Through the Fire

by Christine Lynxwiler

  Doris was carefully putting the finishing touches on an elegant fall arrangement when Jessa walked in.

  “Hi,” the older woman said with a smile. “Did you have a good lunch?”

  “Yes, I did.” Jessa decided to go around the subject and see what happened. She turned to the double coolers and began to pull the flowers out in bunches and snip the ends off the stems, something that had to be done occasionally to keep them fresh. “Can you believe all the little accidents we’ve been having?” She didn’t look at Doris, instead concentrating completely on the flowers she held.

  “No, I can’t. But I’ve been praying that the store will be a success in spite of them.”

  Now what did she say to that? Jessa nodded. “Thanks,” she mumbled, shame soaking through her like the bitter cold of winter.

  When Jessa finished trimming the stems and had all the flowers back in the coolers, she pulled out some of her brightest-colored flowers and made an arrangement. After she tied the big red ribbon around the vase, she cleared her throat. “Doris, I’m going to run out for a little bit. I’ll be back.”

  “No problem.”

  Jessa hurried out to her car.

  “Knock, knock.” Jessa tapped on the screen door of the small apartment Evelyn and Ruby shared. A delicious aroma floated through the screen, and her stomach growled.

  “Why, Jessa! I’m so glad you stopped by. Come in, come in.” Evelyn pushed the door open and held it wide enough for Jessa to enter with the large vase in her hands. “Oh, look at the lovely flowers. Ruby!” The gray-haired woman called over her shoulder. “Come see what Jessa has brought.” She took the bouquet and set it on the small table in the breakfast nook.

  Ruby bustled out of the kitchen. “What beautiful flowers.” Jessa had only met Ruby a few times during the process of buying the shop. But she seemed like an older version of Evelyn, and Jessa loved her already. “How did you know flowers are my favorite thing?”

  Evelyn laughed and Ruby joined her. Jessa grinned. “A little birdie told me.”

  “Birdies are smarter these days than they used to be, aren’t they, Ev?”

  “They sure are. Jessa, dear, come in and have a cookie.” She ushered Ruby and Jessa into the cozy kitchen. “I just took them out of the oven.”

  Jessa smiled at her former neighbor. “I’ve been eating cookies in your kitchen for over twenty years, Ev. This feels almost like I’m back in Georgia again.”

  Ruby turned to Jessa with a conspiratorial whisper that easily carried to Evelyn’s ears. “She thinks her cookies are better than mine. But that’s okay. I humor her.”

  Evelyn rolled her eyes. “Oh, Rube, just because you beat me in that cookie contest at the county fair. . .you always want to make the cookies now. Well, it was my turn today.”

  “Mighty handy that you happened to cook them on the day company showed up.” Ruby scooped three cookies off the plate Evelyn extended to Jessa.

  Jessa took two and accepted the glass of milk Evelyn quickly poured.

  Ruby leaned over toward Jessa. “Her cookies don’t dunk like mine do. If you try to dunk these, they fall apart in the milk. Mine have more staying power.”

  Jessa nodded. “I’ll just eat them without dunking.”

  “Yes, do, dear. Wouldn’t want to hurt Ev’s feelings.”

  “Oh, no. . .” Evelyn drawled. “We wouldn’t want to do that.” She smiled at Ruby. “Besides, her cookies really are better.”

  “They are not! I was just pulling your leg.”

  Every time Jessa thought the Trent sisters were serious in their funny bickering, they’d say or do something to show how much they loved each other.

  Jessa took a deep breath. As much as she hated to bring up an unpleasant subject, she needed to find out if Ruby completely trusted Seth and Doris.

  “Some things have been happening at the shop.”

  Ruby looked up. “At the shop?”

  “What do you mean?” Evelyn asked.

  “Well, accidents.”

  As soon as Jessa said the word accident, worry flitted across Evelyn’s face. Jessa cringed. Her family had influenced Evelyn more than she wanted to believe. Protect Jessa at all costs.

  “What kind of ‘accidents’?” Evelyn asked.

  “Oh, just little things, really, but annoying.” As she began to list the incidents, they sounded almost silly.

  Evelyn glanced at her watch.

  “Jessa, I’m so sorry to do this. But we’re going to be late for shuffleboard if we don’t go right now.” She blushed. “Richard counts on me being there.” She reached over and squeezed Jessa tightly. “Call me tonight and we’ll talk.”

  “Thanks for the flowers,” Ruby called as Evelyn ushered Jessa to the door.

  As Jessa drove back to the shop, she marveled at the twists and turns of life. After being widowed for twenty years, Evelyn had met a man. And not just any man, but one that could make her hurry Jessa out of her kitchen.

  ❧

  “Do you think we have enough?” Seth knelt in the dirt, enthusiastically digging while Clint prepared their rod and reels.

  Clint glanced down at the bucket full of squirming night crawlers. “Looks like it.”

  Seth stood and grabbed the metal bucket by the handle. “Ready?” Excitement twinkled in his eyes.

  “Yep. Let’s go catch us a mess of fish.”

  As they paddled away from the shore, Clint wondered again how he’d ended up taking the boy fishing. He knew the answer in one word. Jessa. She’d pleaded until he really had no choice.

  He knew one thing for certain. If his own life weren’t so messed up, he wouldn’t let her ‘just friends’ talk stop him from trying to change her mind. But as it was, common sense told him that was the only way it could be. A man living. . .make that existing. . .in his parents’ garage apartment and barely on speaking terms with God had no business falling in love. No matter how wonderful she was or how lethal her smile.

  Normally he wouldn’t have minded taking Seth fishing either, but with his tangled life, he wasn’t a role model by any stretch of the imagination. But thanks to the powers of persuasion and persistence of his red-haired friend, he was going to spend an afternoon making small talk with a teenager with no distractions.

  Once they were in his favorite fishing spot, he looked over at Seth. “What grade are you in?”

  “Tenth.” The boy blushed. “Should be eleventh, but I missed too many days in fourth grade, so I failed.”

  “Oh, man. That must have been tough.”

  “Yeah, but it’s okay. Most people don’t realize it now.”

  So much for small talk, Clint thought as the silence stretched across the water.

  He wordlessly handed the boy a reel and suppressed a grin when Seth expertly cast out. This boy was definitely a fisherman. Clint tossed his line several feet from Seth’s. They sat for several minutes without speaking.

  “I heard you were a fireman. Is that right?” Seth had apparently decided to pick up the conversational ball, unaware he’d just lobbed a bomb instead.

  “Yeah, I was. But not anymore.”

  “Did something bad happen?”

  Clint nodded shortly. “Yeah, a buddy of mine died in a fire.”

  “Oh. Sorry.”

  Even though his reply was brief, Clint could tell the boy meant it. In Seth’s eyes, Clint saw a wisdom way beyond his years.

  “Thanks for bringing me out here. I’ve always wanted to fish these lakes.”

  “No problem.” Clint found himself fervently sharing Jessa’s hope that this vulnerable boy hadn’t sabotaged her shop.

  “Where do you usually fish?”

  He named a stream that ran through the lower part of Lakehaven, hardly more than a muddy ditch. Clint nodded. “Do you catch many?”

  “Usually enough for supper.”

  “I bet your mom’s glad of that.”

  “Naw. My mom died when I was born.”

  Well, aren’t we just a barrel of lau
ghs, Clint thought. All of our conversations seem to lead to heartache.

  “I’m really sorry.”

  “Yeah, me, too. It was rough for a while, but me and my dad—we do all right now.”

  “Good.”

  Just then Seth’s line grew taught. He set the hook with a jerk and began to reel frantically. Excitement sparkled in his eyes. Clint grabbed the net and opened the live well. He usually just threw his fish back in the water, but if the boy and his dad wanted them for supper, he wasn’t going to argue with that.

  “Whoa! It looks like a big one,” Clint said, holding the net ready.

  The shiny tail flashed near the surface of the water, and Clint scooped it in. Seth grinned. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

  “She sure is.”

  His own rod gave a yank, and he left Seth to unhook the fish and drop it in the live well. Seconds later, he reeled in one almost as big.

  “Seth, buddy, I think our luck has changed.”

  For the next hour, they caught one fish after another. Seth’s face glowed.

  “Do you have enough room in your freezer for these?”

  Seth nodded, grinning. “We sure do.”

  “Then you might as well take them all. My mom and dad have their freezer full.”

  “You live with your parents?”

  “Just temporarily. In their garage apartment,” his pride made him add.

  “Oh. Bet you’ll be glad to get a place of your own.”

  When they got back to shore, Seth refused Clint’s offer to help him clean their catch. Clint felt sure the boy wanted to show them to his dad in all their glory before they were prepared for eating.

  After Seth left, his last comment lingered in Clint’s mind. It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford a house. He’d made some smart investments and had a tidy nest egg. It couldn’t hurt to look.

  He drove around the lake until he came to a house with a For Sale sign in the yard. It reminded him of a gingerbread cottage, and he drove on by. But the second one for sale, which appeared to be vacant, fairly screamed, ‘Home!’

  The well-kept cypress and rock ranch-style house appeared to have a full basement. Plenty of room for a Ping-Pong table or a playroom. He pushed the image of redheaded children from his mind and walked around to the back. As he stood looking at the backyard, which sloped gently toward the sparkling water, his heart longed for a home.

  He shook his head. No matter how many houses he bought, until he made peace with his Father, there would be no home for him

  Sixteen

  Jessa hurried in the back door of The Flower Basket. She and Clint had met for lunch at Skinny’s, and she’d hated to leave until he had to. Their friendship was developing nicely as long as they kept the boundaries well-defined. “I’m back.” She grabbed an apron off the hook by the door and tied it on as she walked into the front. Doris stood staring at a vase full of flowers, shaking her head.

  “Where did those come from?” Jessa asked. The bouquet looked to be at least a month old. The once red roses were shriveled and black.

  “Mr. Simmons brought them in.” Doris’s voice held a note of incredulity.

  “Why?”

  “He ordered them yesterday for his wife. It was their anniversary. He said they looked fine when Seth brought them, but by the time his wife got home from the hairdresser, this is all he had to offer her.” Doris reached out to touch a black petal, and it plummeted to the countertop.

  Jessa put her hand to her mouth. “Oh, no.” She ran behind the counter and grabbed the order pad. She stopped suddenly and turned to Doris. The older woman’s eyes were wide and worry lined her face. “Doris, I hate to ask you this. Please forgive me.”

  Doris nodded, and Jessa thought she knew what was coming.

  “Did you have anything to do with this?”

  Doris shook her head. “No, I certainly didn’t. I don’t blame you for asking, though.”

  Jessa tossed her the order pad. “Thank you for that. I need your help. We have to call everyone on this pad and find out if all the flowers did this or just Mr. Simmons’s order. Maybe it was a fluke.” At the hope in Doris’s eyes, she shook her head. “But usually if one customer complains, ten others just take their business elsewhere.”

  Thirty minutes later, the two women looked at each other grimly. Every bouquet they had prepared yesterday and today had died. It made no difference whether they were delivered or picked up, so that let Seth off the hook.

  “What could all those flowers have come in contact with?” Jessa said.

  “The water in the cooler pots?” Doris guessed.

  “Some of those flowers have been in there a lot longer than hours. If that was the case, they’d die whether we put them into bouquets or not.”

  Doris absently tied a bow around the bouquet she’d just finished. She picked up the spray bottle of stay-fresh solution, aptly called Crowning Glory, and put her finger on the trigger.

  “Wait!” Jessa reached toward Doris’s hand. “That’s it. Someone has tampered with the Crowning Glory.”

  Doris’s hand froze on the spray bottle. Seth sauntered in the door. Jessa and Doris both gaped at him, and he held up his hands. “Whoa. What’s up with y’all?”

  The direct approach had worked so well with Doris that Jessa didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of it a month ago. She guessed today’s prank was so far beyond a practical joke that it motivated her to act.

  “We have a problem.” She kept her eyes on Seth as she slid the dead bouquet over in front of him. “Those are the roses you delivered yesterday to Mr. Simmons.”

  Seth wrinkled his forehead. “What happened?”

  Jessa stepped toward him and held his gaze. “Seth, did you tamper with the liquid we spray on the flowers to keep them fresh?”

  He shook his head. “No way.”

  “Did you do anything to make the flowers wilt quickly?”

  “No.” Sincerity shone in his eyes. “I wouldn’t do that.”

  Jessa’s stomach flip-flopped. She wasn’t sure if it was from the relief of knowing that neither of her employees had betrayed her or dismay that an outsider was sabotaging her business.

  She nodded. “I’m sorry I had to ask you that, Seth.”

  “That’s okay. I understand.”

  Doris clapped her hands together lightly. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.” She motioned toward the table. “Since we don’t have any deliveries to make right now, Seth, you can help us work up replacement bouquets for the orders from today first and then yesterday.” She looked at Jessa, who nodded, grateful for someone else to take charge for a change.

  “When we finish, we’ll split them up by area, and all three take some. We’ll get them all delivered before suppertime that way.” Again she looked at Jessa, who smiled.

  “I really appreciate y’all pitching in.”

  Seth gingerly picked up the sprayer bottle. “So you think this has poison in it?”

  Jessa took it from him and unscrewed it, then put her nose to it. It had a slight chemical smell, different from the usual odor. “Yes, it looks that way.” She put it over to the side. “If I decide to call the police, that’ll be evidence.”

  At ten minutes after five, Doris and Seth left with their deliveries. Just as Jessa was finishing her last arrangement, Clint walked in.

  “What are you doing working so late?” He crossed the room and reached up to touch her hair.

  Her breath caught in her throat, but he barely touched her hair, then handed her a tiny sprig of greenery. “When I saw your car in the parking lot, I was afraid something was wrong.” He nodded toward all the flower arrangements lined up on the counter. “Where’s Seth?”

  “Seth and Doris each took five and left. These are for me to deliver.”

  “Is this a new marketing ploy? Canvas the neighborhood with delivered bouquets whether they’re ordered or not?”

  “Not exactly.”

  She filled him in on the afternoon’s events
, and he listened in concerned silence.

  “So both Doris and Seth denied it, and you believe them?”

  “Yes.” She fiddled with the ribbon on the counter. Would he trust her gut instinct?

  “That’s good enough for me.” He put his hand over hers. “I know you don’t want to, but you need to call the police.”

  “You’re probably right.” Struggling to breathe with his thumb lightly caressing her hand, she shrugged. Apparently he’d decided to play outside the boundaries. “Seth said y’all had a fantastic time fishing. He was really excited, Clint. Thank you for taking him.”

  “I enjoyed it.”

  He released her hand, and she turned toward the flowers, not wanting him to see how much his touch affected her. “Did you stop by for something in particular?”

  “Yes, actually, I did. We’re having a surprise get-together for Mom’s birthday Saturday. I was hoping you could ask Doris to run the store that day and celebrate with us. Mom would love it.”

  She thought the sparkle in his eyes said So would I, but then again it could have been a trick of the light. “Us?”

  “Yes, the whole family will be there except my little brother, Jake.” Clint chuckled. “And I guess, technically, you could say he will be there, too. That day’s game is televised.”

  “Your mom told me about him. It must be really cool to play major league baseball.” The McFaddens were definitely a multitalented group. Elaine had told her that one of her other sons was a senator.

  Jessa looked up at the McFadden standing in front of her. Maybe she was prejudiced, but she didn’t think any of them could be as good as her. . .friend.

  Thankfully unaware of her thoughts, Clint nodded. “This is his first year, and he doesn’t get to play all the time, but it’s what he’s always wanted to do.”

  “That’s exciting.” She would love to spend Elaine’s birthday with her and her family, but she couldn’t. Not as long as her heart couldn’t be trusted. “I think I’d better not butt in on a family gathering, though. Thanks for asking.”

  Clint nodded. “You’re welcome to come if you change your mind.”

  “Thanks.” She glanced at the clock. “Oh, no. Look at the time. I’ve got to get these flowers delivered.”