Gilt by Association by Karen Rose Smith Read Free Book Online Page B

almost cheery voice, “Hi, Caprice.”
    â€œIs everything all right?” Caprice asked gently.
    â€œI suppose it is.” She motioned to the seedlings in the peat pots that had just started peeking up out of the ground. “They require so much care. You give them light and water, and even some dedication, but it’s still survival of the fittest.”
    That was an odd way of putting it, Caprice thought. “You mean the hardiest ones grow,” Caprice noted.
    â€œExactly. That’s true in life, too, don’t you think? For example, if you were still doing home-decorating instead of home-staging, your business would probably be down the tubes.”
    Louise was probably right about that. Caprice had changed her course when her home-decorating business had fallen off so much she couldn’t pay her bills. It had been a risk to start making contacts to promote her unique staging techniques with a refurbished Web site, ads in the surrounding papers and professional magazines. The bottom line was, she was doing a good job, a different job, of promoting houses to sell, and it had paid off. She thought about the two murder cases she’d solved and the danger she’d been involved in while doing a job. Yes, indeed, she was a survivor.
    â€œI see your point.”
    Louise pushed her stool away from the potting bench and made her way to a jasmine plant that was blooming in the middle of winter. The greenhouse provided the right conditions. The vine’s sweet scent, along with that of a nearby gardenia, wafted through the greenhouse.
    â€œIt’s the same way in marriage, you know,” Louise mused. “You have to survive it before you can enjoy it.”
    Caprice wasn’t sure what to say to that.
    â€œSometimes men are so black and white, so cut-and-dried,” Louise went on. “It doesn’t mean they don’t care. It just means they think differently. You know, the whole Venus versus Mars thing.”
    Caprice smiled. “That’s true. Especially with my brother and my brother-in-law. They might have even come from Jupiter.”
    Louise laughed, and Caprice was glad when it sounded genuine.
    â€œYou’re feeling recovered?” Caprice asked.
    â€œI am. The medication for my heart is working as long as I stay away from the usual culprits.”
    â€œAre you worrying about the open house? You know Nikki and I will do our best.”
    â€œI’m not worrying about the open house, per se. I’m just worrying about life in general. Somehow it’s gotten more complicated as I’ve gotten older. Maybe I’m just feeling too old today. Valentine’s Day will make me young again. Chet and I always have a special celebration. This year, we’re flying to the Bahamas over the holiday weekend. A little R&R away from here will help us both. By the way, he has to go out of town tomorrow during the open house. He couldn’t postpone the meeting because negotiations to sell The Pretzel Party are at a critical stage. I’m just going to putter here in the greenhouse in the morning, and then I’ll clear out before Nikki sets up. A friend, Gail Schwartz, has invited me to her house for the afternoon. Since Rachel will be off for the day, Nikki has the key and the security code to get in. Of course, if you need anything, you can reach me on my cell. Garden Glory delivered the plants early this morning. Is there anything we haven’t covered?”
    â€œI’m just going to go inside, take a last look around, arrange the plants to their best advantage, and make sure everything’s exactly the way we want it. I’ll give you a shout when I leave.”
    â€œPerfect.”
    If only everything had stayed perfect.
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    Caprice arrived at the Downing house the next day, glad the temperature had risen into the forties. The sun was even shining. She was eager to see Nikki. Excitement always swirled around an open house,