A Myrtle Clover Cozy Mystery

Chapter 4

“I could see that coming,” murmured Myrtle.

“Felicity and Adrian? How? It’s very scandalous,” said Miles.

“Because this is a very scandalous show. Plus, the set had mistletoe hanging all over it as foreshadowing. No one at that Christmas party could stand anywhere without being under mistletoe. It was a forest of it.”

Wanda had apparently gotten quite sleepy during her solitaire game and had fallen asleep, her head resting on her folded arms. She was gently snoring.

“Poor thing. She deserves a bit of rest,” said Myrtle.

After the show wrapped up, Wanda was still sleeping. Miles slipped out and Myrtle put a soft blanket around her before going into the back to put her feet up, herself. She’d thought she was going to just stretch out and work on her crossword puzzle, but before she knew it, she was fast asleep, herself.

Myrtle’s eyes grew wide as she looked at the clock. It was time to get ready for the wedding and she still had very little concept of what she was planning to wear. She walked into the living room where Wanda was rubbing her eyes and looking as if she’d just woken up. Her eyes also widened when she looked at the clock.

“I guess our shopping expedition wore us out,” said Myrtle, making a face. “Either that, or Miles drugged the decaf we had when we came back.”

Wanda grinned at the idea of an errant Miles. “Can’t picture that.”

“No. So I suppose we were tired. Which is fine, but now I’m in a tizzy because I have to get ready for this wedding and I don’t have the foggiest idea what to wear. Can you point me in the right direction?”

Wanda looked doubtful. “Ain’t much with fashion stuff.”

This was clearly true, but Myrtle was in desperate straits. “Just give me your opinion. Everyone will be looking at the bride, anyway.”

So Wanda followed Myrtle down the short, narrow hallway to Myrtle’s closet.

“I think the black slacks are a given. But what top should I go with?”

“How dressy is this weddin’?”

“Very dressy, I think. But my days of wearing ballgowns are over. Besides, I should just meld into the background.”

Wanda picked out a white blouse that had sparkles on it.

Myrtle considered it thoughtfully. “The only problem with white is my propensity to spill things on whatever garment I’m wearing. That’s why the black slacks were a given.”

Wanda pointed to a red top with sparkles.

Myrtle tilted her head sideways. “It’s kind of loud, isn’t it?”

Wanda shrugged her thin shoulders. “It’s Christmas, ain’t it?”

“Right you are. The red blouse it will be! I’ll bring a small plastic container in my purse and will bring some wedding goodies back for you. You won’t want to wait for them, though—make yourself whatever you want for supper. I want to say there’s a frozen pizza in the freezer.”

“Don’t worry about me,” said Wanda. “I’ll be jest fine.” She paused, frowning. “But I ain’t getting’ good vibes about this wedding.”

“Aren’t you? Well, you know how weddings are. I’d rather go to a good funeral any day than a wedding. They’re shorter and, often, less-emotional than weddings are. Besides, weddings can be rather stressful. Besides, Faith—that’s my hairdresser who’s the bride—was telling me when she was doing my hair that her aunt has been a real bear during the whole process.”

“Her aunt?”

Myrtle nodded. “Faith lost her parents in a car accident when she was just a wee thing. Her aunt, Glynis, raised her. She’s rather formidable. Apparently, even though she’s a very wealthy woman and wanted to make the wedding a showcase, she complained about every nickel and dime.”

Wanda drawled, “Sounds like she jest likes complainin’.”

“Precisely. Faith said that she kept telling Glynis that she and Holden could have a simple wedding with only a few guests in attendance. But Glynis wanted the big do. She wanted it both ways—big and expensive and something she could complain about. Maybe that’s why you’ve got a bad feeling about the wedding.”

“Mebbe.” But Wanda looked uncertain. “You’ll be careful?”

“Me? Certainly. I’ll have Miles with me. I’ll watch my step, too, and make sure there’s no silly falling. It will be dark and we’ll be in a tent, so I’ll be extra careful. I’m sure it will all be fine.”

An hour later, Miles tooted the horn outside and Myrtle hurried out, cane thumping as she went. She’d impulsively wrapped wide red ribbon on the cane to make it more decorative.

“You look very appropriate for the season,” said Miles.

“I’m all ensconced in red, aren’t I? I thought my cane could be taken as a giant candy cane, at a distance.”

Miles quirked a brow. Seeing as how the cane was dark brown, that seemed unlikely. “The sparkly blouse is a nice touch.”

“Isn’t it? Wanda helped me pick out my wardrobe. I’m not sure I could have done it without her help.”

“And you’ve even got a Christmas handbag,” said Miles as he backed the car out of the driveway.

“Yes. The best thing about the purse is its capacity to hold things,” said Myrtle in a self-satisfied manner.

“You don’t have a Tupperware container, do you?” asked Miles in alarm. “That doesn’t seem to fit wedding protocol.”

“Oh, it will be fine. No one cares what I do. Besides, I’m hardly going to camp out at the buffet line and put food in a plastic container. I’ll simply fill my plate with far more things than I could ever eat and then surreptitiously squirrel the extras away.”