Red Lily (In the Garden 3)

Her smile wreathed from ear to ear even as her eyes went damp. “It was the most wonderful day of my life.”

“That’s the sweetest story.” Hayley teared up as Jane did. “You deserved a fairy godmother after being kicked around by that wicked witch. You know, historically fairy tales were women’s stories, passed orally in a time when women didn’t have many rights.”

“Um. Oh?”

“Sorry, trivia head. It’s just that this is all such a girl thing, I guess. I’ve got to get Stella.”

“I didn’t want to interrupt anything. I just hoped to see Cousin Rosalind, and thank her.”

“We’ll get her, too.” Hayley hurried over to Stella’s office door. “But Stella’s really going to want to see this.” She poked her head in without knocking. “You’ve got to come out here a minute.”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, just take my word and come out here.”

“Hayley, I’ve still got half a dozen calls to make before I . . .” She trailed off, automatically putting on her greeting-the-public face when she spotted Jane. “Sorry. Is there something—Oh my God. It’s Jane.”

“New and improved,” Hayley said, then winced. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. That’s just how I feel.”

“Jolene said she’d given you the Jo Special.” Delighted, Stella walked a circle around Jane. “Boy, didn’t she just. I love your hair.”

“So do I. Your stepmother, she’s been so good to me.”

“She’s enjoyed every minute of it. I’ve had reports, but I have to say, a picture’s worth a thousand. I hope you’re doing as well as you look.”

“I love my job. I love my apartment. I really love feeling pretty.”

“Oh.” Stella’s eyes filled.

“Same thing happened to me,” Hayley said as she got a two-way from behind the counter. “Roz,” she said into it, “we need you at checkout.”

She clicked it off on Roz’s staticky complaint about being busy.

“I don’t want to drag her away from her work.”

“She’ll want to see you. And I want to see her see you. God, this is fun!”

“Tell us what else you’ve been up to,” Stella said.

“Work’s number one. I really love it, and I’m learning so much. I’ve made a couple of friends there.”

“Male types?” Hayley wondered.

“I’m not ready for that yet. But there is this man in my building. He’s very nice.”

“Is he cute? Shoot, customer,” Hayley grumbled as one came in through the back with a loaded cart. “Don’t talk about anything sexy while I’m busy.”

“I thought I’d be embarrassed to see the two of you again.” Jane turned to Stella as Hayley waited on the customer.

“Why?”

“That time, when I met you, I was so whiny and horrible.”

“You were not, you were scared and upset. For good reason. You were taking a big step, letting us in so Roz could get those journals.”

“They belonged to her. Clarissa didn’t have the right to take them from Harper House.”