A Myrtle Clover Christmas

Chapter Two

Miles drove them to the consignment store, getting out of the car, but not following them.

"Aren't you coming in?" asked Myrtle. "I was planning on having Wanda do a fashion show."

Wanda looked as if she'd rather not do a fashion show. Miles gave her a sympathetic look. "I think I should go to the coffee shop a couple of doors down if I'm planning on being awake during the wedding. And perhaps the shopping will go quicker if Wanda decides which garment works best while she's still in the dressing room."

Myrtle looked doubtful at this but said slowly, "I suppose so. We lost a bit of time with the tree. I have my phone, so I'll just call you when we need to head to the dollar store."

Myrtle and Wanda walked into the store. Myrtle eyed the racks of clothes with a critical eye. "I'm thinking you need a variety of different things. A few tops, a couple of pairs of pants, something slightly dressy, something to hang around the house in, undergarments, and pajamas."

Wanda looked worried. "That sounds like a lot. Mebbe we should get Miles to drive me back home after all."

"Nonsense. Each piece of clothing is three dollars at the most. According to my mental calculations, we should be able to do this fairly cheaply."

A saleswoman wearing red glasses and a pair of reindeer antlers cleared her throat. "We've also got a Christmas sale going on. Everything is thirty percent off."

"Gracious! I can't even do the math on that, but that means everything is a good deal lower. Let's get cracking."

It wasn't long before Wanda had a complete, if limited, wardrobe in a cheery plastic consignment store bag. And some of the lines of worry had eased from Wanda's features.

Myrtle had called Miles right before they headed to the checkout counter, and he was in the parking lot by the time they exited the building. The next stop was the dollar store where Wanda picked up any toiletries she needed and Myrtle found a few stocking stuffers for her grandson, Jack. Myrtle pulled out her purse to buy Wanda's purchases, but Wanda shooed her hand away. "I got this one," she said with her gap-toothed grin.

Miles was dozing in the car when they joined him. He yawned and said, "Back to the house? I was just getting in a little nap since we're going to be up late tonight with the wedding."

"Let's head back to the house. We should watch our soap opera. I love it when the show is all Christmassy. Would you like to watch it, too, Wanda?"

Wanda considered this. "How about if I sorta watch it and sorta play solitaire?"

"That sounds like an excellent plan for someone who doesn't know all the convoluted backstories of the show," said Miles.

So that is what happened. Myrtle and Miles watched as Felicity and Adrian, brother-in-law and sister-in-law, hooked up rather implausibly at a family Christmas party. The family Christmas party, naturally, was at a mansion done up with a tremendous tree that took up most of the set. They were all wearing fabulous red clothing.

"I could see that coming," murmured Myrtle.

"Felicity and Adrian? How? It's very scandalous," said Miles.

"Because this is a very scandalous show. Plus, the set had mistletoe hanging all over it as foreshadowing. No one at that Christmas party could stand anywhere without being under mistletoe. It was a forest of it."

Wanda had apparently gotten quite sleepy during her solitaire game and had fallen asleep, her head resting on her folded arms. She was gently snoring.

"Poor thing. She deserves a bit of rest," said Myrtle.