The Missing Dough(75)

She stopped and then turned and grinned at us. “I didn’t know you two were Stout fans. They’re pretty wonderful, aren’t they?”

“This is the second time we’ve seen them play this week,” I said. “Is there any chance we could catch a ride back to Timber Ridge with you?”

“Where’s your car?” she asked.

“It’s in the shop even as we speak,” I said.

“Sure, hop in. There’s just one problem, though,” she said.

“Do we have some deliveries to make?” I asked.

“No, the truck’s empty, but there’s just one extra seat. One of you is going to have to sit on the floor in back.”

Maddy laughed. “I’ll do it. It’ll be just like a hayride on the back of a tractor flatbed.”

Jenny grinned. “As a matter of fact, it will be nothing like that, but I guess if you’re desperate, it’s going to have to do, isn’t it? At least the van smells good. I’ve been driving around with flowers in it for so long, it’s like the scents have seeped into the metal, you know?”

“No, but I have a feeling that we’re about to find out,” I said.

As Jenny opened the back door, I asked Maddy, “Are you sure you don’t mind riding in the back?”

“Are you kidding? It sounds like a hoot. Besides, my younger bones will be able to stand up to it better than your brittle old ones.”

“I’d argue with you about it, but I might end up losing my nice comfortable seat.”

As we drove back to Timber Ridge, Jenny asked, “Have you had any luck finding the killer yet? That’s what you two were really doing at the concert, isn’t it?”

“You don’t miss much that goes on around town, do you?” I asked her.

“Do you mean for a flower lady?”

“I mean for anybody,” I said.

“I get around a lot, I talk to a lot of people, and I’m always listening. Momma always said that you don’t learn a thing by talking, and she was right.”

Jenny’s mother had run the flower shop before her, and I knew that the two of them had been close. “You still miss her, don’t you?”

“Every day. I imagine it’s the same with Joe, even if you do have a new man in your life these days.”

I laughed. “Like I said, you don’t miss much. Sure, I miss Joe, but it’s not so much a hole anymore as it is a sweet feeling of what I was lucky enough to have once.”

“And maybe again,” she said with a smile.

“You’re a hopeless romantic, aren’t you?”

“I don’t see how I could be a florist unless I was,” she admitted.

“How’s your love life going?” I asked.

“You know me. I’m the one who is always giving the flowers to other people. The last time I actually got them was in high school. It was the first dozen roses I ever got for my very own.”

“Was he the love of your life?” I asked. Jenny rarely talked about herself, and I was interested in what had made her such a romantic.

“You’d think so, but no. He was just a sweet guy, naive in the best way, you know? I was sad about another guy breaking up with me, and the two of us were good friends, so he bought me roses to cheer me up. And you know what? It worked.”

“Did he ask you out after that? Did you fall in love?” I asked, hoping for a happy ending to the story.

“No, like I said, it wasn’t like that. His girlfriend went to a rival school, and they were a great match. Tim just had that kind of heart, you know? I have to admit, though, sometimes I wonder what ever happened to him,” she said wistfully, and I wondered if Jenny had wished they were more than just friends after all.

“You should look him up. With the Internet these days, it would have to be pretty easy to find him.”

“I’ve thought about it a few times, but you know what? I think maybe the memory is better than what the reality might be these days.”

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that she was probably right. The memory she had from the past was probably too lovely to risk.





Chapter 17

After we parked in front of the flower shop, I went around back and opened the door for Maddy. “How was your ride?” I asked her.

“Adventurous,” she answered, clearly a little weary from the trip. “Next time, you get to ride in back.”

Since there wasn’t much danger of that ever happening, I was quick to agree. “It’s a deal.”

Jenny joined us, and I hugged her as we stood on the sidewalk in front of her shop. “Thanks again for the ride.”

“Honestly, it was fun having the company,” she said. “If you want to go with me to the next concert, I’d love to have you.”