Charming Lily

by Fern Michaels

  “This is going to be the fastest shopping expedition in history,” Lily said as she parked the truck behind Webb Furniture. “I’m buying everything off the floor and asking for immediate delivery. I suppose this is an ass-backwards way of doing things, since I haven’t been inside the house since Mr. Sonner finished it. Hey, Sadie, maybe the little guesthouse is done. Damn, we should have checked that first.”

  “It’s done, Lily. I took Buzz over to run in the yard yesterday. I thought I could stay there if you plan to move into the big house. I don’t want to cramp your style with Matt.”

  “Really! That’s perfect. Now you can pick out your own stuff. That’s going to be all yours, Sadie. Forever and ever. For some reason I think you’re going to end up in Oregon in this big fancy house nestled in a mountain with all kinds of evergreens surrounding it. I didn’t see it, but I do feel it.” She laughed when Sadie blushed a rosy pink.

  From the depths of her oversize canvas tote bag, Lily withdrew her furniture list. She was a salesman’s dream as she walked up and down the aisles pointing or saying, this and this, and I want that and that and those two pieces over there and that armoire over there. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Sadie doing the same thing.

  Lily wrote out a check the moment the store manager agreed to delivery for one o’clock.

  “That gives us time to shop for bedding, dishes, and all the other things we need, and if we have time, we’re going to the Natchez Democrat to see if they have any pictures of the Laroux sons. I read the paper every day while Matt was in the hospital, and there wasn’t one word about the family house being broken into. I even read the back issues that came out when we were searching for Matt. I wish I knew how Matt planned to handle all of this. He’s so worried if word gets out, the stock will go down. Here this guy was abducted, robbed blind, left to die, and he’s worried about his investors.”

  “If he wasn’t like that, you probably wouldn’t love him. Do you really think I’ll end up in Oregon?”

  “Absolutely. You blew Dennis’s socks off. He’s about as smitten as a man can be. He called you, didn’t he? You have a date. You don’t need to be a love guru to figure out where it’s all going. I’m so happy for you, Sadie. I didn’t much care for Tom, but if he was what you wanted, I was okay with it. I just want you to be happy. You are better than a sister could ever be. Friendship is the most wonderful thing on this earth. I think, Sadie, you are the only person in the whole world I would trust with my children, my dogs, and my money.”

  “Lily, that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. I feel the same way. That’s how Dennis feels about Matt. My gosh, I almost forgot to tell you what Dennis told me last night about Marcus’s wife. Wait till you hear this!”

  They talked as they walked through the department store choosing pillows, comforters, sheets, and other household items. An hour later the Rover was packed to the roof. “That was fun, wasn’t it?” Lily giggled as she got behind the wheel. “Last stop, the newspaper. If we have to do the microfilm thing, I’m going to leave you there and pick you up later. Better yet, if you don’t mind, I will leave you there. Is that okay, Sadie? As it is, we’re cutting it pretty close. My fingers are crossed that the delivery truck will be a little late.”

  “Sure, don’t worry about me. I can walk to the house from here. I need the exercise.”

  Sadie watched Lily drive away. She felt lost suddenly. Her best friend didn’t need her anymore. Maybe that wasn’t totally true, but now that Lily had Matt, she would want to spend all her time with him, which was the way it was supposed to be. She needed to move on now and get her own life. She eyed the phone in the lobby of the Democrat and made a mental note to call Ozzie when she finished what she’d come here to do. Maybe by then the lump in her throat wouldn’t be so big. If it dissolved, there was less chance that she would cry.

  She thought about the little cottage she’d stopped by to see yesterday. She could be happy living there. No, she could visit from time to time, but she couldn’t live there. She needed to get on with her own life, forge new paths, meet new people, swim a couple of oceans. Meet some nice guy and eventually get married and have a couple of kids. She’d ask Lily and Matt to be the godparents. She wasn’t going to count on Dennis, and she wasn’t going to sit around and wait for him either. If he was seriously interested, he could find her in Wyoming. It was called taking charge of her life.

  She eyed the phone again. Maybe she should call Ozzie now and get it out of the way since she had all afternoon to herself. She fumbled in her purse for change. Satisfied that she had enough money for a short conversation, she dialed the number before she could change her mind.

  “Lulu, this is Sadie. Listen, I’m calling you from a phone booth, and I don’t have much change on me. I wanted to ask if you could use some help. I can leave on Sunday if that’s okay with you. Thanks, Lulu. Lily’s fine. They’re going to reschedule the wedding. Probably sometime soon. Tell Ozzie I said hello. I’ll see you Sunday night.”

  Damn, the lump was back in her throat. And her eyes were burning, too. Only weak-kneed females cried, and she was not one of those. She squared her shoulders and walked up to the information desk to make her request known. She waited patiently until the Lifestyle weekend editor could be found.

  She was an older woman, well past retirement age. She was lively, though, with a spring in her step and a twinkle in her eyes. “I’m Jolene Abernathy, and you must be Sadie Lincoln. I understand you would like to see a picture of Calumet’s boys. Well, honey, you are in luck. I have one sitting right on my desk. I miss that old codger. I used to pick him up every Saturday night to play bingo at St. Mary’s Basilica. It’s the Catholic church Calumet belonged to. That man did have the luck. He won most every time we played. He’d laugh for hours because you see, I never won. It gave him such pleasure. We were friends all our lives. Now, tell me, why do you want to see a picture of the boys?”

  Why indeed. “It’s like this, Miss Abenathy. I’m a survival guide in Wyoming. I came here for a friend’s wedding. It’s the darnedest thing, ma’am, those young men sent in a deposit to take our survival course and forgot to complete the most important part of the forms. I thought as long as I was here, I’d look them up and ask them to complete it. I’m going back to Wyoming on Sunday night.” At least one part of her bald-faced lie was true.

  “I went by the electronics store Under-the-Hill, and the shop is closed due to a death in the family. You wouldn’t happen to know when they’ll be back, would you?”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know. A survival course you say? Mercy. Those boys are forever traipsing off somewhere. Cal was so indulgent with them. Now, don’t get me wrong, they did work in the store, and they did take it over when Cal had his last stroke. They took mighty good care of their daddy. They had nurses round the clock. Course, Cal could afford that. He made his money early on when cotton was king, as they say around here. Now, here it is. Striking-looking young men, wouldn’t you say?” Miss Abernathy held out a framed photograph.

  “They do look . . . sturdy. You have to be sturdy to take our course,” Sadie said solemnly. “Is there anyone who might know where I can locate them since time is of the essence? I’d hate to see them lose their reservation since the deposit was quite substantial. You know, close personal friends, relatives, neighbors?”

  “I can’t say that I do, sweetheart. Did you try any of the other merchants Under-the-Hill? You could try Minnie Figgins. She kept house for Cal and stayed on to work for the boys after he passed on. I think she goes home at night now, though. When Cal was alive, she slept in the maid’s quarters. As for neighbors, I doubt the boys have much to do with them. They’re as old as Cal was and have live-in caregivers. I suppose you could stop by and ask. I think Minnie is your best bet. I’m sorry I’m not more help.

  Sadie stared down at the picture in her hands, wondering how she could possibly get a copy of it when the woman said, “You’re welcome to take the picture if you pr
omise to return it. It has sentimental value.”

  “That’s very kind of you. Yes, I would like to take it with me. I’ll be sure to return it.”

  “What exactly will you be doing with the picture?”

  “You did say they were bachelors, didn’t you?” Sadie twinkled.

  “Did I? Yes, they are. Oh, I see, you’re single and available. Yes, of course.”

  Sadie forced a laugh. “Uh-huh.”

  “Well, I have to get back to work. Take as much time as you need, but be sure to bring the picture back.”

  “Thank you very much. I’ll get it back to you as soon as I can. I hope you win at bingo tomorrow, Miss Abernathy.”

  “I don’t go anymore, child. When Cal passed on all the fun went out of it.”

  “I’m sorry. Thanks again,” Sadie said as she made her way down the hall and out to the lobby where she stared at the picture in her hands. “Bastards,” she muttered under her breath.

  Sadie buttoned up her jacket and headed down the street. It wasn’t that far to the Laroux house. A fifteen-minute brisk walk at best. She slipped the framed photograph into her purse and set off.

  She was wrong about the fifteen-minute walk. It took her thirty minutes. When she rang the bell on the front porch she hoped the housekeeper would invite her in and possibly offer her a cup of hot tea. She rang the bell three more times with no response. Well, she’d come all this way so she might as well try the back door. Perhaps the old lady was hard of hearing or maybe she was outside.

  Sadie found her sitting on the steps, smoking a corncob pipe, a wizened little woman with steel gray hair tied into a topknot. She was skinnier than a string of dry spaghetti, with faded blue eyes that watered constantly. She removed the corncob pipe and offered up a toothless smile for Sadie’s benefit. Sadie loved her on sight.

  “What can I do for you, young woman?” the woman asked, tapping the pipe on the corner of the step.

  “I’m looking for the boys,” Sadie said boldly. “We’re supposed to go on a trip together. Do you know where they are?”

  “They left without you, honey,” the housekeeper said, filling the pipe with fresh tobacco from the pocket of her baggy house dress. Eighty pounds at best. Maybe seventy-five. She also looked to be 105. Sadie blurted out the age question.

  “Ninety-five my last birthday. I’m hopin’ to make it to one hundred so that Willard Scott will put me on the television with them there jelly jars. That’s only five more years to go. I’ll be gettin’ my hair fixed that day. The president of the United States sends you a personal birthday card when you turn one hundred. Did you know that?”

  “You’ll be pretty as a picture, and no, I didn’t know that,” Sadie said. “Are you going to get a new dress?”

  “I might. One with a lace collar. The kind you can use on other dresses. I don’t know if they still make them anymore. Things keep changing,” she said fretfully. “So what are you going to do now that the boys up and left you, young woman?”

  “I don’t know. Do you know where they went?”

  “Far away they said. Might be gone a whole year. They paid me up for the whole year and told me to take care of the house. I moved back in here and let my place go. They closed up the store. Said one of their cousins would come in the summertime and take it over. Can’t remember which one. Didn’t know there were any cousins left. You don’t remember so good when you get old. Closed up the store real tight, in-surance paid up, too. That’s why they done it that way. You can’t do nothin’ these days without in-surance.”

  She needed their names. She couldn’t ask, now that she had said they were friends. “Miss Figgins, did you have nicknames for the boys?”

  “I didn’t, but their pa did. The oldest one was named after his pa and everyone called him Junior. The middle boy now was named after his mama’s father’s side of the family. His name was Hawthorne. The boys called him Thorny, and so did his friends. The young’un was named Bristol after his mama’s mama’s side of the family. Every one pretty much called him Tolly.”

  “Are you sure you don’t know where they went, Miss Figgins? It’s really important. I can’t believe they left me stranded here like this. Didn’t they say anything at all to give you a clue as to where they were going?”

  “The three of them were like magpies, one would say something and then the other would say something different and then Tolly would add his two cents. It made me no never mind. Someplace warm with sand and no humidity, Junior said. They didn’t pack much. It don’t make no sense to me. They up and buy a new car, one of those fancy ones with the tiger on the front, and then they leave without you. What’s gotten into these young’uns lately.”

  Sadie sucked in her breath. “How many cars do they have?”

  “Four or five. They’re all in the garage. Mr. Cal had to add on to the garage once they were old enough to drive. They be right over there. Take a look-see yourself.”

  Sadie trotted over to the garage and opened the door. The housekeeper was right, there were four cars parked side by side. The car on the end caught her eye. A silver-blue Jaguar. Matt’s car. She squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again. She wasn’t dreaming. It was Matt’s car, complete with New York license plates. She closed the door carefully.

  “I guess I should be going, Miss Figgins. Thanks for all your help. If those boys call, you be sure to tell them how upset I am that they left me behind.”

  “They won’t call. They never do. But I will certainly do that if they should call. What name should I be giving them if they do call?”

  A devil perched itself on Sadie’s shoulder. “Tiffany Diamond.”

  “Now that’s a sparkly kind of name,” the housekeeper cackled.

  “I’m a sparkly kind of gal,” Sadie grinned. “Bye, Miss Figgins.”

  The housekeeper sucked on the pipe and blew out a stinky-smelling puff of smoke. She waved airily in Sadie’s direction.

  Sadie ran all the way to North Union Street. She was breathless when she burst through the front door. “Lily, I have news! I found Matt’s car! Honest to God! There it was, right in the garage! That old housekeeper didn’t have a bit of trouble telling me the boys had a new car, and she even told me to go look at it. Do you believe that, Lily? We have to tell Matt right away! Our first real big break. We should call the police, or do you have to check with Matt first? I bet there are millions of fingerprints all over it. Am I a detective or what? I’m going back to Wyoming on Sunday night!” Sadie blurted. “Say something, Lily!”

  “Damn, you’re good. You really found the car! Right there on their property! Unbelievable. God, I love you. Matt is going to go over the moon. I just called, and I guess he’s sleeping because he didn’t answer. I don’t think we should rush over there and wake him up. The car isn’t going to go anywhere. Let’s give him another half hour, then surprise him.”

  “Sounds like a plan to me.” Sadie looked around, noticing the room for the first time. “Ohhhh, Lily, this is gorgeous! I can’t believe it’s the same house! You did a fantastic job.” She flopped down on a wheat-colored sofa with bright plum-colored cushions. “And it’s comfortable. You could get lost in this sofa. Matt is going to love it! Lily, it’s beautiful. I hope you and Matt will be very happy here. You should have been a decorator. What an eye for color. I’m glad you decided not to carpet the floors. Look how great they came out. Such character. The exposed beams are stunning. What are you going to do to dress up the windows?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe just swags. I want to live here a while before I decide. I don’t want to make a mistake. Do you think Matt will like it?” Lily asked.

  “Lily, he’s going to love it. This is a Matt and Lily house. I feel it in here,” Sadie said, thumping her chest.

  “It all just blended. The easy chairs, the ottomans, the little tables, and, of course, the big coffee table. Matt loves to pile junk on tables, and he also likes to put his feet up. He’s going to flip over the big-screen TV. I can’t wait for
him to see it. What time is it?”

  “A little after three.”

  “Let me give you the rest of the tour before we head over to the apartment. Everything is in place. I even washed the sheets and put them on the beds, and I washed those big fluffy towels I bought for Matt. They’re so big they’re like sheets. The dishes and silverware went through the dishwasher, and while they were washing I ran to the Natchez Market on Seargent S. Prentiss and bought dinner. I’ve got a roast going in my new oven. Get this, I bought a bread machine, and bread is baking! Don’t you love the smell? I can’t believe you found Matt’s car!”

  Sadie wrinkled her nose. “Yeah and it looked clean, too. Shoot, maybe they had it washed and there are no fingerprints on it. Damn, I didn’t think of that.”

  “There’s bound to be one they forgot. We’ll hope for the best,” Lily said as she escorted Sadie from room to room.

  “Sadie, tell me that was a joke about you going back to Ozzie’s.”

  “I have to get on with my life. There’s nothing for me here. You have Matt, and I’d just be a third wheel. I’m not living off you, and that’s final.”

  “What about Dennis? I thought . . .”

  Damn, the lump was back in her throat again. She tried to clear it. “If it’s meant to be, it will be. If it isn’t, nothing will happen. I refuse to sit around here waiting for him to maybe call or maybe say he’s coming for a visit. We just met for heaven’s sake. I’ll do one last year with Ozzie and decide what I’m going to do when the year is up. I need it to wean myself away from you, Lily. You’re embarking on a whole new life, and I don’t belong in that life except as a friend that you can call on night or day. I’ll visit if Ozzie gives me some time off. Remember, you’re going to be traveling with Matt.”