The Keeneston Roses (9 page)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Arm in arm the Rose sisters stood and watched the double casket lowered slowly into the ground. All of Keeneston stood behind them as the sisters stepped forward and one-by-one placed a pink lily, a white daisy, and a purple violet onto the casket as it disappeared into the earth.

They turned with tears in their eyes to their friends and townspeople. Edna stepped forward with a single red rose and let it drop into the grave behind the sisters. One by one others stepped forward. Louis and Bernadette, Roger and Sue, and couples from all ten notebooks dropped a single rose into the Roses’ grave.

Lily let the tears roll down her face until she had no more tears to shed. She was wrung dry. “Come on, Miss Lily, let’s get you ladies home,” Kevin Stoker said kindly as he and his wife, Mona, each took an arm and led her up the hill to their house. Daisy and Violet were similarly escorted up the street with the whole town processing behind them.

The house stood empty. The pitcher of sweet tea they had been drinking three days ago still sat on the porch. Destruction surrounded it, but the single glass pitcher was left untouched. The sisters hadn’t been able to set foot in their home since that night. They’d been staying with Edna and her husband, but today they were coming home. Today they had to start living again.

Edna opened the front door and stepped out of the way. Lily and her sisters looked around. The house had been cleaned. The shattered windows were covered with board or plastic, waiting to be replaced. The roof was covered with a tarp, but otherwise, the house looked just as they’d left it.

“Thank you,” Violet stammered through a fresh wave of tears.

“It was the least we could do for you, Miss Violet,” their classmate, Caesar Tabernacle, said softly.

“Thank you, Tabby,” Daisy said kindly and placed a shaky hand on his arm, stepping over the threshold.

Arms linked, the sisters made their way to the living room and sat as one on the couch. Behind them, the window was covered with plywood. But inside there were no signs of the storm that had changed their lives. Their friends had taken care of that for them.

“Miss Lily, Miss Daisy, Miss Violet. I’m so sorry for your loss. I brought you a chicken casserole . . .”

“Miss Lily, Miss, Daisy, Miss Violet. I’m so sorry for your loss. I brought you a broccoli casserole . . .”

Lily lost count of the people who had come by to give their condolences and bring them a casserole or a pie. The dining room table was covered with food and their kitchen was filled with women doing anything they could think of to help. Outside, the plywood was pulled down and the men carried a new window up the steps of the porch.

The world continued to turn around them as Lily clung to her sisters. She didn’t feel time go by. She didn’t see the changes the town made to their home. All she felt was emptiness seizing her and dragging her into darkness. Only the pain of loss kept her awake.

“Miss Lily, Miss Daisy, Miss Violet,” Roger Burns said gently as he knelt in front of the sisters.

“Thank you for the casserole,” Daisy mumbled.

Roger cracked a small smile. “I didn’t bring a casserole. I brought the insurance company that is paying for the window and roof repairs. Sue is in the kitchen to organize freezing all the food your friends and neighbors brought by. And Edna is upstairs washing all the bed linens.”

“That’s so nice of y’all,” Violet said and blinked as if just now noticing all the activity going on around them.

“Miss Lily? Do you need anything?” Roger asked, putting his hand on her arm.

Lily jerked and looked around as if seeing the world for the first time. “Who are all these people?”

“That’s what I am here to talk to you about. I notified the insurance company, and they are paying for all the repairs the town is doing. The women have you stocked up on food for the next month. I need to talk to you about your plans. I have your parents’ will with me. I’m the executor, and I will take care of everything. You will receive your father’s life insurance policy in thirty days, and the house and store will be transferred to you three as well. Your father left you well provided for.”

“I hadn’t even thought about the future,” Lily mumbled as her eyes started to glaze over again.

“You don’t have to right now, but eventually you will need to. I will stop by tomorrow and check on you.” Roger stood up and gave each woman a pat on the shoulder before collecting his wife and heading out.

Slowly, people trickled out of their house until only Edna was left. “Come on, dears, let’s get you into bed.”

“Thank you, Edna.” Lily took her friend's hand and felt the warmth and strength in it. “We’ll be fine tonight.”

“Yes, thank you. We couldn’t have made it through these past three days without you.” Daisy stood and hugged their friend.

“Would you like a casserole?” Violet asked as she stared at the mountain of casserole dishes still laid out on the table.

Snort
. Lily’s hand covered her nose as her eyes widened. A giggle escaped, and she moved her other hand to cover her mouth. Daisy looked at the table, and a smile spread over her face a second before she broke out in laughter. Lily gave up the struggle to conceal her laughter and let loose. Violet started next, and soon the three of them were leaning on each other with tears of laughter rolling down their cheeks.

“Well, now that I know you three are all right, I’ll say goodnight. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Edna closed the door with a smile on her face.

Lily and her sisters finally straightened back up and wiped the tears from their faces. Violet’s stomach rumbled so loudly Lily and Daisy broke out in peals of laughter again.

“What? I’m starving, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at another casserole without laughing. Where are those pies?”

“Wait for me, Vi! I want a pie, too,” Daisy called after her sister.

“A pie for each of us,” Lily declared as they made their way into the kitchen.

Pies in hand, the sisters sat on the front porch and looked up at the stars. They ate in silence, remembering the last time they were sitting on the porch together. Daisy set her plate down and looked at her sisters.

“What do we do now?”

Lily leaned back on the swing and set down her fork. “From what I remember Roger saying, we now own the house and the store. But none of us is a pharmacist.”

“But one of us is a chef,” Violet said with enthusiasm.

“So?” Daisy asked.

“So, who says we have to keep the store the way it was? I’ve always wanted to be the chef at my own restaurant.”

“Dad and Mom would like that,” Lily said quietly.

“I guess I could still work at the bank, and we could all still continue to live here,” Daisy said as she took another bite of pie.

“That doesn’t sound like enough anymore, does it?” Lily asked without looking at her sisters.

“No, it doesn’t,” Daisy said with relief. “I was afraid to admit it. I want to run my own business.”

Violet sat up so fast she almost dropped her pie. “I know how to run a kitchen, but not the business side. We could open our own place. I cook and you handle all the business.”

Lily clapped her hands excitedly. “It would stay a family business just like Dad wanted.”

Daisy and Violet clasped hands and smiled. “What should we call our new place?”

“I don’t know,” Violet answered.

“Rose Garden?” Lily suggested.

“I like something with a new start. Life handed us a trial. But it’s not going to destroy us. We’ll bounce back in time,” Daisy said and used her other hand to reach out to Lily.

“That’s beautiful, Daisy. Just like a rose blossom. So fragile, but they come back year after year,” Lily said as she placed her hands in her sisters’ hands.

Violet gasped. “That’s it! Rose Sisters’ Blossom Café!”

Tears filled Lily’s eyes. “It’s perfect.”

Daisy and Violet smiled, but Violet’s smile slipped. “But what about you, Lily?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never gone off like you two have. I’ve just had this home or the soda fountain.”

Violet turned and looked at the house. “The house . . .”

“What about it?” Lily asked.

“It’s so big. And eventually we will all want to get our own places. I mean, when Robert comes home and marries Daisy. I’ll be working so hard starting the café I may make a little apartment above the café to stay close while we’re getting it all put together. But the house . . . the house has seven bedrooms.”

Daisy grinned. “And there are no hotels in Keeneston.”

Lily sucked in a breath of excitement. “And Mom always said it would make a beautiful bed-and-breakfast. Oh, would you girls mind if I did that?”

“No!” they shouted, wrapping Lily up in a hug.

“You know how to cook and if you get stuck, the new Blossom Café can provide the food. You can open the downstairs, convert the den and master bedroom into your own quarters, and then offer six rooms out. What do you think?” Daisy asked.

“I love it,” Lily said quietly. She reached out and took her sisters’ hands in hers. “We are going to get through this together.”

The sisters leaned forward and wrapped their arms around each other in a tight hug. “Come on. Tomorrow we start moving forward. Tonight we’ll sit in Lily’s room and tell stories about Mom and Dad,” Violet said as she stood up.

They walked up the curved staircase and into Lily’s room. None of them had been back up there since the tornado. The room had sustained some water damage. A broken window had let rain and wind in. But with Edna’s help, it wouldn’t seem too overwhelming to fix. At least the bed was dry.

“Look!” Violet called out as she rushed into the room. “Everything got wet and all your books and papers were destroyed by the rain, but not these.”

Lily’s eyes went wide as Violet turned around with the ten matchmaking notebooks in her hands. “How on earth?”

“That’s a sign if I’ve ever seen one,” Daisy laughed.

“It sure is. And think of all the nice young men we’ll meet when we start rebuilding,” Violet giggled.

“Then, we better start making a list of eligible women in town,” Lily said as she jumped onto her bed with her sisters. Life would be different now. They would feel the emptiness of their loss every day. But by following their dreams, they knew they would be honoring their parents’ memory.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

One year later . . .

Lily pulled open the screen door to the Blossom Café and rushed inside. She waved to all the people enjoying dinner and hurried into the kitchen. Violet was busy frying chicken, and Daisy filled plates with fresh-cut French fries and green beans.

“Wow, y’all got a crowd out there,” Lily commented. She joined in to help Daisy set the plates on a serving tray.

“Since we opened six months ago, every night is a little busier than the night before,” Daisy told her as she placed the last of the French fries on the plates.

“I heard you have three rooms rented out for the Keeneston Spring Festival,” Violet said, placing the chicken on the plates.

“Sure do. The house seems so alive when I have guests in it. I put an ad in the thoroughbred magazine and have a full house booked for the entire fall Keeneland racing season.”

Daisy picked up the tray and pushed open the door with her bottom. “I’ll be right back. Don’t start anything without me.”

Lily watched her sister head into the restaurant to serve dinner with a healthy side of gossip. It had been a tough year, but the Rose sisters had stuck together and really bloomed into more mature women. They knew what they wanted, and they were going after it.

“She got another letter from Robert,” Violet whispered.

“About time. He’s only written her twice since Mom and Dad died last year.”

Violet growled. Robert was a touchy subject. “He says he’s been traveling the region on behalf of the U.S. Embassy.”

“When is he coming home?”

“He claims the war is heating up. There’re even whispers in the higher ranks of needing more men. He swore again that they’d be married as soon as the war was over. Daisy gets so excited about each word she doesn’t see he’s just stringing her along.”

Lily sighed. “We’ve done everything we could to show her he is using her.”

“I know. It’s just frustrating.”

The door was pushed open, and Daisy rushed back in. “Y’all wouldn’t believe what I just heard out there! The Belles have made a list of the most eligible bachelors in the Class of 1968 and both Jake Davies and William Ashton are at the top.”

“But they are both dating women already,” Violet protested. “When did the Belles start going after men with girlfriends?”

“That’s why I’m here,” Lily said anxiously. “I heard from John Wolfe about their change in plans. There’s not enough men around. If they aren’t married, then they’re fair game. But, I know of a way to get at least one name off that list. We’ll need our bikes . . .”

As soon as the café closed, the sisters hurried back to the bed-and-breakfast. Lily pulled out the bike Louis had repaired and handed it to Violet before pulling out Daisy’s bike and then her own.

“We are picking up Betsy Milner and taking her to Lovers Pond. We will need to make a quiet escape,” Lily explained, pedaling down the driveway, leaving Violet and Daisy scrambling to catch up.

“Betsy Milner? Who’s that?” Violet called out as she peddled hard enough to pull up next to Lily.

“She’s just about to graduate high school. Blond. Taller than us. Been dating William Ashton forever.”

“Oh, yeah. I remember her. She’s one of the girls the Belles are trying to unseat. But, why are we going to take her to Lovers Pond?” Daisy was beyond confused.

“We need to get her to skinny-dip.”

Violet temporarily lost control of the bike and had to slam on the brakes to keep from falling. “What?”

“William hasn’t popped the question yet, and they’ve been dating for three years now. People are starting to talk. And as you just learned tonight, some of the Belles are going to try to angle in on him. They think they can separate him from Betsy and get him to marry one of them.”

“And you’ve taken an interest why?” Daisy asked.

“See, I’m the one who introduced them. They’re madly in love, and he just needs a little encouragement to pop the question.” Lily shot her sisters a sly grin, and Daisy and Violet laughed in return.

“Sounds like fun. What do you need us to do?” Violet called out.

“Here’s what I need you two to do . . .” Lily grinned as she began to explain their roles.

Lily waved at Betsy as they rode up her street. She didn’t know if she would be able to pull off her plan, but if she did, Lily knew another wedding would be just around the corner. Betsy was a cute little thing, and Lily felt old as she looked at her.

“We’re celebrating our first six months of business. You’ve been such a great supporter that we want to take you with us. Grab your bike and let’s go,” Lily said, turning around in Betsy’s driveway and coming to a stop.

Betsy smiled at the sisters with such kindness Lily knew she had decided to help the right couple. “How wonderful! And I still want to hear all about France, Miss Violet. You’re a woman of the world, and I’m so jealous.”

“But of course,” Violet said in her best French accent.

Betsy whizzed past them on her bike. “So, where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise. It’s something just we sisters do, so you have to pinky swear you won’t tell anyone,” Lily said with such seriousness she heard Violet and Daisy choke down a giggle.

“I swear. This is so cool. I wish I had a sister. Y’all are so lucky. Marcy Faulkner, my best friend, and I are like sisters, though,” Betsy rambled as Lily led them out of town and toward Lovers Pond.

Violet cursed in French while Betsy’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. “You want me to get . . .” Betsy looked around and dropped her voice to a whisper, “. . .
naked?
”

Lily just laughed. “You can’t skinny-dip without taking off your clothes. Violet, Daisy, and I do it all the time. It’s the perfect way to celebrate our success. Right, girls?”

Violet smiled innocently. “It’s tradition,” she said as she started to unbutton her blouse and unzip her jeans.

Lily slid off her skirt while Daisy unbuttoned her capri pants. Betsy looked nervously around at the deserted pond. Biting down on her lip, she slid out of her oxford step-in dress and then giggled. “I’ve never done anything like this before. It’s pretty thrilling.”

The women all slipped out of their undergarments and headed for the water. Lily cringed as she stuck her toe in. It was still cold. It wasn’t hot enough outside yet to warm it to summer temperatures.

Linking hands, the four women looked at each other and, with a scream, jumped. The cold, dark water covered Lily’s head as she kicked her way to the surface. She gasped as soon as her head broke through into the night air.

“Let’s race to the other side to warm up,” Lily suggested, and Betsy nodded with chattering teeth.

“Ready, set, go,” Lily called as Betsy took off. “Come on, let’s get out of here. We only have seconds to spare.”

“Seconds until what?” Violet asked, but the sound of a car coming toward them answered her question. The sisters scrambled from the pond.

An old pickup truck came into view right as Lily, Daisy, and Violet grabbed their clothes and jumped bare-bottomed behind the honeysuckles. They didn’t have time to put on their clothes before the door to the truck opened. “Lily? What did you need to see me about?” the deep voice called in a whisper.

Lily grabbed Violet’s hand to stop her from making a sound as she shivered naked in the cool night air. Splashing water drew the man’s attention, and they heard him head to the other side of the pond.

They heard a whistle of appreciation as Betsy called out, “I won!” before letting loose with a shriek that could be heard all the way into town.

“What is Tabby doing here?” Violet whispered as she looked at the man standing at the other side of the pond. He was looking good for someone who enjoyed pig mud over dances. All the work on the farm had paid off. While he was just average height, his longer hair was pulled back in a ponytail. It shined from the lights of his truck. His shoulders were broad, and his arms stretched the sleeves of his sports coat. Plus, he was a great guy and had been a big help since they lost their parents.

“Just wait,” Lily replied as she nodded with her wet head to the second vehicle driving down the path.

As the sisters peered around the honeysuckle, they saw the second car bouncing down the dirt path at the same time they saw Tabby lean over and haul a naked and shivering Betsy from the pond in order to warm her.

Daisy covered her mouth to muffle the gasp as she saw William Ashton shoot from the car and race toward Betsy. His hands balled into fists at the sight of her in Tabby’s arms.

“He thinks . . .” Violet started to say.

Lily grinned with victory. “I know what he thinks. Hurry, let’s get dressed while they are distracted.”

“Get your hands off my wife,” William bellowed as he ripped Betsy from Tabby’s arms. The sound of a fist connecting with a jaw reached the sisters a second later.

“Oh dear,” Lily worried and snuck another peek around the bush. Tabby’s head had snapped back, but he hadn’t fallen. He also didn’t look too worried about the situation.

“I was just trying to warm her up.”

“I know what you were trying to do,” William yelled. He shoved Betsy behind his back and yanked off his coat to cover her.

“Wife?” the small, shivering voice said from where she was slipping on the coat.

“Yes, wife. Do you think I wasn’t planning on marrying you? Why else would I date you for so long?” William snapped, turning on Tabby once again.

“Well, I guess it was worth a shot. I just took advantage of the situation. She wasn’t here to meet me. In fact, she didn’t even know I was here. May I be the first to offer my congratulations,” Tabby held out his hand. William took a deep breath and then shook it before bundling Betsy away.

“What were you thinking, skinny-dipping?” William asked Betsy, who was frantically looking around for the Rose sisters.

“I was . . . um . . . I mean,” she stuttered as Violet, Daisy and Lily held their breath.

“When I saw you naked . . . golly, Betsy. It’s taken all my restraint to be the perfect gentleman for you, but no more. No one gets to see you naked but me. Ever.” William reached down and scooped up her clothes in a huff. “And then to see you in the arms of another man. I thought I was going to murder him. I love you, Betsy Milner, and I want you to be my wife more than anything in this world.”

“I love you, too,” Betsy said, tears threatening to roll down her cheeks.

“I’m not going to do it tonight, but soon. When I ask you to marry me, I want it to be a story we can tell our grandchildren.” William chuckled. “And this is definitely not that story. But when I ask, you will say yes, won’t you?”

“Yes,” Betsy said with such excitement she jumped into his arms, the coat falling from her shoulders and giving William a good view of her naked body.

William groaned. “Soon. Very, very soon.” He handed over her clothes and groaned again as she bent to get into his car. As he drove off, the only thing he was watching was Betsy getting dressed and not the road.

“We did it,” Lily cheered, jumping out from behind the honeysuckle.

“You sure did. Now will you tell me the reason for the sore jaw? Ashton has one hell of a punch,” Tabby asked as he walked over to them rubbing his jaw.

Before Lily could say anything, Violet eyes widened, and she grabbed her sisters’ arms to keep them from talking. “You poor thing. Lily just wanted to surprise you with a picnic for all the hard work you’ve done for us this past year. But we, um, forgot it at the café.”

“That’s right.” Daisy smiled. “It was my fault. I was so afraid we were late, we ran out with that pie sitting right on the table cooling.”

“And here we are with no pie and you with a sore jaw. You poor thing,” Violet cooed. “Lily, did Catherine ever finish nursing school?”

Lily’s smile widened. “Why, yes, she did. Let’s put our bikes in the back of the truck and have her take a look at that jaw.”

Tabby shook his head. “It’s fine. It’ll just have a bruise on it tomorrow.”

Violet put her hand to her heart. “Bless your heart, you’re such a strong man. I would just feel so much better if Nurse Catherine looked at it. Will you do that for me?”

Tabby blushed a little and then gave in. He put their bikes in the truck bed, and the sisters climbed into the cab. “That was brilliant.” Lily giggled.

“Well, it looks like you’re not the only sister with the matchmaking gene,” Daisy teased Lily as the girls giggled.

An hour later the sisters took their bikes out of the back of Tabby’s pickup at Catherine’s house. Catherine had ordered Tabby to sit at her kitchen table with a cold compress on his jaw for another hour. When Lily and Violet had left, Catherine and Tabby were giving each other moon-eyes.

“Tonight was so much fun,” Violet giggled as she pedaled up their street.

“You’re a natural.” Lily laughed as they pulled into their driveway. “Daisy, not so much.”

“Hey,” Daisy yelled.

Violet and Lily giggled. “Tonight’s the first time you didn’t fall into a trashcan, a mud puddle, or some other dirty object,” Lily teased.