Dyeing Up Loose Ends

by Maggie Sefton

  Burt walked back to the table and handed Kelly her refilled coffee mug. “What was all that with Julie?”

  “She gave me this black-and-white bag with her mother’s jewelry box in it. Julie wants Mimi to keep it safely in her office. Apparently, her brother just remembered that their mother left her jewelry box with Julie, and it sounds like it’s filled with jewelry. Otherwise, why would her brother bother asking about it?”

  Burt’s smile disappeared. “Does Julie think her brother would steal it?”

  Kelly shrugged. “It sounds like it. I was talking with Julie the other day, and she said her brother was always scrounging around for money. That’s how she described it. When he first moved here from Colorado Springs, she let him move into her apartment with her. But whenever she came back late from classes or studying at the library, she said she would find him going through her stuff, looking for money. She’d tell him to stop, and he’d promise he would, then she would catch him doing it again. So Julie started taking a backpack with her wallet inside with her to the university.”

  Burt’s frown had turned into a scowl by now, Kelly noticed as she drew in a breath to continue.

  “Julie said sometimes she’d get to work here at the café early in the morning and find out all the money in her wallet was missing. Her brother must have gone through her stuff when she was asleep. Julie would accuse him when she returned home, and her brother would act all contrite. Next, he’d get a job washing dishes at a bar for a week, then he’d quit and go panhandling in Old Town. Or he’d find somebody who would let him bunk in with them. Then, he’d want to move back in with her. Finally, she’d had enough, Julie said, so she moved out of that apartment and moved into another one, and she didn’t give her brother a key.” Kelly shook her head. “I tell you, Burt, I was amazed by Julie’s story.”

  “Frankly, so am I, Kelly. I’d heard from Jennifer that Julie’s brother had some ‘problems,’ as she put it. But I had no idea it had gotten that serious.”

  “I told her she had a Bad News Brother,” Kelly added with a wry smile. Then she scooted back her chair and took her briefcase bag and the summer straw bag filled with Julie’s family treasure and turned to head back into the corridor leading into Lambspun.

  “Time for us both to get back to work, I guess,” Burt said as he rose from his chair.

  Kelly paused at the corridor. “You know, Burt, I never had any brother or sisters, and I always wished I did when I was younger. But over the years, I’ve heard so many stories from people about their crazy relatives, I’m kind of glad I never had any siblings.”

  “It’s a roll of the dice for sure,” Burt said with a chuckle.

  * * *

  • • •

  Kelly tabbed through her accounting spreadsheet and entered several of her developer client Don Warner’s recent expenses. This month, she noticed that the older mall located on the east side of Denver had a marked decrease in revenues. Clearly, the loss of one of the big-box stores at that location had a detrimental effect on earnings. Foot traffic at that mall was definitely decreasing, as indicated by the over-the-counter sales in some of the larger stores.

  Only the sound of her friend Jennifer’s voice could penetrate the Cloud of Concentration, which Kelly started calling her “accounting zone.”

  “Hey there. Is this a good time for a break?” Jennifer asked with a smile.

  “Sure thing,” Kelly said, clicking her laptop into Sleep mode then standing up and stretching. “Oh, feels good to break the concentration. Your muscles tense up and you’re not even aware of it.”

  “Well, follow me, and Julie will show us something totally out of the accounting mode.” Jennifer gestured for Kelly to follow her toward the workroom next door to Lambspun’s main knitting room with the long library table.

  Julie stood beside Mimi in the doorway to the Lambspun office, clasping the black-and-white straw bag. “Come on in here,” she said as she gestured. “Mimi’s back office is quieter.”

  Kelly followed Jennifer, Mimi, and Julie into the little back office on the corner of the Lambspun original ranch house. It was the size that a home office would be in the 1930s when the ranch house was originally built. Jennifer, Kelly, and Mimi settled on the love seat that was snuggled into the corner of the room.

  Julie pulled over a small desk chair and sat across from them. She then withdrew a red velvet jewelry box from the straw bag. “I can’t tell you how surprised I was when I first opened it. My mother never wore a lot of jewelry, but I never knew she had all this.” She slowly opened the box.

  Kelly blinked then stared at the variety of jewelry nestled and displayed on the trays and drawers inside the box. There were beautiful white pearl necklaces, heavy gold-linked bracelets, and gold chains holding jeweled pendants that sparkled. Some of them were rimmed with jewels that looked like diamonds, flashing in the bright sunlight that shone inside the little corner office. Gorgeous dark blue gems that looked like sapphires, necklaces of delicate green jade, ruby red pendants that glinted from their depths. Stunning deep blue lapis lazuli stone necklaces, and then . . . there were all the gold necklaces. Delicate, simple gold necklaces hanging side by side. Separate bejeweled pendants sitting below, ready to adorn the gold. Then there were the rings. Over a dozen of them at least, Kelly figured. She took a deep breath. She’d never seen so many beautiful pieces of jewelry in one place before in her life.

  “Oh my, Julie,” Kelly finally managed. “You need to get all this appraised.”

  “It already has been,” Julie said and pulled open a small drawer at the bottom of the jewelry box. Inside lay a dark blue envelope. “I had it all appraised last month at the fine jewelry store here in Fort Connor. Mimi recommended it. It’s over twenty thousand dollars’ worth of jewelry, and the jeweler wanted to buy some of those older pieces.” She gave a little smile.

  “I think you should consider his offer, Julie,” Jennifer suggested. “You and Andy will need some extra funds for hospital bills. Plus shopping for baby furniture and all that.”

  “Now I wish I hadn’t given away Jack’s crib and playpen to one of the local church charity auctions,” Kelly said. “I would much rather have given it to you.”

  “That’s sweet of you, Kelly,” Julie replied. “And I’ve already been thinking I’d take the jeweler up on his suggestion. You’re right about our needing to buy baby furniture. I thought I’d check out the discount stores first. Their prices are way better.”

  “Excellent idea, Julie. Why don’t you swing by that jeweler’s store and take him up on his offer before he changes his mind,” Kelly added.

  Julie, Jennifer, and Mimi all smiled at Kelly’s suggestion. “Listen to the accountant among us, Julie,” Jennifer said. “She has your best interests at heart.”

  “Oh, I will,” Julie promised. “But first, I want each of you to choose some jewelry for yourselves.”

  Nine

  Jennifer, Mimi, and Kelly all shook their heads, almost in unison, politely declining Julie’s generous offer.

  “Oh no, Julie. That’s much too generous of you,” Mimi refused first. “You need to keep your mother’s jewelry for yourself and your brother.”

  “My brother would pawn it all in a heartbeat to pay off his latest gambling debts,” Julie scoffed with a frown. “I’ll share with him after I’ve shared with my closest friends, and that’s all of you. Now . . . Mimi . . . you’ve been like a second mother to me for years. So you get first pick, and I want you to choose something beautiful. Something that you’ll wear.” Julie eyed Mimi with a decidedly determined look.

  Mimi’s surprise was evident. “Are . . . are you sure, dear?”

  “Absolutely, Mimi,” Julie reassured her. “I can never wear all this jewelry. A lot of it doesn’t suit me. But you three are all different women. Not only do you have different lifestyles, but you’d also have different opportunities to wea
r this jewelry. Frankly, I’m hoping each of you will pick something you’d like to wear every day. That would make me very happy.”

  “Go ahead, Mimi,” Kelly encouraged her with a smile. “I’m impressed by Julie’s logic. You usually wear jewelry every day.”

  “You can’t argue with logic, Mimi,” Jennifer said with a grin.

  “And you know you’ll get nowhere trying to argue with Kelly,” Julie said, then laughed softly. “When she sets her mind to something, she’s like a rock. Immovable.”

  “Arguing with a stone,” Jennifer continued the image. “That’s for sure. I gave up arguing with Kelly years ago. Gave up and gave in. She’s an immovable object.”

  “Wow, you two make me sound like I belong in the canyon somewhere. A rock along the hiking trails,” Kelly teased.

  “You guys make me laugh,” Julie said. “That’s another reason you’re my favorite people. Go on, Mimi. Choose.”

  Mimi stared at the open jewelry box that was filled with all different types of jewelry. Kelly watched Mimi slowly extend her hand over the brilliant contents nestled in light pink velvet displays. Her hand hovered for a few seconds before reaching for the stunning pearl necklace that lay in one of the upper rows of the jewelry box. Mimi delicately lifted the beautiful necklace and held it up for all of them to see.

  “This is simply gorgeous, Julie,” Mimi said in clear admiration. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a pearl necklace this lovely before. Ever.”

  “I agree, Mimi, and I’ve been around a lot more customers over the years than you have,” Jennifer said with a little laugh. “Cafés still beat out knitting shops in foot traffic, that’s for sure. Fiber folks choose to knit. But everyone has to eat.”

  They all laughed out loud at that.

  “Here, Mimi, let me fix the clasp for you,” Julie offered, setting the jewelry box in Jennifer’s lap. “Your turn next, Jen,” she said with a big smile.

  “Oh, Lord,” Jennifer said with a shake of her head.

  Julie closed the clasp on the pearl necklace, and Mimi turned around for all of them to see and admire.

  “Wow, Mimi,” Kelly said. “That necklace seems made for you. It’s beautiful.”

  Mimi gingerly fingered the perfect pearls, which increased gradually in size from the back of the necklace to the stunning large white pearl in the center of the strand. “Do we have a mirror back here in the workroom? I’d love to take a look.”

  “Kelly, reach behind you on that desk. There should be a hand mirror tucked away,” Jennifer suggested.

  Kelly reached behind several books and found the hand mirror, then brought it out with a flourish. “Behold thy beauty, Madame Mimi.”

  Mimi stared into the mirror, her eyes widening. “Oh my, Julie. They’re beautiful. I cannot thank you enough.”

  “You already have, Mimi. Many times over the years with your kindness.” Julie gave Mimi’s arm one of the famous “Mother Mimi” pats. “Your turn, Jennifer, and don’t even try to argue with me. I’ll go all ‘Kelly’ on you,” she admonished.

  “Oh Lord. First, a rock. Now, a verbal tactic,” Kelly said with a smile.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Jennifer answered as she stared at the jewelry box’s contents. “Well, let’s see . . .” she said as she lifted some of the pieces and held them up, then returned them again to the soft pink velvet. “I don’t really wear necklaces, because they make my neck itch. So . . .” Her hand hovered near the section where the bracelets hung neatly side by side. She touched one bracelet then another, over and over.

  Then, after another long moment of touching, Jennifer picked up one bracelet. Brilliant individual jade pieces, each delicately rimmed in gold, one next to the other. It was stunning, Kelly thought to herself, and perfect for Jennifer with her reddish dark brown hair. She held it up and let it catch the light.

  “That’s gorgeous, Jen,” Kelly couldn’t help saying. “And it looks great with your coloring and your hair.”

  “Do you really think so?” Jennifer asked.

  “Absolutely,” Julie agreed.

  “It’s stunning, Jennifer,” Mimi said. “Truly stunning.”

  “They’re telling the truth, Jen,” Julie said with a big smile. “It looks beautiful on your wrist.”

  Jennifer stared at the gorgeous jade and gold piece again and released a long sigh. “Well, I guess all of you must be right, because I do love it.” Looking at Julie, she said, “You are a sweetheart, you know that?” Then she reached out and gave Julie a long hug.

  “All right, Kelly. No nonsense athlete Kelly,” Mimi teased. “It’s your turn.”

  “Oh goodness,” Kelly said, staring at the jewelry box and its varied contents. “I can’t see myself wearing those beautiful necklaces. I’m like Jennifer. Necklaces make my neck itch, and I always take them off, and bracelets . . . they just annoy me, believe it or not. They either slip up or slip down on my arm and get in the way. I always take them off.” She stared at the jewelry box and frowned. “I won’t be able to use any of those pretty pieces.”

  “What about the rings, Kelly?” Julie said with a sly smile. “I’ve noticed you have your wedding and your engagement rings on your left hand. But you have nothing on your right hand.” Julie pointed to the section of the jewelry box where several rings were lined up side by side. All colors of the rainbow were displayed.

  “She’s right, Kelly,” Jennifer said. “You’ve got a naked right hand. We can’t have that here at Lambspun and the café. Not with the rest of us displaying Julie’s gems.”

  “I agree, Kelly,” Mimi joined in, grinning at Kelly. “You have to pick something.”

  “You don’t want to insult Julie, do you?” Jennifer taunted.

  Kelly wagged her head. “You three are relentless, you know that? Okay, I give in. Let me see . . .” She gazed at the rows of rings. Several colors beckoned her. There was a beautiful deep red ruby in a gorgeous gold circular setting, surrounded by one small diamond on each side of the stone. Her eyes lingered then traveled down to the dark sapphire stone set in gold, and then she spied a sparkling green emerald set between two smaller diamonds. It seemed to wink at her. She stared for a few seconds, then picked up the emerald ring and slipped it on her finger. It fit perfectly. She was surprised.

  “That is gorgeous, Kelly,” Julie said with a huge smile. “I was hoping you’d pick that one.”

  “It’s you, Kelly,” Jennifer agreed. “I love it.”

  “It looks wonderful on your hand, Kelly,” Mimi agreed.

  “Great choice, Kelly,” Julie said.

  “Thank you so much, Julie,” Kelly said, giving her a hug. “You are so generous. But you have to choose one for yourself. We won’t let you get away without choosing.”

  “I already did,” Julie said. “Yesterday, I chose this beautiful diamond ring to use for our wedding.” She held out her hand for them to see. The diamond sparkled on her hand.

  “Oh, that is beautiful, Julie,” Jennifer said.

  “Oh my, yes,” Mimi said.

  “Truly gorgeous,” Kelly added.

  “Whenever Andy and I get the wedding scheduled, that is. I don’t want to conflict with Cassie and Eric.”

  “Oh my goodness, that’s right,” Mimi said, looking amazed. “I still find it hard to believe Cassie and Eric are getting married.”

  “I figure Andy and I will wait a few weeks after their wedding, then we’ll have a short, simple service, probably in Mimi’s backyard like Jennifer and Pete and maybe Cassie and Eric, who knows?”

  “Julie, dear, I don’t know about Jennifer and Kelly, but I know Burt and I would feel much better if you let us keep this valuable inheritance from your mother here in our Lambspun safe. Only Burt and I know the combination.”

  Kelly noticed Julie’s eyes start to glisten. “Thank you, Mimi. I was hoping you would say that.” And Julie c
losed the jewelry box and handed it to Mimi.

  * * *

  • • •

  Kelly paused as she moved from column to column on her computer spreadsheet, entering revenues and expenses. Denver developer client Don Warner’s oldest mall property in the north of Denver appeared to be definitely declining in profitability. She knew her client Warner would read these monthly income statements and come to a quick decision. Probably a brutal decision. That mall was on a downward path, for sure. No doubt Warner would buy out the shop leases, then call in the bulldozers and the backhoes. Create an entirely new property. Perhaps something with middle-income apartment units. Mid-priced to high-end. Out with the old, and in with the new, was Don Warner’s oft-repeated philosophy. Kelly had witnessed spectacular growth in Fort Connor ever since she returned to her hometown.

  She glanced up at the sky above her secluded garden patio table. Bright blue with white fluffy clouds. Colorado Blue. Then, she thought she heard something. When she was in the midst of concentrating on spreadsheets, her mind literally blocked out many sounds so that she never even heard them. Later in the afternoon, the café was already closed and the garden patio tables were empty.

  “Kelly!” called a female voice from around the driveway.

  Turning at the sound of her name, Kelly peered through the lush green leafy tree nearby. Within a few seconds she recognized Colorado cowgirl Jayleen walking through the patio garden.

  “Kelly-girl!” Jayleen greeted as she strode up to the patio table.

  “Hey there, Jayleen. How’re you doing? Are you keeping those alpacas in line? Your profits are looking good.” Kelly clicked her laptop into Sleep mode and shoved it to the side. She’d learned long ago that good friendships were maintained by spending time with people you cared about.

  “Oh, the herd is doing fine,” Jayleen said as she turned a café chair backward and straddled it in her usual fashion. “When are you and Steve going to bring Cowpoke Jack out to my ranch to see those critters?”