A Diamond Choker for Christmas Page 2

  “I bought a few more strands of lights. I learned so much from my master sales techniques group. I even want my holiday decorations to help celebrate my success. I was just up on the roof but it’s a bit windy and I don't think I can manage to put up all the lights by myself.”

  “Roof?” Toni was already reaching for her car keys. “Mama, I'll be right there. Don't even think about going up on that roof again without me.”

  Naturally, Toni had a lot of work to do, and naturally, she had not scheduled in time to travel out to her mom's place and climb up on the roof.

  Swiftly, she changed her cream wool skirt and cranberry silk blouse for a pair of jeans, sneakers, and an old shirt she wore for doing dirty chores. She reminded herself as she drove that she was practicing prevention. She’d lose a lot more time from work if her mom ended up in hospital with a broken leg from falling off her own roof.

  When she pulled up in front of her mother’s home, she blinked. Toni loved sparkle, glitter, and pizazz, but it looked as though her mother had snuck into Vegas and stolen every light bulb and scrap of neon in the city and stuck it all on her property.

  Her mother was currently stringing white and green and red lights around the neck of the Virgin Mary.

  She wore tight jeans, a pair of blue and silver cowboy boots, enough platinum curls for three showgirls, and a denim shirt with diamond snaps. The shirt was tight enough to reveal that even in her late fifties, Linda Plotnik had kept her trim waist and curvy figure. It was also open at the neck to display the diamond and sapphire necklace in all its glory.

  She waved. “Honey, you're just in time. You can put the ruby and diamond belt on the first wise man.”

  Toni stepped forward across the white pebbles, her sneakers scrunching as she grew closer. “Do you really think the Virgin Mary would be decked out in all those jewels? I mean, if she had all that bling, wouldn't she have pawned something so she could give birth maybe in a nice hotel or a house instead of a manger?”

  Her mother laughed. “Of course she would, silly. The wise men brought her jewels as gifts. Think about it. They brought gold and frankincense and myrrh for the baby, I like to think they also had some gifts for the new mother. And nobody bothered to write it down.”

  “I guess it's possible.”

  “In my version it is. So I need you to help me haul the manger scene up onto the roof.”

  Toni would have suggested leaving the scene somewhere in the yard, but it was crammed full of snowmen, life-sized jolly-looking Santas with sparkling gifts and dazzling reindeer. Icicles hung from all around the roof of the mobile home and lights twinkled from every window and doorframe, every inch of railing and the roofline.

  It was clear from the number of electrical leads that every one of those reindeer, Santas, and candy canes lit up when plugged in. She had her suspicions that at least some of them flashed on and off, probably to a sprightly Christmas tune.

  “The diamond halos are a nice touch,” she said.

  She eyed the roof. She did not relish the thought of climbing up there with the nativity scene. “Did you think of asking Jim Tucker to put the nativity scene up on the roof?” she asked, shading her eyes and gazing up and down the street hopefully. Her eye was snagged by the neighbor’s house, across the street, where the front yard was filled by a giant teddy bear wearing an actual Christmas sweater.

  “Did Mrs. Schwartz knit that sweater herself?” It was dark green with giant red stars patterned on it.

  “She did. She’s so sly, she never mentioned a word about it to anyone. She said it took her all year to knit it.”

  At Teddy’s feet were wrapped gifts, most of them huge, and decorated with elaborate bows. While the two women watched, a tiny man who looked more elf than human came out of the house. He was carrying a bundle of red and green wool.

  “Hi, Mr. Schwartz,” Toni called out.

  “Ah, Toni, how are you? Linda, your decorations look very nice.”

  While they watched, he retrieved a stepladder from behind his mobile home, set it up and then climbed the steps. He leaned out precariously to wrap a scarf around Teddy’s neck. The scarf must have been fifty feet long and flapped roguishly in the breeze, slapping tiny Mr. Schwartz as he attempted to lasso the bear’s head.

  Mrs. Schwartz came bustling out. She waved to Toni and Linda, then stood at the foot of the ladder supervising her husband. She was as large as he was tiny and she waved her arms like a conductor as she directed him. “No, no, Archie, I want the scarf looped more in the front.”

  “Phyllis, I’m gonna fall off the ladder if I lean any more.”

  “I spent every evening for a year working on that sweater and the hat and the scarf. Don’t tell me you can’t spend five minutes on a ladder.”

  Mr. Schwartz grumbled back, “In five minutes I could fall off this ladder and break my neck.”

  As Mrs. Schwartz was about to reply, a porch door banged from the mobile home right next door to Linda. A plus-sized woman wearing a purple velour tracksuit stomped down the three steps covered with artificial grass and plastic daisies to where a yellow muscle car sat in the driveway.

  “Morning, Esther!” Linda called, waving to her neighbor.

  The woman nodded her head though her sour expression didn’t change. She had a bad perm and the brassy blond curls did not suit her reddened complexion. She started up the car with a roar and then reversed out of her driveway and raced down Pecan Lane, slamming her brakes just before she hit the speed bump with the ease of long practice.

  “Why did you wave to her?” Toni asked. “Isn't she the woman who tried to sue you?”

  “She sued the Moores on the other side over a fence. She tried to get me thrown out of Pecan Heights for running a business out of my home.” Linda shrugged. “What am I going to do? She's my neighbor. Anyway, I feel kinda sorry for her. No one in the park likes her very much because she’s so mean and she's always trying to make a buck suing people. And,” another charming shrug, “everyone likes me. It is technically against our bylaws for anyone to run a business out of their home here in Pecan Heights, but when our board met, I simply explained that I run most of my business elsewhere. I mean, I go to my clients’ houses for makeup parties and to give them makeovers. I only keep my stock in my spare bedroom. Naturally, the board agreed with me and adjusted the bylaws. Esther Kilpatrick was furious.”

  “Why would she even care? It's not like you have a lot of people coming over and parking all over the street and making noise or anything.” Well, except for the party she had every year at Christmas time.

  Mrs. Schwartz, who had crossed the street in order to supervise the correct jaunty angle for the knitted cap that her husband was placing on Teddy's head, said, “It's because she wants that her daughter should move into the park. That son-in-law is no good, and she wants to keep an eye on him if you ask me. But our park is full. If she could get Linda thrown out, she could have her daughter living next door. Trouble is, nobody likes her daughter either and that son-in-law is a hooligan. Esther’s daughter is exactly like her mother. They sue people to make money. One in the park is bad enough, who wants two of them?”

  “Oh, well,” Linda said, “I always say, let bygones be bygones.”

  “What about when you have your party? Will she make trouble?”

  Linda shook her head. “I always invite her to the party. I figure that way she has nothing to complain about.”

  Mrs. Schwartz took her eyes off her husband for a moment and said, “If you ask me, Esther’s plain jealous of you.” She turned to Toni. “Your mother is a very attractive woman, and if she ever wanted to get married there are plenty of older gentleman in the park who would be happy to have her.” Then she glanced back and raised her voice. “No, Archie, the pom-pom is falling over his nose. I don't want Teddy’s pom-pom hanging over his face. It’s supposed to rest against his ear.”

  Mr. Schwartz fought the scarf that was smacking him and pushed the pom-pom toward the ear, but the br
eeze knocked it back over the bear’s nose. “If I'm doing such a terrible job, maybe you'd like to come over here and get on this ladder and do it yourself.”

  Mrs. Schwartz threw her hands in the air. “I don't know why I bother.” She stomped back across the road and began a spirited argument with her husband while the pom-pom bobbed gently up and down.

  Chapter 3

  Toni managed to get the nativity scene on top of her mother’s roof with the help of Mr. Schwartz who, she thought, was glad to get away from Mrs. Schwartz for a few minutes. He brought his ladder and a willing pair of hands. He and Toni hauled the nativity scene onto the top of the roof where he secured it. “It's not going to fall down is it?” Toni asked. “That Esther Kilpatrick will probably sue my mother if it falls.”

  “No promises, but I don't think so.”

  Toni broke a nail but other than that climbed back off the roof unharmed.

  Mr. Schwartz declined an offer of iced tea and headed back to his own home on the other side of the street. As he left, Linda called, “Don't forget to come to my party on Saturday.”

  “Wouldn't miss it,” he yelled back.

  When Toni entered her mother's mobile home, she discovered that Linda had been busy decorating inside as well as out. A particularly glitzy Madonna and Child held pride of place on top of the mantle of Linda's electric fireplace. “I don't remember seeing this before.”

  “My friend Maria Lopez gave it to me. She lives in the park too, but she's going home to Mexico for Christmas, and when she saw how much I love glitter and glamour she brought over her own Madonna. It's funny how the Latino culture shares my belief that Mother Mary was a very glamorous woman.” She glanced at her daughter, “Do you think I could be part Mexican?”

  “Anything's possible.”

  Naturally, Linda had draped the glamorous Madonna with even more crystals and beads and diamonds. In fact, she’d draped lights and sparkles everywhere. One corner of the living/dining area held a white flocked Christmas tree, and instead of her usual ornaments she had decorated the tree entirely with Lady Bianca Holiday Glitter sample packs. Toni was duly impressed. “Mom, that's a great idea. What a fun way to market our products.”

  Linda beamed with pride. “I knew you’d like it. I was saving the tree as a surprise. What I'm going to do on Saturday is give every lady and every gentleman who might know a lady one of the sample packs with an offer for a free makeover and my contact information.” She patted her neck where the diamond and sapphire necklace settled as though it belonged there. “Every sample, every makeover, every referral, is one step closer to me manifesting this necklace.”

  Toni might worry about her mother wearing such an expensive piece of jewelry everywhere she went, but she couldn’t fault her mother’s logic. “Absolutely! You’re closer to owning that necklace with every minute you put into your business. I'll bring some of my extra stock, too, in case you need extras.”

  “Aww, honey, that is so sweet of you.”

  Linda had strung her Christmas cards on lines of glittery twine. While her mother was in the kitchen pouring the drinks, Toni idly began to go through them. Then she came to one and smiled. “Mom, you got a Christmas card from Roy, the guy you met on the cruise.”

  When Linda came in carrying two glasses of iced tea, she was blushing a little. “I know. We've been emailing, almost every day.”

  “Wow. Really? Doesn't he live in the Midwest somewhere?”

  “He does. He sells car parts in Omaha. I think he was having a rough patch at work, and I was able to send him some motivational quotes and ideas of books on positive thinking. It's amazing how you can change your life just by changing your thoughts.”

  “It sure is, Mama. Also how well you can get to know someone on email. And how strange it is that you didn’t tell me or Tiffany.”

  They settled on the couch, and Toni noticed a photograph of herself and Tiffany and Linda that had been taken while on board the cruise ship. Beside it was a second photograph that she didn't recall seeing before. It showed Linda and Roy standing together and smiling at the camera.

  He might be a little younger than her mom, but it was clear that he was quite smitten with her. “Oh, well,” Linda said, following her gaze. “He is a few years younger than me, and so far we’re just pen pals.”

  Since she was here anyway, and her mother was one of her sales associates, Toni decided to make lemonade out of lemons and have a business discussion with her mom. She pulled out her notebook computer and opened a file. “How are you doing with your Christmas bookings?”

  Linda beamed. “I'm doing great, honey. I can't believe how much a clear and visible target, like this necklace, helps a girl to focus on her goals. I booked six home parties, and I'll be doing four home makeovers this week. I think one of the party hostesses would be a really good candidate to become a Lady Bianca rep.” The goal of every rep was to sign up new reps and broaden her network. Lady Bianca sales associates earned money from their own product sales but also earned a percentage of every sale of every consultant they recruited. Toni’s network was big enough that she made more of her income from her sales team than from her own sales, though she had a large customer base of her own.

  “That's fantastic, Mom.” There was a reason she rarely had one-on-one business meetings with her mother. There was no need. Linda was enthusiastic and a real go-getter.

  “So, what time do you want Tiffany and me to arrive on Saturday? And what can we bring.” Normally, she helped Linda load up at Costco with cheese and crackers and snack foods and so on and helped set up the bar. But Linda shook her head. “I don't want you to do a thing. You and Tiffany are here as guests. I hired a caterer,” she said with pride.

  “You did?”

  “I did. I'm a hard-working businesswoman and if I act successful, I will be successful.”

  “It's the caterer from your success circle isn’t it?”

  “It sure is. Katie. I’m hiring her for my party, and she's hosting one of the Christmas glitter parties at her house. That's how the success circle works.”

  “Okay. Makes sense.”

  “She's taking care of everything. She's renting the glasses, bringing all the beverages and the food. It's going to be so easy. I'll get to relax and mingle with my guests. I can't wait. I just love holiday parties.”

  As Toni was leaving, her daughter called. “Mom, I’m finished with my work at the hospital. It was fun. We had a party for the kids with pizza and a juggler and a magician. Everyone had a great time. But I’m wondering if you can pick me up?”

  “Aren’t you going to Becca’s tonight for a sleepover?”

  “Yeah, but I want to change and pick up a book I forgot. Also, can I borrow the car? I’ll bring it back in the morning.”

  “You going cruising for guys?”

  Her daughter made a rude noise. “When are you going to realize I am nothing like you?”

  “A mother has her dreams.”

  She didn’t think Luke would mind coming to her place later if she was car-less so she agreed. As she pulled into the hospital lot later, she noticed a yellow muscle car. Since her ex-husband Dwayne had been car crazy, she knew the model. It was a 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner. Strange to see two in one day, as that was the same car her mom’s next door neighbor had been driving. While she watched idly, the passenger door opened and a tall, distinguished looking man got out. She caught a glimpse of silver hair. He wore jeans and a polo shirt, but something about the way he carried himself suggested he was more at home in a suit.

  Tiffany ran out of the side door a few minutes later and jumped into Toni’s car. “Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.”

  “Do you want dinner before you go, Tiff?”

  Her daughter threw her a teasing glance. “I don’t want to spoil your appetite for lover boy.”

  She refused to blush. She was a grown woman, and if she carried on a discreet relationship with a cop who was also single, that was her business. Her one rule was that Luke
was never allowed to sleep over when Tiffany was in the house, and she never slept at his place if her daughter was around. However, Tiff was perfectly well aware that Luke was the man in her mom’s life.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” she replied. “I plan to spend the evening knitting you a sweater exactly like the one that Mrs. Schwartz knit for a gigantic teddy bear in her front yard.”

  “Seriously?” her daughter laughed. “I can’t wait to see it.”

  “Did I mention the bear lights up?”

  “I should get my environmental club to do an intervention. I swear, the way those residents in Pecan Heights try to outdo each other, one of these days they’ll blow the electric grid.”

  Chapter 4

  It was a typical December day in the Dallas suburbs the day of Linda’s party, around sixty degrees and sunny. Since her mother had hired a caterer for the festivities, Toni was free to spend the morning doing anything she liked. She fixed her broken nail as best she could but still made an appointment with her manicurist to replace the nail. When her daughter rolled out of bed, she said, “I tell you what, Tiff. Why don't you and I go shopping this morning, and I’ll treat you to a manicure?”

  Her daughter, unlike every other seventeen-year-old girl Toni could think of, did not jump up and down with excitement. She glanced at her fingernails, which she had painted herself with black polish. “I'm not having little diamonds on my hands.”

  “Of course not. That's my signature look.”

  Toni loved the tiny fake diamonds that she had embedded in the tips of all of her nails. She’d been doing it for years. It was part of her brand. She had diamonds on everything from her sunglasses to her handbags to her shoes. Of course, very few of them were real diamonds, but one of the ways Lady Bianca rewarded her top sales people was with diamond jewelry, and she’d managed to win enough bling that her fingers sparkled in a gratifying way.