Read Online Coming Up Roses by Catherine R. Daly - Free Book Online
Authors: Catherine R. Daly
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store. We got a lot of curious looks and one womaneven slowed down her car and pointed us out to her kid in a car seat in the back. Finally, we reached Fairfield Street.
“Oops. We forgot one thing!” I said, backtracking half a block to Nellie’s Notions on Pine Street.
I sent Aster and Poppy inside for the big sewing needles and a couple of spools of the waxed thread that Mom had requested. Rose and I stood outside with the dress form, feeling slightly ridiculous. As a joke, I threw my arm around the form’s shoulders.
“Well, isn’t this a cute picture,” said a voice.
I groaned.
Ashley Edwards always seemed to show up at the most embarrassing times. It was a special gift she had.
She stood on the sidewalk in front of us with her two matching best friends.
“Del, this must be your new friend,” Ashley said snarkily, pointing to the headless form.
To my surprise, Rose laughed. I gave her a dirty look.
“Hello,” I said. I decided to be polite. “This is my sister Rose.”
“Oh, I know Rose,” said Ashley, waving her hand. “I see her at school all the time.”
I frowned. I had no idea Ashley knew who my sister was.
“So, rumor has it Petal Pushers isn’t doing the Homecoming flowers,” Ashley said. “I was really sorry to hear that.”
I gave her a look. She was sorry? I highly doubted that.
“Well, we’ve got to run,” she said. “Oh, and Del?”
“Yes?” I said.
“Nice headgear.” She and her friends laughed and laughed as they took off down the street.
My heart sank. Surely I didn’t still have … I reached up. Sure enough, the stupid antennae headband was still on. I snatched it off.
I gave Rose the evil eye. “It didn’t cross your mind to tell me I still had this stupid thing on my head?’
She shrugged. “I thought you knew.”
When Poppy and Aster emerged from the store, Poppy grabbed the headband out of my hand and put it on her head. “It’s about time you shared!” she said.
Inside Petal Pushers, Mom squealed when she saw Poppy. “My Deely Boppers!” she cried. “I haven’t seen those things in years!” My eyes widened. Mom wore those things in public — on purpose?
Miraculously, Mom had finished all of the orders that needed to go out. She was ready to devote the rest of the day to making the rose dress. She had laid out every red rose we had in the store on the worktable. But first things first. She reached into the sewing basket and pulled out the tape measure.
“Del, I think you should model the dress,” she said. “I’ll have to adjust it a bit to fit you.”
“Lucky stiff!” said Poppy. Rose scowled. And I have to say, I was pleased to be picked.
Mom took my measurements and adjusted the dress form accordingly. Then she ripped open some seams on the dress and pinned it to fit the Del-sized form.
Meanwhile, we cut the roses under Mom’s strict instructions — precisely one-quarter of an inch under the sepals, which are the pointy green things on the bottom side of roses. They protect the flower when it’s a bud.
When that was done, I went into the bathroom and slipped on the dress, which fit almost perfectly. We didn’t have a full-length mirror, but I wondered if I looked as glamorous as I felt in the strapless dress, red wine stain or not. I stepped back into the shop and spun around, the skirt poofing out prettily.
“Looks great,” said Mom.
“Give it a rest, Maria von Trapp,” Rose said grumpily.
With a sigh I went back into the bathroom and changed back into my regular outfit. I came back out with the dress and Mom laid it on the counter.
She ran her finger over the stain on front of the dress. “Let’s start with the top,” she said. “See how it goes.”
We all leaned forward in anticipation. Even Rose’s bad mood seemed to have lifted in the excitement.
Mom threaded a needle, picked up the first rose, and, with a certain amount of effort, forced the needle through the stem just below the sepal.
“Ouch,”
“Oops. We forgot one thing!” I said, backtracking half a block to Nellie’s Notions on Pine Street.
I sent Aster and Poppy inside for the big sewing needles and a couple of spools of the waxed thread that Mom had requested. Rose and I stood outside with the dress form, feeling slightly ridiculous. As a joke, I threw my arm around the form’s shoulders.
“Well, isn’t this a cute picture,” said a voice.
I groaned.
Ashley Edwards always seemed to show up at the most embarrassing times. It was a special gift she had.
She stood on the sidewalk in front of us with her two matching best friends.
“Del, this must be your new friend,” Ashley said snarkily, pointing to the headless form.
To my surprise, Rose laughed. I gave her a dirty look.
“Hello,” I said. I decided to be polite. “This is my sister Rose.”
“Oh, I know Rose,” said Ashley, waving her hand. “I see her at school all the time.”
I frowned. I had no idea Ashley knew who my sister was.
“So, rumor has it Petal Pushers isn’t doing the Homecoming flowers,” Ashley said. “I was really sorry to hear that.”
I gave her a look. She was sorry? I highly doubted that.
“Well, we’ve got to run,” she said. “Oh, and Del?”
“Yes?” I said.
“Nice headgear.” She and her friends laughed and laughed as they took off down the street.
My heart sank. Surely I didn’t still have … I reached up. Sure enough, the stupid antennae headband was still on. I snatched it off.
I gave Rose the evil eye. “It didn’t cross your mind to tell me I still had this stupid thing on my head?’
She shrugged. “I thought you knew.”
When Poppy and Aster emerged from the store, Poppy grabbed the headband out of my hand and put it on her head. “It’s about time you shared!” she said.
Inside Petal Pushers, Mom squealed when she saw Poppy. “My Deely Boppers!” she cried. “I haven’t seen those things in years!” My eyes widened. Mom wore those things in public — on purpose?
Miraculously, Mom had finished all of the orders that needed to go out. She was ready to devote the rest of the day to making the rose dress. She had laid out every red rose we had in the store on the worktable. But first things first. She reached into the sewing basket and pulled out the tape measure.
“Del, I think you should model the dress,” she said. “I’ll have to adjust it a bit to fit you.”
“Lucky stiff!” said Poppy. Rose scowled. And I have to say, I was pleased to be picked.
Mom took my measurements and adjusted the dress form accordingly. Then she ripped open some seams on the dress and pinned it to fit the Del-sized form.
Meanwhile, we cut the roses under Mom’s strict instructions — precisely one-quarter of an inch under the sepals, which are the pointy green things on the bottom side of roses. They protect the flower when it’s a bud.
When that was done, I went into the bathroom and slipped on the dress, which fit almost perfectly. We didn’t have a full-length mirror, but I wondered if I looked as glamorous as I felt in the strapless dress, red wine stain or not. I stepped back into the shop and spun around, the skirt poofing out prettily.
“Looks great,” said Mom.
“Give it a rest, Maria von Trapp,” Rose said grumpily.
With a sigh I went back into the bathroom and changed back into my regular outfit. I came back out with the dress and Mom laid it on the counter.
She ran her finger over the stain on front of the dress. “Let’s start with the top,” she said. “See how it goes.”
We all leaned forward in anticipation. Even Rose’s bad mood seemed to have lifted in the excitement.
Mom threaded a needle, picked up the first rose, and, with a certain amount of effort, forced the needle through the stem just below the sepal.
“Ouch,”
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