Be Sweet (27 page)

“Don't you give it a thought,” Mom says. “You girls have had a busy day.”

She has no idea.

“Well, I'm starving,” Daniel says, throwing open the front door and stepping inside.

After a quick dinner of sandwiches and veggies, Janni takes orders for pumpkin pie and coffee.

“Hey, Sweet Girl.” Daniel reaches out and grabs Janni's hand when she walks past him. “Your cheeks look a little red. Are you all right?”

If he only knew.

“I'll tell you later,” she says with a giggle and a conspiratorial wink my way.

I want no part of it, thank you.

Once Janni serves the pie, she and I go back into the kitchen to get coffee for everyone.

“Where's Stephanie?” I ask.

Janni starts the coffee. “Mom said she got called into work.” I'm thinking she's putting in extra hours to give me time to digest everything she told me.

“You know, Char, that reminded me of the fun we used to have as teenagers. Remember when you took me out for a soda the day you got your license?”

The memory makes me smile as I pull mugs from the cabinet.

“The only difference is that
I
trusted
you
.” Janni's smiling, but her eyebrow is quirked with a reprimand.

“You're right. But back then, we were too young to know fear. Now we can smell it a mile away.”

Once the coffee is finished, Janni gets the carafe, and we start filling the mugs.

“At least I didn't scare you like you did me that night I was in the pantry.”

I stare at her a moment.

“Don't you remember? Dad went through that phase where he cut back on lightbulb wattage—”

“Oh, yeah! We walked around in shadows at night. Very eerie.”

“Right. I was browsing through the pantry one night, and you saw it as an opportunity to scare the daylights out of me.”

I laugh. “I crept near the doorway and scraped my fingers on the wall.”

Janni shivers with the memory. “And made some spooky noise. I lifted out a weak ‘Mom?' Then in a burst of courage, I raced through the door, startling both of us.”

“Your scream slashed into the next county.” I double over in laughter, and when I finally catch my breath, I see her glaring at me.

“It wasn't funny. It was mean. I had nightmares for a month.” Janni puts the mugs on a serving tray.

“Well, before you get your nose twisted out of joint, I might point out the time you put Tabasco sauce in the oatmeal cookies. Not exactly angelic in nature, wouldn't you agree?”

Now
she laughs. “I didn't mean to do that, and you know it. The bottle fell from the cupboard, and the lid wasn't screwed on tight. Only a few drops spilled, so I figured the cookie dough was salvageable. Besides, how was I to know you would eat the first cookie?”

I stare at her. “I always eat the first cookie.”

“Well, then that's what you get for being greedy.”

“And you wonder why I switched to gourmet cookies.”

She makes a face.

I'm surprised I forgot the fatal cookie night. I had been convinced that my sister was trying to kill me. Something tells me this is Mom's fault. We're a weird lot.

No wonder I stay away from Tappery.

twenty-three

“Hey, Char, have you seen Janni?” Daniel
straps on his boots and looks up at me from the sofa.

“Not since I grabbed my coffee before breakfast.”

He rubs his jaw thoughtfully. “Maybe she's out in the barn. Well, if you see her, ask her to bring me some coffee in the thermos. I can't find it, and I need to get down to the sugar bush and help the others.”

“And we need our coffee.”

He grins. “Exactly.” He turns to leave, then swivels back around. “One more thing. Tell her we're out of dill pickles. There's a two-for-one coupon in the kitchen drawer.”

It's beyond comprehension that he has the same enthusiasm in his voice over dill pickle coupons that I have for cookies. “I'll tell her. We'll be down there shortly.”

He waves and heads out the door. Dad's not up to working in the woods yet, so he's parked on the sofa in the family room, reading his Bible and drinking coffee. I poke my head into the room.

“Have you seen Janni, Dad?”

He looks up from his Bible. “No, Zip, haven't seen her. Did you check the bathtub? Remember how she used to hide there when she was little?” Dad's eyes take on a wistful look. “Might want to look there.” He smiles.

I had forgotten that. Since bathtubs had been designated as a safe place in a storm, as a child Janni carried that thought over and went there anytime she needed to be alone or to feel safe. If we couldn't find her, she almost always was in a dry bathtub, reading a book or holding her favorite doll.

“You need some more coffee?”

A grin breaks out on his face. “That would be great.” He lifts his mug to me.

“Mom out with her lady friends for breakfast?”

“No, she's upstairs reading.”

Uh-oh, could be another interesting day. After filling Dad's cup, I take it to him. “Dad, when we were at your condo, you got a phone call.”

He looks up with interest. “Yes?” He reaches for his coffee and knocks his Bible from his lap. A paper slips out. I reach down to give it to him and see Gertie's name and number on the slip. He grabs it and stuffs it back into his Bible.

“Um, it was Gertie. She didn't leave a message, just said she'd talk to you at church.”

“Okay, thanks. This is good coffee, Char.”

“Listen, Dad—”

“Yeah?”

One look in his eyes and I decide one crisis at a time is all I can handle. “Never mind.”

I roam the house in search of Janni. Bathtub is clear. I have to admit that relieves me. The thought of a woman over forty retreating to a dry bathtub bothers me a little. 'Course, with the way she's been acting lately, who knows?

Frustrated, I pass the stand and turn the Precious Moments figurine southward.

She's nowhere in sight, so after putting on my jacket and gloves, I head out the door and over to the barn. Sliding open the massive door, I'm immediately greeted by the kittens. They circle and mew at my feet, and I'm thinking if they had the strength, they'd gnaw through my boots. How odd. Janni normally feeds them by now.

Edging over to their food and water bowls, I see that they're empty.

“Janni,” I call out. Nothing. Could be she's in the chicken coop. Quickly, I put food and water out for the animals. Once I'm sure that everyone has what they need, I tromp over to the chicken coop. Taking a deep breath before I step inside, I open the door and brave the smell.

The chickens squawk and strut about, loose hay flutters with the cold air, and the charming scent lingers. But no Janni. Anywhere.

Since I'm already in here, I decide to collect the eggs, though I can't deny that I'm starting to worry about Janni. Before my fears get away from me, I tell myself she's probably already joined the others in the woods.

Rather than make her come back up to the house for the coffee, I return to the kitchen. After I wash my hands, I stack the two dirty cups from the sink into the dishwasher and spot the thermos. Retrieving it, I wash the container and fill it with coffee, then head to the woods to join the others.

Upon seeing Daniel, I march it over to him. He seems surprised to see me.

“So where's Janni?”

“You mean she's not here?” Now my adrenaline kicks in. Mom's paranoia must be contagious. Let's just hope Mom doesn't get wind of this. She'll have posters of Janni covering every available pole in the county before lunch.

“No. Remember, I told you to have her—”

“Yeah.” I cut him off. “When I didn't find her in the barn, I figured she was with you.”

He looks as worried as I feel.

“Don't worry about it, Daniel. I'll go up and check again, look for clues. She probably just ran to the store.”

“Maybe.”

“Hey, Daniel, come and see this,” one of the high-school kids calls out.

“Well, tell her to come see me when you find her,” he says to me.

“Will do.”

My heart beats hard when I rush back to the house. It's not like Janni to disappear without letting someone know what she's doing or where she's going. Something has to be wrong.

I comb through the house once more, from top to bottom, and still no Janni.

“Say, Dad, did you ever hear from Janni?”

“You never found her?”

“No. None of us has seen her in a while.”

“That's odd.” He rubs his forehead while he thinks, and right then I hear the faint sound of an approaching engine.

“Wait. That might be her. I think I hear an engine.” I turn around and dash through the front door and screen in time to see Janni, complete with helmet, gloves, and black leather jacket, riding up on the Harley.

She flips up the clear visor on her helmet. “Morning,” she says with such enthusiasm I consider hiding her Folgers.

“I have half a mind to flip your screen back down. Where have you been? We've been looking for you.”

“Well, you found me.” Her cheeks sparkle red, her eyes flash, a wide grin splits on her face. Suddenly, she no doubt sees the smoke puffing from my nostrils. “I needed to get some air.”

“That's my line. Hey, where did you get the leather jacket?”

She looks down as if she's forgotten. “Oh, this? I've had it forever. Never really saw myself as the leather type, but I thought it fit this morning.” Looking up at me, she grins. “Shoot, I might get matching leather pants.”

“Okay, now you're truly scaring me.”

She laughs, just on the fringes of the hyena hoot, and I hold my breath, but it fizzles out. So help me, I want to be mad at her, but this is a side of Janni I've never seen before, and I like it.

“Well, you'd better put it away. Everyone is worried about you,” I say, flicking some leafy debris off her shoulder.

“Why?”

“Because no one knew where you were, that's why.” I follow behind her to the barn.
I'm
mothering
her
? First Tipsy, and now I'm having a Freaky Friday moment with my sister?

After I open the barn door—and let me just say here, I'm developing muscles that could rival Sylvester Stallone's—Janni lets the engine putter and guides it into the barn with her feet. I walk along beside her in case she falls—which isn't really smart, now that I think about it. After all, she would fall on me.

“I'm sorry if I worried anyone. I took it for an early morning spin and thought I would be back before now. I told Danny where I was going.”

“He's the one who sent me looking for you.”

She rolls her eyes. “He was in the bathroom when I told him. Guess he didn't hear me.” With the bulk of her leather boot, she shoves the kickstand in place. When she pulls her helmet off, her hair bounces lightly against her shoulders. “Do they have enough workers down there?”

“Plenty. Word has caught on at church. I think half the congrega-tion is in your woods.”

Janni laughs.

“Luckily we have friends with flexible work hours. I'm surprised the kittens aren't clamoring to eat,” she says.

“I already fed the animals.”

“Oh, dear. I'm slacking off on my duties.” Concern shadows her face.

“It's not as though they would starve from waiting an extra hour.” But yes, you are slacking off on your duties.

“Thanks, Char.”

“Janni Haverford Ort, what are you doing with that contraption?” Mom wants to know when she sees the motorcycle. The look on her face says she isn't pleased.

Janni and I lock eyes. What can we tell her when we don't know ourselves?

“Did you talk her into this thing, Charlene Marybelle?” Mom's tap-ping her foot.

“Uh, we're keeping it for someone,” Janni blurts, before Mom and I can come to blows.

“Well, don't you get on that thing. They're dangerous. You couldn't pay me enough to get on one of those,” she mutters on her way out. Then she swings back around and looks at me, “And if you have any sense, you'll stay off of it too.” With that, Mom turns on her heels and marches back to the house.

“Guess it's time to talk to Dad about it,” Janni says, looking glum.

“Maybe he wants to buy it for himself.” I'm afraid the thought of Dad in leathers and chains could scar me for life.

“Guess we won't be keeping it here anymore.” Janni runs her fingers along the seat.

“Janni Ort, have you not approached Dad about this because you wanted to keep it here a little longer for yourself?” Words escape me.

She hesitates. “Oh, don't be silly.”

I'm not convinced.

“Tell Daniel to get one for you both to ride. He might surprise you.” “

Yeah, right. If it doesn't come with a coupon, forget it.”

Daniel is nearly the perfect husband—all except for that coupon fetish of his. “What's he saving all that money for, Janni—an all-expenses- paid trip to the nursing home?”

Janni chuckles, then stops and gives me a deadpan stare. “That's not so funny.” She sighs. “Want to help me get the cake ready?”

I'm struggling to read her expression, so I decide to let it drop. “Sure. You'd better go down and let Daniel know you're here, first. I'll get everything ready in the kitchen.”

“Yeah, you're right.” She takes two steps, then turns back around. “You know where the recipe box is?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, back in a minute.”

I wave as she heads toward the woods, and I step onto the porch. Dad soon joins me in the kitchen where I'm going over the recipe for the cake.

“Did you find Janni?”

“Yeah.”

It's just better that I not bring up Janni and the motorcycle. Besides, my mind is still trying to grasp that whole deal with Daniel and his coupons. Makes me wonder if he's one of those millionaire types who stuffs money under the mattress. I make a mental note to check under my mattress tonight, just in case.