Page 42 of Trouble Comes in Threes

To my surprise, she didn’t respond.

We ordered a baker’s dozen cupcakes and a couple of coffees, one decaf, and while we waited, Neely Kate went to the bathroom. When she came out, the food and coffee were ready, so we headed to Piney Rest.

Miss Adolpha was in the Great Room when we arrived with the cupcakes, minus the one Neely Kate had eaten during the drive. Miss Adolpha stared at us in shock as we approached.

“You girls came back. Did you find the owner of the box already?”

“Not yet,” I said cheerfully. “But we stopped by Dena’s Cupcakes and thought you and your friends might like some.”

Several of the women she was sitting with let out excited squeals as Neely Kate set the box in the middle of the table. “But Miss Adolpha gets first pick,” she said.

Miss Adolpha opened the box and picked out a cupcake with pink frosting, then turned the box around to the other people at the table. They acted like piranhas, everyone snatching cupcakes all at once.

I stepped back, even though I wasn’t close enough to get caught in the frenzy.

“I think those were a hit,” Neely Kate said under her breath.

Miss Adolpha got to her feet, holding her uneaten cupcake in one hand and her footed walking cane in the other. “I’m glad you girls came back by. I found something you might be interested in.”

I snuck a glance at Neely Kate, who shrugged as we started to follow Miss Adolpha down the hall.

“At least we haven’t run into you know who,” Neely Kate said.

I laughed. “She’s not Voldemort.”

“Says you.”

Miss Adolpha walked into her room and started rummaging around in a fancy pink cardboard box on her bed. The lid lay next to it, and she’d set her cupcake on her bedside table.

“When I was going to sleep last night, I realized I had some photos of the house from when my kids were little. I thought it might help you.”

Neely Kate made a face. “Actually, Miss Adolpha, we’re not looking for?—”

“That would be really helpful,” I said.

Neely Kate’s mouth dropped open.

I walked over to the bed and peered into the box. “Are those photos of your kids?”

A bittersweet smile twisted her lips. “Five kids kept us busy, but no matter where we lived, our home was full of love and laughter.”

“And you worked as a teacher while they were growing up?” I asked.

She glanced over at me. “I did.”

“I have four kids, and my husband just took a job that keeps him pretty busy sometimes. I work full time myself and?—”

“It’s a challenge,” she finished sympathetically.

“It is. Sometimes I worry I’m missing too much of their lives. The oldest is ten, and the youngest is one, and we’re just so busy. I worry that some of them aren’t getting the attention they need.”

“I stayed home a few years before my younger three were in school,” she said. “It was a joy, but I felt isolated here in Henryetta. There’s no right answer, Rose. Different people need different things. Just go with your heart. But enjoy them now because soon, they’ll be raised and fly from the nest.”

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Neely Kate asked, “where do your kids live now?”

“They all moved away. There’s not much here in Henryetta careerwise, so…”

“I understand,” I said.

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