“It will only take a second,” Mimi persisted.
“Oh, very well.”
Mimi waited till Momma closed the kitchen door. “Please tell me this celebration isn’t about some rumor you heard about Zeke and I…um, getting together this past weekend.”
“Well, of course it is! And I should be angry at you, you know. Instead of hearing it from my own daughter, I had to hear it from Shelby at the beauty salon.”
“Momma, Zeke and I are not back together,” Mimi said.
“Why not? You had…relations, didn’t you?”
Oh God. This was not something she wanted to discuss with her mother of all people. But maybe she should nip this in the bud before Momma got any more ideas up her skirt. “We had sex. It’s what married people do sometimes. Even when they’re not together.”
“Not together?” Her mother looked bewildered. “I don’t understand you, Mary Margaret.”
“Well, that’s the problem. You never have, Momma.” The second Mimi said it, she wished she hadn’t because now Momma looked hurt. And there was hot fried chicken in the next room and it was obvious she’d done a lot of work to make tonight special. “I’m sorry. I just have a lot on my plate right now.”
“Of course,” Momma said stiffly. She opened the kitchen door and waved Mimi through. “Let’s not keep everyone waiting.”
Momma took her place at the table and patted the seat next to her. “Now, Zeke, you sit right here and tell me all about what’s new with you.”
Despite the lingering sense of tension in the air, dinner wasn’t as bad as it should have been. Daddy and Cameron talked about soccer and school, and Momma kept up a pleasant conversation with Zeke about his job and Allie’s upcoming wedding.
“So, it’s going to be a smallish affair, then?” Momma asked.
Since Mimi was handling the wedding details, she decided to answer. “About seventy-five people, so yes, kind of on the intimate side.”
“Well, I hope we’re invited,” Momma said with strained cheerfulness. No one said anything for a second. She laid down her fork and stared at Mimi. “We are invited, aren’t we? After all, we’re family.”
“Well, of course you’re invited,” Mimi said. She made a mental note to recheck Allie’s guest list.
Momma picked up her fork and began eating again. “And you’ll be giving Allie away?” she asked Zeke.
Mimi’s foot began to jiggle under the table. Damn foot. She willed it to stop.
“Yes, I will,” Zeke said. He briefly glanced at Mimi, then looked away again.
“It’s too bad the two of you don’t have any parents left,” Momma continued. “It’s just so sad! Losing your mother at such an early age, and then your father…well, it’s all very sad.”
Daddy cleared his throat. “You a
lready said that, honey. Anyone want more wine?”
Mimi gratefully raised her glass and Daddy refilled it. He refilled his own glass, as well.
Claire shuffled around in her chair. She’d hardly eaten anything all night. “Are you all right?” she asked her daughter.
“Sure, I’m great,” Claire said. Then she lowered her voice. “Can I leave after dinner?”
“Leave to go where?” Zeke asked all the way from the other end of the table. How he heard that with Momma still talking into his ear was beyond Mimi. The man must have super hero hearing power.
“I have homework,” Claire said.
“Have you ever thought of hiring one of those private investigators?” Momma said to Zeke. “To find out what happened to your father?”
Mimi took a big chug of her wine.
“No.” Zeke kept his voice neutral, but Mimi could hear a thousand pounds of tension in that one simple word.