Thank you!
Standard disclaimer.
The 'Town Beautification Committee' met next morning, in the back of one of the local bars, over a bottle of bourbon.
"First things first," Will said, pouring a round of drinks for all. "Is everybody here?"
"Not everyone. Doc's on call and Sam isn't here yet," Luke said. Almost as an answer, Sam Evans strolled in and came right to the back, with a proud look on his face.
"Relax gentlemen, I've got it all figured out," he said.
"Then, why are we here?" One guy asked. Will frowned at him.
"You've got a drink in your hand. Do you need any other reason?"
"Good point," said another. Will looked at Sam skeptically.
"Did you come up with enough to finally buy her out?"
"Will, you know that woman can't be bought…she's got principles." There were a few grumbles here and there, prompting Sam to raise his voice over them and say,
"Gentlemen, please. The answer is simple," he grinned. "I'm going to make a concentrated effort to seduce the old maid, until she gives me or sells me her half cheap and leave town."
"I don't know Sam," Will started.
"You don't think I can do it?" Sam asked. And then tossed in, "Am I, or am I not the womanizing hombre in this town?" The others looked at him with admiration.
"That's true," one shouted. And another added,
"Sam just looks at a girl, she sighs and starts dropping her undies."
"But Miss Jones is different," Will reminded them.
"Sam has the know-how," Luke pointed out and finished by saying, "Even a prim and proper lady, probably won't be able to resist him."
"What do you mean by probably?" Sam snapped.
"Well, I changed the lock on her door. That tells me she doesn't trust you…and…she's not taking any chances," Luke said.
In the silence that followed, all the men looked at Sam. He shrugged.
"I didn't say it would be easy and it sure as hell won't be fun either. But I think I can make myself do it, for the good of the Texas Lily and for the town Nacogdoches."
"I'll drink to that," Will said and the others seconded. Sam stood up.
"I'll let you know when I have scaled the wall." The men laughed and that riled Sam. He said, "Listen, you horny bastards, I'll bet you anything I can charm her out of her undies and get the Lily back the way it used to be."
All the men looked at each other and Will said,
"I'd never bet against you, Sam, but I've met the lady and you're gonna lose." They all nodded, but Sam grinned.
"My honor, as a real ladies' man is at stake here, so watch me work."
And with that, he strolled out of the bar.
But once he was outside, he wasn't quite so sure of himself.
Maybe, nobody could seduce the strait-laced schoolteacher. He didn't think it would be much fun to try, but the commerce of the town and his own rakish reputation, depended on his virility.
So, yes, he was definitely up to the challenge.
A week had passed and Mercedes was pleased with the girls' progress.
One man had dared to sneak up the back stairs, one night, and was met with her frying pan, causing him to flee, howling like a scalded hound.
She had the girls interested in their surroundings and their town. They started reading the local newspaper and discussing the latest developments in business and the social media.
She noted, business downstairs was still dropping off, but Sam Evans seemed incredibly cheerful about it. And he never missed a chance to be civil and friendly to her.
That made her very suspicious, and she began to avoid him.
Quinn was still causing trouble, but Mercedes wasn't one to give up on a difficult student.
Today, she had Carmen giving the girls cooking lessons in the kitchen. All except Quinn.
Mercedes looked on in satisfaction, at the effort the girls were putting in, looking fresh with their hair pulled back in modest buns and wearing very becoming clothing.
Quinn wore a tight top and a mini skirt, but Mercedes decided to ignore her.
"Ladies, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. You'd do good, if you know your way around the kitchen," Mercedes said. Quinn snorted.
"We know what it takes to interest a man, and it's not fluffy biscuits, right girls?" No one answered. They looked at Mercedes, with hope in their eyes.
"Believe me, there comes a time, when fluffy biscuits will be more interesting than anything else to a man, especially when you're old," Mercedes said.
"I ain't never getting old," Quinn replied and lit a cigarette.
"Put that out!" Mercedes said, in a no-nonsense schoolteacher tone.
Silence fell over the little group. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath. Quinn gave her a defiant grin.
"Make me." The silence grew even more strained. Abruptly, Mercedes reached out and jerked the cigarette from Quinn's mouth and tossed it in the sink.
"Why you…!" She came at Mercedes, but the other girls grabbed her. She shrieked and clawed while they held her.
"When you regain your composure," Mercedes said with cool dignity. "We'll discuss the new rules. Now, let go of her girls."
The girls did as told, and Quinn stood there, angry and confused, as she looked around.
"You dummies! You've gone over to her side, haven't you?"
"Well, yeah. She's teaching us to be ladies," Rachel said.
"Yeah! Just like her," Eva voiced. Quinn sneered.
"You ain't ever gonna be ladies. You're just a bunch of whores!"
"Enough!" Shouted Mercedes. She stared Quinn down. "Now, goodbye. I believe you've just been voted out of the Lily."
"What?" the blonde asked, backing away from the group. "You can't do this to me. I'll tell Sam."
"You need to remember something Quinn, Sam is not in charge of upstairs. I'll be fair, because I know you can't go back home and you essentially have nothing…but your looks. I'll give you some money to make a fresh start…"
"I don't need your damned money. I can still earn my own way, flat on my back. I can go to work down at the Bucket O' Blood, or somewhere else."
She marched out of the kitchen, hips swinging in defiance and head held high. Mercedes couldn't help Quinn if she didn't want her help.
She looked at her little group with satisfaction. She had won a moral victory today. The girls were now solidly aligned with her.
"Well, that's over and done with. Let's get back to our cooking lesson," she said.
"I second that! Let's bake a cake and have it for supper," Carmen said, although she looked doubtful.
Mercedes picked up on it. She gently squeezed the old lady's hand and said,
"I know these girls haven't even boiled water in their lives, but they can learn. And whatever they cook, we'll have it for dinner."
Rachel clapped her hand in glee, her dark hair bouncing, as she did a little jig. Mercedes smiled.
"Imagine how pleased your future husbands will be, when you cook for them." Carmen shot them a dour look in secret.
"If'fen they don't kill off those husbands with their first meal," she whispered to Mercedes, and laughed.
"Carmen, don't be so glum, you old softie. We're going to surprise Mr. Evans with our meal today."
"Oh, he'll be surprised alright," Carmen chuckled and went about showing the girls what to do and what not to do.
And surprised he was.
He appeared shocked, even, as they all sat down to lunch around the big table.
"What in the name of God…?" he asked Carmen. The maid rolled her eyes.
"The girls are learning to cook."
"Is that what this is?" He seemed to be dismayed, as he surveyed the burnt mess in front of him.
"Do not hurt their feelings," Mercedes admonished. "It's really delicious. See, I'm eating it. Mmm."
She choked only a little, as she smiled at the anxious young cooks. Sam looked at her, then at the six girls.
"What happened to Quinn?"
"Quinn's moving out," Mercedes replied. Rachel piped up.
"She was being a smart-aleck, and she lit a smoke, and Mercedes told her to put it out."
"Miss Jones took on Quinn?" he asked. His tone told her he didn't think it was a good idea. "Quinn's a pretty tough girl."
"She's a coward," Mercedes spat, and touched her napkin to her dainty lips. "Besides, the girls helped me."
The expression on his handsome face, told her, he thought the girls had gone over to the enemy. He began to eat, although, a bit reluctantly.
"You girls have changed. You look like a bunch of high schoolers, the way you're dressed. What happened to all your jewelry and your make-up?"
"Ladies don't dress like the way we used to," the twins said together. He gave Mercedes a startled look.
"I don't know much about ladies, but…"
"Oh, by the way girls," she interrupted him, "After dinner, I have a surprise for you." Sam was fuming.
"I believe in the last several weeks we've had all the surprises we can stand," he said. Mercedes ignored him.
"We're going on a shopping spree and a night out in one of the neighboring towns. Who knows, you might even meet a nice guy, or two." Sam played with his fork.
"What about you, Miss Mercy? What if you meet a nice guy?"
"I'm not looking for a husband, Mr. Evans."
"More's the pity," he muttered.
"What?"
"Never mind." He seemed to be gritting his teeth. He remembered his plan and grudgingly started,
"Miss Mercy, I think what you're doing is wonderful…all these improvements you've been making around here…"
"You like the flowers and porch swing I put in yesterday afternoon?" she asked, excitement in her voice.
He started to say something but sighed when he heard footsteps on the stairs.
Everyone turned to see Quinn coming from upstairs with her suitcase in hand. She marched into the dining room.
"I'm moving out," she announced in a tone that would cut ice. "This ain't what I signed up for."
"Come on Quinn," Sam said. "You can't leave…"
"Oh, yes I can. When that damned Miss perfect goes, I might come back."
"I'm not leaving. I'm half-owner here," Mercedes announced. Sam actually looked dejected, as he looked from his plate of burnt food to Quinn and back again.
"Miss Jones, I believe I can raise my offer…"
"Won't do you any good. I will not accept your dirty money, when I have set myself the task of helping these girls."
"Well, you ain't gonna help me," Quinn snapped. She whirled and went out the front door, slamming it so hard, it rattled.
There was a moment of silence and all the girls looked from Sam to Mercedes.
"Where were we? Oh, yes, our meal may not be perfect, but…" Mercedes began. Sam snapped.
"Perfect? The biscuits are like cannonballs. If General Lee had those in the war, he would've won."
"If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. As I recall, Mr. Evans, you are a better than average cook. Why don't you give the girls cooking lessons?"
Sam gave her an incredulous look.
"Are you insane? Why do you think we have Carmen?" The old woman came in just then, bristling.
"I'm getting damned tired myself, of being taken for granted, Mr. Sam. You could at least give these girls a chance. Miss Mercy has taken on a big job here."
There was a long moment of silence. Sam studied Carmen.
The thought of the diamond pin he had given Sue, came to mind. What had become of it?
Many times he'd thought to ask the cook about it, but decided against it. If she had taken it, or had it buried with Sue's body, it didn't matter. She would be welcomed to it, anyway.
He sighed and threw down his napkin.
"You've even turned my own cook against me. Mercedes, you're as stubborn and as hard-headed as your aunt."
"I'll take that as a compliment," she said.
"It wasn't meant to be one." He got up from the table and turned to Carmen.
"The Town Beautification Committee will be meeting here this afternoon, about three o'clock."
"Good," Mercedes piped up. "Our ladies will serve them cake and tea."
"Cake the girls baked?" Sam asked. He seemed to be struggling for self-control.
"That's right." Sam sighed defeatedly.
"I'm sure the boys will be very glad to hear that, Miss Mercy," he gritted and walked out of the room.
The girls looked at her, awaiting directions.
"Well, you see how pleased he was?"
"He didn't seem pleased to me," Rachel said.
"I'm sure he was. This evening, we'll feed the gentlemen the cake you made, and I'll teach you the proper way to serve a formal tea. You guys could even work in a fine hotel or a nice restaurant, if you decide to."
"I thought we were done with all of that?" Eva voiced.
"I meant as waitresses or bartenders. The Lily could be a fine hotel…"
"Over Sam's dead body," Eva said.
"Don't tempt me," Mercedes said. And then, "He's such a blowhard."
The girls giggled, but Carmen shook her head from side to side. They were all in for one helluva battle, because Sam Evans wasn't about to go down that easily.
So, Quinn is out. And the girls, plus Carmen, have all sided with Mercedes. What will Sam do? Until next chapter, much love to you.