“Eleanor. I … um … have you shown this to Aunt Ruby and Lorraine?” Surely my fellow bridesmaids would figure out a tactful way to tell her we couldn’t possibly wear these.
“Not yet!” She beamed at me. “I wanted to show you first. Isn’t it beautiful? My bouquet will be pink roses, so they’ll beperfect.”
Eleanor Wolf was one of my favorite people in the world. She looked like the actress who played the wonderful next-door neighbor on every TV comedy you’ve ever seen. She was kind and funny, and my customers loved her. She was also smart and a brilliant negotiator, and she almost certainly made better deals than I did in terms of profit.
She was also mom to Jack’s best friend, Dave, and grandmom to Shelley’s best friend, Zane. My biggest fear, before I’d seen the picture of this dress, had been that she’d quit working for me after her upcoming wedding, and I’d have to find a new employee who’d be even half as perfect.
Now that fear was neck-and-neck with the one where everybody in Dead End saw me wearing a humongous, ruffled, hideously pink cupcake.
Aunt Ruby might not be much help, since generations’ worth of genteel Southern manners ran through her veins, but Lorraine was blunt and honest and outspoken. I pinned all my desperate hopes on Lorraine and pasted a smile on my face.
“They’re beautiful. And it’s your day!”
It’s her day, it’s her day, it’s her day.
I loved Eleanor. I could grit my teeth and wear a meringue cupcake for her.
“Oh, and Tess, I moved your zucchini plant to the corner. It’s far too heavy for the glass counter.”
I turned to look where she was pointing and gasped. The plant had completely overflowed its pot and hulked in a three-feet-wide and two-feet-tall giant bush of … zucchinis.
So. Many. Zucchinis.
“But—the plant fit in a tiny pot yesterday! How … why …”
Eleanor raised her eyebrows. “Tess. There’s no way that plant fit in that tiny pot.”
She grabbed the small wastebasket behind the counter and held it out. We both looked at the shards of the pot inside.
“I cleaned this up off the counter …” Her voice trailed off. “Wait. Are you serious?”
“Yes. Ollie brought it yesterday and gave it to me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Ah. Goblins. That explains it. They have a magical green thumb. This plant probably got triple-whammied.”
“Triple-whammied?” I was silently counting. There were at least seventy-two full-sized zucchinis on that plant now. I had to get rid of it before it ate my shop.
“I’m getting a Jack and the beanstalk feeling,” I said. “We have to get rid of it before giants and geese show up.”
She laughed, but the chimes over the door rang before we could talk about it anymore. We spent the morning buying and selling, taking in a few items in pawn, and giving zucchini to anybody who’d take some.
Everybody in Dead End would be eating zucchini bread for the next month, at this rate.
Otis stopped by around eleven with his gorgeous greyhound. He took three of the zucchinis and told us they were good snacks for dogs.
“It has lots of vitamins and fiber and not a lot of calories,” he said, sneaking a peek at our shop mascot, Fluffy, the taxidermied alligator. “Beauty loves them.”
“Please, take more,” I offered, but he grinned at me and shook his head. “This is enough. They don’t last long, and I can always get more at work.”
Otis worked at the nursery these days, after years of not doing much, and the job agreed with him. He said goodbye, and then he and Beauty ambled out the door. He hadn’t bought anything, but at least we were down three zucchinis.
Just before lunch, I got a text from Lizzie Underhill, a temporary deputy on loan from Duval County. She was helping Susan until Andy got back on his feet. We’d had plans for lunch that I’d forgotten all about, what with Jack’s unexpected departure and Susan’s problems.
I still hadn’t heard from Jack, either.
“Are you okay to cover the shop while I have lunch with Lizzie? I know you’re heading out at one for wedding stuff, but I promise to be back by then.”
Eleanor patted my arm. “No worries. I’m glad you’re taking her to lunch. I think it might be lonely for her, not really knowing anybody in town.”
