Margaret selected watercress. It was the perfect finger food. “This is delicious,” she exclaimed.
Andrea smiled. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” Gloria reassured her friend.
Alice pulled a smaller side tray to the front. “Now you must try this,” she declared.
The tray was loaded with bite-size tortilla chips. Gloria lifted a small chip, shaped like a cup and studied the mixture inside.
Alice rattled off the ingredients. “Black beans, salsa, cream cheese and green onion.”
Gloria gobbled the tasty morsel and grabbed a paper napkin to wipe her lips. “This is so good! By the way, I ate my firehouse fajita yesterday for lunch and it was delicious.”
Alice beamed with pride. “You like? I make you more.”
Andrea held up a hand to stop her. “But not today. We have our hands full,” she reminded her.
“Si,” Alice agreed.
Finally, the hour arrived and the rest of the Garden Girls straggled in, hanging their coats on a beautiful antique coat rack that Gloria hadn’t noticed before. It was beautiful and looked old.
“Where did you get this?” Gloria asked.
Andrea ran her hand down the smooth, solid oak coat rack. “I’ve been rummaging around estate sales. You should go with me sometime. They have lots of cool stuff.”
Gloria grinned and shook her head. “I’m sure it’s a lot of fun but I’m trying to get rid of my things, not accumulate more,” she pointed out.
“True,” Andrea agreed.
The girls oohed and aahed over the tasty treats that Alice and Andrea had worked so hard to create. They gushed at the beautiful decorations and Andrea beamed like the proud manor owner that she now was!
Finally, the goodies consumed, everyone turned their attention to Dot. Gloria spoke first. “First and foremost, how are you Dot?”
All eyes turned to their friend.
Dot’s eyes traveled around the room as she focused on each of her dear friends. Tears threatened to spill as she thought about how they had pitched in to help and how much they all meant to her. “I-I’m going to be fine. They caught the cancer early and with a little treatment after the surgery, I should be cancer-free before you know it.”
A collective sigh of relief filled the room. The women impulsively joined hands as Gloria prayed. “Thank you, Dear God, for Dot’s good news. We pray for continued healing in her life as she moves through treatment and thank You for answering our prayers.”
A unanimous AMEN erupted and Alice ran out to grab a fresh pot of hot water. She moved quickly since she couldn’t wait to find out what kind of goodies the girls had brought to surprise their friends.
Margaret and Gloria made their way around the cluster of tables and stood near the divider that hid the gifts from sight.
The room grew quiet as the rest of the girls wondered what they were doing. Gloria nodded to Margaret.
“As you know, Gloria and I were fortunate enough to stumble on those rare coins in the mountains when we were chasing after Liz.” She glanced around the room. “Gloria and I decided that there was no one else in the world we would rather share our unexpected gift with – than you – our dearest friends.”
She paused and Gloria picked up. “So, without further ado, we have something special for each of you.”
Margaret and Gloria slid the partition to the side to reveal the tall stack of boxes.
The girls gasped in surprise.
“Ruth first,” Margaret said.
Ruth paused for just a moment before she jumped out of her chair and crossed the room.
Gloria grabbed one box and Margaret reached for a second.
Gloria held out her box. “Inside this box is the ultimate spy package. It includes a spy pen with audio recording, a set of GPS tracking devices in case you need more than one and an amplifier to hook up to the surveillance you already have so you don’t have to use ear buds.”
Ruth’s eye lit up and Gloria could tell she was ready to rip the box open. “We’re not done.”
Margaret held out the larger box. “This is the deluxe Phantom II drone with longer range, a battery that can last up to an hour and more camera time.”
Ruth clutched her chest. “Really? Oh my gosh! How did you know I wanted the Phantom II?”
“Kenny,” Gloria explained. “He told us you wanted it but it was out of your price range.”
Ruth impulsively kissed Gloria’s cheek first and then Margaret’s.
“Thank you, Ruth, for letting me use your drone to crack Jill’s case,” Gloria added gratefully.
Ruth floated back to her seat, the larger of the two boxes securely in her grasp.
Gloria placed her other box off to the side. “Don’t forget this later.”
Ruth shook her head. “Are you kidding me?”
Margaret snapped her fingers. “Oh, and one more thing. Inside that box is the name and number of a company in Grand Rapids that retrofits vehicles with special equipment. We’ve already paid to have your van equipped with state-of-the-art spy equipment for mobile use.”
Ruth placed her hands on both sides of her cheeks. “I think I just died and went to heaven.”
The group of friends giggled at Ruth’s reaction. Truly, Margaret and Gloria had given her the perfect gift.
“Dot, you’re next,” Gloria waved her to the front.
Dot shuffled to the front of the room.
Gloria reached for her hand. “The best gift ever is the good news from the doctors.” A tear slid down Dot’s cheek, then Margaret’s cheek. Soon, all of the women were crying and Andrea darted out of the room in search of Kleenex as she wiped at her wet eyes.
Gloria cleared her throat and smiled through her tears. “We know that the old stove in your restaurant has been on the fritz for a while now so,” she turned to Margaret, “so we bought you the best commercial grade oven and stove we could find.” She thrust a stack of papers in Dot’s hand. “All you have to do is call the number on the sheet and they will schedule the delivery.”
“I-I.” Dot closed her mouth, afraid she would become unglued and then they would all be bawling again.
“You’re welcome.” The women all got out of their chairs and surrounded their friend.
Finally, when the hugs and the tears subsided, Dot sat back down and Gloria pointed to Lucy. “You’re next.”
Lucy grinned and jumped to her feet.
When Lucy got close, Margaret began to speak. “We tried to get you a lifetime supply of sweets but no one could handle the order.”
The girls giggled and Lucy frowned.
“We hope you like what we came up with instead,” Gloria told her. She handed her a box. “We bought you a lifetime supply of ammo for your guns.”
Margaret held out an envelope, “And we arranged for a company to come out and build you your own custom shooting range.”
Lucy grinned from ear-to-ear. “Are you kidding me?” She spun around and faced Andrea, who also liked to target practice at Lucy’s place in her free time. “Did you hear that? We’re getting a new shooting range?” She grabbed the envelope and lifted it to her lips. “Whoopee!” She bounced back to her seat.
Gloria had a fleeting thought that she might one day regret the decision to build her friend a shooting range. She would have to worry about that another day.
The girls gazed at the small pile of gifts behind Margaret and Gloria.
A twinge of jealousy shot through Andrea, although she quietly dismissed it. This was a special day for the Garden Girls. Maybe someday…
Gloria reached down and grabbed the larger of the two boxes left on the floor. “We have something for you, Alice.”
Alice pointed to her chest. “Me?”
Margaret nodded. She motioned her to come.
Alice looked at Andrea uncertainly and Andrea nodded. “Go!” she urged.
Alice wandered to the front.
Gloria held out the box. “There are two things in this bo
x.” She turned to Margaret who held up a finger.
“First, there is a year’s supply of ghost chili.” Alice clapped her hands. “Oh, the dishes I can make!”
“Second, is a simulated driving course so you can learn to drive while watching TV,” Gloria added.
Alice beamed. “Oh, I will use it every day, Miss Gloria,” Alice promised. She gave each of them a hug before she made her way to the back of the room.
Andrea picked up an empty dish and started for the door.
She took a step back when Gloria stopped her. “Wait, Andrea. We haven’t given you your gift yet.”
Andrea paused. “Me?”
Gloria smiled. “Why, of course.”
All five of the friends turned to Andrea, still standing in the back. Gloria waved her up. “Come get your gift,” she urged.
Andrea slowly made her way to the front as Margaret picked up the last box. It was the smallest of them all but it held the most significance to each of the five Garden Girls, for each of them knew what the box held. It was a special gift and they waited eagerly for Gloria to explain.
Gloria didn’t explain. Instead, she simply handed the box to Andrea. “Open it.”
The box was unlike the rest, meticulously and lovingly wrapped in a bright, shiny paper. Tied in the center was a bright green bow. Pictures of gardening gloves, packets of seeds and small green plants covered the outside.
The paper was beautiful. Andrea pried the tape off with her fingernail and carefully set the paper and bow to the side. She lifted the lid on the box and pulled out the only thing that was inside…a green hat. A Garden Girls hat, not unlike the one that Margaret, Lucy, Dot, Ruth and Gloria had purchased when they formed their Garden Girls Club.
“Welcome to the club,” Gloria simply said.
Andrea stared at the hat, then up at her friend. “You mean…”
“Welcome to the club,” the five women, who had unanimously voted to add Andrea to their small group, exclaimed.
Andrea popped the hat on her head and beamed with pride. The hat was the best gift ever!
The other three made their way to the front as each of them hugged their young friend. She had been a part of the group for a while now, at least in their hearts and minds, and now it was official!
Alice stood near the back and took a picture of the five – now six – women, with Andrea near the middle, grinning from ear-to-ear.
After Alice finished taking several pictures and the women cleared the clutter, Gloria stopped them one more time.
“We have one more gift,” Margaret announced. “This one is for all of us.”
Gloria nodded. “We commissioned an artist from Grand Rapids to paint The Garden Girls portrait and if Andrea doesn’t mind, we would love to hang it here at Magnolia Mansion.”
The girls were thrilled and Andrea, too, since she would be able to display it in the tearoom for all to enjoy. “After our painting, we commissioned him to paint one more – of Magnolia Mansion - and you can put that anywhere you like,” Gloria said.
The chatter of excited voices filled the sunroom and spilled over into the rest of the house. This house promises years of wonderful memories for not only Andrea, but also the rest of the Garden Girls.
Margaret and Gloria were the last to leave. Gloria flung her arm around Margaret’s shoulder. “Well done, my friend,” she said.
Margaret paused. “You, too.” She slid the tip of her high heel pump across the smooth tile floor. “You know, the best gift we have is each other.”
“That is the truth.” Gloria hugged Margaret and then watched as she made her way down the drive to her SUV before heading to the kitchen.
She wanted to thank Andrea one last time for making the day special.
Andrea, still wearing her green hat, was in the kitchen covering the leftovers.
Gloria tapped the tip of the hat. “I take it you are happy with our gift.”
“I think she will sleep with it on her head,” Alice predicted.
Gloria smiled.
Alice wiped her hands on her apron. “Oh! Miss, Gloria. In all the excitement, I forgot about the Acosta family. You know, the people with all the dogs.”
Gloria frowned. She had forgotten as well. “You said you had a chance to talk to them.”
“Si. Perhaps if you are free in a day or two, we can go out there to talk to the owners.”
Gloria nodded. The sooner the better. She had vowed to help those poor animals and that was what she was going to do.
“How about tomorrow? If you can reach the owners, we can swing by there tomorrow.”
“Yes. That is good,” Alice agreed.
Finally, Gloria the last to leave headed to the car. The sun had set and with all the excitement of the last couple of days, she was ready to spend a quiet evening at home, kicking back in her recliner and watching her favorite detective show.
She pulled Annabelle into the drive and climbed out of the car. Brilliant streaks of cotton candy pink and tangerine orange filled the skies across the street… God’s magnificent creation.
Gloria locked the car doors and headed inside. She smiled and looked back one last time at the sky. God had surely blessed Gloria and she couldn’t wait for what tomorrow would bring.
***
The end…or is it? I tossed around the idea of leaving a taste of what was to come in Book #9…and decided to leave it up to you – my reader. If you are content with the tidy ending, read no further.
If you would like to take a peek at Gloria’s upcoming adventure, feel free to scroll down for the second ending.
Happy Reading and Have a Blessed Day!
Hope
The Series Continues…Download Book 9 “Fall Girl” Now!
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Gloria pulled Annabelle into the drive and climbed out of the car. Brilliant streaks of cotton candy pink and tangerine orange filled the skies…God’s magnificent creation.
Gloria, distracted by the beauty that surrounded her, almost missed the police car and crime scene van parked in front of the farmhouse across the road. Almost.
The end, end!
The Series Continues…Download Book 9 “Fall Girl” Now!
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Monster Cookies
Ingredients
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
½ cup margarine, softened
1 cup peanut butter
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4 ½ cup rolled oats
2 tsp. baking soda
4 oz. chocolate chips
4 oz. M&M candies
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together sugars, softened margarine and peanut butter.
Add eggs and vanilla.
Beat well
Mix together oats and baking soda.
Add to creamed mixture.
Stir in chocolate chips, candy and walnuts.
Mix all ingredients thoroughly.
Drop by teaspoonful onto greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
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Bully in the Burbs (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Book 8) Page 15
