Read Online Wreath of Deception by Mary Ellen Hughes - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mary Ellen Hughes
Tags: Mystery
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whatever it is, I’m glad to have her. Maybe she’ll pull in a few of her many friends and acquaintances if she keeps it all up.”
That evening, after Carrie took off for a quick dinner with her family before Parents’ Night, Jo watched her scrapbooking students file in. Ina Mae was first, right on time, with white-haired Loralee Phillips trailing behind, carrying the large tote Jo had noticed the other night. Nearly half the size of the petite woman, it seemed to be her way of staying prepared for any and all things. The other night when Javonne mentioned having rushed over from the dental office for the wreath-making workshop without supper, Loralee had reached into her tote, pulled out a box of trail mix and a perfectly ripe banana, and passed it over without a word.
Jo had learned that both Ina Mae and Loralee were widows, but that’s where any similarity seemed to end, what with Ina Mae’s power walking and active volunteerism versus Loralee’s quieter interests. But Jo suspected Ina Mae’s strong personality complemented Loralee’s gentler one. Also, she remembered her Great-aunt Martha once explaining why she regularly lunched with a high-strung, chronically giggling neighbor. “I find,” she’d said, “the older I get, the less picky I am about my companions.” There was something to be said for that.
Mindy Blevins, who held the distinction of being Jo’s first customer ever, arrived next, carrying a box filled to overflowing with photos of her toddler twins. Jo speculated they would fill quite a hefty scrapbook if she intended to incorporate them all. The youngest of the group at about twenty-five or so, Mindy wore her medium brown hair pulled back in a time-saving pony-tail style. The oversize shirt she wore seemed designed to cover a few extra pregnancy pounds, which no doubt, with twins to chase after, she would eventually lose.
Deirdre Patterson brought up the rear, dressed more sensibly this time in dark T-shirt and jeans. She clutched a much smaller box than Mindy and wore an expression that struck Jo as more determined than eager. Deirdre clearly was still out of her element and would need help to discover that crafting could be relaxing and fun. She greeted Jo cordially, however, as well as her fellow students, as she joined them around the worktable.
Once they settled down, Jo went over the basic idea of scrapbooking with the group and then displayed the various tools available. “You don’t need a lot of these at first, and if you have basic things like a pair of sharp scissors you’ll have a good start. But these tools can help with wonderful special effects as you progress, like crimping and embossing. The first thing you need to do now, though, is decide on a theme for your scrapbook, or perhaps a separate theme for each page.”
“I can’t decide if I should do a separate book for each twin, or keep them together,” Mindy said.
“Oh, keep them together,” Loralee cried. “I’ve always loved to see identical twins in their matching outfits.”
“Separate books,” Ina Mae countered, in a firm teacher-to-parent tone. “Each child should retain his own identity.”
“You have so many photos,” Jo said, “you could probably do both. One for each of the twins and one focusing on their twin-ness.”
“Oh, I like that!” Mindy upended her box, creating a huge mound of photos. “I’ll get started on sorting them out.”
“My goodness, you do have a lot,” Deirdre said, the expression on her face saying, “Far better you than I.”
“What kind of scrapbook are you going to do?” Loralee asked Deirdre.
“I want to put together a book for Alden, to record his career in the state senate. I plan to surprise him with it for his birthday.”
“How nice.” Loralee smiled sweetly but said no more, leading Jo to wonder if her vote during the last election might have been for Alden Patterson’s opponent.
The ladies got busy, and Jo wandered around, offering a
That evening, after Carrie took off for a quick dinner with her family before Parents’ Night, Jo watched her scrapbooking students file in. Ina Mae was first, right on time, with white-haired Loralee Phillips trailing behind, carrying the large tote Jo had noticed the other night. Nearly half the size of the petite woman, it seemed to be her way of staying prepared for any and all things. The other night when Javonne mentioned having rushed over from the dental office for the wreath-making workshop without supper, Loralee had reached into her tote, pulled out a box of trail mix and a perfectly ripe banana, and passed it over without a word.
Jo had learned that both Ina Mae and Loralee were widows, but that’s where any similarity seemed to end, what with Ina Mae’s power walking and active volunteerism versus Loralee’s quieter interests. But Jo suspected Ina Mae’s strong personality complemented Loralee’s gentler one. Also, she remembered her Great-aunt Martha once explaining why she regularly lunched with a high-strung, chronically giggling neighbor. “I find,” she’d said, “the older I get, the less picky I am about my companions.” There was something to be said for that.
Mindy Blevins, who held the distinction of being Jo’s first customer ever, arrived next, carrying a box filled to overflowing with photos of her toddler twins. Jo speculated they would fill quite a hefty scrapbook if she intended to incorporate them all. The youngest of the group at about twenty-five or so, Mindy wore her medium brown hair pulled back in a time-saving pony-tail style. The oversize shirt she wore seemed designed to cover a few extra pregnancy pounds, which no doubt, with twins to chase after, she would eventually lose.
Deirdre Patterson brought up the rear, dressed more sensibly this time in dark T-shirt and jeans. She clutched a much smaller box than Mindy and wore an expression that struck Jo as more determined than eager. Deirdre clearly was still out of her element and would need help to discover that crafting could be relaxing and fun. She greeted Jo cordially, however, as well as her fellow students, as she joined them around the worktable.
Once they settled down, Jo went over the basic idea of scrapbooking with the group and then displayed the various tools available. “You don’t need a lot of these at first, and if you have basic things like a pair of sharp scissors you’ll have a good start. But these tools can help with wonderful special effects as you progress, like crimping and embossing. The first thing you need to do now, though, is decide on a theme for your scrapbook, or perhaps a separate theme for each page.”
“I can’t decide if I should do a separate book for each twin, or keep them together,” Mindy said.
“Oh, keep them together,” Loralee cried. “I’ve always loved to see identical twins in their matching outfits.”
“Separate books,” Ina Mae countered, in a firm teacher-to-parent tone. “Each child should retain his own identity.”
“You have so many photos,” Jo said, “you could probably do both. One for each of the twins and one focusing on their twin-ness.”
“Oh, I like that!” Mindy upended her box, creating a huge mound of photos. “I’ll get started on sorting them out.”
“My goodness, you do have a lot,” Deirdre said, the expression on her face saying, “Far better you than I.”
“What kind of scrapbook are you going to do?” Loralee asked Deirdre.
“I want to put together a book for Alden, to record his career in the state senate. I plan to surprise him with it for his birthday.”
“How nice.” Loralee smiled sweetly but said no more, leading Jo to wonder if her vote during the last election might have been for Alden Patterson’s opponent.
The ladies got busy, and Jo wandered around, offering a
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