The Keeneston Roses (4 page)

CHAPTER SIX

“Miss Rose, this is simply amazing.” Violet beamed at Chef Nichols’s praise. Her torte was a work of art. She’d not only survived Christmas week at the restaurant, her dishes had won the praise of customers and earned the respect of the head chef.

It hadn’t been easy leaving Lily at home to come into Lexington. But after they had gotten cleaned up and had gone downstairs, Violet had decided to tell her mother about her dreams and her once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The sisters had all agreed there was a side to their mother they had never seen before, and hoped that side would understand their dreams of exploring life outside of Keeneston.

She had understood, and a couple hours later, when their father came home, she had informed him she would be taking Violet into Lexington every night this next week and would need the car. Their father seemed confused, but their mother winked.

And so tonight was her last night at the restaurant. Her mother was her last customer. Chef Nichols sent the torte out with a waiter and turned back to Violet. “You did good, kid.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick packet of papers. “You’ll find three letters of recommendation and a list of all the schools you should apply to. I will be calling them all personally first thing in the morning. And when you complete culinary school, you will have a job waiting for you here.”

Violet flung her arms around his neck, surprising him and the rest of the kitchen staff. “Thank you.”

“You deserve it. Don’t be a stranger, and let me know which school you decide to go to.”

“I will! Thank you so much, chef. You just made my dream come true.”

Chef Nichols took off his white hat and set it on the prep table. “I didn’t make it come true. You did that yourself. Now get out of here, kid.”

Violet said goodbye to the staff and rushed through the swinging door that connected the kitchen to the dining room. Her mother had her eyes closed as she tasted the torte.

“Mom, I got the recommendation!”

Her mom’s eyes popped open, and she stood up to hug Violet. “I didn’t doubt it for a second. This is delicious. Come on, let’s go home and tell the family.”

Violet grabbed her mother’s hand and walked out of the restaurant. “I hope Dad won’t be too upset.”

“Oh, he won’t be. I know he’s gruff on the outside, but underneath it all, he only wants you to be happy. He’ll just worry about you constantly. I’m dreading the long-distance bill from him calling you all the time.”

Violet closed the car door and only half listened to her mother’s excited chatter on the way home. Her mind was filled with the streets of France. The hustle of city life, the smell of the freshly baked croissants coming from the small cafés that lined the old cobbled streets, and the endless possibilities. Before she knew it, she was home.

Lily and Daisy rushed out the door and down the porch steps. “You won’t believe it,” Lily called out as Violet opened her door.

“Believe what, dear?” her mother asked.

“The Shillings aren’t coming back. They’re staying in New York. Their grandmother holds the purse strings to the family, and John Wolfe just stopped by and told us the news. Someone told old Mrs. Shilling what happened, and she was so mad she cut Frank off and ordered the family back to New York. There was a moving truck here all night, and a
For Sale
sign was just put up.”

“Is that so?” Her mother smiled serenely. “What a pity.”

“Mom?” the three sisters asked all at once.

“Yes, dears?”

“Did you call Mrs. Shilling?” Lily asked with disbelief.

“Of course. I wasn’t going to let that hoodlum live next door to us. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my babies. Even if one of them is going to be all the way in France.”

“Oh,” Daisy and Lily gasped.

“Did you get the recommendation?” Daisy asked.

“Of course she did,” Lily squealed before she and Daisy enveloped Violet in a tight hug.

“I did. He even gave me the addresses of where to apply. I’ll be sending out my applications tomorrow, along with his personal letter of recommendation.”

“I knew you could do it, Vi. But you better not forget us back home when you’re off gallivanting across Europe,” her father’s slow, Southern drawl said from the door to the house.

“Never, Daddy!” Violet flew up the stairs and into her father’s arms. She had her family’s blessing. Now all she needed was an acceptance from one of the three schools she was applying to.

* * *

Violet ran out to meet the postman two months after sending off her first application. It was the start of spring. She hoped it was a new start for her, too. She heard the front door open behind her and turned to see her sisters running after her.

“Did it get here?” Lily asked.

“I don’t know yet,” she said as she grabbed the mountain of mail from their bemused postman.

“Daisy, there’s something for you.” Violet handed her a thick envelope. “It’s from the University of Kentucky.”

“Hurry! Open it,” Lily said excitedly. “Mom, come quick!”

Their mother hurried out the door with her new broom in hand. “What is it?”

The sisters didn’t say anything as they watched Daisy tear into the envelope and scan the letter. “I got in,” she said with disbelief.

Her mother clapped her hands. “I have a daughter going to college! I have to call your father at the store.”

“Wait, did you get anything?” Lily asked Violet as she sorted through the mail.

Violet’s hands trembled when she saw the postage from France. She dropped the other mail onto the ground, still holding three envelopes in her hands. Their mother came to her side and took a deep breath. “Open them, dear.”

Violet slid her finger under the seam of the first envelope. She scanned the letter and handed it to her mother. “I’m so sorry. We didn’t want you to go there anyway.”

Violet heard Lily and Daisy groan and murmur their encouragement as she ripped into the second envelope. “I got in!” Violet cried out. But just as fast she felt her heart plummet. “I didn’t get any financial aid, and look at how much it costs.”

“I’m sure we can manage,” her mother said gently as she leaned in to look at the paper. “Oh my!”

“How much is it?” Lily asked.

“Two thousand five hundred dollars a year,” Violet said with defeat.

“I could hold off on UK,” Daisy offered. “I have a partial scholarship, so Mom and Dad could put the three hundred dollars they were going to have to pay for me toward your education.”

Their mother shook her head sadly. “I don’t think even that would help, dear. But it’s so nice of you to offer.”

“And I couldn’t let you do that,” Violet said as she turned over the last envelope. Her finger slid under the seal and she worried her lip as she pulled out the letter. She read it once and then read it again. “Oh my goodness.”

“What is it?” her mother asked, no longer wanting to wait for an answer as she pulled the letter out of Violet’s hand. “Oh my goodness! Lily, call your father and tell him to pick up a bottle of champagne on his way home. My daughter got into UK, and my other daughter got a full scholarship to culinary school!”

“Is this real?” Violet asked, stunned.

Lily and Daisy grabbed her as they jumped up and down in a circle and celebrated. “Okay, okay, I’ll go call Dad.” Lily laughed and hurried into the house.

Lily’s heart still hurt, and she forced her lips into a smile. Of course she was happy for her sisters. They were following their dreams, and she would support them all the way, which was why she could never tell them how empty she felt inside.

Between the unknown power her mother wielded and an apparently very strong right hook John possessed, Rex hadn’t breathed a word of the incident to anyone. Instead, he had expressed his anger by breaking the school windows. He was caught and had enlisted in the military to avoid jail time. With Frank and Rex both gone, there was no reason for Lily to still feel empty, but she did. Her innocence was gone, both figuratively and literally. However, her heart beat a little happier when she saw others in love. And for purely selfish reasons, she had started trying her hand at matchmaking. Just because true love didn’t exist for her didn’t mean it didn’t exist at all.

Lily helped her mother clean the kitchen after the celebratory dinner. Daisy and Violet were upstairs trying to decide what they needed to get before heading off to college. Talk of graduating high school had turned into talk of life away from home, and Lily was sad to say she felt left out.

“Lil,” her father said, startling her as she washed the final dish.

“Yes, Daddy?”

“I’ve been thinking. I know you don’t want to go to college, but you’re a real good people person, and you have great organizational skills. I’m swamped at the store, and I could use a gal with a good head on her shoulders to help me out. I know it’s unorthodox, but I’d like you to come work for me.”

“Work for you? At the drugstore?”

“I need help with the soda fountain after school. And I believe the ladies would feel more comfortable asking you for assistance with womanly matters. You would be a very big help to me.”

Lily put the plate down and looked into the hopeful eyes of her father. It was true; she was great at running the drugstore and soda fountain. She didn’t have anything else to do. She could always be a secretary. But taking dictation in Lexington didn’t sound very exciting. Maybe if she worked with her father, then she would be able to earn enough money to get her own place. And maybe, just maybe, move away from Keeneston to start a new life.

“I would love that, Dad.” Lily smiled and saw the relief in her father’s eyes. His daughters all had a purpose in life now. He always liked having things in place. With Lily working for him, she was now situated like her sisters.

“What a wonderful idea, honey.” Her mother smiled as she hugged her husband and then Lily. “Why don’t you girls head to bed? It’s been an exciting day, and I am sure you are all exhausted.”

Daisy grabbed her hand and before Lily could say goodnight, Daisy had dragged her upstairs with Violet pushing her from behind.

“What’s going on?” Lily asked.

“We are going to sneak out and celebrate,” Violet whispered. “Get dressed up. Mary Jane is throwing a party since her parents are out of town.”

“Men, liquor, and dancing. It’s time for the Rose sisters to shed their perfect-girl images.” Daisy grinned as she tossed an outfit onto Lily’s bed.

“Hurry and change; we’ll take care of the rest,” Violet ordered as they hurried from the room.

In a loud voice, Daisy called out, “Okay, goodnight, Lily. See you in the morning.”

“Night, Lil,” Violet similarly echoed. She then leaned over the rail and bellowed down the stairs, “Goodnight, Mom and Dad. Love you!”

“Goodnight, dears. Love you, too, but do try not to scream so loudly. Manners at all times.”

Violet rolled her eyes, and Lily clapped a hand over her mouth as she stood in her door and watched her sisters. “Yes, ma’am.”

Violet turned to Lily and pointed to her room. “Go get dressed. Mom and Dad will be asleep in no time.”

Lily turned and looked at the outfit on her bed. It was a little more daring than she had worn before. Her sisters had picked out a skirt that had become a little too short and a shirt with a V-neck that showed off her cleavage. With a sigh, Lily changed and waited to see what else her sisters had in store for her that night.

Violet jumped from the last branch of the large tree in front of Lily’s window. The impact with the ground vibrated up her legs and made her teeth click together, but it was worth it. She and Daisy had talked just that morning about Lily. She had changed. Sure, Lily smiled but it no longer reached her eyes. Sure, she was still polite but she no longer seemed to care about life. It was time they changed that.

Daisy dropped to the ground, and then Lily finally landed with a soft
thump
onto the grass. Holding her finger to her lips, Violet led them to the driveway. With a smile of accomplishment, Violet held up the keys to the family car. Slowly she opened the driver’s door and slid the car into neutral.

“I’ll steer, you push,” she whispered as her sisters stepped in front of the hood of the car and pushed. Slowly they turned the car and pushed it down the driveway. When they reached the street, the giggling sisters jumped into the car as it coasted downhill.

“Oh my, I can’t believe we just did that,” Lily laughed.

“We have a couple months left until we have to grow up. I say we enjoy every second of it together.” Daisy held out her pinky for a pinky promise.

Violet pulled into the grass at Mary Jane’s farm. The party was in her parents’ barn. She could already hear music playing and the sound of happy laughter. She linked arms with Lily and Daisy and pushed open the barn doors.

People didn’t exactly stop and stare, but there were plenty of raised eyebrows as they closed the door behind them and joined the fray. No one came to talk to them as they walked through the crowd to where bottles of beer sat. Daisy picked one up and handed it to Lily.