Read Online The Merchant of Menace by Jill Churchill - Free Book Online
Authors: Jill Churchill
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was going to be called by her first name, Jane decided.
“Well, thank you... Jane. If you’re quite sure?”
Mel beamed. Jane wanted to smack him. Thank goodness she’d given the guest room, which was hardly more than a good-sized closet and usually full of craft junk, a thorough cleaning. Or maybe not. Addie wouldn’t have been quite so inclined to stay if she’d had to wrestle with measuring tapes, an ironing board, quilting pins, and the sewing machine to get to the bed. And sharing a bathroom with all three kids wasn’t going to be a lot of fun for her either.
Maybe I’m misjudging her, Jane thought, trying to be both fair and noble. Maybe Mel’s right and we’ll get to be friends by being thrown together this way. Probably not, but anything was possible.
“Mel, if you want to take Addie and her suitcase upstairs, I need to make a quick phone call and get some things into the oven.”
As they went up the stairs, Jane raced for the phone and dialed Shelley. “Disaster,“ she said softly when Shelley answered. “Mel’s dumped his mother on me. To stay at my house until his furnace is fixed!“
“He didn’t!“ Shelley exclaimed.
“I can’t have her underfoot while I’m throwing this dinner together. Please come divert her for a little while.“
“Give me five minutes to stuff the hams into the oven and I’ll be there.”
Jane had just hung up the phone when Mel came into the kitchen. “Mom’s changing her clothes. I’ve got to go back to my apartment and wait for the furnace people,“ he said. “I hope you don’t mind keeping Mom overnight, Janey.“
“I wouldn’t have minded a private warning,“ Jane said frankly. “I don’t really have much free time to entertain her.“
“Oh, she won’t need entertaining. She’s really self-sufficient. And she’s a great cook. Maybe she can help you with dinner.“
“I don’t need help, Mel. I’m a good cook, too.“
“I know you are.“ He paused, jingling his car keys. “Janey, you’re not pissed off, are you?“
“Aren’t I?“ Jane asked, heading for the garage to bring in the scalloped potato casseroles.
When she came back into the kitchen, he was looking contrite. “I’m sorry. I got rattled and didn’t think. I should have asked you first, but I didn’t know I’d need to ask at all until we got to my apartment and it was freezing cold. She really did have a bad time with the pneumonia last year and—“
“I know, Mel.“ She remembered when he went to visit his ailing mother. Jane had pictured Addie VanDyne as a little old lady with white hair and a frail, almost-ready-for-the-nursing-home constitution. That had obviously been a stupid assumption. Jane’s own mother was older than Mel’s and she was fit and sleek as a racehorse.
“Listen, Janey. I’ll take her to a hotel. I’ll tell her... something.“
“You’d have to tell a whopping great lie that she’d know was one,“ Jane said, sliding the casserole into the oven—which she now realized she’d forgotten to preheat. “I’m not going to throw your mother out. It’s okay. It’s a done deal. And, as you say, it’s just for one night.“
“You really don’t want her here, do you? You don’t like her?”
He sounded so astonished at the very concept that Jane could think of nothing to say except, “I’m sure I’ll like her a lot, Mel. We don’t even know each other yet. Now, get out of my way. I have a ton of stuff to do before the party. You are coming, aren’t you?“
“The minute the furnace repair person leaves,“ he said, looking cheerful again.
Jane heard Addie coming down the stairs a few minutes after Mel left. Jane had assumed that Addie had changed into more comfortable sitting-around-the-house clothing although it was too much to hope she’d opt for a sweatsuit.
Addie swished into the kitchen wearing a cherry red outfit that Jane could only think of as “lounging pajamas.“ There was a lovely self-stripe to the fabric,
“Well, thank you... Jane. If you’re quite sure?”
Mel beamed. Jane wanted to smack him. Thank goodness she’d given the guest room, which was hardly more than a good-sized closet and usually full of craft junk, a thorough cleaning. Or maybe not. Addie wouldn’t have been quite so inclined to stay if she’d had to wrestle with measuring tapes, an ironing board, quilting pins, and the sewing machine to get to the bed. And sharing a bathroom with all three kids wasn’t going to be a lot of fun for her either.
Maybe I’m misjudging her, Jane thought, trying to be both fair and noble. Maybe Mel’s right and we’ll get to be friends by being thrown together this way. Probably not, but anything was possible.
“Mel, if you want to take Addie and her suitcase upstairs, I need to make a quick phone call and get some things into the oven.”
As they went up the stairs, Jane raced for the phone and dialed Shelley. “Disaster,“ she said softly when Shelley answered. “Mel’s dumped his mother on me. To stay at my house until his furnace is fixed!“
“He didn’t!“ Shelley exclaimed.
“I can’t have her underfoot while I’m throwing this dinner together. Please come divert her for a little while.“
“Give me five minutes to stuff the hams into the oven and I’ll be there.”
Jane had just hung up the phone when Mel came into the kitchen. “Mom’s changing her clothes. I’ve got to go back to my apartment and wait for the furnace people,“ he said. “I hope you don’t mind keeping Mom overnight, Janey.“
“I wouldn’t have minded a private warning,“ Jane said frankly. “I don’t really have much free time to entertain her.“
“Oh, she won’t need entertaining. She’s really self-sufficient. And she’s a great cook. Maybe she can help you with dinner.“
“I don’t need help, Mel. I’m a good cook, too.“
“I know you are.“ He paused, jingling his car keys. “Janey, you’re not pissed off, are you?“
“Aren’t I?“ Jane asked, heading for the garage to bring in the scalloped potato casseroles.
When she came back into the kitchen, he was looking contrite. “I’m sorry. I got rattled and didn’t think. I should have asked you first, but I didn’t know I’d need to ask at all until we got to my apartment and it was freezing cold. She really did have a bad time with the pneumonia last year and—“
“I know, Mel.“ She remembered when he went to visit his ailing mother. Jane had pictured Addie VanDyne as a little old lady with white hair and a frail, almost-ready-for-the-nursing-home constitution. That had obviously been a stupid assumption. Jane’s own mother was older than Mel’s and she was fit and sleek as a racehorse.
“Listen, Janey. I’ll take her to a hotel. I’ll tell her... something.“
“You’d have to tell a whopping great lie that she’d know was one,“ Jane said, sliding the casserole into the oven—which she now realized she’d forgotten to preheat. “I’m not going to throw your mother out. It’s okay. It’s a done deal. And, as you say, it’s just for one night.“
“You really don’t want her here, do you? You don’t like her?”
He sounded so astonished at the very concept that Jane could think of nothing to say except, “I’m sure I’ll like her a lot, Mel. We don’t even know each other yet. Now, get out of my way. I have a ton of stuff to do before the party. You are coming, aren’t you?“
“The minute the furnace repair person leaves,“ he said, looking cheerful again.
Jane heard Addie coming down the stairs a few minutes after Mel left. Jane had assumed that Addie had changed into more comfortable sitting-around-the-house clothing although it was too much to hope she’d opt for a sweatsuit.
Addie swished into the kitchen wearing a cherry red outfit that Jane could only think of as “lounging pajamas.“ There was a lovely self-stripe to the fabric,
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