Thirty-One and a Half Regrets (7 page)

Jonah released a heavy sigh. “You and I both know that’s a terrible idea. Especially in light of Crocker’s prison break.”

“Well…if it makes you feel any better, the sheriff’s office and the state police think Crocker has left for Louisiana.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s safe for you to go out there.”

“I know…” My voice trailed off as I looked up at him.

He rolled his eyes and groaned. “Rose.”

I sat on the edge of my seat. “Jonah, Bruce Wayne is in trouble. I know it and those guys out there like you.”

He shook his head with a grimace. “I’m not sure I’d call it
like
. They come to my group for the community service hours. They only do it to stay on the right side of the law and their parole officers. Honestly, some days I question how effective it is. I’ve probably only turned around one boy since starting the group a few months ago.”

I stood and put a hand on his arm. “Maybe it’s only happening one boy at a time, but at least you made a difference to that one boy. I suspect you’re making more of an impact than you realize. And those guys from Weston’s Garage don’t have to come here. They could do something else.”

He released a wry laugh. “You were the one who suggested—quite rightly, I might add—that those guys from Weston’s Garage were probably using my group to recruit boys like your neighbor Thomas.”

I turned and leaned my butt against the desk. “I’m desperate, Jonah. I really care about Bruce Wayne and I know in my gut that something’s wrong. I can’t just sit around and do nothing. I’m open to suggestions.”

He was silent for several seconds. “One of Crocker’s former guys really seems to be trying to turn his life around—Scooter Malcolm.”

My eyebrows lifted. “The brother of Skeeter Malcolm, the bookie at the pool hall ? Their momma must have trouble coming up with names.”

“Yep, that’s him. And we both know that no one wants to get on Skeeter’s bad side.”

I knew that from personal experience with Skeeter when I was looking for evidence to clear Bruce Wayne’s name. I shivered. I hated to think what might have happened if Mason hadn’t shown up. “I didn’t know the Malcolms had ties to Crocker.”

“Rose, everyone in this town had ties to Crocker one way or the other.”

“Oh.” But it wasn’t surprising I didn’t know. Before Momma’s murder, I had lived a completely sheltered life. I went to work at the DMV each morning, went home and took care of Momma, then got up the next day to do it all over again. With Violet’s backing, I’d convinced myself that I was the town outcast, but I’d recently begun to question how much of that was caused by my own isolation, which had perpetuated the idea that I really
was
strange and different.

“Scooter’s been trying to turn his life around, just like Bruce Wayne, but he has a harder road ahead of him because his brother keeps trying to pull him back in.” He shifted his weight. “In any case, I’ll find Scooter and ask him if he’s heard anything. But don’t get your hopes up. If Bruce Wayne’s disappearance really does have something to do with Daniel Crocker, I’m not sure Scooter will help us.”

“Okay,” I said, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice. Jonah was trying to help, which was more than I should have been asking. “We’ll just hope that he knows something.”

“But if I don’t find anything, you need to tell Mason.”

I sucked in my lower lip.

“Rose.”

I stood and moved to the window, looking down at the church grounds. I had hired Bruce Wayne and David out of desperation when Jonah commissioned us to landscape the entire church grounds in less than five days. But it turned out that Bruce Wayne loved it. He’d been working for me for a little over a month and I couldn’t imagine the Gardner Sisters Nursery without him.

“
Rose
.”

“I’ve been leaving Bruce Wayne messages on his cell phone. Maybe he’ll call me back and tell me that this has all been a big misunderstanding.”

Jonah’s mouth pursed as his eyebrows rose.

“When do you think you can talk to Scooter?”

“I’ll track him down as soon as we’re done here.”

“Okay,” I groaned. “If Scooter can’t help us, and if I haven’t heard anything by the end of the press conference, I’ll tell Mason.”

“What press conference?”

I spun around and offered him an awkward smile. “The Gardner Sisters Nursery is being awarded a huge grant this afternoon from the Arkansas Small Business Administration.” I told him everything I’d told Mason earlier.

He frowned while he listened, then asked, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“How can I turn it down?”

“You do realize that his father is counting on that very reaction. He offered you something that you think you can’t live without. Just more of his manipulation.”

“You don’t think I know that?” I asked, my irritation increasing. “But how can I turn this down? Violet’s counting on it.”

“Forget Violet. What do
you
want?”

“If we don’t do this, Violet will—”

Jonah moved closer to me and bent his knees so we were eye to eye. “I don’t give a Fig Newton about Violet right now. I’m asking about
you
. What does
Rose
want to do? Do you want to see Joe?”

I walked back toward the desk and sank into the chair. “Would it make me a terrible person if I did?”

“It would make you perfectly normal.”

“I know he’s with Hilary now.”

“And we both know that’s staged.”

“But still.”

“What do you hope to get out of seeing him? Ask yourself that before you go.”

“I think I just want to know that he’s okay. That he’s making the best of it.”

“Do you want him to tell you it’s all a terrible mistake? That he wants to come back to you?”

“No. I don’t know.” I ran a hand over my hair, smoothing back several loose strands. “I used to think I wanted that, but Mason…” I took a deep breath. “I think what I really need is closure. I need to say goodbye while I’m not sobbing my eyes out. Does that make sense?”

“Perfect sense. And it’s a very good reason to go through with it. I just wanted to make sure you’re doing it for you.”

“I guess I am.”

“When is it scheduled? I’ll try to come. I was a big part of the first press conference at the grand opening of your business. I should make a habit of attending all of them.”

I grinned, trying to settle my nerves. Not too long ago, I’d been alone in the world, but now I had supportive friends who were there for me when I needed them. Facing Joe at the press conference would be hard, but I felt stronger knowing Mason, Jonah, and Neely Kate would be there to support me. “You’re the one who got our landscaping business rolling, but I think you’ve run out of land for us to work with.”

“There’s still my backyard.” He winked.

I laughed. “When we were working on the front yard, Bruce Wayne checked out the back and actually came up with a few ideas. He’s a natural.” My voice broke.

Jonah placed his hand on my shoulder. “He’ll turn up, Rose. We’ll find him.”

I sure hoped Jonah was right.

A crowd was already gathering in the nursery parking lot when I pulled up a few minutes after noon. My phone dinged and I checked to see I had another message from Mason. He'd been checking in with me all morning to make sure I was safe. His latest text told me he was running late, but he’d be at the nursery by one.

Violet burst out of the door as I walked to the entrance, Muffy trotting along behind me. “Where have you been?” she said through gritted teeth. “You’re late.”

I glanced at my phone. “By three minutes.”

“I needed you here, Rose. People are already showing up.” Her gaze took me in from head to toe. “Have you spent all morning getting dressed? Because I know you weren’t building Mrs. Miller’s retaining wall. Which means you weren’t
working
.”

After leaving Jonah’s, I’d run by our latest job to check on the site and tell the homeowner it might be a few days before we wrapped things up. When I got home, I spent five full minutes staring at the clothes in my closet. Did I want to wear jeans and a sweatshirt and try to make Joe think this was no big deal? Did I want to put on a dress and curl my hair? But would he think I was trying to win him back? I ultimately decided to dress for me. I was going to be on camera and I wanted to look good whether Joe was there or not. I chose a suede skirt and cream-colored sweater with dark brown boots. I’d even curled my hair and fixed it into a style Neely Kate had tried out the weekend before.

I knew Violet lashed out when she was stressed, but I was stressed too. “Violet, I’m already going above and beyond by doing this today. Don’t push me.”

Her mouth fell open in shock, but she quickly closed it and gave me a disapproving look. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately, Rose Anne Gardner, but I’m not sure I like you very much right now.”

“Well, that makes two of us, because I haven’t liked you for a good month.”

Tears welled in her eyes. She started say something but then turned around and walked into the back room, leaving me to feel like the worst sister in the world. What I said may have been true, but that wasn’t the way to tell her. At least not according to the role-playing games Jonah and I had practiced when preparing for this confrontation.

I glanced around the shop and wondered why she had freaked out about me being late. I couldn’t see a single thing that needed to be done. But then again, I had no idea what we were supposed to do in the first place.

She came back out after a few minutes, her smile screwed on and her eyes shining bright, pretending like nothing had happened. “The campaign people won’t be here until close to one, but the SBA people should be here at any moment.”

My stomach flip-flopped. “Do you know who’s coming with the campaign people?”

She turned to give me a smug smile. “Nope.”

It was my turn to gasp.

She glanced out the window, her eyes lighting up as the front door opened. “Mayor MacIntosh. It’s so wonderful that you could make time in your busy schedule to come today.”

Brody sauntered through the door and shook her extended hand, holding on longer than necessary. “I wouldn’t dream of missing it, Violet. What’s good for the Gardner Sisters Nursery is excellent for all of Henryetta.”

I glanced around, wondering who they were putting on their little show for. There were a few customers in the store, but I was the only one watching, and I wasn’t falling for it. I cleared my throat. “Muffy, let’s go in back.”

“That’s right,” Violet called after me. “You run off and hide like you always do, leaving me to do all the work.”

I stopped in the doorway and spun around while Muffy ran for the dog bed I kept in the back room. Smart dog.

Brody stood next to her, looking like someone had just pointed a shotgun in his face.

I put my hand on my hip. “Is that what you think I do?”

Brody took two careful steps backward as though he was worried he was about to step on a landmine.

She put both hands on her hips and cocked her head. “Isn’t it?” she asked in her syrupy sweet voice.

I took several steps toward her. “I do plenty of work around here. I work six days a week, and I’m out doing manual labor while you stand around behind a cash register all day.”

She gasped. “I do more than that!”

The customers had stopped perusing the store, turning their full attention to Violet.

Brody had his hand on the door. “I’ll just wait outside.”

Violet spun her head around to him so quickly it was a wonder it didn’t fly off her head. “No you won’t! You wait right there.”

My sister’s raised voice had attracted the attention of several busybodies outside and they stood in rapt attention outside the windows, as if they were watching an episode of the
Real Housewives of Fenton County
.

“You’re right,” I conceded. “You do more than run a cash register. You let everyone think that I’m some evil tyrant who’s made you into an indentured servant.”

Her face reddened. “You know full good and well that I’ve been trying to set the record straight since I confessed that to you.”

I took several steps closer. “Really, Vi? How hard are you trying? Because Mrs. Hershel’s eyes nearly fell out of her head while she was glaring at me at the bank last week.”

“How can you be sure that it was over my little misunderstanding? It could be because of the company you keep. Think about it! Jonah Pruitt’s mother killed five women and tried to kill you, but you spend more time with him than me. Then take Bruce Wayne. He’s a criminal, for heaven’s sake. I’m sure we’d get even more landscaping jobs if someone more respectable worked with you. Joe was right. No wonder he broke up with you.”

I shook my head in disbelief, tears springing to my eyes. “You have no idea, Violet.” I clenched my fists at my sides. “No idea at all why we broke up.”

“Mason will see it too. He’ll see that you’re not like everyone else. I’ve tried to protect you, but you got a bee in your bonnet and decided to prove me wrong. And everything’s falling apart around you now, just like I knew it would.”

“Violet!” Brody said, his voice full of shock.

“Even Bruce Wayne is proving to be a disappointment. You actually believe he’s sick and not off getting high somewhere? You really are naïve. This is why you need to let me make all the business decisions, Rose. I’m the one with common sense.”

“You’re just like Momma,” I whispered.

“
What
?”

“Oh, my word.” I sagged against the counter. “How did I never see this before? You’re exactly like her.”

Her back became ram-rod stiff. “I’m
nothin’
like her.”

“You think your way is the right way, and when I don’t do things your way, you berate me until I think I was wrong.” I shook my head. “I’m done. I’m done with letting you or anyone else tell me what to do.”

“
Tell you what to do
? Good heavens.” She scowled in disgust. “You haven’t done a
thing
I’ve told you to do since Joe Simmons showed up in your life! I knew he’d hurt you! When I found out about his family, I told you that you’d never be good enough for them. And who was right, Rose? It kills you to admit it, doesn’t it?”