Silver Dollar City.
Because of the heat, John and his crews were out at the crack of dawn, working hard to finish up yards and landscape jobs before mid-afternoon. He made the rounds every day to his crews, taking them cold drinks and snacks to keep them hydrated, and because he wanted to see Gracie, he took drinks to all the girls in the Majestic, too. Just seeing him coming in the front door with a carrier full of icy drinks or frosty malts, put smiles on their faces. Gracie took their jokes in stride because she always got a kiss with hers.
The morning dawned with the heatwave still in place.
Gracie woke before her alarm went off and checked her phone. As always, she had a good morning text from John.
Have the best day, sweetheart. See you this evening. Stay cool. Love you.
As always, Gracie sent back the same reply.
Love you more.
She turned on the TV as she got dressed, hoping for a little rain in the weather, and noticed there was a cool front coming across Kansas and the northern part of Oklahoma. Part of it might sweep their way, and it might not. Nothing to count on to cool anything off.
She dressed for the weather, and after downing a bowl of cereal, she headed to work, and walked into all kinds of drama.
A couple of weeks back, Donna had taken a request from the Wisteria Inn Hotel to redo the display piece in their front lobby. It would be placed on a massive four-foot tall table in the middle of the lobby using one of their own urns. They'd requested that the new display be at least five-feet tall and reflect the name and ambiance of their hotel. They'd left the design up to Donna. But they didn't want fresh flowers. They wanted high-end artificial flowers that would stay in place until the holidays rolled around.
This morning, the entire order for the Wisteria Inn had arrived, and Donna and two of the girls were going through it, making sure everything she'd ordered had arrived in the right colors and quantities.
"What's happening?" Gracie asked, pausing to keep from stumbling over the massive boxes all over the place.
"The order came for the Wisteria Inn," Donna said. "If everything is here, I'll have our delivery guys get the products to the hotel. I'm sending you and Reba to do it."
Reba's eyes widened. "Uh..."
Donna grinned. "Don't worry. Gracie is in charge of the design. But she's going to need an extra pair of eyes and hands."
Reba grinned. "Oh. Thank God. I love my work, but I also know my limitations."
Gracie began poking around inside the boxes. "Good stuff, Donna. This will be fun to do."
"They have their own urn. It's squat and heavy. It won't topple. Just make it Old South elegant. The wisteria will make it showy."
"I can do that," Gracie said. "When do we start?"
"My delivery guys are on the way. I'll load up two of the vans and send them out to the hotel with the flowers. You two grab your own tools and follow. Take a picture for me when you're done."
"Will do," Reba said.
"Am I supposed to be working in the middle of the lobby, with everyone coming and going?" Gracie asked.
"No. I told them that wasn't safe, and to give you a space all your own. They'll probably set you up in one of the empty banquet rooms on the second floor. They can move the finished piece on their own. All you'll need to do is follow to make sure nothing jiggles loose or falls off, and then you two are done."
The buzzer sounded at the back door.
Donna jumped. "That will be the drivers. Someone get the door. The rest of you, let's load these boxes."
A short while later, the vans were gone, and Reba and Gracie were on their way to the hotel. Reba turned the blower up on the air conditioner as she drove.
"Lord, but it is hot out today. And it's too still and muggy. Something weird is gonna pop with our weather before this day is over. You mark my words."
Gracie frowned. She thought about the weather report she'd seen earlier. Maybe it wouldn't be bad. Maybe it would just be rain.
They arrived at the hotel and were soon ushered up into an empty banquet room on the second floor. The urn she was to use sat on a table in the middle of the room, and an employee from the hotel