Small Town Rumors

by Carolyn Brown

  “It’s a Sweetwater Belle thing that I have trouble shaking. All of us kids were encouraged to call them ‘aunt,’ since they referred to themselves as sorority sisters,” she explained. “Go on about Belinda.”

  “She’s keepin’ the baby,” Lettie said. “Lonnie wanted her to end the pregnancy at first because he said that there would be a big chance something might be wrong with it. She said that she couldn’t ever end the life of a little baby. The doctors did some kind of newfangled test to be sure it didn’t have problems, and it’s a boy. So Lonnie is struttin’ around like he’s the cock of the walk now.”

  “Did she tell him about the two daughters?” Nadine whispered.

  “Don’t know, but since we didn’t hear an explosion, I guess not. But I did hear that the daughters aren’t too happy about it. After all, one is twenty-two and gettin’ married at Christmas. The other one is twenty-one and just got engaged. Think about it—they’ll probably have children not much younger than their brother.” Lettie sipped her coffee.

  Jennie Sue finished what she was doing and picked up a box to go searching for mystery books scattered about the store. She grabbed a brownie on her way past the plate and winked at Nadine.

  “These are fabulous, Lettie. Do you give out your recipe?” she asked.

  “Honey, it’s on the back of the cocoa box. The secret is not to overcook them. Brownies should be gooey, not dry and stiff,” Lettie answered.

  “Sounds like good sex,” Nadine said.

  Lettie slapped her on the knee. “Watch your mouth. I swear to the Lord, you go to church on Sunday and do all kinds of work up there and then come home and talk about sex.”

  “Do you think Adam and Eve had them kids of theirs by immaculate conception?” Nadine got another brownie. “Hell, no, they did not! And they enjoyed the sex, too, I’d be willin’ to bet you.”

  Jennie Sue ducked behind a row of books and held her hand over her mouth to keep from giggling out loud. A new vision replaced the one concerning the kiss. This one had her and Rick tangled up in cotton sheets with a ceiling fan blowing down on them after an afternoon in bed.

  A deep crimson blush dotted her cheeks as she shook the picture away and went back to filling the box with books. Listening to the two sisters bantering made her wish again that she had a sibling in her life to grow old with.

  Charlotte arrived just as Nadine and Lettie were leaving at noon. She drew her shoulders back and said, “Ladies,” with a nod as she set her wet umbrella just inside the shop.

  “Charlotte,” they said in unison and left with their chins jacked up an extra inch or two.

  Now that was a prime example of civil friends, Jennie Sue thought as she crossed the room to hug her mother. “Mama, what brings you to town?”

  Charlotte returned the hug, but only briefly, before she took a step back. “You smell like old books and sweat, and you look like crap.”

  “Well, thank you for that, Mother.” Jennie Sue dragged out the last word into several syllables. “I’ve been working all morning, like most people in town. Want a cup of coffee or a glass of sweet tea?” She had to bite her tongue to keep any more sarcasm from sneaking out of her mouth.

  “No, thank you. I thought maybe we could have lunch together,” Charlotte answered.

  Oh, goody! A whole hour of listening to belittling remarks about how she looked, talked, or just her life in general.

  “I’d love to. The café is only a few doors down the street, so let’s go there. They make a mean burger.” She’d get chastised for the fat grams in a burger and fries for sure, but that’s what she planned on having.

  “I haven’t been in there in years. Do they have decent salads?” Charlotte asked as Jennie Sue got her purse and umbrella.

  “Just enjoy something fattening, Mama. One time won’t even add a pound to your skinny frame.” She led the way out of the store, flipped the sign that said she’d be back in an hour, and locked up. “Let’s not fuss today.”

  “I’ll try,” Charlotte sighed.

  It might not be a guarantee, but it was a start. One baby step at a time—at least today she was going to lunch with her at a simple little café. That was a big thing in Charlotte’s world.

  Though the place was more than half-full, conversation ceased when the two Baker women walked inside. Everyone stared at them as if two of Nadine and Lettie’s aliens had dropped out of the sky and hit the café first.

  “What’s happening?” Charlotte whispered.

  “You know us—we’re the movie stars in Bloom. The paparazzi will arrive any minute and start flashing pictures of us. Tomorrow we’ll be on the cover of all the gossip papers in the whole state—the ones that you buy right next to the grocery-store checkout counter.” Jennie Sue chose a booth and motioned for her mother to sit across from her. “Turn your best side toward me. I see phones takin’ our pictures.”

  “Oh, hush! I shouldn’t have even come today, but I wanted to see you before your dad and I leave town for my birthday. We’re flying to Las Vegas for a few days,” Charlotte said.

  “Good, because by next week, our picture will be pasted on the front, and the headline will be, ‘The Wilshire Women. Mother Still Beautiful. Daughter Looks Like Shit.’”

  “Stop it.” Charlotte slapped at her and then giggled.

  Jennie Sue hadn’t heard sincere laughter from her mother in years. It warmed her heart. “Why? I made you laugh and that erases wrinkles. Greasy hamburgers do the same thing. You know, at a certain age, you got to choose between your rear end and your face,” Jennie Sue whispered. “Look, everyone is talking again. They’re tryin’ to figure out what I’m sayin’ right now so they can go home and gossip about us.”

  Charlotte leaned forward and lowered her voice. “I’m going to eat a burger with you, and if I lose a single wrinkle, I’ll pay for a patent.”

  “It’s a deal.” Jennie Sue stuck out her hand.

  Her mother shook it, and Elaine appeared at the table with two menus and a couple of glasses of water. “Good to see you, Charlotte. What can I get you ladies today?”

  “Two burger baskets. No onions on either, and mustard. Fries and two Cokes, not diet. And save us a slice of chocolate cream pie. We’ll share it to save on fat grams,” Jennie Sue ordered.

  “Are you insane?” Charlotte asked as soon as Elaine moved away from the booth.

  “Maybe so.” Jennie Sue nodded. “After all, what sane woman would leave a virtual mansion to live in a garage apartment, clean houses, and work in a bookstore for a living when she could be living in luxury?”

  “Why are you doin’ it, then?” Charlotte asked.

  “Because it makes me happy,” she said. “I like having friends that are real and who don’t turn their backs on me.”

  “Like Cricket? Are you callin’ that woman a real friend?” Charlotte’s mouth set into a firm line.

  “She’s not my friend yet, but she’s honest. Whatever she’s got to say comes right out—to my face.” At least they’d made a couple of fun memories before the aliens decided Charlotte Baker was much too complicated for them to do anything with.

  Charlotte pulled a paper napkin from the dispenser and laid it in her lap. “You’re sayin’ that my friends talk about me behind my back?”

  “Let’s discuss Belinda and this new thing with her and the church. Do you honestly think that the whole town doesn’t know that she’s pregnant and that her two daughters do not belong to Lonnie? You can’t tell me that the Belles haven’t been talkin’ about her. Don’t you think that when she’s in the room, you become the headline of the day instead?”

  “They wouldn’t do that. How did you know about Belinda?” Charlotte asked.

  “Yes, they would, and everyone knows. Come on, Mama, do you have real friends?” Jennie Sue asked.

  “Maybe not, but I’m comfortable in my world, no matter how mixed-up and crazy it is.” Charlotte caught someone actually taking a picture of her with a phone and waved. “You really think
we might show up on a magazine cover?”

  “Hell, no!” Jennie Sue sputtered. “We, and by that I mean you, are just a big fish in a mud puddle. You’ve got to be a whale in an ocean for anyone outside West Texas to give a damn about what or who you do.”

  “I might learn to like this new daughter you are becoming,” Charlotte said. “The Wilshire women are probably turning over in their graves, but I like your frankness.”

  “Thank you.” She wished she had that huge compliment from her mother written in calligraphy on fancy paper so she could frame it. Or better yet, engraved on stone to display proudly on a marble pedestal in her little apartment.

  Charlotte only ate half a hamburger and two french fries, but that was a lot for her, so Jennie Sue didn’t push the issue. When they’d finished, the sun had pushed the dark clouds away and was shining brightly.

  “Don’t you love the smell of fresh rain?” Jennie Sue said as they walked back to the bookstore.

  “It’s so muggy that I’m sweating off my makeup,” Charlotte answered. “I’m not coming inside. I’ve got a committee meeting for a fund-raiser this afternoon. We are raising money for the next annual tea for the senior girls at the high school. I remember when you went to that tea. Your lovely blue dress may still be in your closet at home.”

  “That was a long time ago.” Jennie Sue gave her mother a quick side hug. “Have a great afternoon and, Mama, I love you.”

  “Love you, too.” Charlotte got into her car.

  Jennie Sue was stunned speechless by the response. Charlotte had only said that a few times, and those had been when Jennie Sue was a little girl. She waved until the Cadillac turned three blocks down Main Street, and then she opened the store door and flipped the sign. She sank down on the sofa and shut her eyes, replaying her mother’s words several more times before she made herself get up and go back to work.

  A bright ray of light showed how dirty the two front display windows were. A cute little bistro table with two chairs and a selection of books scattered on top sat in one bay window. At one time the other one had held a wingback chair with a book lying on it, but now it was a jumbled mess of boxes and books.

  “I should have started there first,” she said. “The windows should invite people inside the store, not make them wonder if we’re having a garage sale in here.”

  She started for some cleaning supplies but hadn’t gone two steps when Dill poked his head inside the store. “Who’s having a garage sale, and who are you talking to?”

  Good Lord! Both her parents in the same day, and one right on the heels of the other—this had to be a sign of some kind. Jennie Sue crossed the distance between them and hugged him tightly. “I’m thinkin’ out loud. Come in, Daddy. Can I get you a cup of coffee or a glass of sweet tea?”

  “Don’t need a thing except to see my baby girl.” He took a step back. “How are things going? I heard you’ve been out at the Lawson farm messin’ around with Rick.”

  She pulled him over to the worn sofa and made him sit beside her. “Did you come to fuss at me for falling in love with a farmer? Not that I have or will. It was just one kiss on the lips and one on the nose. I did kiss him on the cheek when I left, but that doesn’t count, either.”

  “No, honey, I did not. I wouldn’t stand in your way no matter who you fall in love with. Just be sure it’s love and not rebellion. You never did go through that thing that other kids do when they’re teenagers. So be careful. What I came to talk to you about is different. I don’t want to leave town without you having some means of transportation and money. Please let me set up a checking account for you and give you a car,” he said.

  She shook her head. “No, thank you, Daddy.”

  “Okay, then, have it your way. But when we get home, we are going to discuss a job in the family business. You can start at the bottom and learn every facet of it from there on up to the CEO position, if that’s what you really want,” Dill said.

  Her mother said that she loved her, and her dad was about to take her side and give her a job. Oh, yes, sir. This surely meant she was supposed to stay in Bloom.

  “And what does Mama say about this?” she asked with caution.

  “You let me worry about Charlotte,” Dill answered. “I’ll have a few days in Vegas to warm her up to the idea. And besides, she called me on her way home after you two had lunch and told me that she admired you for your determination. I think she’s comin’ around already. I’m glad that I didn’t sell the company last year after all.”

  “You really thought about it? What did Mama say?” Jennie Sue asked.

  “She threw a fit,” he admitted. “I’m ready to retire. I realize I’m not that old, but I’m tired of the stress. I’d hand the whole company over to you today if I could.”

  For the first time, Jennie Sue could see that her father had aged more than normal in the last year. More lines etched his face, and his eyes looked tired.

  “I don’t want money or a car right now, Daddy. I’m doin’ fine with my two jobs, and Miz Lettie lets me borrow her truck when I need it. I’ll think about your offer until you get home. I could use the time. There’s a fair amount of pride in working for what I need,” she said.

  Dill moved closer to her and draped an arm around her shoulders. “What turned you this way?”

  “Percy. I was dependent on him for a living, and had to do what he said or else disgrace the Wilshire name with a divorce. After he left me and I lost the baby, I made up my mind that I’d finish my degree and no one would ever control me like that again,” she answered.

  He pulled her closer to his side. “I love you, Jennie Sue, and I’m so proud of you. If you don’t want the company job, I’ll support your decision in whatever you decide to do.”

  Tears flowed down her cheeks, and she sniffled. “I love you, too, Daddy. I promise I’ll give it some serious consideration. If I do take a job, I want it to be on the lowest level possible. No nepotism.”

  “Can’t promise no nepo-whaddyacallit.” Dill whipped out a white handkerchief and handed it to her. “You are my daughter. Can’t change that.”

  She wiped her tears away and handed the hankie back to him.

  “Keep it. You might need it again.” He grinned. “I’ve got a meeting, so I should be going. You can go on back to talking to yourself now.”

  She hugged him one more time. “Thanks for understanding.”

  “That’s what daddies do. See you later.” They exchanged waves as he left the store, and she tucked the hankie in her purse, hoping that she didn’t need it again for a long, long time.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Snow cone and a drive? The text came from Rick as she was finishing up at Nadine’s house.

  Was this a date? Should she tell him that she didn’t have time? She worried with it a full minute before she typed slowly, Ten minutes?

  The answer came immediately: I’m outside. No rush.

  She finished putting away her cleaning supplies and left a note on the cabinet for Nadine.

  Locking the door behind me. See you later.

  Rick was leaning against the truck when she reached the driveway. He flashed a brilliant smile, but he had sunglasses on, so she couldn’t see his eyes. Opening the door for her, he said, “That was the shortest ten minutes I’ve ever had to wait on anyone.”

  “You had me at snow cone, but Rick, are you sure about this?” she said.

  “Hey, it’s not dinner and a movie. It’s just a snow cone after a long, hot day of work. What’s your favorite flavor?” He slammed the door shut.

  She laid her arm on the open window. “Rainbow. Cherry, banana, and grape. I like that you don’t have AC in the truck. It reminds me of Frank’s old vehicle when I was a kid. I liked to hang my arm out the window and catch the wind.”

  “I’ve saved enough money to buy a newer truck, but just can’t make myself let go of it when this one is runnin’ good except for the air. The heat works fine in the winter, so we don’t freeze. But—”
There was that sexy grin again. “I remember when the heater went out in Dad’s old truck. Cricket and I were little kids, and Mama would bundle us up in quilts when we went anywhere. When he finally bought a newer model, we both cried and wanted our quilts back.”

  “It would be like going for an open carriage ride in New York City in the winter, all bundled up in blankets. Daddy and Mama came to visit me the first New Year’s that I lived in New York, and we went on a carriage ride. It’s one of my favorite memories,” she said.

  “Didn’t you do things like that with Percy?”

  She shook her head. “No, he liked limos more than carriage rides, and parties with lots of people more than anything else. When it came right down to it, he wasn’t very romantic, at least not with me. Maybe he’s better with whoever he’s with now.”

  “He’s an idiot,” Rick growled as he got in line behind half a dozen cars at the snow-cone stand. “Did you see lots of snow-cone stands in the big city?”

  “Not in my part of the place. I haven’t had one since I left Bloom to go to college,” she answered. “So I want a large one, and add a stripe of lime to it with the other flavors. What are you havin’?”

  “The same thing you are. It sounds great,” he answered. “I feel like a little kid every time I get a snow cone.” He moved up in the line, but there were still two cars ahead of him.

  “Me, too,” she said, but her mind settled on the little unmarked grave. That baby would never grow up to be a little kid or eat a snow cone or go to proms or pick peas in the garden. She would never cry or laugh or pull her first tooth.

  “I had a baby daughter,” she blurted out.

  Rick reached across the console and tucked her hand into his. “Did your husband get custody?”

  She shook her head. “He left when he found out I was pregnant and didn’t want anything to do with her.”

  “Where is she?” Rick asked.

  Jennie Sue felt as if there was a brick on her chest. Maybe it wasn’t the right time to tell Rick. Maybe never would have been a better time, but the old proverbial cat was out of the bag now.