A New Attitude

Sam’s shoulders slumped. The last person in the world he wanted to talk to was his ex-wife, who usually called him because she needed money. As if he hadn’t been generous enough, she’d already taken him to court twice to raise her alimony. He’d let her get away with it because he’d felt guilty. He should have known the difference between love and simple infatuation. He should have worked harder at the marriage. But he had taken the easy way out. He had bought back his freedom.

As if on cue, the telephone rang. Sam stared at it.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?” Nell asked.

Giving a weary sigh, Sam picked up the phone. His ex spoke from the other end. “Hello, Shelly, what is it this time?”

“Sam, I’m so glad you answered,” she said, sounding near tears.

He rolled his eyes heavenward. She needed something and her needs ranged from cosmetic surgery to a new Jaguar. Either way, it was going to cost him. He had offered to put her through college and pay her expenses, but Shelly wasn’t interested in an education. She needed a caretaker and provider, and he’d played the part so well during their marriage that she still clung to him. He glanced at his mother and saw that she was taking it all in with a great deal of amusement.

“Sam, are you there?” Shelly asked.

“I’m here.” He sank into the nearest chair and waited for what was to come, his thoughts still on Marilee. Common sense told him he had no business getting involved with her. She was probably just as needy as his mother and his ex-wife. If only he would start thinking with his brain instead of getting a hard-on every time he saw a pretty face.

But damn, Marilee Abernathy did have the best legs he’d ever seen on a female.

CHAPTER FOUR

THE FOLLOWING MONDAY, Marilee found herself filling out an application at the local Job Service center. She had checked the classifieds daily. Prissy’s Pets was looking for someone to groom dogs, the local tavern needed a cocktail waitress, and Darnel Hines was advertising for a mechanic. Slim pickings, to say the least. She would have to look elsewhere.

“Marilee, I just want you to know how sorry I was to hear about you and Grady,” Leanne Davis, who worked at the job placement center, whispered.

Marilee forced a smile to her lips as she handed the woman her job application. She and Leanne had attended high school together and had cheered the Fighting Pirates in their cutesy blue-and-gold cheerleading outfits. Her friend had since married and had three children, gaining at least ten pounds with each pregnancy. Marilee wondered if either one of them would fit in their old cheerleading skirts.

“Thank you, Leanne. You don’t know how much I appreciate that. But I’m going to be just fine.” She didn’t believe it at the moment, but if she said it enough perhaps it would come true.

“I can’t help feeling guilty. After all, I was the one who introduced you to Grady in high school.”

“That was a long time ago. I certainly don’t hold you responsible.”

“That’s why I’m going to do everything in my power to help you find a job.”

With that in mind, Marilee decided to let Leanne feel guilty a little while longer. It wasn’t the Christian thing to do, but she was desperate. “Thank you. I know you’ll do your best.”

“Only trouble is, there aren’t many jobs available in Chickpea.” Leanne leaned closer. “What I want to know is, did you suspect anything?”

“Excuse me?”

“Did you know Grady was sleeping with that slut?”

Marilee shook her head. “I was the last to know.” She smiled tightly. “But I’m trying to put all that behind me now and go on with my life. That’s why I need a job.”

“Of course you do, honey,” Leanne said, patting her hand. “And we’re going to find you something.” She straightened in her chair and considered Marilee’s application. “Hmm. You don’t have a degree.”

Marilee tried to look confident. “No, I don’t. But I’m intelligent, quick to learn, and I’m a hard worker. There isn’t much I can’t do once I put my mind to it.”

“Of course you can, sugar.” Leanne shuffled through more papers. “Is there something you’re particularly interested in? Something you’re really good at?”

“I play the piano and sing. I was choir director at our church for years. But you probably already know that.” She suddenly brightened. “I bake cakes.”

Leanne looked up. “Do what?”

“Just ask me the ingredients of any cake you’ve ever heard of, and I can spout them off word for word. Red velvet, Lady Baltimore, German chocolate, you name it. I personally put together a fifty-page cookbook of my own recipes for a committee I’m on, and we sold several hundred copies.” Marilee clasped her hands in her lap. She could see that it meant nothing to Leanne.

“Too bad Mitch Johnson isn’t hiring over at the bakery,” Leanne replied.

Marilee remained thoughtful. Surely there was something she could do. “I like being around people, for what it’s worth,” she said. “Folks say I have a calming effect on those who are troubled. I’ve spent many a night sitting with the sick in hospitals and nursing homes, and I always tried to be there when someone from the congregation lost a loved one.”

“You enjoy that sort of thing?” Leanne asked, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

“I like helping people. Perhaps I could be a nurses’ aid.”

“You’d have to take classes, and the pay is low, but it’s something to keep in mind.” She studied Marilee. “You say you don’t mind working with the bereaved?”

“Not at all. I’m used to it.”

Leanne seemed to ponder it. Finally, she reached for a file. “Well then, Marilee, I just might have something for you after all.”

THAT AFTERNOON, MARILEE WAS waiting for Winnie when she stepped off the school bus. “I need your help,” she told the girl.

Winnie adjusted the shoulder strap on her book bag. “With what?”

Marilee grinned. “Get in the car, and I’ll tell you on the way.”

“You’re up to something, aren’t you?”

“I want to teach somebody a lesson, and you’re the perfect person to help me.”

“Who’s the victim?”

“Esmerelda Cunningham. You know her?”

“The Queen Bee?” Winnie gave a grunt. “I know of her—rich, stingy and mean.”

“I think she needs a refresher course in manners.”

“Then I’m your girl.”

After their admittance to Esmerelda Cunningham’s grand house, Marilee followed a staid-looking butler into the drawing room with Winnie on her heels, carrying the antique candelabra. Esmerelda was sipping tea from a dainty cup and listening to opera. She looked queenly, her dress crisp as new money and not a hair out of place on her white head.

“I was not expecting guests,” she said coolly, “but I am relieved to find my candelabra in good repair.”

“Just set it over there,” Marilee told Winnie.

The girl set the candelabra on a Duncan Phyfe table with a thump as Marilee, hands on hips, faced Esmerelda. “Yes, I brought it back once I heard you’d accused me of stealing it. I have absolutely no interest in it. I don’t know about you, but I have a life, and I’m not going to spend it polishing silver.” She hitched her chin high and sniffed. “I prefer stainless steel myself.”

Esmerelda set her cup in its saucer so hard Marilee feared it would shatter. “I beg your pardon? Do you dare come into my home and insult me after I was generous enough to donate to your cause? And who is this person with you?”

“Name’s Winnie Frye,” Winnie said. “Hey, I like your place. It’s a bit crowded for my tastes, and I shudder to think about trying to raise a toddler around all these expensive-looking eggs you got sittin’ around.”

“Those aren’t eggs,” Esmerelda said. “They are original Fabergé.” Winnie picked up one, and the woman gasped aloud. “Put that down immediately!”

“Don’t get your panties in a wad, Mrs. C.,” Winnie said. “I’m just curious by nature. I like touching things, you know?” She walked over to a Tiffany lamp. “Oh, now, I like this.”

“Hands off!” Esmerelda almost shouted, causing Winnie to jump and almost knock over the lamp. Esmerelda sank into her chair and mopped her forehead with a handkerchief. She looked at Marilee. “What’s the meaning of this?”

Marilee tried to hide her amusement. “Winnie was living at Blessing Home until it was declared unsafe. We’ve managed to find homes for the other girls, but we haven’t had any luck placing Winnie.” She stepped closer and whispered, “She has mood swings, and her pregnancy has made them worse. I guess you might say she’s hormonally challenged right now.” Marilee cut her eyes toward the girl.

Esmerelda looked from Marilee to Winnie before settling her gaze on Marilee once more. “What does that have to do with me?”

“I was sort of hoping you’d let me crash here on your sofa for a while,” Winnie said. “I’d really prefer my own bedroom, you understand, but I don’t want to put you out. I reckon I could set up a bassinet over here by this window. I want my baby to have plenty of sunlight, and this place is kinda dark, if you don’t mind my saying so.”

“You must be out of your mind,” Esmerelda said to Marilee. “No wonder your husband left you.”

Marilee was surprised the remark didn’t sting as much as it had in the past. “Now, now, Mrs. Cunningham, I know you’re a person of good breeding, and you wouldn’t think of stooping to insults, so I’m just going to state my business. We need a home for Winnie, and you have the biggest house in town. Surely you wouldn’t mind having a guest around.”

“I most certainly do mind,” the woman said. “This is not a hotel.”

“It’s big enough to be a hotel,” Winnie said. “I hear this place even has an elevator and swimming pool. Would it be okay if I brought some of the brothers over for a weenie roast and pool party?”

Esmerelda stared in horror. She turned to Marilee. “Don’t think for one minute I don’t know what’s going on here. You’re simply trying to embarrass me for making a fuss over the candelabra. Well, it won’t work. I did my duty by donating it to your charity, it’s not my fault you weren’t there to hand it over at the drawing. I can only hope you’ve come to your senses and will see that it is delivered safely to the woman who won it.”

“I don’t want your dumb old candelabra,” Marilee said. “We’ll find another prize.”

“What do you mean, you don’t want it? Do you have any idea what it’s worth?”

“I know what it’s not worth, Mrs. Cunningham. It’s not worth being called a thief.” Esmerelda looked away. “But that’s not why I’m here. Winnie needs a place to stay,” she repeated.

“Is this a sleeper sofa?” Winnie asked. “I’d hate to sleep on this expensive fabric, what with my bladder problem.”

Esmerelda looked as though she was about to have a seizure. “Dudley, come here this instant!” she called out loudly. The butler seemed to appear from nowhere. “Please escort these women from my home. And carry that candelabra to their car.” She turned to Marilee. “My business with you is finished. I’ve done my part.”

“Forget the candelabra, Dudley,” Marilee said. “And we are more than capable of showing ourselves out.” She and Winnie started for the door.

“You wait just a darned minute, young lady!” Esmerelda said. “You are not leaving this house without that candelabra. I insist! I’m not about to have my friends think I went back on my word.” She drew herself up proudly. “I’m retiring to my bedroom now. I don’t want to hear another word about it.” She left in a huff.

Marilee looked at the butler. “I’ll bet she’s a peach to work for.”

Dudley chuckled as he followed them out the door, carrying the candelabra.

Marilee pulled into her driveway twenty minutes later and found Clara and Ruby planting mums in the old cast-iron pot out front. “We thought it would cheer you up,” Clara said as Marilee and Winnie climbed from the car.

Marilee was touched by her friends’ thoughtfulness. “Thank you.”

“How did things go with Esmerelda?” Ruby asked.

“The woman needs a beating with a big stick,” Winnie said. “Imagine her not wanting to take me in. And here I am with child. I’m telling you, she can go from zero to bitch in two seconds flat.”

Marilee laughed as she pulled the candelabra from her back seat. “Naturally, she insisted we take the candelabra after all. She doesn’t want to look bad to her friends.”

“What friends?” Winnie muttered.

“Did she apologize for what she said about you?” Ruby asked.

“What do you think?” Marilee presented the candelabra to Clara. “I trust you’ll see that this gets into the right hands.”

“Yes, of course.” She put it in her car.

“By the way, my next-door neighbor happens to be partners with Bobby Benson, and he has offered to take a look at Blessing Home. If he agrees to patch the roof, we’ll have to come up with the money.”

“How do we know he won’t walk off the job like Bobby?” Ruby asked. “And how much is he thinking of charging us?” As committee treasurer, she was tightfisted when it came to doling out money.

“He’s going to let me know,” Marilee said. “I think that with the benefit luncheon and cookbook sales we should be able to cover it.”

“There’s a lot more to be done,” Clara said. “We’re going to have to put our heads together and come up with more moneymaking schemes.”

Ruby looked thoughtful. “How about a white elephant sale?”

“That might work,” Clara said. “What do you think, Marilee?”

Marilee sighed. “Maybe.”

“Have you lost interest in this project?” Clara asked.

Marilee was beginning to wish she’d never gotten involved, but she couldn’t let them down again. “Of course not. It’s just—”

“She’s got a lot on her mind,” Ruby said. “And rightfully so. Honey, Clara and I need to take on more responsibility, what with all that’s happened. And we need to get our other volunteers off their behinds.”

Clara gave a harrumph. “What volunteers? They’ve all dropped out.”

“Let me see what Mr. Brewer has to say, once he takes a look at the place,” Marilee told them.

Winnie started for the house, and then paused. “I have a four-thirty appointment at the clinic tomorrow. I go every three weeks for my prenatal exam.”

“I can drive you,” Marilee said.

Clara smiled at Winnie. “Are you all settled in, dear?”

“For the time being. But I only plan on hanging around for a couple of days. My girlfriend just rented one of those luxury apartments in town, and she’s having a fit for me to move in with her. Soon as she gets an extra bed, I’m outta here.” She headed for the house without another word.

“She’s not going anywhere,” Marilee told her friends as they shot her a questioning look.

“How’s the job hunting?” Ruby asked, changing the subject.

“I have an appointment with Irby Denton at the funeral home tomorrow.”

“Oh my,” Clara said. “You’re going to work at a funeral home?”

“Irby has to hire me first,” Marilee pointed out.

Both women stared back at her. Finally, Ruby smiled. “Hey, I think that’s great! What exactly would you be doing there? If he hires you, I mean?”

“He needs a receptionist. It’s an entry-level position, but I have to start somewhere.”

“Oh my,” Clara repeated.

Ruby looked at the woman. “Clara, why do you keep saying that?”

Clara stared at Marilee. “Ruby doesn’t know your secret, does she?” Clara whispered.

“What secret?” Ruby asked, glancing from one to the other.

Marilee shrugged. “It’s no big deal. Besides, I need this job. I just discovered Grady took a chunk of money out of our savings account.”

“You need a good lawyer,” Clara said.

“I’ve already made an appointment. Tate Radford says he can have me divorced in ninety days on grounds of adultery.”

“Well, they don’t come any better than Tate,” Clara said, “but he’s not cheap.”

“I want somebody good, in case I end up with a custody battle on my hands,” Marilee replied.

Clara reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Are you okay?”

Marilee offered what she hoped was a brave smile. “Better than I was. I’m not going to recover overnight and I still think of Josh constantly, but I’m definitely better.”

Ruby stamped her foot on the ground. “Somebody better tell me about this secret or I’m going to throw a fit right here in Marilee’s front yard.”

“Oh, good grief!” Clara said. She stepped closer to Ruby. “Marilee is terrified of dead people. She has a phobia.”

Ruby’s eyes grew wide as saucers as she regarded Marilee. “No kidding?”

Marilee shot Clara a disgruntled look. “I’m not terrified of anything.” Other than the future, she reminded herself.

“Marilee Abernathy, I watched you almost pass out when Sara Banks asked you to remove her husband’s wedding ring from his finger at his funeral,” Clara said. She looked at Ruby. “Marilee had a full-blown panic attack out in the parking lot. I almost had to bring out my smelling salts.”

“I just don’t like touching dead people,” Marilee said. “I hardly think that’s going to be a problem if I’m working at the front desk.”

“I’ve touched plenty of dead people,” Ruby told her proudly. “Irby sometimes calls me to do hair and makeup when his wife can’t do it. Dead people can’t hurt you, Marilee.”

Clara looked doubtful. “Irby is never going to hire you if he finds out.”

“He’s not going to find out,” Marilee replied. She looked long and hard at her friends. “Is he?”

Both women pretended to zip their lips, lock them shut and throw away the keys. Marilee smiled prettily. “Thank you.”

“What if you have to help him embalm somebody?” Ruby whispered.

“I’m not going to go near the embalming room. You have to go to a special school for that.” Both women looked skeptical. “You have to admit I’m perfect for the job. I’ve been comforting the bereaved for years. It’s what I do best.”

“You are perfect for the job,” Clara said. “As long as you don’t go near any dead people.”

THE FOLLOWING MORNING, MARILEE watched Josh step from the bus at the high school. He was alone, his back bowed, head down. His posture said it all. He didn’t fit in, never had. He paid a heavy price for being a minister’s son with a weight problem. He’d never had a girlfriend, never attended a school dance or social gathering, but if he were invited, Marilee was certain he wouldn’t go because he felt like an outcast. Marilee suffered as much as he did over it, but she kept quiet because Josh would have been embarrassed for her to know. But she knew. Mothers always knew. The only friends Josh had attended Chickpea Baptist, and she doubted he was spending much time there these days.

“Josh,” she called out, waving at him in the crowd.

He took one look at her and turned in the opposite direction.

Her heart sank. “Josh, wait!” She pushed through the throng of students, never letting her eyes off his blond head. She caught up with him outside the gym. “Josh, please wait!”

He turned and glared at her as kids shuffled past, tossing curious looks in their direction. “What are you doing here?” he demanded.

His face was red. Marilee knew he didn’t like drawing attention to himself, preferring anonymity to being noticed and risking ridicule. She often wondered why kids were so cruel. And to think she’d considered ending her life, when Josh was so completely alone in the world. “I need to talk to you, honey.”

“I have class.”

“Just give me five minutes, Josh. I don’t think that’s asking too much.”

His eyes blazed. “Don’t you get it, Mom? I don’t want to talk to you. I want to be left alone.”

His look wrenched her heart. “I don’t deserve this, Josh.”

But he was already gone, lost among the crowd. Marilee stood there, frozen, feeling as though all the air had been sucked from her lungs. She couldn’t breathe, and for a moment she thought she’d be sick. Her eyes smarted as she staggered toward her car. She was only vaguely aware of the stares she received from some of the students. Don’t cry, she told herself. Don’t even think about it right now. The last thing she needed to do was arrive at her interview with swollen eyes.

She would cry later in the privacy of her room. In fact, she looked forward to it.

DENTON FUNERAL HOME was less than a mile from town, a massive, two-story colonial that housed the business in the basement and first floor, while the second floor served as an apartment for the family. When Irby Denton greeted Marilee on the wide porch, where ferns shuddered in the mid-September breeze, she saw that he’d changed very little since high school.

His hair was still fire-engine red, but his hairline had receded, and the laugh lines that bracketed his mouth were deeper. He wore the same mischievous look that had labeled him class clown and prankster as far back as kindergarten, where he’d swallowed one of Mrs. Finch’s goldfish, sending the young teacher into a frenzy and causing one girl to throw up on her new Mary Janes. His parents had been promptly summoned to the school, and he was given a three-day suspension. Upon his return, his desk was placed at the front of the class, near Mrs. Finch, who was perturbed that he’d botched her alphabetical seating arrangements.

“Marilee, you look as pretty as you did the day they crowned you homecoming queen,” Irby said, giving her a bear hug that she half feared would crack a rib. His wife, Debbie, stood beside him. They’d married right after graduation, and Marilee still recalled how the tongues had wagged when Debbie gave birth only eight months after their wedding night. Debbie’s mother had declared to family and friends that the child was premature, despite the fact the newborn had weighed more than eight pounds. The couple had gone on to have a total of four children, ranging from eighteen months to sixteen years old.

“You look wonderful,” Debbie said, a toddler propped on one hip. “You’re going to have to give me your beauty secrets.”

Marilee wondered if they were simply trying to soothe her wounded ego, now that Grady had publicly humiliated her. “Thank you. I don’t believe I’ve met the latest addition to the Denton family.”

Debbie looked proud. “This is Ben, named after Irby’s grandfather. We call him Bennie.”

“Nice to meet you, Bennie.” She tried to shake his hand playfully, but he pulled away and buried his face against Debbie’s breasts.

“He’s shy,” Debbie said. “And a little spoiled.”

“Come on in the house,” Irby said. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”

Marilee followed, stepping over a toy car as she went. “No, thanks.”

Irby picked up the toy and handed it to his wife. “Honey, you’re going to have to tell David to keep his toys upstairs. I can’t have folks tripping over them when they come through the door.”

Debbie nodded wearily. “I’ve tried, Irby, believe me.”

He nodded sympathetically. “I know.” He looked at Marilee. “It’s not easy, a big family like ours living upstairs like we do, but it’s cheaper this way. We have the space, mind you, but the kids still wander downstairs from time to time. Debbie, would you watch the phones while I chat with Marilee for a bit?”

“Of course.”

Irby led Marilee through the reception area, passing several closed doors that she knew from experience were parlors designed for relatives to view their loved ones before burial. Antiques in dire need of polishing adorned the rooms.

“Here we are,” Irby said once they’d reached a paneled office. The furniture looked as though it had come from a garage sale. A computer sat on a battered credenza, the screen saver a scrolling marquee that read, People Are Dying to Come Here. “Have a seat, Marilee.”

“Thank you.” Marilee sat down and was met with what sounded like a giant fart. She leaped from the chair, and then frowned at the sight of a whoopee cushion. “Irby Denton, won’t you ever grow up!”

He looked surprised. “I swear I didn’t do it,” he said, rounding the desk and grabbing the cushion. He tossed it aside. “David, our ten-year-old, is obviously up to his old tricks.”