For the Love of Pete

by Debby Mayne

  That started a debate between the two older men, so Pete took the opportunity to slip out the side door. As he walked on the sidewalk flanked by tulip shoots, he took a deep breath to fill his lungs with clean, small-town air. No dirty factories in Bloomfield. One of the reasons the town screeched to a halt in population growth is they discouraged business that they deemed dirty. Mayor Woody Hansen said that kind of industry was best left to big cities that could handle smog and air pollution, and the city council agreed. Actually, a more accurate conclusion was that the Bloomfield Garden Club agreed, and when they set their minds to something, there was never any doubt they’d get their way.

  Bethany had dusted the empty shelves and tabletops that once held her mother-in-law’s collectibles. As she moved things around, she had to admit the house looked much better with less clutter. She knew it would look even better if she could bring herself to cull more stuff. But it was hard . . . and draining.

  By the time Aunt Mary arrived, she’d finished dusting, and all she had to do was powder her nose and apply lipstick. “Come on in.” She stood back to let Aunt Mary in.

  “Wow. This place hasn’t changed a bit, except maybe it’s a little more . . .” She smiled at Bethany and cleared her throat. “So are you ready?”

  Bethany knew what her aunt had decided not to say, and she was thankful Aunt Mary stopped when she did. “I have to powder my nose and get my handbag.”

  Aunt Mary nodded and turned around to look at the shelf behind her that held some of Belva’s first-edition signed books, flanked by porcelain bookends that had never been moved since Bethany lived in the house. Bethany had read those books many years ago, and she doubted she’d ever read them again. But she still couldn’t bring herself to get rid of something with such value—both monetary and sentimental.

  After putting on her favorite color of coral lipstick, she appeared at the door and saw Aunt Mary standing there, holding a book open, and scanning the pages. Bethany gasped as she saw the gigantic dust ball rolling across the shelf.

  “What’s wrong?” Aunt Mary closed the book and stuck it back in its place on the shelf. “Are you okay?” Her eyes focused on the dust ball. “Oh, looks like the cleaning lady hasn’t been here in a while.”

  Bethany laughed. “You’re looking at the cleaning lady.”

  “You need to hire someone to help.”

  “I’m afraid I can’t afford what this house needs.”

  Aunt Mary grinned. “I’m cheap. All you have to pay me is an afternoon of good company and maybe a nice cup of herbal tea.” Her smile faded. “What’s wrong? Did I stick my foot in my mouth again?”

  “I-I haven’t . . .” She smiled. “No, you didn’t do anything wrong.” As soon as she returned, she decided she would clean a little bit more.

  Aunt Mary closed the distance between them. “Naomi told me what’s going on. You’re having a hard time getting rid of all the old stuff, aren’t you?”

  No point in denying the obvious, so Bethany nodded. She looked around at the remaining things she’d never use.

  “You don’t have to get rid of everything just because my sister and Pamela think you should.” She tilted her head toward Bethany and offered a sympathetic grin. “You do realize what this whole festival thing is about, right?”

  “To get more people interested in Bloomfield.”

  “Bethany sweetie, that’s just a side benefit. My sister wants you to get rid of the clutter so you have room for love again, and this is what she came up with.”

  “I—”

  “Don’t be upset with her, though. She only wants what’s best for you.”

  “I know.” Bethany shrugged. “As much as I hate to admit this, I’m afraid I agree with her. I’m practically tripping over all the mess.”

  “Have you ever thought about putting everything in boxes and rotating some of it to the attic so it doesn’t look so cluttered?”

  That thought had never occurred to Bethany. “That’s a good idea.” But it would still mean moving her things, and the thought of it exhausted her.

  “My offer to help is still open. I can at least do that since I’ll be here a while. I can only take so much Zumba, polka, and garden club frenzy.”

  Bethany laughed. Her mom had enlisted her to join the garden club, but she did it in name only. As much as she’d wanted to participate for the sake of showing support, the garden club had never been her thing and apparently not Aunt Mary’s either.

  “Let’s decide on a place to eat, and we can talk about it over lunch.” Aunt Mary took her by the arm and led her outside. “I can help you plant some pretty flowers along the front of the house . . . that is, if you don’t mind. I miss having my own garden.”

  “Do you think there’s any chance you might be moving back to Bloomfield for good?”

  Aunt Mary smiled but didn’t answer. “So what are you in the mood for?”

  “How about the Pink Geranium? I haven’t been there in a while.”

  “Sounds great. I’ve missed Caroline’s fabulous quiche.” She closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them, Bethany saw the look of pure bliss on her face. “Let’s go. I don’t want to have to wait in line.”

  By the time they arrived at the Old Towne Inn, half the dining area of the Pink Geranium was full. Bethany took a long look around. “I don’t know most of the people here.”

  “Same here. These folks must be staying at the bed and breakfast.” Aunt Mary nodded toward the woman coming toward them. “There’s Caroline.”

  Both Bethany and Aunt Mary smiled at the petite woman with a salt-and-pepper braid who came toward them smiling, blue eyes twinkling, arms open wide. “It’s so good to see you, Mary. I heard you were in town.”

  Bethany listened as the two old friends chatted, until Mary finally pulled away. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I can’t be held responsible for my actions if I don’t get some of your delicious quiche and soon.”

  Caroline laughed and gestured toward a table in the back. “Then by all means, let’s get you seated and served.”

  After they placed their order, Caroline came back to catch up some more. “I wish you’d gotten here earlier. We had a nice Bible study this morning.”

  Aunt Mary tapped her chin, frowning, and then nodded. “Maybe next week?”

  “You know you’re always welcome to join us. So how’s Naomi? She used to come, but lately she’s been so wrapped up in new projects for the garden club, she hasn’t had time.”

  “She needs to make time.” Bethany couldn’t miss the hint of annoyance in Aunt Mary’s voice. “My sister has always bitten off more than she could chew, and then she complains about it. If she’d put first things first and stop worrying so much about insignificant stuff, she wouldn’t always be so rushed.”

  Bethany tensed. Even though Aunt Mary was her mother’s sister, and she actually agreed with her, Bethany didn’t like having to pick a side.

  Caroline’s soft, warm smile had a calming effect. “That’s something Naomi has to see, and I’m sure she will. She always does.”

  One of the workers motioned for Caroline, so she stood. “I have to run. Let me know if you need anything.” She placed her hand on Aunt Mary’s shoulder but looked at Bethany. “Oh, and Bethany, I want to thank you for your generosity with all those collectibles. I have to admit I’m somewhat surprised you were willing to part with so much.” Caroline offered a sympathetic smile. “I know how difficult that can be since I had to go through my parents’ things after they passed, but once you’re finished, you’ll be glad you did it.”

  Before Bethany had a chance to respond, Caroline had floated away. Bethany knew how hard Caroline worked with her bed and breakfast and small dining room, but she never seemed rattled. In fact, Bethany couldn’t remember ever seeing Caroline without a welcoming smile and gracious attitude. And she was one of the few people who
didn’t get upset with Pamela.

  A basket of pastries arrived, and Aunt Mary didn’t hesitate before selecting one off the top and sinking her teeth into it. Her eyes rolled back, and she let out a long sigh.

  Bethany laughed. “Is it that good?”

  With her mouth still full, Aunt Mary tilted her head toward Bethany and gave her a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding look. She chewed and swallowed. “What do you think?”

  “In that case, I’ll just have to try one—” As she spoke, she started to reach into the basket, until she spotted Naomi standing at the door looking around. “Mom’s here.”

  “So she is.” Aunt Mary’s mouth twisted into a half-frown. “We could pretend not to see her, but that wouldn’t be very nice, would it? I suppose we should ask her to join us.”

  Naomi spotted them and didn’t waste a moment walking to their table. “You didn’t tell me you were coming here,” she said to Aunt Mary. “But that’s okay. Enough people saw you, so it wasn’t too hard to find you.” She turned to Bethany. “Pamela is really pleased about all of the things you donated. She thinks that’ll get everyone excited about bringing out-of-towners to the festival.”

  Aunt Mary snickered. “I think it’s ridiculous to believe people will move to Bloomfield for some trinkets and baubles. I’m sure Pamela sees right through your plan to bring Bethany and—”

  Naomi gave her sister a warning look that stopped her mid-sentence. “You have no idea what’s going on, Mary, and until you do, I would appreciate it if you’d keep your thoughts to yourself.”

  Bethany held her breath, hoping this wasn’t the beginning of another one of their arguments. All of her life, she remembered how her mom and aunt would get into verbal sparring matches.

  “Oh, I can see what’s going on. And there’s no doubt in my mind you’ll have plenty of people coming to the festival, but as I was about to say, that’s definitely not enough to get them—”

  “That’s the difference between you and me, Mary.” Naomi glanced up and motioned for Caroline. “You don’t understand how all this works. People will visit for the festival, and they’ll take home some mementos to remind them how wonderful Bloomfield is, and that’ll get them thinking about making it home.”

  Caroline arrived at the table and gave Bethany a sympathetic smile before turning to her mother. “What can I get for you, Naomi?”

  “I’ll have what they’re having.” She turned to Bethany. “By the way, what are you having?”

  “Quiche.”

  Naomi grinned and snapped her head in a nod. “Good. I love quiche. Oh, and I’d like one of your delicious teas, and I don’t care what kind. Surprise me.”

  Caroline walked away, laughing.

  “So here’s the scoop.” Naomi’s eyes flashed with excitement as she turned all her attention to Bethany. “We’ve copied a thousand flyers already, and Pamela is making some more. I came up with the idea to get the men involved, and surprise, surprise, Pamela agreed with me.”

  Aunt Mary smiled at Bethany before turning back to Naomi. “That is unusual. Are you sure another festival is necessary, though? It’s going to be difficult throwing this together since it’s only a couple months away.”

  “We’re just trying to get the word out that this is the best place in the world. Even if it only brings us one or two new families, we’ll consider it a success.”

  “How far away from your goal are you now?” Aunt Mary asked.

  “All depends on what day you ask and who you talk to. Last week, I think we were up to 9,982, but then we lost a couple newly graduated kids who decided they wanted to try living in the big city for a while.”

  “It’s always been that way, hovering close to the goal but not quite making it, hasn’t it?” Aunt Mary cleared her throat. “Maybe if you . . .” Her voice trailed off, and then she laughed. “Look at me, will you? This is so contagious I’m getting caught up in the fever.”

  “That’s easy to do.” Bethany turned to Naomi. “What else has been donated besides all the stuff I sent?”

  “There’s the weekend here at the bed and breakfast . . .” Naomi lifted her hand and ticked off the items as she listed them. “The golf range is offering a bottomless bucket of balls for an afternoon.”

  “All good stuff.” A thoughtful look came over Mary. “You’re having a parade, right?”

  Naomi nodded. “We’re planning to.”

  “For a prize, why don’t you let someone ride on a float as a special VIP guest? That wouldn’t cost a dime, but it would give someone a powerful sense of belonging here.”

  Naomi’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s a brilliant idea!”

  “Yes, I know.” Aunt Mary teased.

  Naomi gave her a sly grin. “I knew you were just funnin’ me with all that talk about how you don’t get how this festival will bring folks here. That’s probably one of the best ideas yet.”

  “I’m sure I’ll come up with a few more if I put my mind to it.”

  “Then you have to go to the garden club meeting,” Naomi said.

  An instant look of pain shot across Aunt Mary’s face. “No, I don’t think so.”

  “You really need to get over it, Mary,” Naomi said. “Harboring guilt that’s best put to rest will only make you sick.”

  “What are you talking about?” Bethany had never heard anything about guilt and Aunt Mary, and the look on her aunt’s face let her know it was something serious.

  “Never mind.” Aunt Mary shot Naomi a look that made Naomi lean back and shake her head.

  “Are you two going to keep this a secret from me?” Bethany looked directly at Naomi.

  Her mother shot Aunt Mary a glance and then turned back to Bethany and looked her in the eye. “It’s not my secret to tell, so if you want to know what it’s all about, Mary will have to be the one to tell you.”

  “Don’t do this, Naomi.” Mary’s voice came out in a low growl, totally unlike anything Bethany had ever heard from her aunt.

  Bethany watched the dynamics change between her mother and aunt and knew this was an issue that ran deep. She wasn’t normally the nosy type, but now she wanted more than ever to know what had gone on between Aunt Mary and the garden club.

  When their quiches arrived, Naomi ate hers slowly, but Aunt Mary barely touched hers. Bethany looked forward to finding out Aunt Mary’s secret so she could help wipe the look of guilt and hurt from the normally loving face. But she couldn’t without knowing what had happened.

  The next half hour was one of the longest Bethany could remember as they ate in an uncomfortable silence. Finally, Naomi stood. “I have to go meet with the garden club. I’ll cover everyone’s lunch.”

  “You don’t have to,” Bethany argued.

  “I don’t have to do anything.” Naomi glanced back and forth between Bethany and her sister. “Except this. It’s the least I can do after upsetting the apple cart.”

  After Naomi left, Aunt Mary stood and pushed her chair under the table. “Why don’t we do a little shopping? I remember that was something you always enjoyed.”

  Aunt Mary clearly wanted to evade the topic, so Bethany nodded. She could bring it up later when they were alone.

  Chapter 8

  The first place they stopped was the card shop. Sherry greeted them as she pushed a cart toward the racks of cards.

  “Hey, Bethany.” She grinned. “Mary, I’m so glad you’re in town. I heard you were thinking about moving back.”

  Aunt Mary shrugged. “Maybe. I still haven’t decided.”

  Sherry laughed. “I’m surprised Pamela hasn’t twisted your arm. She can taste victory when we get this close to the ten thousand target.”

  “If I move back, it won’t have anything to do with the population goal.”

  “I understand.” Sherry continued smiling. “But I would love to see you move back, as I’m s
ure everyone in the garden club would. You have such a way with flowers.”

  Bethany noticed Aunt Mary stiffen. “My decision has nothing to do with anyone else, and certainly anything Pamela can possibly say to me will absolutely not affect what I do.”

  “Okay then.” Sherry’s eyes bulged with confusion as she glanced at Bethany. “I unpacked more of the shipment we got in last week, and I discovered some of the brand new Hummels. They’re over there on the display against the wall.” She nodded toward the back of the store. “Oh, and I have some of last year’s pieces on sale. I know how you like a bargain. Let me know if you have any questions.”

  Bethany’s heart raced as she made her way to the display. Since she’d just gotten rid of some of her other collections, she had some room. The sale sign practically called her name.

  “Oh, no, ya don’t,” Aunt Mary said as she yanked on Bethany’s arm and steered her toward the cards. “It’s tempting to tell you to go for it, but Naomi would never forgive me if I let you do that.”

  “What do you mean, let me do that?” Bethany planted a fist on her hip. “I’m a grown woman, and I can buy anything I can afford.” She lifted the sale sign. “Besides, look at this. They’re on sale. A bargain.”

  Aunt Mary held up her hands in surrender. “I realize that, but humor me, okay? If you want to buy Hummels, come back in here and do it when I’m not with you. I seriously don’t want my sister ganging up on us, and you know she will.”

  Yes, Bethany did know that, so she forced herself to back down. “Okay, that’s fair.” She quietly wondered how she could get Sherry to hold onto some of the sale items until she could return.

  “Whew. I was afraid you’d do it anyway. I don’t want to upset you, but to be honest, making my sister angry is much worse.” Aunt Mary lifted a card and pretended to read it before placing it back in the slot. “She’s very protective of you, ya know.”

  “Yes, I do know that.”

  “She’s always been a good mother from what I can tell.”