“Why did he sit on the front pew?” Jorja asked.
“He was a little hard of hearing.” Ora Mae’s voice had gotten a little stronger. “To tell the truth, I am, too, especially these days, but me and Frank—that was my husband, God rest his soul—we been best friends with Amos all of our lives.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Jorja said.
“Poor Forrest,” Ora Mae went on. “He’s going to be lost. All he had in this world was Amos and me. We’ve all lived close together for years now. Amos and I each have a house that are close together—just a picket fence separates our yards. And Forrest has his own little trailer house out in Amos’s backyard.”
“If there’s anything I can do, other than fix flowers, just let me know,” Jorja offered.
“Thank you.” Ora Mae managed a weak smile and laid a credit card on the counter. “I want to buy a big, nice casket piece for him. You girls and Clinton can fix it up with red roses, and if you run out of those, then use whatever you’ve got in the shop to make it beautiful. We have such lovely wild roses growing on the fence between my house and his. We took turns keeping them watered in the hot weather. When Frank died, Amos bought all my land, but I kept the house and one acre. Amos mowed it for me in the spring and summer, and I often took his supper over to him and Forrest, and we’d sit on his front porch and visit while they ate. Some folks thought he was odd, seeing as he never married, but he was just what folks call anintrovert. I always thought that’s why he took Forrest in and treated him like a son. They were so much alike.”
Anna Rose remembered going out to Amos’s old barn on the back side of his property. That’s where the kids gathered on weekends, and either he never did find out about them being out there, or he didn’t care. She used to have good memories of all the fun they had listening to music and dancing by the headlights of all their vehicles. But after what had happened to Jorja, every time she thought about that area, she got mad all over again.
“Do you remember Amos?” Taryn whispered.
Anna Rose nodded and put a finger over her lips to shush her cousin. After what Ora Mae had said about Linda and Kaitlin reaping what they sowed, she didn’t want to miss a single word.
“I never thought Amos would go before me,” Ora Mae said with a long sigh. “I’m glad that he had a will in place. I helped him fix it upa couple of years ago, and when you girls came back to Shamrock, it seemed like an omen that we’d done the right thing.”
Jorja came around the end of the counter and picked up an order pad. “I didn’t know Amos as well as you, but he’ll be missed.”
“I’m glad that you were the one to wait on me, darlin’,” Ora Mae said. “And I’m glad you girls are here to help Irene. It would be good if you would stay—and maybe you will, once you read these letters. We talked to our lawyers at the same time and made sure that the wills are ironclad so that Linda can’t contest anything in his.”
“What letters?” Taryn asked in the back room.
“Shhh ...” Anna Rose put a finger over her lips.
“Letters? Why would you have letters for us? And what is going on with your wills?” Jorja asked.
Ora Mae twisted the hankie into a ropy-looking mess. She pulled three manila envelopes from her oversize black purse, laid them on the counter, and straightened her back. “After I leave, you and the girls can open these. But right now let’s talk about the casket piece. I want it to show that someone loved and cared for Amos.”
“What’s your budget?” Jorja asked.
Anna Rose wished she hadn’t been so quick to change the subject.
“There is no budget,” Ora Mae answered. “Amos was my best friend. He and Forrest and I made up a quarter of the population of Twitty, Texas. Our little community has dwindled down to just twelve people. Used to be a nice-sized place, but these days our mail even comes out of Shamrock. I want the biggest, most expensive, nicest piece that you’ve ever made,” Ora Mae said. “You be sure you make it a work of art, and I donotwant anyone to know that I paid for it. They’ve gossiped enough about me and Amos being neighbors. After my Frank died, he and Forrest became my family, and I’ve always loved Amos like a brother.”
She lowered her voice to a whisper, and Anna Rose had to strain to hear the words.
“I wish you would have had a best friend like Amos to help you through tough times,” Ora Mae said. “The funeral is tomorrow. Amos didn’t believe in putting things off, and I’m abiding by his wishes. God stamps all of us with an expiration date, and we never know who is next in line. We figured that when Amos’s time came, you’d find out about what he has done, but it sure makes it better that you are right here in Shamrock.”
Anna Rose leaned back to see Jorja tear the credit card receipt from the machine and hand it and a pen to Ora Mae. She wished that Ora Mae would stop beating around the bush about whatever was in those envelopes and tell Jorja what was going on.
“Just sign the bottom, and we’ll take care of the rest—and again, I’m so sorry,” Jorja said.
Ora Mae signed and then laid the pen down. “The funeral is tomorrow, and I hope to see y’all there. Our preacher gave out a phone number and link to those who can’t attend ...”
“We will be there,” Jorja assured her.
“Me and Amos weren’t blind, but there just didn’t seem to be anything we could do at the time,” Ora Mae said. “But now we can sure show the whole town how we feel.” She rounded the end of the counter and hugged Jorja again. “I’ll see y’all at the funeral. It’s going to be just like Amos wanted ...” Ora Mae wiped her eyes. “And I want you all three to know that we’re both real sorry.”
“I will do that,” Jorja said. “Sorry for what?”
“The letters will explain.” The bell above the door let them know that Ora Mae had left.
Anna Rose stepped out around the corner and raised her eyebrows. “What in the world is going on?”
Jorja picked up the flower order and the envelopes. “I guess the answer is in these. She ordered a big casket piece. She didn’t even flinch when I showed her the bill. We’ll have to use every red rose in the place to fill it, but we’ll make it beautiful.” She took everything to the backroom, put the order in the basket, and gave each of her cousins their envelope.
