by J. D. Shaw
“If you made it, it is special.” He corrected as she set it down in front of him.
“You have the honor of getting the first Nana Mary’s famous apple blossom.” She beamed with pride.
“Hey, that looks spectacular.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. “I love apple pie.”
“It’s a very old family recipe.” She explained. “I’m sure it will become one of my best sellers.”
“Gosh, I wish I could dig in right now and try it.” He smiled at her. “But I have to get back to patrolling.”
“It travels like a dream.” She enjoyed how his arm felt around her. It restored her sense of protection that had been shattered. “I even threw in a plastic fork and some napkins.”
He reached into the box with his free hand and speared a piece with the fork. He popped it into his mouth and closed his eyes as a little moan of ecstasy escaped his lips. “Vivienne, this is the best apple blossom I’ve ever had.”
“There is a little trick that’ll make it taste even better.” She leaned forward and kissed him.
He gave her waist a little squeeze. “Everything tastes better when your lips are warmed up? Yeah, I know that trick.”
She giggled and pried herself away before things got too steamy. “I wouldn’t want to interfere with an officer of the law on duty.”
He winked at her and stood up from the table with the box in his hands. “So, what about that second date I was promised?”
“I’m free tonight.”
He scratched his goatee for a moment in pretend thought. “Well, there was this ultimate fighting match I was going to watch…”
“Well don’t let me interrupt your time with nearly naked men writhing around inside a cage.” She put her hands on her hips in mock protest.
“How about seven thirty at your place?”
She scratched at her chin in response. “Well, I was going to watch these half-naked men fight each other tonight…”
He raised his right hand in the air. “I promise I’ll be on time.”
“Are we going out for dinner?” She asked.
“Sure, if that’s what you’d like?”
She saw another opportunity to get to know him better and decided to jump at it. “How about we have dinner at your place tonight? You provide the table and dishes, I’ll provide the dinner.”
He was silent for a moment. Then, he looked into her eyes and nodded. “I won’t have much time to clean up the bachelor pad for company.”
“That’s okay.” She smiled and raised her right hand. “I promise not to judge.”
“604-B Meier Lane. It’s a green duplex. My door is on the right.”
“See you then, Deputy.” She handed him his hat from the table which he dutifully donned.
“I’ll be counting the minutes.” He grinned and left the shop.
She scooted over to the phone and dialed Kathy’s number. “Guess who just got a second date with Deputy Dashing?
“I’m glad you called because I’ve got the perfect outfit for you to wear.” Kathy sounded rushed. “Stop over to the store and pick it up on your way home. I have to go now.” She hung up leaving Vivienne to wonder if perhaps her friend was just a little bit jealous about her new relationship. No, she reasoned. If the outfit turned out to be a used potato sack with a piece of hemp rope as a belt, then she’d have to start worrying.
Chapter 13
The Trade Winds Clothier was busier than usual with customers. There were several women, all dressed in varying degrees of fashionable attire, clustered near the dressing room area. Each one looked similar to the other. The haircuts were all variations on the same theme with wispy bangs and soft angles. The blond color, shared by the women, again was variations with only subtle highlights and lowlights for any sort of actual difference. Vivienne failed to recognize any of them, but they were keeping Kathy quite busy running piles of clothing over to them, chattering amongst themselves, and simultaneously texting on their smart phones.
Spotting Vivienne standing near the front counter, Kathy gave her a wave and left the armful of new outfits with a strikingly beautiful blond who seemed to be in charge of the others.
“Looks like things are going well here.” Vivienne smiled at her friend who returned to her post near the register. “Is there some big sale going on I’m not aware of?”
“You have no idea.” Kathy said slightly out of breath from her frantic pace. “They’re all here for Mona’s memorial service.”
“I hadn’t heard anything. When is it?” Vivienne hoped it wasn’t tonight.
“It’s tomorrow afternoon over at Our Lady of the Lake.” Kathy began to spin one the displays of earrings and bracelets around, pulling a select few pieces of jewelry from the racks. “It’s only for close friends and family I’m told.”
“Are they close friends or family?” Vivienne pointed discreetly to the group of women who were all giving their opinion to one of their own about the simple black dress she had tried on. The blond leader draped a crimson scarf over the woman’s shoulders and nodded her approval.
“Damned if I know.” Kathy shrugged. “But they’ve got money and they’re spending it here. I’ve got no complaints.”
The blond leader left the group and joined Kathy and Vivienne at the counter. “Did you find some earrings like I described?”
Vivienne caught a whiff of the same heavy floral perfume that Mona had worn. She stepped aside to allow her easier access to Kathy.
“These have Swarovski crystals.” Kathy handed her a pair of silver drop earrings. “They’re limited edition too.”
Vivienne admired them sparkling in the store’s overhead track lighting. “Those are just lovely. Look how they catch the light.”
The blond woman turned toward her and smiled. “You get so used to Barney’s and Saks.” She gave the earrings a little shake. “It’s a nice change of pace to shop at little mom and pop places out in the sticks.”
Kathy’s smile transformed into a frown at the last comment. “We do what we can to keep up. Our social calendar is just crammed with all those fancy barn dances and potluck church dinners.”
Vivienne suppressed a chuckle and extended her hand. “I’m Vivienne Finch, by the way. I’m opening the Sweet Dreams Bakery on Main Street in a few days.”
The blond woman regarded her coldly, ignoring her handshake offer and instead concentrating on the earrings. “Fiona Meadows.”
“Are you family members of Mona Clarke?” She asked.
Fiona set the earrings down on the counter and waved to the group of women. “We’re her friends from New York.”
Kathy scooped the earrings up and returned them to the display. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything fancier in stock. You might want to visit Meeker Jewelers down the street.”
“I have so many pairs I’ve never even worn.” Fiona yawned. “I’ll just dig through some of those.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss.” Vivienne offered.
“Thank you.” Fiona barely raised an eyebrow. She pulled out a platinum charge card and handed it to Kathy. “I’ll take the silk ensemble and those two darling scarves.”
The group of women approached the counter with their selections of mourning outfits. Most were variations on the little black dress, but a few had chosen burnt reds and warm browns. Fiona smiled at them. “Next stop is the florist, ladies.” She glanced at a gold wrist watch on her delicate arm. “We must fill every corner of that drab little church with flowers.”
Kathy rang up her purchase to the tune of three hundred and fifty dollars. She swiped the card and then handed it back to Fiona. “Tell Brian I said hello.”
“Whom did you say?” Fiona sniffed.
“Brian Amberry, the owner of Hummingbird Floral. He’s a good friend.” Kathy explained as she pulled a plastic garment bag over the silk dress.
“Indeed.” Fiona clutched her purchases and stepped aside for the other members to complete their shopping.
She turned to face Vivienne. “Are you one of Mona’s local friends?”
“Uh, not exactly.” Vivienne stumbled with her words. “We knew each other casually.”
“I see.” Fiona’s voice was soft and well-controlled. “Can you recommend someplace charming to have lunch?”
Vivienne doubted Fiona and her fashion clique would find Clara’s Diner or even Shanghai Sunset to be high enough class for their taste. “Have you tried the Bistro Parisian?”
“I don’t believe so.” Fiona arched a finely plucked brow. “Is it very far? These heels aren’t made for long walks, especially on those dreadful sidewalks. I think some of those cracks are large enough for a small child to fall in.”
Vivienne shook her head. “It’s only four stores down from the florist. They have a nice lunch menu.” As much as she hated to admit it, Fiona was right. The sidewalks, subjected to the snow and ice of Northeast winters, had not fared well over the years. They were the bane of many a mother pushing her stroller along Main Street.
“I’m dying for a decent salad to nibble on. Seems most of these little towns thrive on the quaint greasy spoons.”
“They have wonderful salads there.” Vivienne recalled her last visit to the bistro with her mother back in June. The salad was decent sized and quite colorful, but she hardly felt that justified the twelve dollar cost. Like many of the businesses and boutiques in town, the Bistro relied on the opened designer purses of Fiona and her ilk. The owner rarely left his home in Boston, instead trusting the day to day operation to his executive chef, Valentin Macias.
With their purchases complete, Fiona approached Kathy one last time. “Would you be a lamb and have these sent over to the Brass Cricket Inn?”
Kathy, having taken in well over fifteen hundred dollars in sales from the group, put on her best fake smile. “It would be my pleasure to do that.”
Fiona handed her back the garment bag and rounded her clique up much like a dog herding sheep. “Thank you most kindly.”
They filed out in unison, like soldiers off to war. Fiona bundled her black woolen shawl over her shoulders and stepped out into the cool autumn air. After a quick check of her bearings, she led her troop off to the next destination.
“Thank you most kindly.” Kathy mocked and razzed them with her tongue.
Vivienne burst out into a gale of laughter. “I have to admit, you kept your cool surprisingly well.”
“These are examples of who Mona wanted to bring here regularly?” Vivienne huffed.
“They might not be the friendliest lot, but you have to admit they dropped a nice chunk of change.” Vivienne doubted they would have even set foot in her palace of carbohydrates.
“That’s true.” Kathy glanced at all the dresses and shopping bags scattered on the counter where the ladies had left them. “They’ve certainly helped me to reach my monthly sales goal.”
“Need some help taking this over to the inn?”
“Sure. But not until after you try on that outfit I told you about.” Kathy ducked down behind the counter and pulled out a stunning jade green racer back dress. “What do you think?”
“It’s lovely.” She ran her hands along the fabric. “But our date is hardly this formal. I’m bringing dinner over to his house tonight.”
Kathy’s jaw dropped. “Say what?”
“I thought you’d be proud?” Vivienne puzzled. “What better way to find out more about him than seeing where he lives?”
Kathy folded her arms across her chest. “That Fiona woman was right. We are just a bunch of hay seeds here.”
Vivienne sighed. “We’re just keeping things easy going for now.”
“Are you going to seal the deal by crocheting him a gun cozy too?”
“I’ll save that for the third date.” Vivienne joked. “Better make that the fourth, since I can’t crochet worth a damn.”
Kathy smiled at her friend and took the dress back. “All I’m saying is that your next date better require the use of this little number.”
“It will.” Vivienne promised. “Speaking of formal affairs, I wonder why Mona’s service is being kept private.”
“Probably because they knew no one from town was going to bother to attend.”
“I’m serious.” Vivienne sighed. “She was always so outgoing and in the spotlight. It just seems strange to have her laid to rest without a fuss.”
“I guess that’s what Richard wanted.” Kathy took a seat on the stool behind her counter. “It hardly seems like something Mona would want, though.”
“She was many things, but a shrinking Samantha wasn’t one of them.” Vivienne agreed.
“You can say that again.” Kathy agreed.
The afternoon passed fairly quickly for Vivienne as she helped her friend deliver the fashionable mourners purchases to the Brass Cricket Inn, completed her tasks at the bakery, dropped off some bills to be mailed at the post office, and finally settled into the little oak dinette set in her home kitchen to figure out what to make for dinner.
She had poured over several of the cookbooks and after considering the prep times and the ingredients available in her fridge and pantry, decided upon a simple baked macaroni and cheese. It was comforting and delicious and most importantly it was easy to keep warm in her oven while she prepared for their second date.
Lacking a quality smoked cheddar to elevate her creation, Vivienne resorted to one of the few pieces of cooking advice from her Mother. If you can cheat the flavor, go for it. No one but you will be the wiser. She frantically searched her spice rack and came upon the little brown bottle. “I knew you’d come in handy sooner or later.” She shook a few drops of liquid smoke into the cheese sauce and stirred it ever-so-carefully into the bubbling orange mixture. She smiled and fanned the steam that rose from her stainless pot toward her nose. Joshua was going to be putty in her hands after eating this.
After combining the pasta with the sauce and pouring it into one of her vintage harvest gold casserole dishes, she sprinkled the top with bread crumbs and placed it in the oven.
As she about to set the timer, there was a loud scratching sound from outside the kitchen window. In the dim twilight, she saw a pair of yellow eyes watching her. With a frightened gasp, she nearly backed into the gas burners.
“Meow.”
She instinctively placed her hands over her heart which had skipped a few beats. “Mister Tom Cat?”
“Meow.” He yowled back and scratched at her screen with his front paws.
She crossed over to the window and saw that he had climbed the little white trellis where her morning glories had bloomed all summer. Straddling the wooden diamond pattern planks with his back paws, he blinked a few times. “How did you find your way here?”
He jumped down to the grass and then darted toward her front lawn.
Intrigued, she followed to the front door and found him sitting on her stoop looking up with those inquisitive golden eyes. “You are nothing if not persistent.”
Against her better judgment, she opened the door and he immediately darted up and rubbed back and forth along her legs. He curled his long tail around her calves, purring ever more loudly.
She could feel the nip in the evening air as the temperature dropped. The forecast had called for a heavy frost tonight and she hated to think of him shivering outside without a blanket or a lap to sit upon. “Why me?” She asked him. “There must be a hundred families in town who have room for a new house cat.”
“Meow.” He answered back between purrs.
She gestured to her living room. “Come on in.”
He placed one paw on the threshold and paused for a moment, as if weighing the consequences of going inside. No doubt he had been on the streets for some time and was not accustomed to being anywhere where there wasn’t a quick escape should danger pop up.
As the heat poured out her front door, she put her hands on her hips. “You have to choose in or out, Mister Tom Cat. I don’t have time to stand here all night and heat th
e neighborhood.”
He jumped into the living room and immediately began to smell the sofa.
She shut the door and watched as he started to place his paws on the side panel of the fabric. “If you scratch that you’ll be spending the night outside.”
He regarded the tone of her voice and then stepped away from the sofa. He curled his tail around his body and sat down on the carpet.
“That’s more like it.” She smiled and petted his head. “But in the morning you’re going back outside.”
“Meow.” He seemed to protest the arrangement.
“Don’t try to sweet talk me.” She teased and then looked at the wall clock. She had less than an hour to shower, pick an outfit, do up her hair and makeup, and be over at Joshua’s. “I’m running late puss. You’ll have to fend for yourself for a few hours.”
He jumped up onto the sofa and nestled into the small throw pillows creating a little nest. He winked at her and then curled into a comfortable position to enjoy a warm nap.
Not having a litter box or even litter for that matter, she had to improvise as there was no time to go to the store. She rummaged through her cupboards and found a disposable sheet cake tin. Filling it was plain quick cook oats, she hoped it would serve as a proxy bathroom should Tom Cat require one. She also filled a small salad bowl with water and left it nearby in case he required a drink.
As she jumped into the shower and let the warm water dance across her skin, she felt the tension of the day slide away like the shower gel bubbles. She lingered a bit longer than she knew she should, but it was no soak in the garden tub either. That was one of her pure pleasures after a long day, along with a bath pillow and a good paperback book. But she didn’t have time for that right now.
Wrapped in fluffy towels, she poked around her bedroom closet for a casual yet flattering outfit and after much debate decided upon a pair of boot-cut denim jeans and a cream colored v-neck sweater. As she admired her image in the mirror, she was pleased that the look turned out exactly like she had hoped.
Guiding the brush carefully through her auburn locks, she shaped it into her usual style and went about putting on her makeup. Although Kathy usually went for more bold looks, Vivienne had always been a fan of the ‘less is more’ feel. She took care to eliminate shine with matte powder and enhance her cheekbones with a hint of blush. It wasn’t exactly a runway model look, but it served her well for many years. She was about to choose a pair of earrings when suddenly the smoke detector went off in the kitchen with a shrill pierce. “I forgot to set the timer.” She jumped up from her vanity.
