Bead of Doubt

I would be remiss not to mention my wonderful, amazing, and supportive family. Eddy, Austin, Brady, and Jack, at the end of the day you guys are the only thing that matter to me. I love you.

Bead of Doubt

By

Tonya Kappes

Copyright © Tonya Kappes 2011

The moral right of this author has been asserted.

All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Bead of Doubt

A Divorced Diva Mini-Mystery

Tonya Kappes

Chapter One

The Beaded Dragonfly.

I smiled as I read the black letters on the light pink awning hanging over the storefront doors. The dragonfly with the beaded tail was the cutest mascot. I squeezed the shop key in my hand. This was it. It was the first time since my divorce that I’d done something for myself. Something just for me.

The sign was just the first step. Today was the day the beat-up old building was going to become the home of my new bead store.

I checked my watch.

7 AM.

I looked down the street to see if I saw any of the Divas, but nothing was in site, other than Willow and a snow covered road.

“Come on, girl.” I tugged Willow’s leash while I stepped up on the front step. “Come on.”

Willow snorted and waddled closer to the step. Her goose down jacket was a little snug around her belly, and it crinkled up when she walked. She perched her right hoof on the step as though she was posing for one of those pig calendars you see at the calendar stand in the mall.

She snorted again, letting me know there was no way she was going to stretch her little pink body any more than she had to.

I should’ve known better. I had one hell of a time getting her to walk through the snow to the car, much less walk up steps.

“All right.” I picked her up. “We need to go on a diet.”

She was a tad bit heavier than she should be, but she’s a pig. Aren’t they supposed to be fat?

I on the other hand, really did need to lose weight.

After getting divorced from dumbass, I decided I was tired of watching what I ate until I had to go to the elastic department in the clothing store.

There’s nothing more humbling than buying your first pair of elastic jeans.

I wrestled with Willow in one arm while trying to jiggle the old key with the other.

“The lock is a little tricky when it’s cold out.” Ginger snuck up behind me and was standing on the sidewalk with a broom and mop in her hands.

Not a good sign.

She held them up in the air. “We didn’t have time to clean it after we got all the junk out of it.”She propped the cleaning supplies in the corner by the door and took the key from me.

“I’m so glad you are here.” I said.

I could always count on my best friend, Ginger Rush Sloan, and her family owned the building.

“Do you think the Divas would leave you high and dry on one of the biggest days of your life, outside of your divorce?” Bernadine Frisk had her long crimson hair pulled back in a high pony with black fur earmuffs, creating poofs on the sides of her head.

Standing behind her was a shivering Flora White, whose ivory skin blended into the snowy background, and an eighty-year old Agnes Pearl holding a coffee pot.

“Well, come on.” Agnes shimmied up the step. “Let’s get this cleaning party started.”

I’ll never forget the night I met Agnes, Ginger, Flora, and Bernadine. I was going through my nasty divorce with what’s his name, and we had just had a fight. I left our house with nothing but the clothes on my back. Just like a sign, and I believe in signs, but this was a real sign planted in the Baptist Church lawn. It read: Divorced? Lonely? Come on in. Divorce Support Group meets here at 7 PM on Monday nights.

Low and behold, it was 7 pm on a Monday. I whipped my little Ford Focus into the parking lot and followed the signs. Everyone there had a story similar to mine, but not everyone wanted revenge like me. Well. . .except Ginger, Flora, Bernadine, and Agnes. We instantly formed a little group, The Divorced Divas. An apt name for five fabulous women in their forties and beyond.

We decided to take our little group of five and meet on our own after Diva Flora took my suggestions of revenge a little too far and got a visit from Noah Druck, Swanee’s finest cop. She had broken into her ex-husband’s house and cut the armpits out of his designer button-downs shirts, all fifty of them.

We’ve met in libraries, restaurants, and at each others’ houses. But after a while, the community began to wonder if we were a bunch of terrorists or disgruntled women going through a midlife crisis.

I had to do something for income because asshole’s alimony didn’t even begin to cover my groceries, much less rent on a building. The alimony might be enough if I cut back on my food, which I’ve obviously found comfort in.

“Ta da.” Ginger made spirit fingers once inside.

Willow ran wild with dust flying up behind her. I flipped on the light switch just inside the door. Only the lights didn’t come on. I flipped it on and off, just in case there was a short. Nothing.

Suddenly, there was a loud racket outside. We all turned to see what all the noise was. Asshole’s truck was puttering through the unplowed street.

“What’s he doing here?” Bernadine asked while peeling off her long black gloves. “Doesn’t he know we Divas don’t need him?”

Bernadine was right, but I was still glad to see him. After all, he did own Sean’s Little Shack handyman service. And if anyone needed service, it was me and these lights.

“Morning, ladies.” Sean smiled that fantastic smile that made me fall head over heels in love with him a mere ten years ago, and held out a box of coffee from the local coffee shop. “I thought you’d need some coffee, but by the looks of things you just might need a handy man too.”

He pointed the magnetic sign on his truck. His logo included a picture of a little shack.

“Yes we could.” Bernadine’s attitude had turned on a dime. “And do you think you could look at these lights.”

Ginger nudged Bernadine.

“What?” Bernadine shrugged. “I need coffee.”

Sean grabbed his old toolbox out of the bed of the truck, and moseyed up the steps.

“How are you, Ms. Pearl?” He nodded as he passed Agnes. “No need for that coffee maker. I got you some fresh coffee right here. And I must say, I love what you’ve done with your hair.”

“Liar.” I mouthed as he walked past me.

Poor Agnes’ hair was as blue as the sky. For some reason Pearl’s hair dresser can never fix her hair without turning it that old lady blue. But Agnes can hardly see, so I’m sure she didn’t even know her hair was the color of cotton candy.

Sean smiled again before being surrounded by the Divas.

Chapter Two

“What are you doing here?” I said through gritted teeth.

He was never involved in the marriage, why would he want to be part of my life after the marriage.

“Just seeing where my investment is going.” Sean took a drink of his coffee then looked around at the completely empty dark and dusty building. “Hmm. . .so when are you opening this joint?”

I had to admit it was hard to imagine the dusty old place was getting ready to be one of the busiest stores in Swanee.

“Vision, Sean, vision.” I assured him. “Besides, this has nothing to do with you or an investment.”

“Of course it is, baby. I write you that monthly check.” He said, reminding me of the lack of alimony.

“You mean the invisible money that I haven’t seen since summer?” I asked, trying to embarrass him in front of the Divas.

“I admit it’s been slim with Doug Sloan taking all the jobs, like Ms. Pearl’s.” Sean made sure he said it loud enough for Agnes to hear him.

“Honey, I might be a little blind, but I’m not deaf,” Agnes said. “And I’ve already talked to you about that.”

Agnes put her fingers up to her mouth as to sush Sean. After all, Ginger was Doug’s sister. Everyone in town was well aware of the shoddy remodeling job Doug had done at Agnes’ from the large blinking billboard sign in her front yard telling all of Swanee that Doug Sloan was a thief who stole from an old women.

Sean had become known as the clean-up guy who charged pennies on the dollar to fix whatever Doug Sloan screwed up.

“I know all about my brother.” Ginger said through a puff of dust she was trying to sweep into the dustpan Flora was holding. “Flora, hold that still.”

“Hold on a second.” Flora said to someone on her cell phone.” “This is exactly why I have a maid. I don’t normally do these things.”

Flora continued to talk on her phone while Ginger tried to sweep more dust into the dustpan.

Flora was never without her cell phone. She had something to say at all times and she didn’t care who she said it to as long as they were listening.

“How are you going to open the shop without lights?”The corners of Sean’s mouth and eyes turned up in an evil grin.

I sure hated when he was right, which wasn’t often, but in this case, he was.

“About that.” I walked back over to the light switch. “Do you think you could fix them?”

I followed closely on his heels. This was not his investment and he had nothing to do with it. Thankfully Ginger and her husband Jim had let me rent the building from them for mere pennies. I could live in the apartment above the shop and keep an eye on business.

“I’ve got the answer.” Sean walked out the door and all the Divas stared at his rear-end.

“Do I need to remind you four of the reasons I’m divorced and part of this group?” I waggled my finger in the air.