Coal Black (Book 5)

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

Working with the Women of Redwood

When the women arrived at the shop on Wednesday morning, everything was covered in ash and smelled of smoke. Victoria propped open the doors, and Hannah carried bolts of fabric from the shop out into the spring air, hoping to remove the smell of smoke from the fabric. Victoria's aunt from St. Paul, who had arrived last Friday for Hannah's graduation, was orchestrating the removal. She had commandeered two of Homer Schmidt's crew to set up sawhorses with long boards. One area was for cutting material and one for the bolts of material.

Aunt Arlene was organizing a fire sale for all the lookers today. Six yards for a dollar. Alice and Anna carried out ribbon and thread along with the displays from the windows. Every chair and bench had merchandise piled on top, and the buckboard wagon beds were full of boxes and more material.

The back of the building was not safe, as the apartments sagged from lack of support. Thomas had notified Homer Schmidt and his best friend Ben Grant early that morning of the need for repairs. Victoria walked around, surveying the damage when the men arrived at the site.

Victoria explained she wanted an enclosed outhouse and no more outside steps. The men agreed it was best to enclose the area, giving an extra room on the first floor of the shop. The corner posts were the priority, and Thomas left with a list of lumber needed and rode out to the lumberyard with the order.

When Victoria entered the shop, the men were setting up ladders for the women to wash the walls. They used cold water and vinegar to wash the walls and shelves. Aunt Arlene stayed outside tidying up the area once the merchandise had been removed. Hannah began washing the wall with her drawing of the Eiffel Tower on the wall.

The tower and the word Merci were painted black, but Hannah had used charcoal and white chalk to shadow in the tower. Washing the wall meant removing the shadowing. Hannah resolved to re-do the wall when things slowed down after the wedding. The important thing was to remove the smell of smoke.

Alice worked with the women, and the time flew by that morning. No one had stared at her face or laughed at her awkwardness. She felt herself smiling as she worked. Different women introduced themselves and welcomed her to Redwood. Alice couldn't believe the amount of people that were eager to help Victoria. She saw the acts of kindness as different customers greeted Victoria and offered her words of comfort.

At noon, the women from the hotel brought lunch and coffee to the workers at the shop. Sandwiches were handed out, and everyone found spots in the spring sunshine to rest from the morning's work. Alice joined Hannah and Anna on the porch in front of the shop. Alma walked around offering pieces of chocolate cake to the workers and Maude came behind her with a coffeepot.

Hannah and Alice told Anna about last night, and Anna was full of questions. Alice answered her questions and asked Anna not to think poorly of her since she was traveling with Cooper.

"I left my dad and my brothers. Cooper knew I was going to go on my own, but he was determined to get revenge."

"I shot Cooper's hat off one time when he was drunk and trying to climb up those stairs to see Victoria," said Hannah.

"Oh boy, I bet you he didn't like that."

"It scared me as much as him. Do you know how to shoot?"

"I can shoot a rifle if I have to," said Alice.

"Me, too," said Anna. "I can shoot a rifle if I have to."

The girls talked about hats and dresses and what projects they had sewn. Alice didn't want their break to end, but Aunt Arlene told the girls to get back to work. They spent the rest of the afternoon scrubbing every inch of the shop. The wooden shelves, woodwork, and cutting tables were then buffed with linseed oil.