Free Crushed Velvet by Diane Vallere Page A

talked.”
    I didn’t understand her response. “Have a seat.”
    Kim sat in Genevieve’s chair, and I turned a wooden crate upside down and used it as a stool. The crate was lower thanthe chair, but I was five nine and she was barely over five feet tall, so we ended up eye to eye.
    â€œGenevieve’s husband died yesterday.” I paused. “Somebody killed him.” I focused on keeping my voice steady, even though the phrase “somebody killed him” left me shaken.
    â€œGenevieve is going to take a few days away from Tea Totalers. I’m going to spend as much time here as I can, but I can’t be here all the time. My store opens this week, and I have to take care of that, too. You said you took this job so you could learn about the restaurant business, and I don’t think you’re going to learn much about that from me.”
    Kim looked as if someone had knocked the wind out of her. “I need this job,” she said. “There are people who are expecting me to be working here. I can’t risk them knowing I’m not.” Her face went from already pale to ashen and dark circles appeared under her eyes.
    Whatever reason Kim had for working at Tea Totalers, it seemed to me that restaurant experience had little to do with it.
    â€œTell you what. This job at Tea Totalers is bigger than I originally thought. Can I count on you to help with the renovation here? Technically it’s still working at Tea Totalers, even if the café is closed. If you’re game, you can help me until Genevieve comes back.”
    She exhaled, making an
O
with her lips. Her cheeks puffed out like a blowfish. “That would work,” she said after all the air was exhaled. She set her pink backpack on the floor under the desk. “Are we starting today? What do you want me to do?”
    â€œStart by carrying the chairs from the front yard to the back. Then you can work on getting them ready for a new coat of paint.”
    â€œI thought I’d be working inside the store,” she said. She spun the chair around and put her hands on the desk to stand up. The folded piece of paper she’d dropped fell to the floor. She squatted and picked it up. “I’ve been looking all over for this. What’s it doing here?”
    â€œYou dropped it yesterday when you were leaving. I called out after you but you didn’t seem to hear me. I figured you’d be back and this would be as safe a place as any.”
    â€œDid anybody see it?”
    â€œI don’t think anybody’s been here since we left. Except for Vaughn, but I doubt he looked at it.”
    â€œWho’s Vaughn?” she asked.
    It took me a second to decide how to answer. “Vaughn’s a regular of the tea shop. He’s also a friend of Genevieve.”
    â€œIs he here?” She looked over my shoulder like she expected to see a third person in the small room.
    â€œNo. He went to the hardware store. Don’t worry about him. If we want to get anything done today we should get started.”
    â€œOkay,” she said. She folded the paper in half again and slid it into the outside pocket of her backpack, zipping it shut when she was done.
    I had all of the curtains removed from the windows and the furniture pushed to the center of the tea shop by the time Vaughn returned with the butcher paper. He carried four rolls of the brown paper inside and laid them on the floor by the counter.
    â€œI see you picked up a helper while I was gone. Didn’t think I was coming back?”
    â€œI don’t know you well enough to know what you’re going to do,” I said with a smile. “That’s Kim. She’s supposed to be working here. I told her the shop is going to be closed for at least a week and she said she wants to stick around and help with the renovations. I’m not sure what Genevieve’s going to say when she finds out she has to pay an extra salary