Free The Cakes of Monte Cristo by Jacklyn Brady

got out of the car. “What on earth happened here?”
    Miss Frankie glanced at me and gave her head a solemn shake. She was wearing an outfit in winter white, slim pants and a sweater embroidered with gold snowflakes. Even in the near-dark I could see that her auburn hair had been teased and sprayed so well the moisture in the air had no effect on it. Not so for mine; I could feel my hair frizzing a bit more with every passing second.
    â€œBoys from the church,” Miss Frankie said sadly. “They came by this afternoon.”
    â€œWhat did they do? Play football in it?”
    â€œNo, sugar, they were helping out. Trying to earn money for something. Their youth pastor asked if I had any yard work the boys could do. I wanted to be helpful, of course, so I told them they could trim back a couple of bushes.”
    I tried not to laugh, but a titter escaped my lips anyway.
    Miss Frankie turned toward me with a dejected sigh. “It’s hideous, isn’t it?”
    â€œI wouldn’t say it’s hideous,” I fibbed. “But it does look a bit sick.”
    â€œIt looks horrible. They took my money and drove away like nothing was wrong. I didn’t even notice it until Bernice came by.” Bernice is Miss Frankie’s neighbor and dearest friend. I was surprised she’d left Miss Frankie to deal with theFrankenbush alone. “Can you believe they left it looking like that?”
    â€œI think you should call and tell them to fix it.”
    Miss Frankie rolled her eyes at my suggestion. “And just how would they do that? Mow it down? Dig it up and burn it?”
    I laughed. “Either one might be an improvement.”
    â€œA big one,” Miss Frankie agreed. She turned away from the bush and squared her shoulders. “What’s done is done,” she said firmly. “But I’ve learned my lesson.” She tucked a hand into my arm and started walking slowly toward the house. “But let’s talk about more pleasant things. What brings you here this evening?”
    I pulled my gaze away from that sorry clump of pampas grass and fell into step with her. “I have something to show you. I found it today at Zydeco and there’s a good chance it’s worth a
lot
of money.”
    Miss Frankie patted my arm. “That sounds intriguing. Tell me more.”
    I considered skipping the gory details. Did she really need to know how I’d found it? But I knew I couldn’t conceal the damage the boxes had done, and the bad news would be better coming from me so I plunged ahead. “Estelle’s niece Zoey started working for us this morning. She was emptying the storage room on the second floor and lost control of a box or two. There are a couple of holes in the wall and there’s some damage to the staircase.”
    Miss Frankie’s step faltered, so I hurried to reassure her. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. I don’t think it will be difficult to fix.”
    Miss Frankie stopped walking entirely. “How bad is it?”
    â€œHopefully the cost out of our pockets will be minimal,” I said, silently urging her to keep walking. I wanted to get out of this humidity. My hair was so big, I felt like a Chia Pet.
    She took the hint, and when we reached the front door,Miss Frankie ushered me inside and led me into her living room, a large room done entirely in sea foam green and white. She motioned me toward the couch and took a seat beside me.
    â€œI suppose I’ll have to come down and see the damage for myself,” she said.
    â€œIf you want to. Simone O’Neil gave me the names of some contractors. If you have no objection, I’ll call for estimates, but I may not be able to get to it until after the Belle Lune Ball.” I pulled the necklace in its box from my bag and put it on my lap. “I hope this will make up for it.”
    Miss Frankie studied the box for a moment and lifted her curious amber eyes to