "

  "Back in the annual house. The office is hopeless. Harper?"

  "All right, okay. Go ahead. I'll be there in five minutes. "

  "Harper. "

  "Okay, ten. But that's my final offer. "

  With a laugh, Roz gave him a light cuff on the back of the head. "Don't make me come back in here and get you. "

  "Nag, nag, nag," he muttered, but with a grin.

  Outside, Roz let out a sigh. "He plants himself in there, you have to jab a pitchfork in his ass to budge him. He's the only one of my boys who has an interest in the place. Austin's a reporter, works in Atlanta. Mason's a doctor, or will be. He's doing his internship in Nashville. "

  "You must be proud. "

  "I am, but I don't see nearly enough of either of them. And here's Harper, practically under my feet, and I have to hunt him like a dog to have a conversation. "

  Roz boosted herself onto one of the tables. "Well, what've you got?"

  "He looks just like you. "

  "People say. I just see Harper. Your boys with David?"

  "Couldn't pry them away with a crowbar. " Stella opened her briefcase. "I typed up some notes. "

  Roz looked at the stack of papers and tried not to wince. "I'll say. "

  "And I've made some rough sketches of how we might chang
e the layout to improve sales and highlight non-plant purchases. You have a prime location, excellent landscaping and signage, and a very appealing entrance. "

  "I hear a 'but' coming on. "

  "But. . . " Stella moistened her lips. "Your first-level retail area is somewhat disorganized. With some changes it would flow better into the secondary area and on through to your main plant facilities. Now, a functional organizational plan - "

  "A functional organizational plan. Oh, my God. "

  "Take it easy, this really won't hurt. What you need is a chain of responsibility for your functional area. That's sales, production, and propagation. Obviously you're a skilled propagator, but at this point you need me to head production and sales. If we increase the volume of sales as I've proposed here - "

  "You did charts. " There was a touch of wonder in Roz's voice. "And graphs. I'm . . . suddenly afraid. "

  "You are not," Stella said with a laugh, then looked at Roz's face. "Okay, maybe a little. But if you look at this chart, you see the nursery manager - that's me - and you as you're in charge of everything. Forked out from that is your propagator - you and, I assume, Harper; production manager, me; and sales manager - still me. For now, anyway. You need to delegate and/or hire someone to be in charge of container and/or field production. This section here deals with staff, job descriptions and responsibilities. "

  "All right. " On a little breath, Roz rubbed the back of her neck. "Before I give myself eyestrain reading all that, let me say that while I may consider hiring on more staff, Logan, my landscape designer, has a good handle on the field production at this point. I can continue to head up the container production. I didn't start this place to sit back and have others do all the work. "

  "Great. Then at some point I'd like to meet with Logan so we can coordinate our visions. "

  Roz's smile was thin, and just a little wicked. "That ought to be interesting. "

  "Meanwhile, since we're both here, why don't we take my notes and sketches of the first-level sales section and go through it on the spot? You can see better what I have in mind, and it'll be simpler to explain. "

  Simpler? Roz thought as she hopped down. She didn't think anything was going to be simpler now.

  But it sure as holy hell wasn't going to be boring.