Ain’t She Sweet?

“I seriously doubt that,” Winnie said. “You’re just so used to it you don’t see it anymore.”

Gigi got her mulish look. “I think you should say you’re sorry, Sugar Beth. And, Mom, I think you should forgive her because she’s not like that now.”

“It’s not that easy,” Sugar Beth replied, so Winnie didn’t have to be the bad guy. “I am sorry, but there’ve been too many years of animosity.”

Winnie’s expression held the hint of a smile. “Griffin Carey did love me more.”

“Mom! That’s mean.”

“Well, he did,” Winnie replied. “But I was still jealous because Sugar Beth had Diddie.”

“You had Grandma Sabrina.”

“Believe me, there was no comparison. Diddie was like a movie star. She was beautiful and glamorous, and she had this amazing laugh. She and Sugar Beth were more like girlfriends than mother and daughter. If Sugar Beth wasn’t with your dad or the Seawillows, she was with Diddie. Everybody knew not to schedule meetings for Saturday mornings because they always watched Josie and the Pussycats together. When they were out in public, they’d whisper secrets to each other, and if you walked by Frenchman’s Bride, you’d see the two of them sitting on the front porch, drinking sweet tea and gossiping. All Grandma Sabrina and I ever did was get on each other’s nerves.”

“Grandma’s nicer now.”

“Old age mellowed her. When I was growing up, she only had room in her life for one person, and that was my father.”

Sugar Beth flinched to hear Griffin referred to that way. At the same time, she acknowledged that Winnie had the right.

“So what are you going to do?” Gigi said. “Are you going to keep hating each other? Or do you think you could be friends, now that you’ve talked out your problems.”

“Not likely,” Sugar Beth said. “Or at least not until somebody’s handed over somebody else’s pearls.”

Gigi looked at her mother for an explanation.

“I have Diddie’s pearls,” Winnie said. “They should be Sugar Beth’s, but they aren’t, and I’m not giving them back.”

“That’s pretty mean.”

“As mean as what happened in the locker room?”

“No, not that mean.” Gigi returned her attention to Sugar Beth, a pint-size secretary of state trying to negotiate a treaty between warring nations. “I think Mom should keep the pearls to make up for what you did, even if they look dumb on her.”

“They don’t look dumb on me,” Winnie said, “which is why I wear them all the time.”

“You should be glad Mom’s keeping them. They’d look dumb on you, too.”

“That’s not the point,” Sugar Beth said. “The point is… Oh, never mind. I know where this is leading, Gigi, and don’t waste your breath. Your mother and I will never act like sisters, no matter how hard you push. The best we can hope for is politeness.”

“I guess. But, Sugar Beth, did you ever think…” Gigi touched her mother’s shoulder. “Me and Mom are the only two people in the world that have the same blood as you.”

Sugar Beth got that old tight feeling in her throat and did her best to shrug it away. “Them’s the breaks, kid.”

“Can I take Gordon to see Dad?” she said abruptly.

“Leaving us alone together won’t work,” Sugar Beth said.

“I just want Gordon to meet Dad.”

“What about your French toast?”

“I’ll take it with me.” She grabbed a piece from the plate, called to Gordon, and a few moments later, they were out the door.

Winnie rose and headed for the coffeepot. “I knew you were jealous of me. I guess I never quite realized how jealous.”

“You don’t have to look so happy about it.”

“Life doesn’t hand you too many perfect moments. I’m savoring.” She smiled, transferred a piece of French toast to her plate, then regarded it critically. “This was supposed to have cinnamon on it.”

“I got distracted humiliating myself in front of your daughter.”

Winnie squeezed out a dab of syrup, then picked up a knife and fork. Still standing at the counter, she began to eat, but she no longer looked quite so full of herself. Finally, she said, “I’d like to stay here for a few more nights if it’s all right.”

“You’ll have to deal with him sooner or later.”

“Later.” She took another bite. “What’s going on with you and Colin?”

“I’m toying with him.”

Winnie laughed as she set down her plate. “You’re nuts about him.”

“Says you.”

Winnie headed for the living room and picked up her purse. “It’s going to be so much fun watching you get dumped.”

“Yeah? We’ll just see about that.”

Winnie snickered, and the door shut with a firm thud.

Sugar Beth lunged for the maple syrup. “And isn’t it nice having our old animosity behind us.”

“She was ever a wild piece,” wept Madam.

GEORGETTE HEYER, These Old Shades

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

All that day Sugar Beth kept her eye on the comings and goings at Yesterday’s Treasures. Despite the closed sign taped to the boarded-up front door, the place was a beehive of activity. Ryan and Gigi showed up around nine- thirty. Later, the Seawillows began dropping by. Shortly before noon, a paneled truck appeared, and Ryan, who was dressed in jeans and a work shirt, stood on the sidewalk for a while, talking to the men before he led them inside. Later, Gigi slipped out, then returned with a pizza. Winnie’s family had circled its wagons. Maybe all was finally well in the Land of Galantine.

Which meant that Winnie wouldn’t be coming back to the carriage house tonight. Not that Sugar Beth had exactly been looking forward to it. Still, there was something about their confrontation that morning she hadn’t entirely disliked.

Her thoughts were interrupted as a thinly built woman with a square jaw approached the register. “You remember me, don’t you, Sugar Beth? Pansye Tims, Corinne’s big sister.”

“Yes, Pansye, of course. How’ve you been?”

“Gettin’ over a sinus infection.” She leaned closer. “Everybody in town’s talking about last night. Imagine what could have happened to Winnie if you hadn’t been there to carry her out. She’s such a special person. Parrish wouldn’t be the same without her. I just want you to know how grateful we all are.”

Sugar Beth shifted uncomfortably. Pansye was at least the twentieth person who’d stopped in the bookstore already to thank her. Why hadn’t Winnie outed her? “As a matter of fact, Pansye, the story’s gotten a little exaggerated. I really didn’t carry Winnie out. I-”

“Oh, stop now. You’re a heroine.”

Jewel popped up next to the register like an evil elf. “That’s right, Sugar Beth. I even heard talk about you getting the mayor’s Good Citizen Award.”

She glared at her employer, who knew the truth. When Sugar Beth had come in that morning, she’d told her exactly what had happened. But Jewel had merely laughed. After Pansye left, Sugar Beth confronted Jewel in the self-help aisle. “This whole thing was supposed to be a joke. I only did it to entertain myself and aggravate Winnie. She’s deliberately not telling people the truth because she knows I’m expecting her to.”