Chapter Twenty-nine

Just as Amber expected, a couple of days after nearly everyone in the garden club phoned her to ask about Stan, she got a call from Caroline in the middle of the afternoon, stating that Gnorman was in her garden, holding an envelope.

Just like everyone in the garden club would expect, Amber called Stan, and he immediately agreed to accompany her to Caroline’s to get said envelope.

He picked her up after they both closed, and they arrived at Caroline’s in good time. Instead of getting out of the truck, they both stared at the huge home.

Caroline’s mansion was as opposite from Sherry’s modest dwelling as the sun from the moon. Caroline’s home was huge, a two-story Victorian built in the late nineteenth century by Caroline’s great-grandparents, who were among the founders of the town of Bloomfield.

“Wow,” Stan said with a whoosh of air. “How many bedrooms does this place have?”

“I don’t know. Lots. All I know is that Caroline and her daughter live in the back, and the guest bedrooms are on the top floor. That big section in the front is the tearoom.”

“I’ve never been here before, I’ve only driven past. What about you?”

“I’ve been to the tearoom, but it’s been years. I’ve heard her garden is spectacular and she’s won prizes for her azaleas, but she’s never won one of the big contests.”

“If the house is this huge, I can only imagine how big her garden is. I guess being so busy with the B&B, she probably can’t spend as much time as a garden that size needs, and that’s why she’s never won The Spring Fling.”

“Probably. Let’s go talk to her.”

When Caroline answered the door, Amber could tell that she and her daughter were just about ready to start eating supper. Being the friendly hostess that she was, Caroline smiled widely and invited them in, not acting like she was in a hurry to get rid of them. Amber refused to take advantage of the nice woman. In many ways Caroline reminded Amber of her own mother.

Since the tearoom was now closed, this was Caroline’s personal time. All day long, as well as at the garden club meetings, Caroline kept her salt and pepper hair tied back, but this time it was loose, hanging to shoulder length. Amber liked it that way,

“I’ll take you back to the garden. Let’s cut through the tearoom, it’s quicker than going outside and all the way around. Please don’t mind the mess. I haven’t cleaned it up from this afternoon yet.”

The tearoom wasn’t as much of a mess as Caroline had claimed. Amber thought the room seemed as charming as the name, The Pink Geranium. All the tables had antique white tablecloths, and the tables that hadn’t been used that day were still set with pretty pink and pastel green napkins, which matched the baskets of pink geraniums hanging on the walls.

As they followed Caroline between the tables, Stan nudged her and leaned so he could speak softly to her as they walked. “How long is geranium season? Does she grow them all year long to go with the name of this place?”

Amber didn’t know whether to laugh or cry that, once again, she and Stan were thinking of the same thing at the same time.

She waited for Stan to comment that the pastel green walls were the same color as the green napkins on the tables, but he didn’t.

She let Caroline get a little ahead of her as she slowed to check out the centerpieces on the tables, which were small hurricane lamps with candles in the middle, surrounded by a ring of pastel-colored flowers.

The Pink Geranium Tearoom was the epitome of charming, making Amber almost consider closing her store for an hour and coming back for lunch. Caroline’s Three Cheese Chicken Penne was to die for, and her specialty peach cobbler rivaled the cheesecake from the Fancy Schmantzy, at half the price for a dessert serving. She hadn’t been here in years; the last time was with her mother, before her parents moved to Chicago. In all those years, not much had changed, and being inside once again made her realize how much she wanted to come back.

She slowed her pace even more, so she could get closer to Stan. “Do you want to come here for lunch one day?” she whispered, hoping Caroline couldn’t hear, in case his answer was no.

His nose crinkled and his brows knotted. “I think this place is a little girly for me. If I came here, I’d damage the place’s reputation. Did you see the pretty little cups and saucers? I would be afraid to touch that stuff. I’ll pass.”

“Fine. I’ll ask Sarah. I know she’ll come with me.” When she got the next payment from the florist, Amber would consider tea and dessert at The Pink Geranium a treat, and if she didn’t order lunch, it was one she could afford.

“You do that.”

Amber quickened her pace to catch up to Caroline, who already opened the door leading to her garden.

Caroline’s garden was as expansive as the house, but even as a marginal gardener, Amber could see that the bushes needed pruning, and the flowers needed to be deadheaded. However, unlike the rest of the garden, Caroline’s azaleas were perfectly groomed, trimmed, and arranged. That section of the garden was obviously Caroline’s pride and joy.

And there, in the middle of Caroline’s pride and joy, stood Gnorman. Dressed as a thief with a little black mask, he had shown up in the middle of the day like a cat burglar when Caroline was out at the wholesale grocery depot, shopping for the tearoom.

Amber turned to Caroline. “I know you and your daughter were about to eat, and you need more time off your feet. You go have supper. Stan and I will take the note and see ourselves out through the gate.”

Caroline smiled and nodded. “Thanks. I appreciate that. I hope you find the trophy soon.” She smiled again, turned, and headed back toward her house.

The second the door closed behind Caroline, Stan crossed his arms and turned to Amber. “Do you realize she’s the first person to mention the trophy?”

“What do you mean?”

“Every time we’ve arrived someplace else to find Gnorman, most people have commented on his costume, or that they didn’t see how he got there. Not a single person has mentioned what’s really missing, and that isn’t Gnorman because he keeps showing up. The real purpose of this is ultimately to regain the trophy. Caroline is the first person to mention that.”

Amber didn’t open the envelope. She only stared at the closed door through which Caroline had disappeared. “You’re right. Do you think that’s significant?” Her brain spun in circles, trying to make the connection, but she came up with nothing.

“I have no idea. It’s just that this time is different than what we’ve encountered so far.”

“Caroline is running a multilayered business between the B&B and the tearoom, so she naturally needs to have more of a mind for the big picture.”

“Are we looking at the right picture though? Your goal is to get the trophy back. What is it this person thinks they’re gaining by making us run all over town, chasing a garden gnome? Other than making us look like idiots?”

Amber sank down onto one of the wooden benches in Caroline’s yard. “Is that what everyone thinks? That we look like idiots jumping every time Gnorman shows up someplace else with another note that doesn’t bring us any closer to finding the trophy?”

Stan sat beside her, plucked the envelope from her hand, laid it in his lap, and cupped both her hands with his. “No. It’s really not that extreme. Actually, I’ve heard the garden club is greatly amused by watching us run around chasing him. It’s just that knowing they’re watching makes me feel stupid because whoever is doing this, leaving all these clues, there’s something we’re not getting.”

Amber smiled weakly. “I feel the same way. But I’m so afraid that soon the entertainment factor will wear off, and the committee members will say they want the trophy back where it should be, and I won’t be any farther in producing it.” She tipped her head up, looking at Stan. He’d taken off his coveralls and come straight from work. Even though his clothes were relatively clean, the scents of his shop permeated his clothes and his hair. Being downwind from him, she reaped the benefits of his day at work right now. It wasn’t a bad smell. In a strange way, this was the way she liked him best—less than perfect so she couldn’t be too attracted to him. Especially when he shared what was on his heart.

He gave her hands a gentle squeeze and looked down at their joined hands.

“I know my mother is getting a real charge out of the whole thing. I was there checking out my dad’s car yesterday and I heard my mom on the phone. I don’t know who she was talking to, but since I heard her digging for details on our trip to the Fancy Schmantzy, it had to be Victoria. As soon as she saw me, she ended the conversation pretty quick.”

“I know why. I was talking to Sarah, and she said someone tried to start a betting pool about us.”

“A betting pool? What about us would be fodder for that?”

“I’m not sure of the exact details, but it was about last Friday.” She refused to say the word date because she still struggled with the concept of dating her best buddy. She preferred to think that two friends enjoyed a nice evening out, with no particular event in mind, dressed in their good clothes, looking their best, just because they felt like it.

Stan looked up, his eyes narrowed. “This is making more sense. One thing my mother said to Victoria was, ‘How should I know? I’m his mother. He would never tell me stuff like that.’ I know exactly what I would and wouldn’t tell my mother about when I go out with a lady.” When he stopped talking, it was almost like she could see the gears whirring in his head.

“Sarah was trying to get me to spill details, but I didn’t. She told me not to worry, that the pool didn’t happen because she refused to be the reliable source of information they needed to confirm the exact details. In not so many words.”

Stan stiffened, and she felt it all the way down to his hands that still held hers. “I can only think of one detail from Friday that those nosy busy-bodies would want to know.”

Memories of Winnie standing in the foyer on Sunday danced through her mind.

A movement of the curtains from Caroline’s house caught Amber’s eye. “Settle down. I think Caroline is watching us from inside the house.”

He stiffened even more. “Then let them put this in their betting pool,” he said between his teeth. He dropped her hands, cupped her face, bent toward her, planted a quick kiss right on her mouth, and backed up.

Amber didn’t have time to close her eyes. She didn’t even have time to blink, it was done and over so fast.

Stan didn’t drop his hands, but his expression softened as he continued to look at her. “I’m sorry. It shouldn’t have been like that. It should be like this.” His eyes drifted shut, he tilted his head, and bent slowly.

This time Amber closed her eyes.

He kissed her softly, lingering just a few seconds with a kiss that was very sweet, but chaste.

This time, when he pulled away, he released her face, grabbed one hand with one of his, grabbed the envelope with his other, and stood, pulling her up with him. “I don’t want an audience for this. Let’s get out of here.”