Stinky Is Good In A Garden Of Lies

She was a breath of fresh air, Dayna had to admit. Her young eyes had seen little to corrupt her, and her eagerness to be accepted reminded Dayna of herself.
“I’m Dayna Meeks, the sheriff’s wife.” She extended her hand. “I just wanted to welcome you to Greenstone and let you know my door is always open.”
“I’m Karen.” She smiled. “Please, please come in.”
“Wow,” she looked around. “I haven’t been in here in years. What do plan to do in here?”
“My husband and I have been struggling with that.” She led her to the kitchen. “We’re not sure this is the décor the original owners had in mind. Come join us.”
“I see Agnes has been keeping you company.” Dayna entered the kitchen and sat on the empty barstool next to Agnes.
“Yes,” she reached into the cupboard for another plate. “Agnes has been filling me in on this great town.”
“I was telling her that Greenstone is a great place to raise kids.” Agnes unwrapped the pie and tossed the plastic wrap in the trash. “Larry and I were fresh out of high school when we were married and had the twins. When my parents retired and moved to Florida, they gave us the house, and we couldn’t have been happier. We love it here.”
“She would know.” Dayna played with her fork. “Our little Agnes has been popping them out since she was 18, and I don’ think she needs anymore.”
Agnes’ posture straightened. She smoothed the napkin in front of her. “And you, on the other hand, can’t or won’t give motherhood a shot. With the way you treat people, it’s probably a good idea that no one is running around calling you mommy.”
Karen had never experienced such awkwardness. She wasn’t good at mediation. And she was positive that their feud required a professional. She quickly cut the pie and plopped a piece on each plate. Eating large quantities of sugar, accompanied by a steaming cup of coffee always helped her relax. She hoped it would help her guests.
“Agnes,” she licked her fingers. “This is the best pie I’ve ever tasted in my life. It’s delicious.”
“Oh Agnes,” Dayna closed her eyes. “She’s right. This is your best one yet.
Agnes sipped her coffee. She was thrilled they liked it, especially Karen. It had been so long since she had someone who seemed genuine, to talk to; someone who didn’t always throw status in her face. She looked over at Dayna, and for a moment thought that maybe Karen would be the one to give them a fresh start on their strained friendship. But she couldn’t help but think that Patience would’ve been so proud of the way she stood up to Dayna.
“You know what would be fun Agnes?” she didn’t wait for her to answer. “What if we took her to meet Mrs. Landau? That way she could see pictures of how this how used to look.”
Agnes could never remember willfully agreeing with Dayna about anything, but she thought it was a great idea.