Thirty and a Half Excuses by Denise Grover Swank Page A

accent sounding heavier than usual. “The lovely Gardner sisters, both as beautiful as the flowers they were named after.”
    Rhonda opened a desk drawer and pulled out a checkbook, her mouth puckering into a frown. She frowned even more when I told her how much to make it out for.
    Jonah brushed past me. “I have to get ready for tonight’s service. I hope to see more of you, Rose.” His gaze rested on my face as he headed for the door, leaving me behind with his grumpy secretary.
    She ripped the check out of the book and shoved it at me. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but I know your kind.”
    I took the check and held it close to me in case she changed her mind and tried to snatch it back. “My kind?”
    Sneering, Rhonda shook her head. “I’ve been with Reverend Pruitt for a long time. You’re not the first pretty girl to catch his attention. Jonah Pruitt is a man of God, so you can take your whorin’ ways with you.”
    I could have made the argument that I’d only slept with one man, which hardly constituted whoring, but the fact that I was fornicating at all probably wouldn’t help my case. Instead, I turned around and left as quickly as I could in case Jonah changed his mind and tracked me down.
    I drove back to the nursery, sorting through my confusion. While I had firsthand proof that all the older women of Henryetta loved Jonah Pruitt, I hadn’t heard much gossip about the younger ones falling for him. At least not like they fawned over the town’s other prime bachelors, like Mason and Brody. I’d seen three sides to Jonah Pruitt today. The showman who’d showed up for the ribbon cutting ceremony. The minister who seemed to sincerely welcome all people to his church, reserving judgment. And the man who seemed interested in me for more than just the transfer of my church membership. But that had to be an overactive imagination at work. Why would Jonah Pruitt be interested in me ?
    Violet was closing up when I went inside. She turned to me with excitement. “Well…?”
    “He picked the big one. The potted plants and all.”
    She squealed and danced in place. “Did he give you a deposit?”
    I pulled it out of my purse and handed it to her.
    She danced for several more seconds, then stopped, cocking her head. “Why do you look so strange?”
    I hesitated, wondering if I should tell her what happened. “I think Jonah Pruitt’s interested in me.”
    Her nose scrunched as she watched me, still confused. Then her eyebrows rose. “Oh!” Confusion returned. “Oh.” She paused. “What happened?”
    “He invited me to church.”
    Rolling her eyes, Violet shook her head. “Good Lord, if that’s interested in you , then that means Reverend Martin has hit on every woman in town.” She giggled. “Can you imagine?”
    I leaned my butt against the counter. “That wasn’t all.”
    “What else?”
    “He said you and I were as beautiful as our names.”
    Violet laughed. “Rose, you’re so cute.” She patted my arm and walked around the counter. “He wasn’t hittin’ on you. He was trying to secure our business.”
    “I don’t know…”
    She put her hand on her hip. “How many men have you dated?”
    “That’s not fair.” She knew I’d only dated Joe. I refused to count the two blind dates she’d set me up on. “How many men have you dated?”
    An ornery grin lit up her eyes. “Only a few, but I’m changing that tomorrow night.”
    My breath stuck. “What does that mean?”
    “It means I have a date.”
    “A date? With who?”
    “Brody.”
    I wasn’t sure why that surprised me. They’d flirted at the ribbon cutting ceremony. And Violet seemed ready to move on from her relationship with Mike, even if I wasn’t ready for her to move on. “That’s…great.”
    “Don’t sound so excited.”
    “It’s just…so soon.”
    She rested her arms on the counter and leaned forward, lowering her voice. “I think he’s dating someone.”
    “Who’s dating someone?” Then I