With Muffy in tow, we walked past a huge Dumpster overflowing with debris from the vandalism the Gardner Sisters Nursery had suffered right before Thanksgiving, nearly three weeks ago. Joe had hired a company to clean the place and repair it, but I’d refused to hire anyone to reassemble the shelves and handle the restock. We’d done it all ourselves last time, and I wasn’t about to let him pour even more money into the business. If we needed help, I knew Bruce Wayne and Mason would be more than willing. If there was ever a time it worked in our favor to shut down, December was it. Besides Christmas trees, there weren’t too many plants that had their heyday at this time of year.
I walked through the doors and gasped. The walls were freshly painted, and new shelves had been put together. The place was spotless. A few boxes were stacked in the corner, and Violet noticed when my gaze landed on them.
“We’re just starting to get new shipments,” Violet said. “Since everything was almost a total loss, we had to reorder almost everything. But I think it will all be here by the end of the week, and we’ll be ready to start putting the store back together.”
Muffy ran to the back room, probably checking to see if her bed was still there.
“I thought the repairs weren’t getting done for another few days.”
“Joe decided to do them himself instead.”
I wasn’t all that surprised. Joe had always loved doing repairs on my house when we were together, both because he enjoyed it, and it saved me money.
“Mike helped too.”
That one did surprise me. I whipped my head around to gape at her. “Mike?”
She shrugged. “He offered, plus he and Joe have been friends since you guys dated. I think he likes hanging out with him.”
I nodded, trying to decipher the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I wasn’t sure it was jealousy, but it certainly wasn’t pleasant. Still, I was glad that Joe had someone, even if it was Violet’s estranged husband. “I suppose if Joe ever needed a friend, it’s now. Did you know Hilary has moved to Henryetta?”
Violet’s eyes darkened. “No, but I’m not surprised. Joe says she’s like a leech. She pestered him mercilessly to marry her next weekend, but she finally had to cancel it. He swears he’s done with her now.”
I narrowed my eyes. “He’s said that before. It’s gonna take more than a few weeks of holding firm to convince me otherwise.” I took several steps into the shop and walked around a display case. “Besides, it’s not technically my problem anymore.”
“Joe still needs you as a friend, Rose. He needs all of us.”
“And I plan to be one, but I have to consider Mason’s feelings.”
“Why?” She took a step toward me. “When you and Mason were hanging out as friends, you never really took Joe’s feelings into consideration.”
Anger filled my chest, but she held up her hands in surrender.
“I’m not trying to be belligerent, Rose, I promise. I’m just pointing out the truth, and you know it.”
I released a frustrated sigh. “That was different.”
“You didn’t worry about Joe because you knew he could handle your friendship with Mason, but you don’t think the opposite is true.”
My jaw clenched. “Violet—”
She rushed toward me and pulled me into a hug. “I’ll stop. I just want you to be happy. And safe.”
I broke loose, groaning. “Not that again.”
Violet grabbed my upper arms and stared into my eyes. “I’ve spent nearly twenty-five of my twenty-seven years worrying about you, Rose Anne Gardner. Don’t think I can just stop now. It’s not fair of you to ask.” Tears glistened in her eyes.
“Violet.” My voice softened, and I gave her a tiny smile. “I promise you that I’m completely safe with Mason. He would sooner die than hurt me. Look what he did to protect me from Daniel Crocker.” I wiped a tear from her cheek. “I know it’s not easy for you, but you’ve got to stop worryin’.”
Violet started to cry in earnest. “You must think I’m a big baby.”
“No, I think you’re my overprotective big sister,” I offered, but part of me held back. I loved Violet with all my heart, but we’d been through a lot over the last several months. Just like it was going to take time for Joe to convince me he was done with Hilary, it would take more than a few tears to convince me that Violet was done with all the backbiting she’d stooped to recently.
She wiped her face. “Ashley misses you. Do you think you can stop by and see her this week?”
“Mason’s mom is moving into her new house tomorrow.”
Violet cringed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked—”
“Violet,” I interrupted. “What I was going to say is that I’m going to help her unpack some boxes in the afternoon. I can pick Ashley up after school and bring her over to work with us. I know how much she likes to organize things.” I winked. “Just like someone else we know.”
To my surprise, my sister burst into sobs.
“Violet?” I pulled her into a hug. “Why are you still crying?”
“I was so scared I lost you,” she pushed through her tears. “I was so awful to you. I wouldn’t blame you if you turned your back on me. After all, we’re not real sisters—”