Boxes littered the floor of the small quilt shop, "Bits of Cloth" while its owner stared at the invoice. Darla Holland's mind was on other things at the moment. Yesterday her soon to be ex-husband, Jimmy, had smugly informed her that he would sign the divorce papers if she would pay him half would what the shop was worth. If she refused, he would drag her through the courts and she would lose her shop to lawyer fees anyway. At first she had been stunned by his demand, then frightened and then finally she got angry! Even now, as she recalled his threats, her anger grew hotter by the minute. How dare he!
Suddenly the door chimed and she looked up to see her mother standing there, a lit cigarette hanging from her hand.
"Mom! Please, no smoking in here!" She heard how sharp her voice was and immediately tried to rein her temper in, even when her mother ignored the sand filled stand that stood outside the door just for that purpose and flicked the cigarette onto the sidewalk.
"No need to bit my head off!" Jane Holland exclaimed as she walked up to the counter where Darla was standing. It wasn't the first time that Darla wondered at the genetics that allowed such a tiny woman like her mother (who only stood five foot three) to have such a gawky offspring as herself who stood close to six feet tall.
Stifling a sigh, Darla apologized. "Sorry, Mom. Where are you off to today?"
"Oh, just cards at Merle'" Although she was tiny, her mothers erect posture and sharp clothes always drew the attention of men, Merle McCray most of all. Any other time Darla would of teased her about Merle but not today.
"Mom...did Jimmy call you?" Darla asked and wasn't surprised to see a guilty look flashed across her mother's face.
"As a matter of fact he did. The poor boy wants to get back together, Darla. He assured me it was all he could think about."
"What exactly did you two talk about? Did he asked you about the shop? How I could of opened it after he left me with all those bills to pay off?" She fought to keep her voice from growing harsh.
"Well...he did ask me how you could afford it." Her mother hedged.
As her hands tightened and crumbled the inovice she had been holding, Darla found herself almost snarling.
"Mom! He doesn't want to get back with me! He only wants money!"
"Now Darla..."
"Now Darla, what? Darla get married and some man will take care of you the rest of your life? Is that it? I hate to tell you this, but no man does that in todays world! At least not men like Jimmy Hall." Anger almost got the better of her and she could feel her eyes tear up as they did whenever she got angry. Blinking rapidly Darla looked down at the wrinkled invoice then back at her mother. As usual, her mother didn't seem to know what to do about her daughter's anger.
"He called me last night and demanded either I pay him half the value of the shop or he will take me to court to get it. Either way I lose the store. That's what I've been trying to get through to you, to make you understand about Jimmy. I'm nothing to him. What man sleeps around on his new wife? It wasn't because I neglected him, as I'm sure that was his reasoning." Suddenly Darla felt exhausted. "Look, can I call you later? I've got this shipment to check in and the Girls are coming in later to get their challenge material."
For a few seconds Jane stared at her daughter as if tryinig to figure something out. "I'll be home after five. You will call?"
Giving her mother a smile, Darla promised and watched her leave. After she was alone again, Darla tried to get back to work. The Girls were a local quilt club and they spent a lot of money in her shop so she needed to be ready when they came in. But her mind worried over things like a terrier with a rat. Just what was she going to do about Jimmy?
Busy at the cutting table later that day, Darla saw a familiar figure limp through her door. Mike Costa limped from a bullet collected a few years ago when he had been a detective on the police force. His wife had gotten him into quilting and after her death three years ago, had kept up the hobby. He was Darla's favorite customer.
"Afternoon!" He smiled as he came up to the counter. "Those Hoffmans come in?"
"Are you in luck, just this morning in fact. You better get whatever you need now, theres a lot of locals taking the challenge this year. The Girls called and they will be in soon." She warned him.
"I saw your mother at Merle's." Mike told her.
Darla lifted the first bolt of fabric to the counter. "You win any hands?"
"A few. Quarter yards of all except the last bolt." He told her. "What's this I hear about Jimmy being after your store?"
As the scissors slide through the fabric, Darla replied, "Oh, you know Jimmy. He's decided that I should pay him for the privilege of having been married to him."
"Didn't your aunt leave you this building after he left you?" Mike asked in surprise.
"Of course. Jimmy figures differently then you or I. He had his cousin, Bart Wells, contact me. He's a lawyer and told me that Jimmy will only sign the papers if I pay him twenty-five thousand dollars. If I don't, they will take me to court and you know what that means."
Mike's usual gently demeanor vanished as he exclaimed. "That's insane! That...loser never treated you right!"
"Will that mean much in court?" Darla stopped cutting and looked up at Mike. "How can I prove he doesn't deserve anything? I had to pay off all his bills before the bank would loan me the money to buy the stock and that was only because this building is worth more then the loan because of it's historical value." Her aunt had left her the oldest standing building in the small town and more then one business man had tried to buy it from her after the aunts burial. Darla hung on to it, though.
"I don't know the divorce laws all that well, but you did start this business after he left. I know you have been trying to get him to sign the papers for some time now."
"I guess he felt he could control me." Darla stared cutting the next bolt. "When he found out he couldn't I guess he refused to spite me."
Mike made a rude noise and pointed at the last two bolts. "Give halves on those. I can use them on some other things I'm working on."
The shop was quiet as she worked and then when she had reached the last bolt, Mike spoke up.
"Darla, I still have some friends on the force here and the next two towns. Why don't you put Jimmy off and let me see what I can dig up on him?"
Stacking the cut fabric into a neat pile, Darla considered Mikes offer. She was desperate to keep her shop and told him so.
"Mike, if you can help me out, I'll give you twenty-five percent off anything you buy in this store for the rest of your quilting days."
"Hell, for that I'll make him disappear!" Mike said with a laugh.
"Just out of my life will do." Darla grinned, suddenly feeling better. Perhaps her day was looking up!
The coffee shop was full and Darla was lucky to find a back booth open. As usual, Jimmy was late but she soon saw him swagger in. As he walked back towards her, Darla wondered what she had ever seen in him. Particularly when he slouched down in the seat across from her with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
"Hey, darling! Bring your check book?" He smirked at her.
"Jimmy, this is a non-smoking place." Darla pointed out, trying to keep the disgust from her voice.
"Still following the rules, aren't you?" His smirk became bigger as he leaned forward. "I want my money!"
In answer to his demand, she pulled out the divorce papers from her purse and pushed them across the table at him.
"Sign these."
"I'm not signing shit until I see some money!" He snarled at her.
"You're not getting one piece of my shop! I don't have to pay you one dime!" Darla snapped back.
"Then I guess I'll see you in court!" He snapped back and made to rise.
"Sit back down." At her tone of voice, Jimmy slowly sank back down, looking a bit surprised.
"See those two men in the first booth by the door?" Darla asked him and Jimmy nodded with a puzzled look.
"Their DEA, Jimmy." At his startled look, she continued. "I hear their here to check up on your boss. You know I have lots of friends on the police force, thanks to Mike Costa."
Jimmy suddenly turned white as she went on.
"I know you've made lots of trips to Chicago, I saved all the receipts for the gas, hotel rooms and meals. After all, I had to pay them off. I had the credit card companies send me copies..ones you signed. Receipts that put you at certain places. Your signature is on every one, Jimmy! Wonder what your boss, Big Harve, is going to think when he hears that the DEA is interested in you? I was told if I had some proof you were in Chicago at certain times they would be interested. I told them I would have to check. Now what will it be? Sign the papers or face Big Harve?"
He stared her for what seemed like an eternity, then grabbed the papers and scribbled his name at the bottom. Throwing them back at her, he got to his feet and then called her a few choice words before storming out of the place.
Darla sat there for a few seconds then gathered the papers and pushed them into her purse. Leaving a tip, she walked over to the two men she had pointed out earlier.
"Coffee's on me, boys. Tell Mike thanks, will you?"
"He didn't threaten you, did he?" One man asked with a fierce look.
"No. I told him you two were DEA." She replied and all grinned at the thought. Actually the two men weren't DEA but some somewhat shady friends of Mikes, but the threat of going to the DEA had been real.
Darla thanked them once again and headed toward the courthouse with a big smile on her face. Even the thought of how much fabric she would have to sell to cover Mike's discount didn't faze her. She and "Bits" were safe now and that was all the mattered to her. She was free!
