Thirty-Four and a Half Predicaments: Rose Gardner Mystery #7 (4 page)

His hold on me tightened and one of his hands slid down to my butt. “You do get me stirred up.” He groaned as he moved his hand back up to my waist and leaned down to kiss me softly. “In a couple of months, we need a vacation. Just you and me. Alone.”

“I like the sound of that.”

He kissed me again. “Or if you feel like roughing it a little, we could borrow my uncle’s cabin up in the Ozarks and bring Muffy with us so you won’t miss her so much.”

I leaned back. “You would do that?”

“Of course. She’s special to you. And I’ve grown pretty fond of her myself.”

Mason always knew just what to say to grow my heart two sizes. “I love you.”

He gave me another gentle kiss before dropping his hold. “I love you too. Now help me eat this pie.”

“I can’t. I need to get goin’. I made an appointment at the Nip and Clip for Neely Kate to get her hair colored with streaks.”

His eyes widened. “Do I want to know?”

I smiled. “She’d been talkin’ about it for weeks and I kept telling her it was a bad idea.” I shook my head. “Why was I so judgmental? That’s not like me.” Then a new fear hit me. “Is it?”

He sighed and rubbed my arm. “Of course not. You’re one of the most accepting people I know. But we both know Neely Kate can be impulsive. You were being a good friend by encouraging her to think it through.”

No, I’d flat out told her not to do it. There was a difference, but pointing it out wouldn’t help anything. “Well, I made the appointment, but she doesn’t know yet. I’m gonna surprise her and hope it cheers her up a little bit.”

“I think it’s great idea. And even if she doesn’t get excited in her usual manner, I’m sure she’ll appreciate it. When I talked to Ronnie this morning, he said she’s just as desolate as she was the day they came home from the hospital two weeks ago.”

“You talked to Ronnie?” I asked in surprise.

“Yeah…” He paused. “We’re friends, and I’m as worried about him as I am about Neely Kate. Ronnie’s beside himself.”

“Oh.” Now I really felt awful. I’d never even considered how Ronnie was handling it all. “How’s he doin’?”

“He’s upset about losing the babies, of course. But he’s more worried about his wife.”

“Oh. Poor Ronnie.”

“Maybe you could take Neely Kate on another girls’ trip.”

I lifted my eyebrows and said in a mocking tone, “Because the last one went so well.”

“Neely Kate loved every minute of it. Maybe she needs an adventure.”

“Maybe.” I felt so inadequate to help her, but it didn’t mean I was about to stop trying. “I’ll try to talk her into it.”

“Good.”

I gave him a sly grin. “You seem a little too eager to get rid of me.”

“I’ll miss you every second you’re gone, so my suggestion only proves how much I care about Neely Kate.”

I rested my hands on his chest and reached up to kiss him. “You’re an amazing man, Mason Deveraux.”

He grinned. “I know. I keep telling you that.”

I laughed. “You’re awful.”

“I’m amazing
and
awful. I’m glad you love me anyway.”

I lifted my eyebrows. “Good thing for you,” I stepped away from him and picked up the bakery bag, “I need to head over to Neely Kate’s. Her appointment is at two, and she probably needs to get dressed.”

Mason reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Here, take this with you.” He handed me several twenties and his credit card.

I reluctantly reached for it, my face burning with shame.

“Rose.”

I looked up into his face.

He placed the money and the card in my hand and curled his fingers around mine. “I know how hard this is for you. But you know I’d do anything for you. And if it helps, consider it this way: this is my gift to Neely Kate.” Then he handed me his car keys. “Why don’t you take my car? It will be easier for Neely Kate to get in and out of it than your truck would be.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now go try to cheer up our friend.”

As I knocked on Neely Kate’s front door, I suddenly felt unsure about my plan. What if she hated it?

She answered the door wearing a pair of gray yoga pants, a stained white T-shirt, and a pair of white socks. Her face was clean of makeup and her hair was flat and lifeless. She looked like a shadow of her normal self and my heart broke all over again. I forced myself to sound cheerful even though I wanted to cry for her.

“Hey, Neely Kate. What are you up to?”

“Nothin’.”

“I have a couple of surprises for you.” I held up the bakery bag.

She looked down at my feet. “Thanks. I’m not really hungry.”

“Can I come in anyway?”

For a second I thought she might actually refuse me, but she took a step back and let me in.

A soap opera was playing on her television when I followed her into the living room. She sat on her sofa and pulled a red knit afghan over her legs.

“How are you feeling today?” I asked as I sat in the chair next to her, even though the answer was obvious.

“Fine.”

“Have you driven yet?”

“No. I’ve got nowhere to go.”

“Well, you know Bruce Wayne and I are eager for you to come back to work when you feel up to it.”

She remained silent.

“Violet’s hiring a new girl to help her—Anna. Violet says she has a mysterious past.”

It was an exaggeration, but she loved hearing gossip, so I’d hoped to get some reaction out of her. Instead, she remained stoic. “That’s nice.”

Neely Kate had known exactly how to comfort me after my breakup with Joe. She’d come over with the first season of
Grey’s Anatomy
on DVD and two containers of Ben and Jerry’s. But breaking up with a boyfriend, no matter how earth-shattering it felt, couldn’t begin to compare with a miscarriage. I felt helpless and hopeless. I was failing my friend.

I moved onto the couch next to her and leaned my head on her shoulder, taking her hand in mine. “I love you, Neely Kate. I’ll do anything I can to help you. What do you need me to do?”

Her shoulders began to shake and soon she was crying. I turned and wrapped my arms around her back, tears burning in my own eyes. She rested her cheek against my hair, sobs wracking her body. I hadn’t seen her cry,
really
cry since coming out of surgery two weeks ago. And even though it killed me to see her like this, I just held her close and let her cry it out. I wanted to tell her it would be okay, but I wasn’t sure it was true. The only thing I knew to do was hug her and let her know I was here. Through thick and thin.

But a part of me was filled with guilt. Could I have spared my best friend some of her pain? Neely Kate’s grandmother’s tea leaves had told her that she was having twins, but the ultrasound had only revealed one baby. The tech had missed her ectopic pregnancy. And that wasn’t the only premonition her grandmother had made—she’d also foreseen Neely Kate losing her babies. Though she was notoriously wrong in her premonitions, my friend had begged me to have a vision to see if it was true. I’d dug in my feet, afraid to tell her if I really saw it happen. But what if I
had
foreseen it? Maybe I could have saved one of Neely Kate’s babies. What if Neely Kate blamed me for her miscarriage?

She cried until I was sure she had to be dehydrated. After a time, her sobs softened and she sucked in deep breaths as I stroked her hair. Finally she sat up and looked at me with bloodshot eyes. “I killed my babies.”

My mouth flopped open as if it were on a hinge. “What on earth would make you say that?”

“I got in that fight with Tabitha last month. And when we were in New Orleans I forgot to bring my prenatal vitamins.”

“Neely Kate.” I gently cupped her wet cheeks. “The doctor said there wasn’t a doggone thing you could have done to change things. Nothin’ you did could have caused an ectopic pregnancy.”

She started to cry again. “But if I’d gone to the doctor sooner, I might have saved my other baby.”

“The only pain you felt was that backache. And you were having terrible morning sickness, so of course you wouldn’t have taken notice of any nausea.” I fought back my own tears. “Oh, honey. You did everything right. You know that deep in your heart. It’s downright awful not to have something to blame, but you didn’t do one thing wrong.”

“I have to blame something.”

I offered her a weak smile. “Then we’ll find you something to blame, just so long as it’s not you.”

The corners of her mouth lifted a twinge, but I’d take it as the first smile I’d seen since the morning of the nursery’s open house. The day she’d lost her babies.

I wiped her tears off her cheeks. “I know you said you’re not hungry, but the cupcakes aren’t the only surprise I have for you.”

“What is it?”

“It’s not here. I have to take you to it.”

“What is it?” she repeated.

The touch of curiosity in her voice gave me hope. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, now would it? It’s gonna be fun. But you’re gonna see people, so if you want to change, you have some time to do that before we need to go.”

She sighed. “I don’t know if I feel like goin’ out.”

“I’m not takin’ no for answer on this one. At least not until I take you there and you find out what it is.”

A tiny bit of fire filled her eyes. “You’re not gonna let this go until I give in, are you?”

“No.”

“Fine,” she heaved out as she slowly stood. “But I’m not changin’.”

“That’s fine. You wear whatever you want.” I stood next to her, wanting to offer assistance but not wanting to upset her. “Do you still have pain from your incision?”

“Only if I move too fast.”

“Then we’ll go slow. Where’s your purse?”

She shook her head. “I can leave it.”

She was leaving her purse? Things were really bad. Neely Kate always had her purse with her, even when she went to check the mail. I worried walking around without it might throw off her balance, especially since it usually weighed a good ten pounds. “Then let’s head into town.”

I grabbed her keychain off the entry table and locked her front door while she climbed into Mason’s car. I knew she wasn’t herself when she didn’t ask why we weren’t taking my truck. As I drove us into town, I glanced over at her. “I brought the cupcakes in case you change your mind.” I patted the bakery bag on the console between us. “They’re Dena’s. I got your favorites.”

She grinned. “Are you tryin’ to get me fat?”

“Yes. As big as a house.”

She laughed. It was a small one, but I’d take it.

“So Violet’s hiring someone?” she asked.

I told her what little I knew about Anna, and how I’d worried Violet would be irritated with me for taking a role in the hiring process.

She waved an unmanicured hand. “She’s lucky you’re lettin’ her work there at all after the stunt she pulled.”

“I know, but it’s complicated.”

“What’s so complicated about misappropriatin’ money?”

It was hard to argue with my bookkeeper.

She fell back into silence the rest of the way into town. I pulled into the closest open parking space near the Nip and Clip, but it was next to the landscaping office.

“Are you trickin’ me into goin’ to work?”

“Shoot, no. I promised you a fun afternoon. Although you do love workin’ with that accounting program.”

“Then where are we goin’? Because you have Dena’s cupcakes sittin’ right next to me, and I’m not feelin’ inclined to go anywhere without them.”

“Let’s take them with us. I’ll explain where we’re goin’ while we walk.”

“Okay…” She sounded unsure, but she still got out of the car. I looped my arm through hers and we started walking slowly down the sidewalk.

“It’s warmed up a little and the sun’s come out,” I said.

Neely Kate stopped and turned toward me. “Is this what we’ve resorted to? Talkin’ about the
weather?
”

“I don’t know what to say, Neely Kate,” I said in a quiet voice. Every word I thought of seemed inadequate.

She sighed. “Just treat me like normal. Even if I’m anything but.”

I cracked a grin. “You’ve
never
been normal. That’s what I love about you.”

A real smile spread across her face. “Then treat me like you always did.”

“That’s easy enough. And that means you should love my surprise.” I led her to the beauty salon and stopped outside the door. “This is it.”

She lifted her eyebrows and turned to me with a questioning look.

“I made an appointment with Beulah to get colored stripes in your hair.”

“
What?
”

Oh dear. Maybe this had been a terrible idea after all. “You’ve been saying you wanted them—”

She threw her arms around my shoulders. “Thank you.”

I hugged her back, careful not to crush the cupcakes. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a Negative Nelly about you getting them. If anyone can pull off this look, it’s you. You’re gonna be even more beautiful.”

We walked into the shop and Beulah fawned all over Neely Kate, as did the other hairstylists, never once mentioning the miscarriage. Neely Kate decided on pink and purple for her colors, and I sat in the empty chair next to her. We ate her cupcakes while her hair sat in its foils. She was still quiet but she gave me a ghost of a smile when I teased her about looking like something out of a science fiction movie. A little over an hour later she sat in the hairdresser’s chair, smiling at her reflection. Beulah had curled her long blond hair, and even though Neely Kate wasn’t wearing makeup, she was beautiful.