Thirty-Two and a Half Complications

by Denise Grover Swank

  We held on in silence for several seconds before my shock gave way to my anger. “How many payments have we missed?”

  “Three.”

  “Three?” A quick calculation told me that three payments were just shy of five thousand dollars. We were worse off than I thought. “And you didn’t think to tell me? The loan’s in my name, Violet! It’s my credit you’re ruining!”

  She choked on her words. “I’m sorry.”

  “That’s not good enough!”

  “It’s all I have right now!” she shouted back. “Instead of assigning blame, we need to figure out how to fix this mess.”

  I wanted to cry, but if I gave into my tears, I worried that I wouldn’t be able to stop. “Is there a way to fix this mess? Or have you killed our business before it even had a chance to get off the ground? You couldn’t be happy with taking it slow. You had to expand immediately. You insisted on not only having a Holiday Open House, but one Fenton and all its neighboring counties would talk about for months to come. It just kept growing bigger and bigger.”

  Her temper flared. “You were on board with all of this, every step of the way, so don’t you pretend to play innocent now.”

  “That’s because you told me we could afford it!”

  “And until Mr. Sullivan disappeared and those crooks took our money, we could! I can’t help it if the man decided to play Jesse James!”

  I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the truck seat. What on earth were we gonna do?

  “Rose.” Her voice was harsh. “You need to stop being so mule-headed stubborn and ask Mason to help out.”

  “No.”

  “Rose!”

  “No! That’s your solution to everything! Ask someone else to bail you out. You got us into this mess, so we need to bail ourselves out, Violet! We need to stand on our own two feet.”

  “Is that a thinly veiled insult about my personal life?”

  “It wasn’t intended that way, but if you want to take it that way, go right ahead. You have to admit there’s a buttload of truth in it. You left Mike to have an affair with Brody MacIntosh, the mayor. Then, when you figured out that Joe’s daddy had photographic evidence of your misdeeds and planned to use it to destroy you and Brody’s future political career, you ditched him and tried to get back with Mike. You’re scared of being alone. You like to have someone else around to solve all your problems.”

  I could hear her sharp intake of air.

  “Not to mention you needed me to help open your nursery.”

  “Our nursery.”

  “Honestly, Violet, what was the last thing you ever did on your own? Good heavens, you’ve even roped Joe into helping you with the kids. And don’t fool yourself—he’s only interested in you and the kids as a way of getting back with me.”

  “Oh! Because there’s not a chance he’s interested in me?”

  “No, Violet. There’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that he’s interested in you.”

  She was quiet for several frosty seconds. “Don’t bother coming into the store to work tomorrow,” she finally said. “I’ll get someone to cover for you.”

  “Is there even a store to go into?” I asked snidely.

  “There’s no reason to take that hateful tone with me, Rose Anne Gardner! The bank manager has given us until next Friday to pay it off so we can at least enjoy Thanksgiving.”

  “Enjoy Thanksgiving knowing the bank is about to foreclose on us? Are you kidding me?”

  Violet hung up on me and I turned off the engine, staring out the windshield as I tried to figure out what had happened. In the course of less than a minute, I had lost my business and my sister.

  Thank God I was on my way to a counseling session.

  Chapter Nine

  “Okay, slow down,” Reverend Jonah Pruitt said. We were sitting next to each other in the chairs in front of his office desk. He was sporting a new hairdo, including a full set of highlights and a liberal use of gel. He was the vainest man I’d ever met, but then again, he was the only man I knew who spent a good deal of time in front of TV cameras. And the viewership of his weekly Sunday morning church service broadcasts was growing by leaps and bounds. Soon he’d be so big he wouldn’t have time for someone as lowly as me. But that wasn’t true. Despite Jonah’s TV show appearance, he had a heart of gold and would do anything for his friends. I was lucky to be included in the group.

  “Okay.” I sniffled.

  He handed me a tissue to dry my eyes. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?”

  So I did. I told him about the bank robbery, Joe’s intrusion into my life, and my possible pregnancy—which felt weird discussing with a man of the cloth even if it was Jonah—ending with an account of my blowout argument with Violet and the possible demise of our business.

  “Wow,” he said, sitting back in his seat. “You’ve had quite a week. Even for you.”

  “Yeah, I know.” I wiped my nose.

  “What’s upsetting you the most right now?”

  “I don’t know. It’s so hard to choose. The fact that I might be on the verge of losing all my money and destroying my credit? Or that my ex-boyfriend doesn’t understand that I’m no longer interested in him? That my sister has completely and utterly betrayed me? Or that I could be pregnant with the baby of the man I think I love but have been seeing for less than a month?”

  He chuckled. “The fact that you still have your sense of humor is a good sign.”

  “Is it? Or does it mean I’ve officially lost my mind?”

  “No, you haven’t lost your mind, although you do seem to have more than your fair share of complications. What makes you different from most of my parishioners is that you don’t seem to bring any of it on yourself. It just finds you.”

  “Maybe I’m cursed.”

  “Do you believe in such things?” he asked, watching me carefully.

  “Well, I never used to, but one has to wonder. Maybe getting rid of curses is on Neely Kate’s list of newly acquired pseudo-supernatural abilities.”

  Jonah chuckled. “Seeing how I’m your pastor, I shouldn’t be saying this, but maybe you should consider it. Fair warning: I suspect chicken bones might be involved.”

  “So what am I going to do, Jonah?”

  He gave me a gentle smile. “Out of the entire list of complications you’ve just told me about, which is the most important?

  I leaned my elbow on the armchair and rested my chin on my hand. “I don’t know.”

  “I’m sure you do, Rose. If you could only fix one of your problems, which would it be?”

  “Whether I’m pregnant or not doesn’t change anything in the short term. I’m sure Mason will stand with me either way.”

  “I agree, but the not knowing is probably making it more stressful. Besides, you’ve learned not to hide from your troubles, so it’s important for you not to return to old habits.”

  “You’re right, but I’m not hiding from it, I promise. It’s just that once the possibility is confirmed, I won’t be able to keep it from Mason. And I can’t deal with that and everything else at the same time. Just give me a week or so. If it’s still an issue, I’ll take the test.” I told him about how I wanted the baby to be loved and wanted from the moment I found out for sure.

  “Rose, plenty of babies have led wonderful childhoods after being accidently conceived. The baby surely won’t know the difference.”

  “I know,” I said, twisting the hem of my shirt. “But I want to want it when I find out.” I looked up at him. “Is that so wrong?”

  “No.” He smiled softly. “It sounds very much like you. Besides, a week or so won’t make a difference in the scheme of things. So which problem is most pressing?”

  “What’s going on between Violet and me has been brewing for some time. I’m not gonna fix that in a few days. If at all.”

  “I agree you won’t be able to resolve it that quickly, but where there’s love, there’s always hope. And despite it all, you still love
each other.”

  It was hard to admit at that moment, especially if she’d set a course to singlehandedly financially destroy me, but I did love her. “So what’s left is the money. That seems so wrong.”

  “No, Rose, it’s not the money. It’s your business. Your heart and soul. You didn’t just start the nursery for Violet, but even if that was your primary motivation, you love it now. It gives you a purpose that’s all your own, separate from Joe and Mason and even Violet, despite the fact that she shares it with you. You love landscaping and you’re good at it. And let’s not forget Bruce Wayne.”

  I closed my eyes. “He can find another job if need be. Mason will give him a recommendation to go along with my own. The assistant DA standing up for a man with a criminal record should help, right?”

  “Working with you isn’t just a job for Bruce Wayne, Rose. It gives him a purpose too. For the first time in his life, he feels like he belongs somewhere. Just like you do.” His hand covered my upper arm. “The money is just part of the bigger picture. You’re fighting to give all three of you a purpose.”

  I shifted my gaze to him. “Three?”

  “Violet. She needs this too, even if you don’t want to hear that right now.”

  He was right. But what Violet needed was the last thing I wanted to think about. I’d much rather focus on helping Bruce Wayne and me. “Okay.”

  I shook my head. “You know Mason loves you even if he hasn’t said it yet. He’d do anything to help you. Perhaps you should shelve your pride and ask him for help.”

  “You’re right about my pride—it would kill me to ask him for help, but even if I conquered that, asking him wouldn’t do any good.”

  Jonah tipped his head back. “You’re not insinuating he wouldn’t help you, are you?”

  “No, not at all. I’m saying he can’t help me.” I sighed. “Between paying off his student loans and his legal troubles over what happened with his sister’s murderer—not to mention the fact that he paid for her funeral expenses—he doesn’t have anything to help me with. He doesn’t even have the money to move out of my farmhouse until his insurance company cuts him a check.” I put my hand on Jonah’s arm. “But he’s a proud man, so please don’t tell him I told you.”

  “Of course not.” Jonah gave me a soft smile. “You know what we talk about is confidential.”

  “Before Savannah’s murder he was financially stable—better than stable—and I could tell how hard it was for him to admit the extent of the situation to me. He’d hate for anyone else to know. Which is something I can’t explain to Violet, of course.”

  “Not to worry. He’ll never know you told me. But he loves you and he’ll want to know what’s going on. At least tell him you’re in trouble.”

  I shifted in my seat, my stomach cramping. “I can’t. Not yet. Once he figures out what’s going on, it will devastate him to know he can’t help me. You know him.”

  Jonah tapped his finger on the chair arm for several seconds. “I’ll let the subject drop for now, but at least think about how he’s going to feel when he finds out that you kept this from him.”

  “I’m not going to keep it from him indefinitely. Besides, we might figure something out.”

  Jonah’s silence was answer enough.

  There was a knock on the door and Jonah said, “Come in.”

  A pretty blond poked her head in the doorway and her smile widened as her starry-eyed gaze landed on the minister. “Jonah, your next appointment showed up early. What would you like me to do?”

  “Tell Mr. Smeller I’ll be right with him, Jessica,” Jonah said. “We’ll be done here in a few moments.”

  When she shut the door, I grinned. “Why don’t you just ask her out already?”

  Jonah looked like an opossum caught by a flashlight in the backyard. “What are you talking about?”

  My mouth gaped. “You seriously don’t know that poor girl has a crush on you?”

  His face turned pink. “She does?”

  “All those cookies and muffins she makes for you weren’t clue enough?”

  He gave a half-hearted shrug. “I just thought she liked to bake.”

  I laughed and stood, picking up my jacket. “For someone so smart, you are entirely clueless about women. Jessica likes you. She used to glare at me every time I came to visit you before she realized I was dating Mason. I think she saw me as a threat since we spend so much time together behind a closed door.”

  “I…I had no idea.” He stood and moved behind his desk, pointing his finger at me. “And nice attempt at deflecting this conversation from you.”

  “Jessica really does like you.”

  “Maybe so,” he conceded. “But we haven’t necessarily finished dealing with your issues.”

  I slipped my arms into my jacket sleeves and shrugged my coat on. “Honestly, Jonah, I’m not sure there’s much left to discuss. Besides, I need to let Muffy out. She’s been home alone all day.” I walked around the desk and gave my friend a hug. “I know you’re a busy man, Reverend Jonah Pruitt, and gettin’ busier every day with that TV show of yours. You have no idea how much I love our chats, but if you ever find you don’t have enough time for me—”

  He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back. “You stop right there, Rose. I’m your friend, just like I was before I became your counselor. You stood by me when no one else would. I’ll always have time for you.”

  I smiled, feeling sappy. “Same for you, Jonah.”

  He kissed my forehead, then dropped his hold. “You better scoot along. But call me if you need me for anything. I mean it.”

  “I will.”

  I headed home, already feeling guilty that I’d only be with Muffy for a couple of hours before leaving to meet Mason for dinner. When I opened the front door, I expected my little dog to run up and greet me. Instead I heard a muffled snarl from the back of the house.

  “Muffy?”

  I found her in the middle of the kitchen. She was attacking something that looked like a sleeve as a low rumble issued from her throat.

  “Muffy, what on earth…?”

  She stopped and glanced up at me with an “oh, crappy doodles” look, the tan fabric still in her mouth.

  I gaped at her in shock when I realized it was part of my lightweight work jacket. She had never destroyed anything in all the months I’d had her, but now my coat was ripped to shreds and strewn across the floor.

  Muffy came to her senses and dropped the sleeve before running under the table.

  Sighing, I dropped to my knees. It was obvious she missed me and this was her way of telling me. “Muffy, come on out. I’m sorry I’ve been leavin’ you so much.”

  She stayed under the table, but I about fell over from the poisonous gas floating out through the chair legs.

  “Muffy,” I groaned, waving my hand in front of my face. “I said I was sorry!”

  Her belly to the floor, she scooted out under a chair, her leash in her mouth. She must have found it and dragged it into the kitchen.

  I couldn’t help but laugh as I took the leash from her. “I know. I’ve neglected you. I can’t take you for a walk today, but I’ll take you on a real long one tomorrow, okay?”

  My answer seemed to appease her because she hopped up on my lap and covered my face with licks. I squeezed her tight, rubbing her head. “I love you too, girl. Come on, let’s go outside.”

  We went out the backdoor, and I noticed the pane had been fixed. Mason was right—I would have told him no if he had offered to pay for it, but it gave me a warm feeling to know he’d taken care of it anyway.

  Muffy ran up to the barn and romped in the horse pen. Watching her made me think about bringing Ashley and Mikey out here the day before. Would Violet try to cut me out of their lives now? I couldn’t bear the thought. Violet and I had had our share of spats since Momma’s death, but none this serious. I’d said some ugly, hurtful things I wished I could take back. I knew I should apologize, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. />
  When we went back inside, I noticed the house was colder than usual and the thermostat read sixty-four instead of its usual seventy. Frustrated, I headed down to the basement to check out the ancient furnace. We’d had problems with the pilot light going out a couple of times over the past few weeks, and sure enough, it was out again. Crouched on my hands and knees, I stared at the old furnace, wondering when I would catch a break.

  “Rose!” Joe’s voice called out from upstairs.

  I groaned. Obviously, I wasn’t catching one yet. “Why do you insist on continually breaking into my house, Deputy Simmons?” I shouted toward the staircase.

  Several seconds later I heard footsteps on the creaky wooden steps. “I’m not breaking in this time. You left the front door unlocked.”

  I was on my knees, which robbed me of a fair amount of dignity, but I still put my hands on my hips and narrowed my eyes at him. “I didn’t expect someone to barge right in. And I sure didn’t expect a break-in last night.”

  He stood several feet in front of me, still wearing his uniform, and gave me an ornery grin. “No one ever thinks their house is going to be broken into.”

  “I don’t think that’s altogether true,” I teased, despite myself. “I expected a couple of the break-ins that happened at my old house.”

  “Well, you always have been different than everyone else.” His voice turned husky. “And in a very good way.”

  “Joe,” I warned, turning my attention back to the furnace.

  “In any case, you need to be more careful and lock your doors during the day. You have a better-than-average chance of an intruder while those bank robbers are on the loose.”

  I scowled at him. “What are you doing here, Joe?”

  “Just performing my duty as a public servant.”

  “More like hoping to catch me alone while Mason’s at work.”

  “No…” he protested half-heartedly. “I was patrolling in the area and decided to make sure there hadn’t been any break-in attempts and that Muffy was okay.”

  “Muffy is just fine.” The traitor jumped on his leg as if on command, begging for his attention. “And I didn’t realize high-ranking sheriff’s deputies were asked to do patrols. Sounds like you need to renegotiate your contract.”