Bridget called everybody inside and they took turns washing up at the sink. We sat down and Daddy started to say grace. With my eyes closed and head lowered, my mind began to drift again, but it snapped to attention when Daddy said, “And now, Lord, a word about my Frances Kathleen.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Bridget peeking at me from the corner of hers.
“She’s borne the load around here for a while since her dear mother departed, and today I gave my blessing for her marriage, even though it will be a struggle without her. Please be with her and Joseph in their marriage and help us get along without her here. And, Lord, let her know that I’m proud of her and if her mother were here, she’d want nothing more for Tiny than the good man she’s chosen. Amen.”
“Amen,” everyone echoed. Everyone but me—I couldn’t speak quite yet.
“Tiny,” breathed Molly, staring at me from across the table. “Are you and Joey getting married?”
I looked at Daddy but he was already reaching for a pork chop. Evidently that was all the fanfare my news was going to get, but it was enough for me. I’d take quiet approval and a reluctant admission of pride over his blustering any day. Flashing Molly a smile, I nodded.
“But—but…” she stammered. “It’s so soon.”
“Sometimes, Molly,” I said, reaching for the potatoes, “you don’t realize a thing is staring you in the face until you’re hit over the head with it.”
“Joey hit you?” Mary Grace asked, her eyes wide. “That doesn’t seem like him.”
The three older sisters at the table burst out laughing. “Not really, poppet. It’s just a way to say Joey had been there all along but I didn’t realize how we felt about each other until now.”
“Oh.” She gave me a smug face. “Well, I could have told you how you felt about each other. It was positively obvious to me all along.”
I grinned and reached for a pork chop. It was the nicest supper we’d had as a family in a long time. We talked a little about the wedding, although I didn’t have any details the girls cared about yet but for the dress I’d wear. Daddy said business was going well at his new location, and I tried to read his face, wondering if the gambling arrangement was working out, but he kept his eyes on his plate. When he was finished, he retired to the front room with his whisky to read the paper, and I left him alone. If he was satisfied with his life working for a man like Angel DiFiore, so be it. I wanted nothing to do with it. My only hope was that he’d bring home enough money to take care of the girls, and when they were ready, pay for their schooling. I might have to enlist Bridget’s help to convince him to do it, but I’d worry about that later.
Molly and I did the dishes after supper, and I was still drying when there was a knock on the front door. Mary Grace pulled it open, and a moment later I heard Joey’s voice.
“Hi.” I rushed into the front hall. He looked even more handsome than I remembered, if that were possible, even though he only wore work clothes and the old floppy cap.
“Hi.” He removed the cap and came forward to kiss my cheek. Mary Grace elbowed Molly and the two of them stood there beaming like idiots.
“Scat, girls,” I told them. “Go finish the dishes.”
&
nbsp; “Oh, just a minute,” Molly scoffed, stepping toward Joey and offering a hug. “We heard the news, Joey, and we’re really happy. Congratulations.”
Joey hugged her, giving me a surprised look over her shoulder. Mary Grace, not to be outdone, threw her arms around Joey and Molly’s waists.
“Well, thank you.” Joey laughed as he embraced both girls. “Just what I always wanted—more sisters.”
“OK, you said your congratulations, now away with you. Finish the dishes.” I pointed a finger toward the kitchen.
“Sure will be nice not to hear that anymore, won’t it?” Molly said to Mary Grace as they headed down the hall.
Rolling my eyes, I turned back to Joey. The way he looked at me—like he was barely able to keep his hands to himself—sent my heart pounding. Before supper I’d changed into a peasant blouse and an old blue skirt, but he looked at me as if I wore diamonds and silk. Or maybe nothing at all. Simultaneously, we glanced to our left, where my father sat reading the paper only ten feet away.
Then we grinned at each other. “Can you come for a ride?” he whispered.
“Maybe.” I raised my voice and called to Daddy. “Is it OK if I go for a ride with Joey?” Daddy nodded without lifting his eyes from the paper, and my excitement ratcheted up ten notches. “Thanks.”
I grabbed my purse off the hall table and followed Joey to his car. It wasn’t quite full dark yet, and the warm air was filled with all the sounds of a summer night. Soft breeze, noisy cicadas, tinny music from a phonograph drifting through an open window. Joey opened and closed the door for me before getting in on the driver’s side. The moment his door was shut he grabbed my face and pressed his lips to mine, his tongue sliding into my mouth in a way that told me exactly what he was thinking. Blood rushed to my center.
“God, I’ve been thinking about you all day,” he whispered, putting our foreheads together. “And I can’t go another hour without your body next to mine.”
I put my hands to the back of his head and pulled him to me, my pulse racing faster and faster as the kiss grew more frenzied. I lavished the attention on his lips and tongue I wanted to lavish on other parts of his body.
After a moment, he groaned. “We can’t do this here.”
“Let’s go to your house,” I said breathlessly.