“Angeline! Could you come to my office for a
moment?”
When Francine Davis called, you had better come
running if you want to keep your job. So Angeline
hurried to her office after depositing the pile of
orders for the new gowns which still had to be
checked in.
“Please shut the door behind you,” Francine
said curtly.
Francine Davis was the manager of Bentley’s
Bridal boutique. It was known statewide and in
surrounding areas for having the most fashionable,
elegant gowns, rivaling any store in New York City.
At least, that is what they advertised. When they
hired her, Francine had taken the money that Seymour
and Olivia Bentley had given her and used it
wisely. She took the small, struggling shop they
had bought for a tax write-off and turned it into a
high society profit making business. She had done
this through her managerial skills and many
connections. Their tax write-off had become a
booming business. They were making money and paying
Francine well. People from Central City and all the
other metro areas were drawn to the small town of
Riverview to shop at Bentley’s.
“One of the girls said an elderly man, a
poor elderly man, came in here yesterday. What
did he want?”
Angeline heaved an inward sigh as she realized
she was not in trouble.
“Oh he was looking for a dress designer, of
all things, for his granddaughter who is in a
wheelchair. I sent him to Central City to The
Dress Boutique. He could afford nothing here. I
am sure.”
“You did the right thing! We do have a
reputation to uphold here at Bentleys. We are not a
charity, always remember that.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Do you have all those dresses checked in? I
don’t trust anyone else with that job, you know.”
“I am almost finished, just three more to look
over.”
“Good. You can go.”
Walking back into the main office area where
her desk was, she thought about working for
Francine. Yes she had given Angeline her start
there, straight out of design school as a designer’s
assistant that was comparable to a janitor, for the
first year. She cleaned up everyone’s messes and
was told to stay out of the way of the important
clientele.
Hard work mixed with eagerness to please and
obey had led her to the position of Assistant
Manager in just three years. Yes, some associates
who had been there longer hated Angeline. She was
sure it was Glenda that had told Francine about the
old man. Well, she had taken credit for sending him
to The Dress Boutique anyway.
“You having a problem, Angeline?” Glenda
twittered as she came from the fitting room with a
young lady.
“No, to the contrary, Francine was letting me
know what a good job I have been doing.”
“Yeah, right.” she replied, as she escorted a
young lady to look at more prom gowns.
A glance out the window brought her Lexus into
view and she smiled smugly as she thought of
Glenda. With her in that older model SUV no wonder
she was trying to get Angeline in trouble. She felt
no pity for Glenda. Her gossipy mouth is what kept
her from advancing at Bentley’s. The fact that she
was a distant cousin of Olivia Bentley was the only
reason they had not fired her.
“Here’s a new order for this gown,” Glenda
said. “She wants it in the tropical blue, number
342. Order a size fourteen and then it will need to
be altered.”
Angeline looked at the small part of the tag
hanging from the strapless tea length, chiffon
gown. She quickly wrote the code down and then
returned the dress to Glenda.
She turned to the young lady and said, “I have
all your information on this receipt. We will need
to have your down payment of $100 tomorrow and we
will call when the dress comes in so you can be
fitted.”
“My mom will bring the money by tomorrow after
she gets paid,” she said nervously, taking the
receipt from Angeline’s hand.
As the young lady walked out the door, Angeline
thought of her own mother and for just a moment,
wondered what she was doing.
No, she thought to herself. I am not
going there. If I call her, she’ll just start again
about me not getting married. She will then
probably add how my father never got to hold any
grandchildren before he died and I just cannot take
it. Why couldn’t she have died instead of my
father?
Angeline could almost taste the bitterness in
her mouth, an unpleasant taste but one that seemed
necessary. She had stopped answering her mother’s
phone calls and it had been two months since they
had spoken.
If she really wanted to see
me, she could have Aunt Helen drive her down here or
Penelope and her three children.
Angeline knew her mother’s problem with her hip
kept her from driving but she could find a way. If she
really wanted to, that is.
Back at the farm, Homer was finishing bush
hogging around the corn patch and the barn. His tractor
was old but reliable and he wanted to get everything
done before graduation on Thursday so he could help with
the preparations. It was Saturday now and Matt and Betty
were out looking for a trailer they could afford. So
far, they had not had any luck. However, Homer told
them if they could not find one before the wedding, they
could stay at the house until they did.
The problem with finding a trailer was twofold.
First, of course, the price had to be low enough for
them to afford the payments. Second, it needed doorways
and hallways wide enough for the wheelchair. Matt was
quite handy when it came to fixing and modifying
things. He could easily put in a low sink and fix up a
shower that Betty could use like they had at the house.
They had to find one first, however.
Homer had just parked the tractor and was walking
to the house to get something to drink when Matt and
Betty pulled up. Matt unloaded Betty into her chair and
they started toward the ramp at the front door.
“Did you find anything?” he asked Matt anxiously.
“No sir, no luck today but we will try again
tomorrow if any place is open that is.”
“We still have plenty of time, Papaw,” Betty
replied.
“I know you do. I’ll just be glad when you find
one. Matt, could you possibly ride with me to Central
City Monday? You know the place better than me and I
need you to help me find the new tractor supply place
there.”
“Sure, Mr. Smith. I get out of school Monday at
1:30. Will that be okay?”
“That would be great. Just come over here Monday
and I’ll drive.”
Homer didn’t want Betty to know he was actually
taking Matt with him to help him find the bridal
store. He was hoping he would find someone to make the
dress and then tell her so she would not be
disappointed.
Martha was in the kitchen, cooking. He could
smell lunch so he decided to eat, and go back to the
bush hogging afterward.
Stay Tuned for CHAPTER 4.
© 2009 Jennifer Hallmark. All Rights Reserved.
