Mimosa Grove by Dinah McCall Read Free Book Online

mansion, intent on taking a walk. But to do that, she had to get past Elvis without losing face again. It didn’t strike her as the least bit odd that while she took spirits and visions as a matter of course, she was in danger of losing her cool with what amounted to a turkey in drag.
    Marie LeFleur was right behind her, eyeing the tall, leggy redhead who was Marcella’s granddaughter and shaking her head in disapproval at the bright blue spandex bike shorts and red sports bra she was wearing. Mimosa Grove had never seen anything like Laurel Scanlon. Then she smiled to herself. Maybe that was what the old place needed. New blood. She would love to be able to live long enough to know joy and laughter in this place again before she died.
    “It gonna rain before dark,” Marie warned as Laurel stepped off the back porch, then stopped to retie the laces of one of her tennis shoes.
    “I’m not going far,” Laurel said. “I just want a little fresh air. I’m used to a daily workout at the gym, and while it’s nice to be a little bit lazy, I don’t want to get too out of shape.”
    Marie frowned. “Your shape just fine like it is,” she said, eyeing Laurel’s lush curves. “You built like your mama, who got her height from Etienne.”
    Laurel stopped and turned. “Etienne?”
    Marie clucked her tongue in disapproval. “Girl, you don’t know nothin’, do you? Your papa should be ashamed of hisself for keepin’ you away from your family. Etienne was your grandpapa.”
    “Mother never once mentioned him,” Laurel said. “Why is that?”
    Marie crossed herself, then shrugged. “You were little when she started getting sick. Besides that, he died a month before she was born. She never knew him, so I guess talkin’ about him to her baby girl didn’t seem important.”
    “How sad,” Laurel murmured. “What happened to him?”
    “He died during World War II on a beach in a place they called Normandy. Miz Marcella knew the moment he died. Swore she felt his spirit pass through her body on his way to heaven. Everyone thought she was just nervous about her man being gone when she gave birth to their first child, but they kept their opinions to themselves after she got that telegram. By the time the army shipped his body home, your mama had been born. We interred his body and had Phoebe’s christening service at the same time.” She frowned, remembering the sadness accompanying the memory. “Your grandmama…she wasn’t one for waste. The parish priest had come all this way to bury Etienne, she thought he might as well christen their baby while he was at it.”
    “She was tough, wasn’t she?” Laurel said.
    Marie laughed aloud. “Lord, yes.”
    Laurel sighed. “It’s unfortunate I didn’t inherit some of her guts. I might have fared better in D.C. if I hadn’t been so worried about what everyone was thinking of me.”
    “No matter,” Marie said. “You here now. Everything gonna be all right.”
    Laurel eyed the overgrown shrubbery she was going to have to pass to get to the mimosa grove and frowned.
    “Not unless I make peace with Elvis,” she muttered, then looked back at Marie. “How come I’m the only person he doesn’t like?”
    “Who knows what’s on that bird’s mind?” Marie muttered. “Remember, honey. It may have feathers, but it’s still a male, and I ain’t seen one yet worth his salt who could walk and chew gum at the same time.”
    Laurel laughed aloud.
    “What would my grandmother have done…about the bird, I mean?”
    Marie’s laughter echoed as she slapped her leg.
    “Probably figured out a way to make peacock pie.”
    Laurel grinned. “Well, he looks too tough to eat, so I guess I’ll just practice my sprints and hope for the best.”
    Marie was still chuckling as she went back inside, leaving Laurel to deal with the problem alone.
    Laurel glanced into the thickets, making a mental note to hire someone to help restore the landscaping, and started off on her walk.